Welcome to the final episode for Season 1 of our "We are Extension" podcast! Sit back, relax, or do chores while listening to us in the background for this special year-end episode!

In this episode, Elesha, Communications Coordinator, speaks with some of the Douglas County, KS Extension staff and volunteers as they reflect on their highlights of the year and what they are looking forward to for 2026!

Resources

• 4-H and Youth Development
• Agriculture
• Community Development
• Community Health and Wellness
  • Cooking Classes
  • Extension Master Food Volunteers
  • LiveWell of Douglas County
• Natural Resources
• Lawn and Garden
  
  • Extension Master Gardeners
• Our Website
• Our Facebook
• Our Instagram

It's rare to hear someone say, "Wow, that was cheap!" after going grocery shopping lately, us included! Everyone has different responsibilities and capacities when it comes to this shopping, meal planning, and more! This Thriving Together episode hopes to help you, no matter where you are in your food-prep / grocery-budget journey!

Join in on the conversation as your hosts Kaitlyn Peine, Community Health and Wellness Extension Agent, and Ginny Barnard, LiveWell of Douglas County Executive Director, speak on timely and useful tips for "Buying Food on a Budget". They provide tips and tricks for meal planning, cooking once and eating multiple times, and smart store and kitchen practices!

K- State Extension Resources

The Well-Stocked Kitchen: Refrigerated and Frozen Foods - K-State Extension PDF

The Well-Stocked Kitchen: Pantry and Nonrefrigerated Foods - K-State Extension PDF

Cooking Basics: Make a Meal from What's on Hand - K-State Extension PDF

Healthy Connections: Family Meals in a Snap - K-State Extension PDF

Other Resources

5-Day Meal Planning Worksheet

Mastering Mealtime: How Meal Planning Can Save Time and Money

Eating Healthy on a Budget: The Ultimate Guide to Frugal Meal Planning

Spend Smart. Eat Smart.

Enjoy another look behind the scenes of Extension! Our Director, Marlin Bates, is joined by Johnson County Extension Director, Tara Markley as they tackle the topic of partnership!

"We can't do our jobs in isolation, especially when we want to achieve systemic and community-wide change. What does that successful partnership look like?"

Learn how both directors take on the responsibilities of building partnerships to positively impact their communities. In this episode, they discuss their past experience as co-facilitators who led discussions with their peers on this topic. They'll discuss:

• partnership strengths
• partnership roadblocks
• tips for building impactful relationships

This episode is sure to benefit anyone whose work can benefit from establishing strong and lasting partnerships. Whether you are confident in forming a meaningful partnership or unsure, there is something to take away from today's podcast!

Resources

Partnership Playbook: Initiating a Partnership - Michigan State University Extension

Partnership Playbook: Strategies for Effective Collaboration - Michigan State University Extension PDF

The Collaboration Continuum - Tamarack Institute Graph

We welcome back Margit K., our Agriculture Agent, for another episode of Rooted in Ag! She is joined by her guest, Green Cover's Keith B., and they talk regenerative agriculture. More specifically, the cover crops side of regenerative agriculture and how they can build resilience, biologically, agronomically, and economically.

Learn how to be a "student of the soil" as these two experts talk about the benefits and a little about how to navigate the risks of transitioning over to regenerative agriculture. Our non-farmer listeners can enjoy a brief lesson on the soil and a little bit about all the hard work it does in the "farm to table" process!

Resources

About Cover Crops Web Page

Green Cover Free Educational Resources

Soil Tests at Douglas County Extension

Douglas County Conservation District Cost Share Programs

Haney Test Interpretation Guide (PDF)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ON OUR AGRICULTURE NEWS AND EVENTS PAGE

We all know the saying that every building needs a solid foundation to stand strong. However, it is seldom noted that the framework is also crucial in supporting the interconnected parts that carry the building's load. The same can be said for the youth in our community. Having a good foundation is just the start.

Listen in as Nancy, our 4-H Youth Development Program Assistant, shares her experience with her co-host, 4-H alum, and daughter, Claire. Learn from the perspectives of both the parent and the child on how being raised in 4-H helped build a solid framework of skills that are being used well into adulthood.

Resources

4-H Team Judging - Winning at Life Skills

Kansas 4-H Photography Judging Contest

Horse Judging - Kansas 4-H

Interested in joining 4-H, or simply learning more about it?

4-H of Douglas County Program Area Web Page

We hope you have "grown" fond of our weekly podcasts. If not, perhaps this wonderful new episode can help you change your mind! Our Horticulture and Natural Resources Agent, Sharon, and our Agriculture and Horticulture Program Assistant, Niki, host another episode of Beyond the Bloom. This time they are sharing information about a potential new fun hobby for some and interesting facts/tips for others! Listen in to learn more about the value and charm of collecting, cleaning, and sowing seeds!

Resources

Rutgers Cooperative Extension - Native Plant Seed Propagation

Vinland Valley Nursery Demonstration Video

Collecting and Sewing Seeds for Beginners - Article by Sharon Ashworth

Prairie Moon Nursery stratification methods

Learn More About Your Local Extension Unit

Lawn and Garden Program Area Web Page

Natural Resources Program Area Web Page

Horticulture and Natural Resources News and Event Web Page

Follow Us on Social Media!

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Your favorite Health and Wellness friends are back. Listen in as Kaitlyn and Ginny discuss simple yet important ways to safely prepare food for large gatherings. What should be left out at room temperature? How long should I let this thaw? Should my out-of-state relatives bring food? What are the "must-have" tools for food prep? They have the answers, resources, and more on this week's Thriving Together!

Hosts

Kaitlyn Peine, Community Health and Wellness Extension Agent

Ginny Barnard, LiveWell of Douglas County Executive Director

Douglas County Community Health and Wellness Web Page and Resources

LiveWell of Douglas County Official Website

Resources

• Leftovers and Food Safety
• Rapid Response Center
  • Thawing and Preparing Turkey Safely - Rapid Response Center Web Page
• At-Home Safe Food Handling: It's in Your Hands - PDF
• Food Safety Outdoors – Barbecue and Grilling Web Page
• FoodSafety.gov Website
• K-State Extension Food Safety
• U.S. Food & Drug Administration: Food Safety for Consumers

Upcoming local Extension Food-Based programming:

October 27 - Comfort Food Cooking Class Information and Registration

October 29 - Cooking for 1 and 2! Tips, Tricks, and Tasty Recipes

Green. Blue. Yellow. Orange. Which color are you? Join Marlin and his co-host, Elesha, as they discuss a Community Development resource available to organizations within our community upon request, "Real Colors." Real Colors is a personality type test workshop experience that not only facilitates introspection but also aids participants in how they view and communicate with others. Fun, engaging, effective, and available for you in Douglas County, Kansas!

Hosts

Marlin Bates, Community Development Agent and Douglas County Extension Director

Elesha Hazel, Communications Coordinator

Resources

About Real Colors

Email Marlin for more information or to request him to facilitate this training for your organization.

batesm@ksu.edu

Community Development Program Area