ith the coming of spring and warmer weather, there have been many more opportunities to focus on outdoors activities. One such opportunity involved learning more about goats and raising them in a similar environment to southeast Kansas. I toured a dairy goat facility near Nevada, Missouri. Chuckie Hessong was gracious to provide this learning opportunity to Julie Traxson and myself. Her mother has been raising the goats for many years and provided lots of valuable information that we can use in our future agriculture and 4-H programming.
I have also continued with my wildlife habitat education series. This month, there were four different topics addressed. We heard from Seth Lundgren, District Fisheries Biologist, about fish in our area and how to properly maintain fish in ponds and other water sources. Bryant Traxson gave a talk on reptiles, specifically focusing on snakes and turtles. Wildlife outdoor enterprise and activities were also addressed. David Geren discussed bow hunting and techniques he has learned from his years of experience. I also provided information on trapping and how to turn this into an enjoyable and profitable hobby and outdoor activity.
I was also contacted by Drew Ricketts, Assistant Professor of Wildlife & Outdoors Management and Extension Wildlife Habitat Specialist from Kansas State University, about joining him for a lesson and training on controlling nuisance beavers in Cherokee County. Since I am often asked questions pertaining to beaver control, I thought this was an excellent opportunity to learn from an excellent resource. In addition, since he was going to be in southeast Kansas for a few days, this was a great way to work with a specialist from campus close to home.
There have been many wonderful learning opportunities this month to expand my knowledge on diversified agriculture and natural resource systems. I look forward to using the information gained to better my future extension programming and knowledge base.
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Corn Starter Fertilizer
Herbicide & Soil
Wheat Freeze
Armadillos