KBR Leadership Academy gathered at the Hutton Niobrara River Sanctuary in Rock County on September 15th. The topic of the day was natural resources. The day began with the participants getting to know each other better by each presenting a Pecha Kucha. These are small presentations designed to give a snapshot of the presenter’s life. During the morning session, Jackie Augustine joined via zoom to share about the Audubon of Kansas and the Observation efforts at the Hutton Ranch.

Wednesday, September 22nd: Chicken strips, french fries, California blend, applesauce and cinnamon muffin. Thursday, September 23rd: Roast turkey, stuffing, broccoli, fruit cocktail and bread.

Thought for the week: Health food is any food eaten before its expiration date. This week the weather has been up and down.

Carol Woods visited her brother, Jim Marsh of Ceresco, a couple days. It is always fun to visit. Carol enjoys seeing Jim’s flowers and garden and his pups. His garden is winding down, but we enjoyed string beans, tomatoes and sweet corn. He has some small decorative pumpkins on the vines and large ears of colored corn on stalks about 10-12 feet tall. There are a few roses and hibicus blooming. It was strange to note that his neighbor’s lilacs were blooming. A new area in Ceresco is being developed near Carol’s brother and new houses are being built.

Kale is a wonderful fall crop, the plants can withstand several light frosts and soil temperatures down to 20 degrees. Since it is getting pretty late in the season, choose a short season variety such as Winterbor that grows to maturity in 60 days but can be harvested as small tender leaves as early as 28 days. In fact, a freeze actually makes them taste sweeter as with many other cool season crops like brussels sprouts.

Farmers and Ranchers are invited to attend a free clinic on Thursday, September 23rd. The clinic provides information on legal and financial issues. To sign up for the clinic or for more information, call Michelle at the Nebraska Farm Hotline: 1-800-464-0258