LMA

KANSAS CITY — Northwest Kansas auctioneers made a great showing at the recent 2016 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship (WLAC) Midwestern Regional Qualifying Event.

Kyle Layman, Morland, captured third place and Brandon Hamel, Damar, placed fifth in the event held Jan. 11 in Sigourney, Iowa, where it was hosted by Keoco Auction Co., LLC.

It was the final of three WLAC qualifying events.

A total of 28 contestants competed for a top 10 placing, granting them a spot in the 2016 WLAC at Paris Stockyards in Paris, Ky, June 15-19.

The two other qualifying rounds were held in St. Onge, South Dakota and Carnesville, Georgia.

Layman won the 8th Annual Kansas Livestock Auctioneer Championship in Russell last October 29, hosted by Russell Livestock, LLC. Hamel placed second at the state competition. Contestants must be members of the Kansas Auctioneers Association and sponsored by a Kansas livestock market.

A third Kansas man, Ethan Schuette of Washington, made the top 10 on Oct. 16, at the South Dakota regional qualifier and will also move on to the World competition. Schuette also competed in the state event in Russell but did not place.

About the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship
In June 1963, the Livestock Marketing Association (LMA) held the first annual World Livestock Auctioneer Championship (WLAC) at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Denver, Colorado. The purpose: to spotlight North America’s top livestock auctioneers and to salute their traditionally important role in the competitive livestock marketing process. That year, 23 auctioneers from the United States and Canada sold the same 20 head of cattle over and over again.

The contest was held at hotels until 1967, when it traveled to its first LMA member market. Since then the WLAC has been held in conjunction with the LMA Marketing Industry Convention at member markets around the U.S. and Canada. Recent locations include California, Missouri, Montana, Tennessee, Kansas, South Dakota and Alberta, Canada.

Though the rules have changed, the enthusiasm for the competition hasn’t. On average each year, nearly 100 auctioneers enter the qualifying events and only 31 (10 from each qualifying event, one from the auctioneering competition at Calgary Stampede) are selected to compete in the WLAC. The championship consists of three stages: the regional qualifying events held at different markets around the country, followed by the semi-finals and the finals that are held each June in conjunction with the LMA Annual Convention. Contestants competing for the World Champion title must be 18 years old, employed as a livestock auctioneer and sponsored by a local auction market that shares in the favorable publicity generated by the winners.

LMA is proud to sponsor an event that brings together North America’s top livestock auctioneers in a competition that showcases professionalism and promotes the auction method of selling livestock.

The Hays Police Department responded to 7 animal calls and 8 traffic stops Monday, Jan. 25, 2016, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Drug Offenses–200 block W 5th St, Hays; 12:20 AM; 12:24 AM
Animal At Large–8th and Vine St, Hays; 6:54 AM
Animal At Large–2700 block Woodrow Ct, Hays; 8:27 AM
Theft (general)–100 block W 7th St, Hays; 1/23 1:30 AM; 2 AM
Contempt of Court/Fail to Pay–3000 block New Way, Hays; 8:30 AM
Lost Animals ONLY–1100 block Country Club Dr, Hays; 9:52 AM
Abandoned Vehicle–1300 block Felten Dr, Hays; 11:50 AM
Harassment, Telephone/FAX–2700 block Canal Blvd, Hays; 4:58 PM
Disorderly Conduct–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 5:07 PM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–1700 block Main St, Hays; 6:27 PM
Intoxicated Subject–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 8:38 PM
Criminal Threat–1300 block Haney Dr, Hays; 10:41 PM

FHSU University Relations

Fort Hays State University is accepting applications for the Doctor of Nursing Practice program that begins this summer.

The priority application deadline is Feb. 1, but applications will be accepted through March 15. Due to limited space, applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

“This is the first doctoral program in the university’s history,” said Dr. Tim Crowley, dean of the Graduate School. “It represents a significant milestone.” The proposal for a DNP program at Fort Hays State was approved on May 20, 2015.

The Department of Nursing will offer two programs. The first is a four-year program that allows students with a bachelor’s degree in nursing to earn a DNP. This program uses a hybrid teaching model, allowing students to complete the majority of their coursework from their own homes with limited trips to campus.

The second program lasts two years and allows students with a master’s degree in nursing to earn a DNP. This program is aimed at students with an advanced practice degree. Students are required to be on campus for intensive clinical experiences for three days per year. Students in the program can live anywhere in the United States.

“We have been blessed with amazing faculty who work diligently to maintain faculty practice sites,” said Dr. Jenny Manry, associate professor of nursing, “This allows us to stay current in evidence-based practice and provide the best patient care.”

Manry also noted the overall success of FHSU’s nursing program. Most recently, that was demonstrated by an American Academy of Nurse Practitioners report that family nurse practitioners who graduated from FHSU in 2015 received a 100-percent pass rate on the AANP National Certification Exam.

Cargill

DODGE CITY – Governor Sam Brownback, as well as community, state and federal officials, joined Cargill’s beef business leaders as they celebrated the opening of a nearly $50 million distribution center at Cargill’s Dodge City beef processing facility last week.

Around them, more than 9,000 feet of conveyor belts weave throughout the building, connecting to a row of towering shelves that stretch the entire height of the building. The shelving holds approximately 133,000, 60-pound, boxes of beef—the equivalent of 17,000 head of cattle. Crane-like devices can be seen in the background, moving boxes in and out of the shelves. Each day, the system stores an average of 40,000 boxes, while simultaneously shipping another 40,000 to Cargill’s customers worldwide.

This new automated system, increases capacity of the former system by 70,000 boxes, and will improve the facility’s ability to keep highly perishable fresh meat products safe while awaiting distribution to Cargill’s foodservice and retail customers in hundreds of destinations.

“I am honored to be a part of today’s event as Cargill celebrates its new facility,” said Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, “This is a significant investment that illustrates the importance of agriculture to the Kansas economy and Cargill’s commitment to Dodge City.”

The project was announced in 2013, with construction beginning the fourth quarter of the same year. It replaces a distribution system more than three decades old and brings increased efficiency and better reliability for the operations that serve Cargill’s food service, retail and processed foods customers. In addition to lower operating and maintenance costs, the new system is also more environmentally sustainable due to its improved energy use, which is aligned with the company’s ongoing efforts to reduce the plant’s environmental footprint.

“As customer requirements become more complex, we strive to maintain a reputation of exceeding their expectations. Our processing plant at Dodge City plays a key role in our beef business, and the new distribution system will help us retain our ability to promptly deliver the highest quality products to our customers,” said John Keating, president of Cargill Beef. “We recognize that our success would not be possible without dedicated employees, and the people of Dodge City have long been exemplary of what it takes to provide the utmost quality beef products to help nourish people around the world.”

“This facility employs more than 2,300 people from the local community, so this investment is not just about the business, it’s also about a continued commitment to the people,” said Sen. Jerry Moran. “I appreciate the ongoing partnership Cargill has with our fellow Kansans and its role in providing jobs to the community. Today, we share in the excitement surrounding this important expansion.”

Cargill Beef is based in Wichita, Kansas. The Dodge City facility is the largest of six Cargill beef processing plants in the U.S. It was opened in 1979 and currently processes more than 5,400 cattle each day, distributing products across the nation and to seven countries worldwide.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

A third local legislator will appear at Saturday’s Legislative Coffee presented by the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce.

HACC Executive Director Tammy Wellbrock said Tuesday morning, Rep. Ken Rahjes, R-Agra, will join Rep. Sue Boldra, R-Hays, and Sen. Ralph Ostmeyer, R-Grinnell, at the podium.

Rahjes won a special election in December to fill the remaining term of former 110th Dist. Rep. Travis Couture-Lovelady, who resigned his seat in late November to take a job with the National Rifle Association. Rahjes works in agriculture media.

The 110th District includes parts of Ellis and Graham counties, as well as Norton, Phillips and Rooks counties.

Saturday’s event will be the first of the 2016 Kansas legislative session and is sponsored by Midwest Energy and AT&T.

Although breakfast will will no longer be served, coffee will be provided. “It’s now ‘Coffee and Issues’,” Wellbrock quipped. No RSVP is necessary.

The Legislative Coffee is free to the public and starts at 8: 30 a.m. Sat., Jan 30, in the commission chambers of the Ellis County Administrative Center, 718 Main.