Agriculture

Managing Lawn Insects

Most pesticide applications made to home lawns are either unneeded or ineffective. To make sure you need a pesticide, you must first "scout" for pests to see if there are enough to justify the treatment. (See Lawn pest profiles for more scouting information.) If you do treat, you need to make sure you apply the pesticide correctly and at the right time.

For example, treatment for Japanese beetle grubs isn't justified unless there are more than 10 grubs per square foot. Unless someone peels back the sod at several locations and checks to see how many larvae are feeding on grass roots, you won't know if the pesticide is needed.

By spring, grubs are usually too mature to be controlled by pesticides. Scout for grubs in late summer and early fall to determine if treatment is necessary while next year's grubs are still small enough to control. (If treatment is justified, August is usually the best time.) Because grubs feed below-ground, insecticides need to be watered in before they dry on grass leaves to be effective.

Similarly, scout for surface feeders (such as cutworms, sod webworms, chinch bugs, and bluegrass billbugs) before treating.

Regardless of the pest, the best way to minimize damage is through prevention:

1. Keep turf healthy through proper mowing, watering, and fertilizing. Healthy turf will tolerate more pests.
   
   
2. Plant the right grass for your location. Choose grasses that resist pests, such as endophytic varieties of perennial ryegrass and fine leaf and tall fescues. (Endophytes are beneficial fungi that live on the grass and discourage surface feeders.)
   
   
3. Scout before you treat. If you use pesticides, treat when the pest is most vulnerable, and follow all directions carefully. To prevent water pollution, never apply pesticides when ground is frozen or saturated. To prevent drift and volatilization (which releases pesticides into the air), do not apply when temperatures are high or it is windy.

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Nutrition

Barbecue and grilling season is upon us and many of us use marinades to help flavor meat and poultry. Although beneficial at flavor enhancement, many falsely believe that marinades kill bacteria. They DO NOT. Here are some general guidelines for safely using marinades:

1. Marinate in a covered container in the refrigerator, not on the counter. A glass container is a safe choice for marinating. Acidic ingredients in some marinades such as wine, vinegar and lemon juice could react with certain metallic or glazed ceramic containers and leach into the food being marinated.
   
   
2. Marinating time in the refrigerator shouldn't exceed the recommended storage time for that type and cut of fresh meat or poultry.
   
   
3. If you're not certain how long to marinate a particular food -- for best safety AND quality -- limit time to 24 hours or less.
   
   
4. If some of the marinade is to be used for basting during cooking or as a sauce on the cooked Foods, reserve a portion of the marinade and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Do not put raw meat or poultry in it.
   
   
5. When basting, don't contaminate fully cooked meat or poultry by adding sauce with a brush that has been used on raw or undercooked foods.
   
   
6. For greatest safety, don't re-use leftover marinade that has been in contact with raw meat or poultry.
   
   

Happy grilling!

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Escalating portion sizes are probably influenced by the "value meals" and "supersizing" offered by many food stores and restaurants in this country. Ordering double the amount of food for just a few cents more while theoretically saving money, leads to weight gain. Try these ideas to take control of what and how much you eat in restaurants:

1. Order a salad and appetizer instead of an entree
   
   
2. Ask about the availability of a half or child's portion
   
   
3. Split a large salad and one entree between two people
   
   
4. If ordering a full entree, ask for your doggie bag at the beginning of the meal so half can be saved for lunch or dinner the next day
   
   
5. Order one dessert and share it with the table, so everyone can have a bite of something sweet and not feel deprived
   
   

Bon Apetit

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Youth Development

Bike Helmets Save Lives! and it's the Law! It's bicycle season. The tires are pumped up, the chain has been cleaned. Maybe you'll even buy those cycling shorts with the green neon stripe down the side. But wait, there's something missing. A helmet. Without a helmet, anyone who rides a bike simply isn't geared up for safety. So, when you're going biking (or roller blading, skate boarding or on a scooter) Head Out with a Helmet. Contact us for additional "wheel" safety and helmet information.