Most of our warm-season vegetables can be planted in early May, however, winter squash and pumpkins should be delayed until mid to late June. The first generation of squash bugs is active in July. Delaying the planting date for squash will result in younger plants that can escape this round of squash bug damage. Plants will need protection from the second generation of squash bugs which is present in August.
A Mid-Scale Anaerobic Biodigester Creates On-Farm Renewable Energy
I’ve always found ways to turn “waste materials” into useful resources on the farm fascinating. On my farm, I tried to reuse and recycle resources as much as possible to close the off-farm input loop. I think farms can become more resilient as they rely on fewer off farm inputs. So, when I heard of the mid-scale anaerobic digester being installed at Dickenson College Organic Farm as a demonstration of how small dairy farms can utilize manure and other waste streams to produce on farm energy, I was eager for the opportunity to visit the farm and help spread the word to other farms.
In November 2023, NCAT Agriculture Specialist Eric Fuchs-Stengel and I had that opportunity. We traveled to Dickenson College Organic Farm in Carlisle, PA to visit Matt Steiman, Farm Energy and Livestock Manager at the farm. The farm is a beautiful certified organic working farm situated on 90 acres in the south-central part of the state where they grow vegetables and raise beef, lamb, and layers. Eric and I were there to shoot a video tour of the newly installed, mid-scale anaerobic biodigester that transforms manure from a neighboring dairy, as well as food waste from the college dining hall and local restaurants, into natural gas that can be used to generate heat and electricity.
This biodigester project comes after years of biofuel research and experimentation by Steiman at the college. The idea of using waste products from the farm and local area to produce fuel and power greatly intrigued Steiman, so he started making biodiesel that converted waste cooking oil into fuel to run equipment on the farm. Since the glycerin byproduct from biodiesel production can be useful in anaerobic digestion of organic matter that produces natural gas, he started experimenting in 2010 with small anaerobic digester systems to utilize glycerin, leading to a series of larger systems and culminating with the latest farm-scale biodigester.
The process of anaerobic digestion for production of natural gas is straightforward. A sealed tank creates an anaerobic, or oxygen-free, environment where a slurry of organic matter can be “eaten” or digested by microbes that thrive at certain temperatures in low-oxygen conditions. The methane gas given off from the microbes in this process rises to the top of the tank to an outlet tube where it can be collected and used as a fuel source for heat or electric production. The leftover digestate, which contains all the nutrients from the original waste material, is collected and spread on farm fields.
The size and cost of this new biodigester project required very specific design considerations to ensure that it was sized properly to match the expected waste flow and operate as intended. The digester tank is a 10-foot tall, 115,000-gallon, 50-foot-diameter cement tank buried 8 feet in the ground and sealed with a heavy-duty rubber covering. In the tank are heater pipes and an agitator to mix the slurry. A free-style barn was built next to the tank to house the dairy cows and heifers. At one end of the barn are three in-ground cement tanks that make up the waste-collection system for the digester. One tank is for daily manure collection, the second is for food waste collection (up to 3 tons per day), and the third is for collecting the digestate material remaining after the digestion process. The digestate goes through a liquid removal process and can then be used for bedding in the barn. The liquid portion of the digestate is staged to be used as a nutrient source for the farm’s crop fields and compost piles.
This digester is sized to produce enough gas to match a 50-kilowatt (kW) combined heat and power (CHP) engine. An engine from the European company TEDOM adapted to biogas was chosen for the job. The power produced will first be used to supply the power needs of the farm and the biodigester itself with excess electric production being sold back to the local utility company. This unique 150-cow-scale digester is small compared to other on farm digesters in the United States.
Funding for this project was secured from multiple sources, including NRCS’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). For farmers looking for biodigester funding, Steinman had several suggestions. First, he said, talk to your Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) county office. In addition, the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) is a grant program administered through USDA’s Rural Development office. Through REAP, farmers and rural businesses who meet grant criteria can apply for grant funding up to 50% of the cost of an on-farm alternative energy project, including anaerobic biodigesters. Steiman also suggested talking to your state Department of Agriculture and Department of Environmental Management or Protection as funding sources. It is also worth investigating local conservation districts and utility companies that may offer funding for on-farm alternative energy projects.
Funding for this project was secured from multiple sources, including NRCS’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). For farmers looking for biodigester funding, Steinman had several suggestions. First, he said, talk to your Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) county office. In addition, the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) is a grant program administered through USDA’s Rural Development office. Through REAP, farmers and rural businesses who meet grant criteria can apply for grant funding up to 50% of the cost of an on-farm alternative energy project, including anaerobic biodigesters. Steiman also suggested talking to your state Department of Agriculture and Department of Environmental Management or Protection as funding sources. It is also worth investigating local conservation districts and utility companies that may offer funding for on-farm alternative energy projects.
With this new biodigester, Steiman and Dickenson College are using farm and food-waste streams to generate renewable energy right on the farm and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. With nearly 5,000 dairy farms in Pennsylvania alone with an average herd size of 100 cows, this project is intended to showcase how biogas production can work for mid-sized farms across the state and the country. The college is partnering with Penn State University and agriculture producer groups like PASA Sustainable Agriculture to use this project as an on-the-ground demonstration of properly sized biodigester design and implementation and to educate farmers on the benefits of biogas production at this scale.
By Chris Lent, NCAT Agriculture Specialist
Related ATTRA Resources:
Episode 350. Mid-Scale Biodigester with Matt Steiman of Dickinson College
Biodiesel Use, Handling, and Fuel Quality
Micro-Scale Biogas Production: A Beginners Guide
Anaerobic Digestion of Animal Wastes: Factors to Consider
Other Resources:
Biogas – Dickinson College Organic Farm
Organic Farm Dickinson College – YouTube
On-Farm Energy Initiative, NRCS
Produced by the National Center for Appropriate Technology through the ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program, under a cooperative agreement with USDA Rural Development. ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.
Can Kansas lure the Kansas City Chiefs to leave Missouri? Lawmakers didn’t vote on it.
ansas lawmakers ended the legislative session without passing a plan intended to help make a pitch for the Kansas City Chiefs to leave Missouri and relocate across state lines.
Legislators met Monday afternoon on the penultimate day of the legislative session to discuss proposed changes to an economic development program. Despite agreement on the proposal, the bill never got a vote before the Legislature adjourned early Wednesday morning.
The “temporary and targeted changes” would be to sales tax and revenue bonds, said Rep. Sean Tarwater, R-Stilwell, as he wore a Chiefs lapel pin.
“We called this meeting because of recent events in the Kansas City region where there was a vote to extend sales tax for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals, which failed pretty miserably,” Tarwater said. “We kind of had an idea that was going to happen, so we’ve been working on some sort of a solution for them for some time now without their involvement.
“We just want to make sure that we have the right plan for when the time is right for us to start those negotiations.”
The government subsidy bill won support from a conference committee.
“We see an incredible opportunity, an exciting opportunity, to put Kansas on the map along with states that have professional sports,” said Sen. Renee Erickson, R-Wichita.
Is there still a chance Kansas lawmakers make a play for the Chiefs?
But the STAR bond bill was never brought up for a vote Monday or Tuesday before the Legislature adjourned. Internal political differences among Republican leadership appear to be to blame in addition to fear of a narrative that lawmakers were giving tax breaks to a large company while failing to secure meaningful tax relief for Kansans.
Gov. Laura Kelly has already vowed to call a special session because she will veto the tax cut plan passed by legislators on the last day.
Tarwater said lawmakers could try again at making a play for the Chiefs during the special session. But the process would be more laborious since they would have to start over, hold actual commerce committee hearings and have floor debates and possible amendment. The attempt during veto session did not follow that normal legislative process.
“That’s going to be something that we’re not going to have a whole lot of time to do,” he said early Wednesday morning after the House adjourned. “Who know? Maybe? Because we did have the votes on both sides, and I’m very disappointed that they didn’t even take it up.”
STAR bond districts would try to lure NFL, MLB, NBA or NHL teams
The plan would have been done through a gut-and-go of House Bill 2663. It would authorize STAR bond districts to build a new stadium and practice facilities with a minimum investment of $1 billion. Up to two professional sports teams from the NFL, MLB, NBA or NHL could use the program.
Local cities and counties wouldn’t have to offer their own incentives, but they could in what Tarwater likened to a bidding process among local governments in Kansas.
“We want to make sure that since Jackson County dropped the ball here that we’re in a position to do a scoop and score,” Tarwater said before the plan failed.
Voters in Jackson County, Missouri, rejected a sales tax for the Chiefs and Royals. The Kansas plan wouldn’t necessarily require any public votes.
“It’s important to note that no Kansans will be asked to pay any more taxes than they currently are,” Tarwater said. “There won’t be a vote for sales tax because of this bill. This bill can happen in either way. We are using tomorrow’s money to pay, and it’s tomorrow’s money that we otherwise wouldn’t receive because these structures will bring it in the business and they will cause development around them.”
As reported in the Topeka Capital Journal
Think of pets when needing to change lifestyle
If you or your family member is getting older and looking to downsize, think ahead about what that might mean for your pet.
“A lot of it is knowing your pets,” said Erica Miller, DVM with Apple Lane Animal Hospital. “You went from your pets being able to run around and have all this land and kind of free roam and now, you’re in an apartment. Your lifestyle changed. Are you getting up early and going on walks to release some of that energy for your pet. Are you doing walks after work? Can you go home at lunch and do a quick walk? Walks are good for us, too.”
It’s also sometimes best for the animal to be offered to a different owner who may have a similar living situation to what is being left behind.
“We’ll have elderly clients that are like, hey, we’ve got to move,” Miller said. “We can’t take our pets with us. Rehoming is always an option. Sometimes that can be hard for the owner, but sometimes the owner knows. They’re like, hey, I need to rehome my pet, because it’s not fair to them to not have these things that they have always had. I want them to have those things. There’s always that.
Miller says there are times where she’s able to match up current clients with prospective ones.
“A lot of times, it’s like, I don’t want a puppy,” Miller said. “I don’t want to do the potty training. I don’t want to do this. I want a dog that’s already older and just kind of ready to enter the family. If you’re talking with your veterinarian and you’re in regularly, we know your pet. A lot of times we know if they’d be a good fit for someone who is looking for someone just like them.”
If you have other questions, you can call Miller’s office at (620) 662-0515.
Don’t worry, be happy: It could lead to a longer life
Is there a science to happiness?
Michelle Lane thinks so. And she can prove it.
“I have found more than 30 studies that found that happiness actually adds several years to your life,” said Lane, the senior director of community wellness and corporate health at North Kansas City Hospital.
Lane was a featured speaker to participants in Kansas State University’s Walk Kansas program, an eight-week challenge that encourages teams of six to exercise and live more healthfully while working toward a common goal.
One research study, Lane says, monitored 1700 people in Canada for 10 years to determine whether their attitude affected their health.
“After accounting for known risk factors within this population, the researchers found that people who were happier were 22% less likely to get heart disease,” Lane said. “Then, study after study demonstrates that people with the most negative emotions had the highest risk for heart disease, and people that scored highest for happiness had the lowest risk.”
Johns Hopkins University reported similar results following a 25 years study: People with a positive outlook were one-third less likely to have a heart attack.
“Pessimism is really a big risk factor for poor health,” Lane said. “When pessimistic people develop age-related illnesses like cancer or heart disease, that illness tends to progress faster.
“Happy people are less likely to get sick because the brain is directly wired to our immune system. Portions of our nervous system connect with our thymus and our bone marrow, which affect the immune response systems in the body.”
Lane noted a trial in which 950 volunteers were asked to be exposed to a cold virus. Prior to the study, the participants were interviewed over a two-week period in which they reported such things as feeling energetic or whether they were pleased with their life.
“During the trial, those that reported more positive emotions were less likely to get the cold, even though they were swabbed with the virus,” Lane said.
Lane reviewed more than 400 studies and came up with four “set points” to increase happiness in one’s life:
- Satisfaction with relationships. Lane learned that the people most satisfied with their relationships at age 50 are the healthiest. A satisfactory relationship was more important than such health indicators as blood pressure and cholesterol level. Make an effort to talk to and know people you meet daily.
- Be intentional about finding your flow and seek out new experiences. Exercise is one way to ‘find your flow,’ Lane said. Make it a priority to do healthy things every day that bring you joy. A mystery dinner date, scavenger hunt or other outing helps individual find a flow away from less happy things, such as doing taxes or home repairs.
- Do nice things for others. “It’s simply part of our nature to be altruistic and compassionate,” Lane said. “Being intentional about it makes you feel good about yourself and make you feel pride, but it also gives you those ‘feel-good’ hormones.”
- Show gratitude. Lane calls it “foundational science” that doing even a couple things to express gratitude helps to increase one’s happiness. Consider starting a journal to write something you are grateful for every day.
“I like to think of emotions as being contagious…like a virus, right?” Lane said. “Happy people tend to life the mood for everybody around us; unhappy people can bring us down. So, hopefully we can all lift the moods of those around us.”
More information about Walk Kansas also is available at local extension offices in Kansas.
Sedgwick Co Masters Gardners Garden Tour
The popular Garden Tour returns for 2024 starting on Friday, May 31st with an inviting array of thoughtfully designed flowerbeds, shady woodland backyard retreats, and calming water features. Sponsored by the Sedgwick County Extension Master Gardeners, this year’s tour includes five distinctive private gardens as well as one newly established community garden, all providing inspiration and information for creating your own gardening dreams. Each garden will be open for your touring enjoyment for three days only: Friday and Saturday (May 31st and June 1st) from 9:00am to 5:00pm, and Sunday, June 2nd, from noon to 4:00pm. Tickets are $10 per person, and children 12 and under are admitted free with adult. Learn more about each garden, and purchase your tickets online.
Federal order requires testing for, reporting of HPAI in livestock
On April 24, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued a federal order to help prevent spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza. It takes effect April 29 and requires mandatory testing for interstate movement of dairy cattle.
The order, issued in accordance with the regulatory authority provided by the Animal Health Protection Act, as amended, 7 U.S.C. § 8301 et seq. Section 8305, authorizes the secretary of agriculture to prohibit or restrict the movement in interstate commerce of any animal, article or means of conveyance if the secretary determines that the prohibition or restriction is necessary to prevent the introduction of any pest or disease of livestock into the United States or the dissemination of any pest or disease of livestock within the U.S.
According to the release, Section 8308 authorizes the secretary of agriculture to carry out operations and measures to detect, control or eradicate any pest or disease of livestock. Section 8315 authorizes the secretary of agriculture to issue orders as he determines necessary to carry out the Animal Health Protection Act. Should this order be deemed a substantive rule, APHIS has determined that good cause exists to impose these requirements without notice and comment, as further delay would threaten to hasten the spread of the disease, multiplying the potential harm to livestock, poultry, the dairy industry and, potentially, human health.
The order requires the following measures, effective April 29, to monitor and understand the virus’ extent and reduce the risk to poultry and other livestock.
Mandatory testing for interstate movement of dairy cattle:
—Prior to interstate movement, dairy cattle are required to receive a negative test for Influenza A virus at an approved National Animal Health Laboratory Network laboratory.
—Owners of herds in which dairy cattle test positive for interstate movement will be required to provide epidemiological information, including animal movement tracing.
—Dairy cattle moving interstate must adhere to conditions specified by APHIS.
—As will be described in forthcoming guidance, these steps will be immediately required for lactating dairy cattle, while these requirements for other classes of dairy cattle will be based on scientific factors concerning the virus and its evolving risk profile.
Mandatory reporting:
—Laboratories and state veterinarians must report positive Influenza A nucleic acid detection diagnostic results (e.g. PCR or genetic sequencing) in livestock to USDA APHIS.
—Laboratories and state veterinarians must report positive Influenza A serology diagnostic results in livestock to USDA APHIS.
About HPAI
HPAI is most often found in domestic poultry and wild birds, and the contagious viral disease is deadly to those segments and can wipe out entire flocks quickly. APHIS said HPAI is a threat to the poultry industry, animal health, human health, trade and the economy worldwide. In the United States, HPAI has now been detected in dairy cattle.
On Feb. 8, 2022, the USDA confirmed HPAI H5N1virus in a commercial poultry flock in the United States. Since February 2022, agencies have responded to more than 1,100 HPAI detections on poultry farms to mitigate the virus’ impact on U.S. poultry production and trade.
Since late March 2024, the USDA, Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state veterinary and public health officials and the National Animal Health Laboratory Network laboratories have been investigating the emergence of the HPAI, H5N1 virus in dairy cows.
As of April 24, confirmed cases of HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b have been found in 8 states on 33 dairy cattle premises. Those states include Kansas, Idaho, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, South Dakota and Texas. USDA has also confirmed—based on specific phylogenetic evidence and epidemiological information—that eight poultry premises in five states (Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico and Texas) have also been infected with the same HPAI H5N1virus genotype detected in dairy cattle. Additionally, APHIS’ National Veterinary Services Laboratories found HPAI in a lung tissue sample from an asymptomatic cull dairy cow that originated from an affected herd and which did not enter the food supply.
HPAI has already been recognized as a threat by USDA, and the interstate movement of animals infected with HPAI is already prohibited. See 9 C.F.R. 71.3(b). However, the detection of this new distinct HPAI H5N1 virus genotype in dairy cattle poses a new animal disease risk for dairy cattle—as well as an additional disease risk to domestic poultry farms—since this genotype can infect both cattle and poultry.
For more information regarding this federal order, visit www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/livestock.
As reported in the High Plains Journal
Herding Cats (Best Of)
The United Kingdom of Great Britain has been responsible for exporting many significant ideas and objects around the world during their long and colorful past. Many of our important breeds of cattle and sheep originated there as did tabloid and smutty journalism you find on the shelves in our supermarkets. Immigrants from Great Britain settled the new world and many of us could trace our heritage to the land across the Big Pond. I, for instance, had a great grandfather who was half Scotch, at certain times of the day that is. Yet it seems incongruous to me that peaceful Great Britain gave the world the violence of boxing and rock music but also the innocence and gullibility of animal rights.
The United Kingdom has shared its colorful language with the world and today English is spoken virtually everywhere, except most metropolitan American cities. And from the language of Shakespeare and Benny Hill sprang some of the world’s great literature… of which I recently discovered an example.
Lords and ladies, I assure the following story is true, occurring in the year 1978. That was the year, you may or may not recall (probably not), of the fireman’s strike in Great Britain. A labor strike, I am told, is not an uncommon occurrence in merry Old England.
So when Muffy’s cat got caught in the neighbor’s tree and she rang on the telly to the fire department for them to come and get the cat down, the British Army responded to the call instead. Valiantly the British Army had taken over the emergency fire fighting duties and other responsibilities of the striking fire fighters. So when the Army was called to the elderly lady’s home in the South of London to retrieve her tabby, they did it with typical British military flair and efficiency.
Three trucks arrived overflowing with soldiers in full military regalia and a crowd gathered to watch the maneuvers. “Thank ‘evins, you’ve come,” cried Muffy. Her own feeble attempts to herd the cat from the tree had failed miserably. Evidently it never dawned on her that if the cat got up the tree by itself it could also get down of its own accord.
But with impressive haste the soldiers hoisted the ladder and in a matter of moments they discharged their duty making possible one of the great animal rescues of all time.
The rescue was so successful, and the elderly owner of the cat was so pleased with the results, that she invited the cat’s rescuers in for tea and biscuits. It seems that Muffy was a member of London’s Dumb Friends League, which is similar to our Humane Society. So naturally, Muffy invited her fellow club members over to the house to share in the cat’s salvation. The members of the Dumb Friends League no doubt cared dearly for all animals and their gratitude to the soldiers seemed genuine enough.
After the mirth and merriment of the moment had subsided the soldiers bid adieu to the elderly lady and the adoring crowd. Backing out the driveway they proceeded to run over the cat and kill it.
Lettuce Eat Local: Just Putting On The Grits
I know that if you’re a liar, liar, you get your pants on fire…but what does it make you when you get your oven on fire?
I typed that, and then I realized the answer is, clearly, a bad baker.
Fortunately, I didn’t actually start a fire in my oven; I just had a mishap that sure made it smell like I did. I mentioned the lemon streusel coffeecake in passing last week, but I didn’t mention the part where I fumbled when pulling the pan out of the oven, spilling some of the almonds and brown sugar bits. I turned the oven off immediately and everything was fine, although some of the streusel melted and hardened into blackened rubble.
Not a big deal — this is not my first rodeo. As I set the wet rag over the spill to soak, I reminded myself not to forget it.
You can probably guess where this is going.
The next evening as I preheated the oven quite hot for the supper I had prepped and ready to go in, I noticed the black smoke billowing out of the vent. I smelled that telltale acrid burn, and immediately remembered what I had forgotten. I’m afraid I bumbled frantically around the kitchen a bit, exclaiming to Benson that “We need Brian! We need Brian!” — although at least I thought to turn the oven off first thing. I grabbed a tongs and tried to pull the cloth off the bottom, but all that came up was a smoldering lump of instantly-hardened fabric lava.
I’m not sure what that rag used to be made out of, but now it was made out of pure ruin. Needless to say, the oven was out of commission that night…and for several days afterwards, as I tried various methods of disaster relief. (None overly effective, although fortunately the trauma has been assuaged enough to render the oven usable again.)
I definitely don’t use the oven every day, but of course once the option was removed, I felt like I needed it. Especially that night for the supper that was all just about to get popped in to cook so easily. We found our workarounds, however, and didn’t even begin to go hungry: Brian was able to throw the lamb ribs on the grill (our first time cooking that cut of meat; Benson said he preferred to call it “dead goat”); the sweet potatoes went in the microwave; the asparagus got thrown into a cast iron skillet. We even got bonus grilled zucchini because the grill was on so why not?
The one thing that I hadn’t intended to roast was a pot of cauliflower cheese grits, so that could actually go as planned. What the plan was, I didn’t know until I was into it…I had been looking at some cajun and creole recipes, the cheesy grits variations kept catching my eye, and I had a cauliflower head in the fridge waiting to be cooked, so my course of action seemed very logical. I’m so glad it could be cooked on the stovetop, because while the rest of supper was nice, that pot of creamy cheesy goodness is what I kept coming back to.
The best part being, there was nothing stuck or burnt onto the pot and no need of overnight soaking, just a quick scrub. Phew.
Cheesy Cauliflowerits
Before you get in a tizzy because these are not actually grits, thereby lacking the subtly sweet flavor or tender chew of cornmeal, give this dish a try. The cauliflower cooks up rich and soft but not mushy, and provides the perfect canvas for the creamy and sharp aspects of the cheese to shine. Amounts are even less precise than my usual in this technique/idea-driven recipe, so just remember that it isn’t finicky and is all to taste. Also I’m sure if you wanted to finish it by topping with some extra cheese and broiling for a few minutes, that would be lovely…assuming your oven is safer than mine was at the tim.
Prep tips: I used sharp white cheddar and fontina, but essentially any white cheese will do the trick; I just like the funkiness of aged. To stretch you even more, I offer the fact that leftovers are amazing cold drizzled with hot honey.
a head of cauliflower, pulsed or chopped into rice-sized or smaller bits
a couple cups of milk
salt and cracked black pepper
a couple tablespoons of cream cheese
a dash of dry mustard powder
a couple ounces of sharp cheese, shredded
Transfer cauliflower to a medium saucepan, and pour in enough milk just to cover. Bring to a simmer, add some salt and pepper, cover, and cook just until cauliflower is tender. Stir in cream cheese, dry mustard, and shredded cheese; let simmer, uncovered, if still soupy, but it will soak up some of the milk as it sits. Season to taste and serve.