Available Resource Update!

Soil Test Funding Returns!

The Conservation District offers many services for the citizens of Douglas County, Kansas, including a quarterly newsletter, conservation education, state cost-share funds, technical assistance from the Conservation District and Natural Resource Conservation District (NRCS) staff on conservation practices, sale of grass seed, and native grass seed drilling. Select Soil Tests ( for producers and home owners) are free at K-State Research and Extension Douglas County thanks to the generous funding from the Douglas County Conservation District!

Updates on Local Food Producer Workshops

Quinlan C.

Food Business Resource Navigator

K-State Research and Extension

Douglas County

Access to locally grown and produced food is an essential part of a secure food system. The Covid-19 pandemic demonstrated just how fragile the global food system can become with supply chain disruptions; as a result, the demand for local foods has been on the rise in the years that have followed.

The 2022 U.S. Census of Agriculture reported that local farms across the country generated more than $3.26 billion in direct-to-consumer food sales— selling food at local farmers markets, on-farm stands or even directly to neighbors — which was a 16% increase from the census taken five years earlier.

In Kansas, where local food sales have increased by as much as 185% between 2017 and 2022, the K-State Research and Extension Local Foods Team is responding in kind: we have partnered with the Kansas Department of Agriculture to produce a series of Local Producers Workshops spanning January-March 2025.

These workshops offer resources to support food and farm entrepreneurs in navigating the process of taking a product to market, complying with food safety regulations, reaching new markets for their products, and more. More information and registration for the workshops is available at the Kansas Local Foods Website.

The Heartland Regional Food Business Center has had a member of our team present at each of these workshops to present about the types of technical assistance and capacity-building work we do with food and farm entrepreneurs across Kansas. One of the biggest ways the HRFBC helps local producers build capacity is through our Business Builder Subaward Program, funded by the USDA.

The Business Builder Subaward grant helps food and farm businesses grow by supporting those that...

It's Kitchen Sale Time!

Kaitlyn P.

Community Health and Wellness Agent

K-State Research and Extension

Douglas County

The colder temperatures have kept many of us in our homes more than usual over the winter months. You may have noticed you have a cluttered kitchen cabinet or two that needs attention. The annual Extension Master Food Volunteer's Kitchen Sale is the perfect opportunity for you to tidy your kitchen and donate gadgets and small appliances you no longer use. This is your chance to reduce, reuse, and recycle, while supporting a great cause.

Each year the Extension Master Food Volunteers host a kitchen sale. This year the sale will be held on Saturday, April 5^th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Flory Meeting Hall located at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. We want to invite the community to consider donating to the sale and everyone is welcome to shop. You never know what kind of kitchen treasures you might find at the sale. In the past we have had anything from high-end electric mixers to stainless steel pots and pans donated.



The Extension Master Food Volunteer's Kitchen Sale is more than just a sale. We rely on donations from our gracious community, so we are able to offer gently used kitchen items for sale to the public. A good rule of thumb for donations is- if you would still use the item in your own kitchen, it’s then suitable for donation. Clean, well kept, and in working order are all details to keep in mind as you make decisions about what to donate. Except for knives, all small kitchen appliances and items are welcomed for donation.

Shoppers can anticipate finding great deals at the sale on April 5^th. Items are not more than $10 and you will also find smaller items that are multiple for $1. Each year the extension master food volunteers donate a portion of the proceeds to community partners who are working to improve food security in the Douglas County community. The 2024 recipients were The Ballard Center and the Care Cupboard at Heartland. The remaining profits from the sale support volunteer training for the master food volunteers.

Here are the details for this year’s sale:

DONATION DROP-OFF INFORMATION

We will be accepting lightly used donations for the sale. Please note that we cannot accept knives.

When: March 3 - March 31, 2025 | Monday - Friday

Time: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Drop-Off Location: K-State Research and Extension Douglas County Office

KITCHEN SALE INFORMATION

The Kitchen Sale will be on Saturday, April 5, 2025.

When: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Sale Location: Flory Meeting Hall | 2110 Harper Street, Lawrence, KS 66046

Vegetable Gardening for Increasingly Hot Summers

Sharon A.

Horticulture and Natural Resources Agent

K-State Research and Extension

Douglas County

 “…temperature is projected to increase substantially in all seasons over the remainder of this century. Heat waves will become more frequent, and summer overnight lows will become hotter.”

- Mid-America Regional Council Climate Risk & Vulnerability Assessment

While temperatures above 90°F might seem like a distant concern, now is the time to start planning for the summer heat. How you prepare your soil, what you plant, and how you care for your plants can make all the difference between a bountiful harvest and a garden that struggles to survive.

Prepping Your Garden Bed

Adding organic matter to your soil is one of the best ways to improve soil structure and moisture retention. If you’re establishing a new garden bed, consider whether an in-ground or raised bed is best for your needs. Raised beds are great for customizing your soil mix, giving you control over the amount of organic matter you incorporate. A mix of topsoil and organic matter in equal proportions is a good starting point. However, be aware that raised beds tend to dry out more quickly and require more frequent watering.

Ready for Radishes

Niki K.

Agriculture and Horticulture Program Assitant

K-State Research and Extension

Douglas County

Officially, spring may only be days away, but deciding when to plant cool season vegetable seeds or when to move out transplants depends on more than just a date on the calendar. 

It is important to consider the date of last frost for the area, soil temperature of the intended garden and to be aware of any upcoming extreme weather as these can all impact those early season plantings.

Many cool season crops can tolerate a frost or light freeze. According to the K-State Research and Extenion's Kansas Garden Guide there are many vegetables that can tolerate frost, including, asparagus, peas, radish, spinach, arugula and most of the plants in the brassica family, such as broccoli, cabbage, and kale.



According to the National Weather Service, the average last frost in Douglas County, Kansas, from 2000-2024 period ranges from April 10^th to April 17^th. Reports from the Lawrence, Kansas Airport shows the earliest last frost on March, 29^th, 2010 and the latest last frost occurring on May 16^th, 2014, so make sure to keep an eye on the forecasts as weather is quite variable and covering plants is advised if a hard freeze is expected.

Soil temperature is another important factor to consider when...

Eating Healthy as We Age

Michelle T.

SNAP-Ed Nutrition Education

K-State Research and Extension

Douglas County

As we start to creep closer to age sixty or perhaps are already there and beyond, eating healthy in middle and late adulthood can have a positive impact to our health. Healthy eating can give us an overall sense of well being and help us target our unique needs as we age.

Being a part of the middle adulthood crowd myself, and as a SNAP-Ed Nutrition educator, I am always interested in how to maintain health throughout the aging process. One of the main ways to contribute to a healthy lifestyle is enjoying a variety of foods from each food group.

Zorrae B.

SNAP-Ed Nutrition Educator

K-State Research and Extension

Douglas County

It was 2018 when I first heard the words “Thank you to the hands that grew this food.” I was a 20 something explorer recently relocated from Kansas to Berkeley, CA. There I lived in a modest and bustling home, affectionately known as “Rose House”, whose serendipitous occupants varied from as many as 8-10 people at any one time. As we sat around the table for our weekly Sunday dinners, these words became tradition.

In hearing them, it was the first time I had contemplated the journey each ingredient had gone through to meet me there in that moment. The gratitude I felt upon this realization was immense. How remarkable that a grain of rice or a pinch of spice from any part of the world could find its way there, on the table before me.

With every repetition of these words, I imagined the beginnings of each ingredient. From the earth, the seed, the sun, the rain, the wind, the hard earned callouses on the hands which harvested the fruit. The machines and the humans who made them, operated them. The transportation workers and grocery clerks who stocked the shelves, our house “food shepherds” (our fancy word for grocery shoppers) selecting each item, and finally a housemate's hands toiling away in the kitchen.

Expanding our connection to the world around us, often the words that would follow in our declarations of gratitude were “May this food nourish our bodies, our minds, and our spirits”.

This precious vessel requires nourishment to sustain life. Food is our source of energy, a necessity to keep our...

Local Food Fellow

Join us in welcoming Olivia E., Local Food Fellow! Olivia is joining our Douglas County Extension team to complete a 16-week fellowship focused on gathering data to map access to locally grown and produced food. This work supports a long-term goal of the Douglas County Community Health Improvement Plan to expand opportunities for consumers to access fresh, local foods in established and new markets. Olivia is a recent graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and enjoys traveling.