K-State Extension - Douglas County

Questions about New World Screwworm? Tune into these weekly webinars at the link below! First one is tomorrow at noon 👍

We will be having weekly webinars to report on the New World Screwworm situation.

💻Register here📱https://ksu.zoom.us/meeting/register/T2VNnainStSkIUEf0E5ImQ #/registration

Hours Update - Our office will be closed this Friday, June 19th, in honor of Juneteeth! We will resume regular business hours Monday, June 22.

With all the stormy weather lately, have you noticed an area in your yard that seems to get a puddle every time it rains? Consider transforming that space into a Rain Garden!
Rain gardens are shallow depressions in the landscape that capture stormwater and allow it to slowly soak into the soil. They help keep the soil moist, prevent excess soil run off, and can act as a natural barrier against pollutants if strategically placed near a parking lot or other paved areas.
In her newsletter article, Horticulture Agent Sharon Ashworth dives into all the benefits provided by a rain garden and offers up some recommendations on how to get started. Check it out at https://bit.ly/rain-garden-news

Apply today for the K-State Extension Local Foods Team's Food Business Start Up Summit! This summit connects foodpreneurs like you with all the resources you could need for taking the next step in your food or farm based business - from commercial lenders, to packaging designers, career coaches, distributors, and even a trademark attorney! This two day event is the chance you've been waiting for, to really sit down and plan out the future of your business. All in a collaborative, focuses, and generative atmosphere. Learn more and apply at https://extension.k-state.edu/kansaslocalfoods/startup-summit/application.html
Final application deadline is July 6, so apply today!

We had a great time yesterday learning about summer safety at our first day camp of the season! Extra special thanks to City of Lawrence, Kansas - Municipal Government Lawrence Transit and Douglas County Sheriff's Office for coming out as our expert demonstrators! Participants learned about staying safe in the water, road and sidewalk safety when zooming around on a bike, and hands only CPR. They even engineered their own boats in a hands on physics lesson explaining how many people you can fit on a craft. So don't worry this summer, the youth will be ready to save the day! (As long as it involves a pool noodle, using hand signals when biking, or building a boat out of tin foil)
Shout out to our Douglas County Kansas 4-H & Youth Development Ambassadors for helping out!

Newsletter Highlight! Food Business Resource Navigator, Quinlan C., discusses Extension's role in strengthening the relationships the make up local and regional food systems. "That is..one of Extension’s most important emerging roles in community food systems work: convener, connector, facilitator, and infrastructure-builder. By intentionally creating spaces where relationships can form across tiers of the food system, we help reduce friction between communities and systems — and strengthen the networks that allow Kansas food and farm businesses to thrive."
Keep reading at https://www.douglas.k-state.edu/news-events/newsletters/comm.agent-articles/cfs-reducing-friction.html

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Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health is launching an effort to better understand water quality in rural households. This new initiative offers free, voluntary well water testing for property owners across Douglas County. Residents with private wells can work with LDCPH to collect samples for comprehensive analysis, including screening for contaminants such as nitrates, coliform bacteria, and E. coli bacteria.

For more information and to start the process, please email [email protected] or call 785-843-3060.

How much screen time is too much for your young ones? For kids under the age of 2, the American Academy of Pediatrics says any at all may hinder development. Everyone else should aim for only 1-2 hours outside school or work. But how do you avoid the screen when so much of life is digital these days? K-State Extension child development expert Bradford Wiles provides some tips on keeping kids (and their parents) engaged ‘irl’.
https://extension.k-state.edu/news-and-publications/news/stories/2026/05/parenting-reducing-screen-time.html