The Kansas Department of Agriculture, in partnership with the Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, is now accepting applications from Kansas licensed early child care facilities to participate in a program to increase child nutrition knowledge and consumption of local fruits and vegetables.

The program, titled “Our Earliest Eaters: Bringing the Farm to Kansas Licensed Early Child Care Facilities,” will provide Kansas licensed early child care facilities with age-appropriate curriculum about Kansas specialty crops and reimbursements for purchasing locally grown fruits and vegetables. Through a competitive application process, 50 facilities will be selected to receive agricultural education activities and resource kits developed by the Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom at no cost. Upon demonstration of teaching the provided curriculum, the selected facilities will receive reimbursement of up to $250 per growing season to cover the costs of purchasing fruits and vegetables grown by Kansas farmers and producers to use in the provided educational activities as well as serve in their meal programs.

KDA will help the selected licensed early child care facilities identify farmers and producers local to their facility to purchase healthy fruits and vegetables from. By building relationships between licensed early child care facilities and local farmers and producers, this program will increase nutrition knowledge and consumption of specialty crops in our earliest eaters, while creating new market outlets for Kansas specialty crop producers.

Applications are due to KDA no later than 5:00 p.m. CT on Friday, February 28, 2025. For more information, please visit “Our Earliest Eaters at: www.agriculture.ks.gov/grants.

Funding for this program was made possible by the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service.

The vision of the Kansas Department of Agriculture is to provide an ideal environment for long-term, sustainable agricultural prosperity and statewide economic growth. The agency will achieve this by advocating for sectors at all levels and providing industry outreach.

This year’s cross-state tour kicks off June 7 in St. Francis, KS. BAK 2025 marks the 51st year of the tour taking to Kansas roads. Hundreds of bicyclists are preparing to embark on the 51st annual bike tour across the state.

The Biking Across Kansas tour, is an annual celebration of bicycling, history, and camaraderie will hit the highways and byways Saturday through Saturday, June 7 – 14.
BAK organizers revealed the unique route for 2025 at 2 p.m. Saturday, January 18. Route
information is available now, with online registration set to open at 6 a.m. Monday, Jan. 29 at bak.org.

“2025 marks 51 years that BAK has toured every part of this amazingly beautiful state, and we invite all those interested in experiencing this incredible adventure to join us.” said David Rohr, BAK board president. “Biking Across Kansas is a ride for all ages, it is a tour filled with friendly bicyclists, warm small town hospitality, and the stunning landscape of Kansas.”

The 2025 route begins at the Colorado/Kansas border just west of St. Francis, KS. Riders will cover approximately 474 miles beginning June 7, staying overnight in Oberlin, Logan, Osborne, Mankato, Washington, Sabetha, and Troy with the tour concluding in Elwood, KS on the banks of the Missouri River on June 14. Riders pedal between 50 and 80 miles each day.

“BAK is an amazing environment to experience a different pace of life, challenge yourself, be together as a family, and meet new people that will impact your life in so many positive ways. Biking Across Kansas is not a race, it is about being together and experiencing the beauty of what is typically taken for granted.” said Executive Director Bryan Toben.

“Cyclists and drivers alike need to be alert and attentive to the rules of the road. With this many cyclists on the roads, BAK organizers, volunteers and riders urge both motorists and participants to be vigilant and share the roadways. BAK works with law enforcement,
communities, and companies along the route to communicate the shared desire for patience and safety for all.” Toben noted.

BAK riders reflect a wide variety of ages across multiple generations and families participation. In 2024, ages spanned seventy-eight years, with the youngest rider being 7 and the oldest at 85. Participants gathered together from thirty-two states and the District of Columbia. Additionally, Biking Across Kansas often attracts participants from countries outside the United States.

Starting with around 75 riders in 1975, the tour had nearly 900 participants in 2024 as it
celebrated its 50th anniversary. BAK is an opportunity and a big economic boon for the
communities along the route. This opportunity often brings the communities together to work towards a common fundraising goal that benefits everyone.

Biking Across Kansas, Inc. | PO Box 192 | Olathe, KS 66051 | 913.735.3035
For more information and to register for the tour, visit https://bak.org or contact BAK Executive Director Bryan Toben at 913-735-3035 or email [email protected].

About Biking Across Kansas
Biking Across Kansas (BAK) is an annual, eight-day, bicycle tour across the state of Kansas.
BAK promotes health and wellness through bicycling, the history and beauty of the Kansas
landscape, and the warm hospitality of the Kansas towns and people. BAK started in 1975 with fewer than 100 hundred riders. Fifty years later the tour is now capped annually at 800 participants.

K-State food scientist says broken or unsealed cans should be discarded.

With recent cold weather and power outages come many challenges, including food safety. Kansas State University food scientist Karen Blakeslee said frozen canned or jarred foods can be a safety hazard.

“If you have canned foods, either home canned or commercially canned, in a storage location that froze, first check for broken seals or seams in metal cans or broken glass jars in both commercial or home canned foods due to expansion of the food and liquid inside the container,” Blakeslee said.

If all preservation containers are intact, they can be saved.

“Thaw (the canned food) gradually and store it at room temperature,” Blakeslee said.

She recommends discarding commercially canned foods with broken seams or canned foods with broken glass, as they can lead to contamination. This includes home canned foods that came unsealed and thawed.

“If a glass jar became unsealed but is still frozen, this can be safely used immediately or transferred to a new container and stored in the refrigerator or freezer,” Blakeslee said.

To prevent a future food crisis during cold weather, Blakeslee suggests moving containers to a warmer location or wrapping jars or cans in paper and cover with blankets to insulate them.

“Another option for vulnerable storage locations is to prop open the pantry or cupboard doors to allow warm air inside,” Blakeslee said.

Blakeslee, who also is coordinator of K-State’s Rapid Response Center for Food Science, publishes a monthly newsletter called You Asked It! that provides numerous tips on food safety.

More information is also available from local extension offices in Kansas.