I think overall wildlife have done a much better job of coexisting with man than we have done coexisting with them. If you think living in town excludes wildlife from our presence (other than the obvious resident squirrels and cottontails) think again. Possums, skunks, raccoons, beavers, foxes, coyotes and now in south central Kansas, even armadillos are right at home among us. I’m sure most Midwesterners, and residents of large western cities realize that fact, but I’ll bet many residents of huge eastern cities find that fact hard to swallow. Wildlife coexist with us in our towns incident-free for-the-most-part, even coyotes, but they all have their good, bad and ugly qualities.

Possums eat about anything but they especially love dog and cat food, which is always available in dog and cat bowls somewhere around town. Opossums, as they are correctly called really have no good or bad side, but are just plain ugly looking with a mug only a mother possum could love. They can usually be kept from your yard by excluding them from living under porches and outbuildings, and by cleaning up leftover dog and cat food.

Skunks have lived among us for ages and I guess their one good quality could be their appetite for grubs which they will dig for greedily. When I was a kid in Ohio we had an invasion of June bugs one year, which begin life underground as grubs. Skunks were riddling the local golf course greens nightly digging for those grubs and preventing that many from ever becoming mature June bugs, but that appetite also got them in big trouble with the golf course crew. Obviously a skunks worst quality is the stench that results from any unfortunate encounter with them, but they awfully cute when their little.

Try as I might, I can’t come up with a good quality to assign to a raccoon. They are mischievous devils that can break into most anything and are infamous for turning over trash cans, they can squeeze through the tiniest opening to get into an attic or storage building, they make a mess wherever they go and are known rabies carriers. Once again, they are cute when they’re little, but like every other cute little critter, they grow-up!

Beavers are truly a mixed bag of the good, the bad and the ugly. Over time they have probably created more wildlife habitat than all human conservationists combined, as each time they dam up a wilderness stream or river, the resulting pools and ponds provide room and board for an endless variety of wildlife. The problem is the location of those dams. In the mountains and hills or even in a pasture off the beaten path, where those dams and resulting ponds are of no hindrance to man or agriculture, all is well. The problem is that all too often here in the Midwest, their dams flood valuable farm land or roads and streets around city park ponds, and then they become the bad and the ugly.

I always spend a day or two at the state trapper’s booth at the Kansas State fair, and last year a lady from Galva stopped to tell us that Galva was overrun with red foxes and people were losing house cats right and left. I already knew that Hutchinson was home to several red fox families, and our local conservation officer confirmed that Galva and a few other towns around also in fact have a more than healthy red fox population. I’ve since learned that we too in Inman are home to a red fox family. Red foxes and coyotes do not coexist well, so red foxes have adapted to live quite well in towns and cities. They help keep feral cat populations in check, as well as numbers of cottontails, pigeons, rats and mice. As far as I’m concerned, that is all good, except when someone’s pet house cat is in the wrong place at the wrong time.

In 2012 the coyote population in the city of Chicago was estimated to be over 2000. Chris Nagy with a group called Gotham Coyote Project that studies New York Cities coyotes told me that the Bronx along sports a healthy population of around a dozen breeding pairs, and the coyote population of New York City and all its suburbs combined would be in the thousands. Every year I trap a handful of coyotes just a stone’s throw from the Inman city limits. The coyote has long been known as the most versatile carnivore in America, adapting quite well to life in suburbs and inner cities. Out in the county in the wild, the coyote definitely has a bad and ugly reputation because of the livestock and deer fawn numbers they kill. Coyotes are a tad more aggressive and intimidating than foxes and I suspect that reputation alone gets them labeled as bad and ugly in suburbia too despite the pest control service they provide.

For the past few years armadillos have been steadily creeping northward and are now fairly common in south central KS. They too are grub eaters and will make a mess of golf course greens and lawns. I caught one last year for a homeowner at Prairie Hills Golf Course north of Hutchinson; the critter was digging up her lawn in search of snacks. They are very interesting creatures, but like the possum, not much good can be said for them.

Like I said, God’s critters are much better at adapting to us than we are adapting to them. I guess in town, they can all be seen as good, bad or ugly depending on the scenario. One of the many questions I have for God, is “What did you feed all these varmints on the boat ride here? Did you keep grubs in stock? Did you have peanut butter and jelly for the coon’s sweet tooth? How in the world did you keep them all from eating each other?” It all begs the question “I wonder how critters would rate us, good, bad or ugly?” I don’t think I really want to know! Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors!

Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at [email protected].

Legislators who are still probably planning how to get from one Independence Day parade to another in their districts ought to have a good time this week and possibly next, before the constituents they toss candy to along the parades notice that their paychecks have shrunk.

That happy waving is because it may be a week or so before the effect of the biggest tax increase in state history starts coming out of those voters’ paychecks through higher withholding to pay their higher taxes for the current and next tax year.

Nope, nobody really said much about that during debates in the House or Senate or the debate preceding lawmakers’ override of Gov. Sam Brownback’s veto of the tax bill.

That rejection of the governor’s economic development plan, which never seemed to work as he envisioned, saw 27 senators and 88 House members vote to enact the bill notwithstanding the governor’s veto.

While it was an “us vs. Brownback” vote for most legislators who are now home and among us, those folks along the parade routes on the 4th of July won’t have seen what happens to them with passage of the bill that will raise about $600 million a year in increased state revenues.

Don’t look for a float in those Independence Day parades for those LLC owners and other non-wage income earners. Nope, they’ll be saving up their money for the first state income tax bill they’ve paid in four years.

But also don’t look for a float for the rest of Kansans, who in the days after the parade are going to see their paychecks shrink as their tax rate increases trigger higher withholding from their paychecks. Not much, mind you. Maybe $5 or $10 or a little more depending on just what you earn. But, the check that we’ve gotten used to will be smaller by the end of the month when employers have tallied up the increased withholding necessary for you to make your tax payment without having to sell your car.

If there’s a benefit to that higher-withholding/smaller take-home-pay business, it is that the Department of Revenue has decided to make that change in withholding all at once.  That means that the small increase in taxes on your income since Jan. 1—which is that “retroactive” tax increase business you heard lawmakers wail against during the session—will likely be covered by withholding for the remainder of this tax year.

So that stutter-step partial income tax rate increase for the rest of this year likely will be covered by withholding at the level that will be needed for Tax Year 2018, when the new, higher permanent-until-changed-again rates click in on Jan. 1, 2018.

Yes, the LLCs got their due, but two-thirds of the new revenue for the state is from everyone else. Not much talk about that, was there?

So, while you’re watching the parades, you might try to spot your Senate or House members marching. They’ll probably be the ones looking over their shoulder as they try to keep up with the band. Depending on the political leanings of your town, those legislators (and at least House members who will be seeking re-election next year) might decide to not lead the parade, but maybe march behind the motorcycle club by which time interest will be waning.

***

Very practically, the tax increase was needed, especially with a new school finance bill and its increased costs waiting for Supreme Court consideration this month. But, you just gotta wonder whether some Kansans, relieved that the Legislature is out of session and our lifestyles not jeopardized by a mere majority of a quorum, are going to be surprised what happens to their paychecks…

Syndicated by Hawver News Company LLC of Topeka; Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report—to learn more about this nonpartisan statewide political news service, visit the website at www.hawvernews.com

Government gridlock. Democrats force through Obamacare without Republican votes. A small number of Senate Republicans design Trumpcare in closed meetings that even exclude the majority of Republicans. The majority Party alone controls which bills will be considered and who will be allowed to testify in hearings. Ask a Congressman or Senator about an issue they have not yet studied and their answer will likely be: “Whatever the opposing party is for, I’m a’gin it.”

About the only time open discussion and debate occurs is when a few Congressmen or Senators break rank. Independent-thinking mavericks who refuse to be whipped-into-line by the Party are about the only factor that forces some open discussion.

The two major parties currently control politics in this country—over 95 percent of state and federal political offices in the United States. While locally-known independent candidates can get elected in city and county elections, it has been very difficult for an independent candidate to win at the state and national level. Among the 100 U.S. Senators, there are only two independents.

So consider how American politics could be improved at the state and national level by having more independent candidates. If neither major Party had a majority, then they would have to talk to each other.
While hyper-partisanship has reached new heights, many Americans have been fed up with the threat of government shutdown and general inability to get anything done for these last decades.

In 2014, a new phenomena appeared on the political scene: the Independent with substantial support. Eleven major elections across the country had independent candidates who actually had a chance to win, unlike prior third-party candidates who only drew single-digit support. Kansas was one of those battlegrounds, with Independent Greg Orman opposing Senator Pat Roberts. While Orman lost, he did pull in 42.5 percent of the vote. Independent candidates could solve the “Party problem.”

Those problems of toe-the-Party-line politics are described by former Oklahoma Congressman Mickey Edwards in his book “The Parties versus The People: How to Turn Republicans and Democrats into Americans” published in 2012. Edwards explains how continuing to work in a polarizing two-Party system will not solve the problems of a majority-centrist country.

As an insider, Edwards clearly knows and shows how our two-Party system limits our ballot choices, causes polarization, and prevents candidates from representing their local constituencies.

Edwards goes beyond listing the deficiencies to proposing solutions. In non-party-based primary elections, any candidate who can secure the required number of signatures gets to run on a single primary ballot. Then the top two run against each other, even if from the same party. This system, called a “jungle primary” by the Parties, is already in place in Louisiana, Washington State and California.

His second proposal is to take away Parties’ control over redistricting, the gerrymandering that allows the controlling Party to draw maps that minimize the effect of opposition voting at the state level. Wisconsin gerrymandering is currently being examined by the U.S. Supreme Court today.

A third revision is to reduce spending and increase competition. If candidates are to represent their constituents, then contributions should only come from their constituencies. Instead, huge amounts of money from outside entities pour into a local district to promote a candidate, making the winning candidate indebted to big-money outside his or her district. In an age of super-PACS and the Citizens United decision, this remains unsolvable. But this money stream poisons the democratic system.

Why would I address party politics in an education column? While Kansas was the second state to lose teacher tenure (due to the far right), California was the third (due to the far left, overturned by their court, but with similar efforts underway on the East Coast). And neither Party has worked to restore teacher professionalism. Simply, teachers often have no one to vote for.

There are more than two sides to many questions, but not when you only have two parties.

Perhaps it is time to send to Topeka and Washington those who can exercise independent political judgement. Perhaps in the model of Jimmy Stewart’s character in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.”

The county fair is approaching! The fair may conjure images of grandstand shows and carnival rides, livestock barns and sinfully delicious fair foods. There will be lots to see and do at the Ellis County Fair, July 15-23 at the fairgrounds in Hays.

But to really make the most of the Ellis County Fair, you need to PARTICIPATE, not just ATTEND. Exhibiting an entry gives you personal involvement in the fair. You’re no longer a bystander, but a participant– a competitor!

When you enter items at the fair, you receive helpful comments and suggestions from qualified judges. You stimulate light-hearted competition with your friends and neighbors. You help to fill the building so fair-goers have plenty to see. And no matter your age, there’s nothing quite like the thrill of winning a ribbon on your fair exhibit.

It’s easy to participate in the Ellis County Fair by entering an exhibit. And thanks to the new online entry system, the process is now even easier. But to participate this year, online entries are required IN ADVANCE, no later than July 10th. So now is the time to plan your fair exhibits and get them entered online to make the most of the Ellis County Fair experience.

The process begins at the Ellis County Fair website, www.elliscountyfair.com. Under the “4-H and Open Class” link, you’ll find the fair book listing of 4-H and Open Class exhibit divisions and classes. Spend some time browsing the entry categories. You might be surprised at the variety of items which can be exhibited. We hope you’ll be inspired to choose several items to bring to the fair. Jot down the division and class numbers that you want to enter.

At that page, there’s even a link to a printable “Entry Help Sheet” document which gives step-by-step instructions for using the online system.

Next, select the link called “Online Fair Entry System” in the left box which takes you to the advance entry system. 4-H members may sign in using their 4-HOnline log-in and password. Non-4-Her’s– both non-4-H youth and adults– will need to create an account in order to use the system. You will be asked to enter your email address and create a password to begin your account. REMEMBER THESE for future reference.
People who exhibited last year are still in the system and will use the same email address and password they created last year. If you’ve misplaced your fair entry information, select the “Forgot Your Password?” link on the sign-in page to reset your password.

One handy feature of the online entry system is that you can create one account for your whole family or household. Then each person can be added as an exhibitor to the family account, rather than creating a separate account for each family member. That means only one sign-in email and password to remember!
The online entry system is fairly self-explanatory– just choose the division you want to enter, find the specific class in that division that fits your entry, and include a brief description of your item to help fair staff identify and locate your exhibit as needed.

The final step in the process might create some confusion and that is the section called “Payment.” This step is built into the online system software, but since there is no charge to enter anything at the Ellis County Fair, just click through the payment section until you reach the screen which asks you to “submit” your entry registration. Don’t panic about the potential for payment (the balance will remain $0.00 and you are never asked to give any financial information), ignore the section about questions and keep going; your entry is not complete until you hit “submit.”

After submitting your entries, you will receive two email messages from “FairEntry” to the email address on your account. The first arrives immediately and says “thanks for registering” and later you will receive a message that your entry has been approved– or that there is an issue with your entry. (The problem might be something as simple as an adult trying to enter a class for youth only, or a 4-Her trying to enter a project in which they are not enrolled. Follow the instructions to edit your entry.)

The fair manager will approve your entries and print the entry tags which will be available at the Ellis County Extension Office after July 12, or waiting for you at the fair. If you missed entering something the first time, you can add more after the fair manager approves the first group of entries, up until the deadline at midnight on Monday, July 10.

On entry day at the fair– Monday, July 17 from 2:00-7:00 p.m. for most exhibits– you will bring your projects to the fair and enter through the Deutschfest Hall center doors. You will be officially checked-in and given the printed entry tags to attach to your exhibits (if you haven’t picked them up earlier.) You will then drop off your entries at the appropriate area in the building and that’s it! Entering exhibits in advance speeds up the check-in process at the fairgrounds.

Susan Schlichting, Ellis County 4-H Agent, prepared a video of how to use the online advance entry system. Please watch it for step-by-step guidance and to help answer any questions you might have. It is posted on our website at www.ellis.ksu.edu under 4-H Events- Ellis County Fair. The direct link to the information is: http://tinyurl.com/jtu3zsk.

If you are not a computer user, or need help with the online entry system, please contact us at the Ellis County Extension Office, 601 Main Street in Hays, 785-628-9430. We’ll be happy to assist you to ensure that your items are successfully pre-entered for the Ellis County Fair.

Remember, the deadline is midnight on July 10 to get your projects entered for the Ellis County Fair, so start today!

Linda K. Beech is Ellis County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.

Did Kansas turn away from its conservatism this year?

We know by now the fundamentals— an unlikely coalition of moderate Republicans, Democrats, and even traditional conservatives in the Kansas Legislature overrode Governor Brownback’s tax veto and shot down his “glide path to zero.” The bill restored a third tax income tax rate and ended the LLC loophole. We are not out of the woods: revenues are still skewed toward regressive sales taxes; the highway trust fund is severely compromised; and education funding awaits a court decision. Still, it was a momentous vote in a momentous year.

Why did conservative Kansas abandon Brownback’s experiment? The state is one of America’s “reddest,” having voted for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton by more than 20 percentage points. There is not a single Democrat representing Kansas in Congress now, and respondents to the benchmark Kansas Speaks poll consistently prefer either spending cuts alone or a mix of spending cuts and taxes, rather than tax increases alone, to solve budget problems. So, how did Democrats and moderate Republicans manage to pick up enough seats last year to shift state politics?

It is because conservative Kansas is a myth.

Public opinion scholars are quick to point out that Americans are not liberal, conservative, or moderate. Most Americans have no traditional political ideology. We answer poll questions based on information cues, such as where controversial political figures stand on the issue. For example, try referencing the Affordable Care Act instead of “Obamacare.” Before you know it, Republicans like Senator Jerry Moran get cold feet about repealing it. Stripped of the Obama connection, Moran must face the fact that ACA repeal would deny health coverage to thousands of Kansans.

Yet, the myth of conservative Kansas (and conservative red-state America in general) remains powerful. By myth, I do not mean an urban legend, as in the TV show Mythbusters. An authentic myth, or narrative, is a powerful story by which humans make sense of our place in the world: as taught by scholars like Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, and Clarissa Pinkola Estes. We all know the conservative myth by now—the American myth—anyone can make it if they try hard enough. All it takes is a strong foundation in family and traditional values, a willingness to work hard, and a refusal to take handouts. Government just gets in the way.

As the loyal opposition, we respond to this myth by throwing facts at it. Examples abound: Kansans receive more money from the federal government than we pay in taxes so that residents of Democratic-voting “donor states” like Connecticut are paying our bills. Rural America depends on generous farm subsidies. Taxpayer-funded military outlays support communities like Junction City and much of Wichita. Communities need strong public schools and good roads to thrive. Most entitlement spending in this country goes to middle-class senior citizens, not unemployed poor people in urban ghettos. In fact, most of the poor in this country are employed; they receive low wages, not welfare. Among the states, the divorce rate is high in conservative Oklahoma, low in liberal Massachusetts. On and on it goes: bending, but never breaking the myth.

This year, pragmatism won. Kansans are still rugged individualists, but public schools and roads simply must be funded. However, it will not take long for the all this talk of out-of-control spending, “big government,” and tax cuts to re-emerge. The myth is resilient because it is how we want to see ourselves: self-reliant and rugged, not interdependent and communitarian. The new tax bill and school funding formula did nothing to change that. Liberals and centrists may sometimes win with facts, but it is high time we offer powerful narratives –myths in the proper sense of the word – in response to those that are so heavily embedded in our culture.

Michael A. Smith is a Professor of Political Science for Emporia State University.

My wife and I celebrated our first Christmas together in 1980. My “present” to her was a dog I picked up at the pound that we soon named Bruno. Bruno was a St. Bernard mix. Initially, he was very shy (I am sure it was some type of stress syndrome from being in the dog pound). However, one evening, we invited Bruno into our bed. From then on, he was our constant companion and confidant.

Fast forward several years. I found a good fishing pond just outside of Hays where I could fish for bass. Bruno would follow me from spot to spot, lying in the grass, watching patiently while I quietly fished.

There was one particular spot in the pond where I always went. It was a fallen tree, lying in the water. There I discovered a large, wily bass that I tried repeatedly to catch. Many times I thought I had him, only to have him shake the lure out. He was certainly bigger than any bass I had ever caught. My goal every time I went to the pond was to catch the big bass. Going home without him was always somewhat of a disappointment.

It is interesting how our goals change as we grow older. Perhaps as a young person we set goals or dreams of obtaining riches, a special car, or a certain job. I know when I first started practicing law I dreamed of being in a large firm, practicing labor law (gosh, that would have been boring!).

I have noticed how my priorities have shifted as I grow older. Rather than “stuff”, my goals include finding opportunities to spend time with my family, to have grandchildren, and to see that my law practice serves our families well. Some of those old goals that I had are just not as important anymore, and even seem a little bit silly.

In our second half of life it is okay to set new goals, and let go of old ones. The fact that you did not reach some goal that you had as a youth does not mean you failed; it just means you changed your priorities. You have matured, and along the way you did what you needed to do.

Let me go back to Bruno. It was 1986. My second son, Ben, was born, only to develop an illness. Without the great doctoring he received and the intervention of my wife, he would have died. My wife and I realized how lucky we were not to have lost Ben.

At exactly the same time, Bruno developed cancer in his hip. It was very painful, and it was one of the most difficult moments making the decision to let him pass.

That day I left the veterinarian’s office. Bruno was gone. I just needed to be alone with my grief. I went to the pond, to my favorite fishing spot. I cast my lure and suddenly the big bass struck, and I reeled him in. I stood holding him, amazed at his size.

My mind raced with thoughts of Ben and of Bruno—what mixed feelings.

I put the bass back into the water, thankful for Ben, and as a tribute to Bruno. I even said something to the fish about it being his lucky day. It was the last I saw of the bass.

Sometimes it is appropriate to let go of a dream, when you realize it really was not all that important, and come to the realization there are bigger and more important things in life.

Randy Clinkscales of Clinkscales Elder Law Practice, PA, Hays, Kansas, is an elder care attorney, practicing in western Kansas. To contact him, please send an email to [email protected]. Disclaimer: The information in the column is for general information purposes and does not constitute legal advice. Each case is different and outcomes depend on the fact of each case and the then applicable law. For specific questions, you should contact a qualified attorney.

By NEAL ALLEN
Wichita State University

The Senate health care bill will hurt Kansas public schools, public universities, highways, public safety, and everything else citizens want from government. Even if they think that the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 will lead to better health outcomes, Kansas Senators and Representatives should oppose this bill.

After weeks of closed-door drafting of a Senate Republican alternative to the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare), Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) last Thursday.

This Republican-backed “discussion draft” of a massive overhaul of the nation’s health care system has many goals, but possibly the most important is to lock in a long-term cut in federal money going to states through Medicaid. This cut would likely hurt Kansas less than other states, due to our state’s decision not to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act and the fact that KanCare, the state’s privatized provider of Medicaid benefits, is less generous to beneficiaries than the Medicaid programs of many other states.

But the federal government still sent more than $1.8 billion to Kansas in Medicaid reimbursements for fiscal year 2016, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Republican backers of BCRA hope that states, who will receive Medicaid dollars in block grants, will find ways to reduce overall health spending, but citizens from all political perspectives should be skeptical of such optimistic projections. The fallout from Governor Brownback’s income tax cut “experiment” show us why.

The cuts to state income taxes in 2012 were passed with an expectation that public schools would reduce their expenditures to fit lower-than-expected state contributions. But state voters, who backed tax-cutting, spending-reducing conservative Republicans in 2010 and 2012, quickly soured on the experiment and installed a new Moderate Republican/Democratic majority by 2016. It turned out that voters wanted to keep funding schools at previous levels, and their state legislature moved in that direction.

A similar pattern will likely emerge if federal Medicaid allocations to Kansas are cut. Voters will find that they want more health care for the elderly in nursing homes, the disabled, and impoverished children than the state can afford. Instead of wanting less spending on health care, they will want more.

Legislators in Topeka will then face pressure to follow the will of state voters and increase state health care spending. Since we have a balanced budget requirement, this increase will have to be made up by increased taxes, cuts in other parts of the state budget, or (most likely) both. So when Kansas voters in 2028 decide they want to, for example, eliminate the sales tax on food, their representatives will not have the money available. If they want to support more mental health training for elementary teachers, or continued innovation in agricultural processes at Kansas State, they will lack the resources to make that happen.

Senators Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran, and Representatives Lynn Jenkins, Kevin Yoder, Roger Marshall and Ron Estes, can support the Senate Medicaid reductions, and will be following a long-term Republican priority to reduce the size of the program. But if they are counting on the state government of Kansas to permanently reduce health costs, the last three years of education and tax politics in Topeka should give them pause.

Kansans, as demonstrated in both voting and public opinion since 2014, like their government about the same size as it has been the last 50 years. Citizens and elected officials alike should keep this in mind as they consider the consequences of shifting health responsibilities to the states, with reduced resources to meet those responsibilities.

Neal Allen is an associate professor of political science at Wichita State University.

The farm has always been a fertile field for producing crops, but it is also an environment rich with learning experiences.

For generations, children who grow up and work with their parents on the family farm have learned valuable skills about cultivating crops. While they are learning to sow seeds, cultivate weeds and harvest grains, flowers and vegetables they are also gaining knowledge.

Lessons learned on the farm include math, social studies and vocabulary, leadership, not to mention cooperation and responsibility.

All those skills acquired in a field of soil and vegetation?

Absolutely.

Tucked away in those vast acres of grass, trees and crops there’s a living outdoor classroom teeming with lessons on life. Children who learn to care for the soil come to understand such basics as distance, depth and height. They learn that the bounty of plants that bears our food came from places all over the world – rice from the Far East, wheat from Russia, etc.

They see stems, leaves, seeds, flowers and bulbs in their hands, instead of in a book – an enduring way to plant words in their vocabulary.

While growing up with a land whipped by the wind, warmed by the sun and cooled by the stars, youngsters learn to respect their environment. They learn that by caring for this fertile land it will in turn care for them.

Such a valuable learning experience can provide children with the tools likely to influence family and friends to respect the land as well, or at least raise their level of awareness. Youngsters also learn hope is not wishful thinking of harvest success. Rather, hope is the action of planning and planting seeds. There will be those years when harvest may not occur, but the seeds of hope must be planted if there is even the thought of a next year’s bounty.

Learning outside can also be fun. If you don’t think so, ask children who’ve been on a field trip. They appreciate the opportunity to spend a day in a natural classroom where they can trade fluorescent lighting and four walls for blue sky and white clouds overhead.

When given the opportunity to grow grains, flowers and vegetables, youngsters chart the progress of the plant. They invest in the outcome and that means harvesting their hard work, care and investment.

A big farm isn’t necessary either. You can encourage students to consider growing and caring for a small plot with wheat, roasting ears or assorted vegetables, and be sure to equip the youngest with youth-sized tools. Remember they are still youngsters and do not possess the strength, knowledge and wisdom of an adult.

Suggest themes for young gardeners. Have them pick out a favorite story character – Peter Rabbit for example. Try a garden theme that appeals to a child’s literal sense, such as an alphabet garden with plants that begin with the letters A to Z.

They could also plant a pizza garden and grow tomatoes, peppers and onions. They could visit a dairy farm to learn about the fundamentals of caring for cows that produce the milk that results in cheese on the pizza. Or maybe a visit to a cattle ranch to experience beef cattle being cared for that ultimately winds up as hamburger on a “pie.”

Direct the children and instill in them that caring for a crop can be an adventure. Have them add excitement to the garden with decorations including scarecrows, painted stumps and tiles and child-sized benches.

Be certain not to put actions children would naturally attempt to do off limits. Encourage them to dig in the soil for earthworms. Tell them to pick the flowers – when they’re mature. Have them pick up stones and play in the water on a hot, sticky day.

Above all, make certain the learning experience is enjoyable. Teach the children to make up songs about gardening and sing them together while working. Encourage them to keep a daily journal about each day’s activity.

Take pictures of the learning journey along the way and add them to the journal. Yes, there can be an abundance of lessons to be harvested in the soil. Take the opportunity to provide such an experience for a child you know. Sow your own seeds of future success.

John Schlageck, a Hoxie native, is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas.

By JOHN P. TRETBAR

Ellis County continues to lead the state with 645,000 barrels of crude produced in the first quarter of 2017. Kansas operators produced just 8.9 million barrels of crude oil during the first three months of this year, according to new numbers released June 23 by the Kansas Geological Survey. At that rate, by the end of the year the state will see a lower production total than last year, which was the lowest level in ten years. Barton County was third, with 423,000 barrels. Russell County produced 392,000 barrels, and operators in Stafford County produced 259,000 barrels. Here are the top ten oil producers for the first three months of 2017, according to the KGS:

Ellis County 645,000 bbl
Haskell County 569,000 bbl
Barton County 423,000 bbl
Finney County 406,000 bbl
Russell County 392,000 bbl
Rooks County 389,000 bbl
Ness County 373,000 bbl
Harper County 287,000 bbl
Stafford County 259,000 bbl
Barber County 257,000 bbl

Baker Hughes reported an increase of 11 rigs actively drilling for oil across the US last week up eight from the week before. There were three fewer rigs targeting natural gas. The total was 941 active rigs nationwide. Canada reported 170 active drilling rigs, up 11. Independent Oil & Gas Service reports a 14% drop in the Kansas rig count. There were 13 active rigs in eastern Kansas, down two, and 24 in western Kansas, down four. Drilling continues at one site in Stafford County. Producers report drilling ahead at one site in Barton County, and they’re moving in completion tools at two sites in Barton County, moving in rotary tools at one lease in Ellis County, and moving in completion tools at one site each in Ellis, Russell and Stafford counties.

There were 21 permits filed last week for drilling in new locations across Kansas, which brings the year-to-date total to 697. There were ten permits filed in eastern Kansas and 11 west of Wichita, including one each in Barton and Russell counties.

Independent Oil and Gas Service reported 17 new well completions last week, 615 so far this year. There were four completions east of Wichita, and 13 in western Kansas, including one in Barton County, one in Ellis County, two in Russell County and two in Stafford County.

Oil companies are applying new hydraulic fracturing techniques to early wells in North Dakota’s Bakken shale, a process industry leaders say has the potential to recover more oil without increasing the footprint on the land. Operators are targeting wells drilled between 2008 and 2010, the early years of Bakken development before fracking technology advanced to where it is today. Justin Kringstad, director of the North Dakota Pipeline Authority, tells the Bismarck Tribune they’re getting promising results. Of more than 140 refractured Bakken wells, most saw an increase of between 200,000 and 250,000 barrels, according to Kringstad.

The Railroad Commission of Texas received a substantial increase in funding from the Legislature, boosting the oil and gas regulator’s well-plugging, pipeline and well inspection programs. The agency has been chronically underfunded in recent years as the oil bust reduced the fees it collects and increased the number of abandoned well sites to clean up. The agency cut its budget by $1.3 million a month, froze hiring, cut back plans to update technology and focused on funding its two core functions: permitting wells and inspecting them. But the Houston Chronicle says the agency’s biennial budget was increased by 46 percent in the recently ended legislative session. The commission now expects to fill its staff roster and continue the years-long process of updating its computers and digitizing decades of oil and gas records.

The Eagle Ford Shale oil field had an estimated economic impact of $123 billion in South Texas in the heyday of the oil boom. But, that number got sliced by more than half by the oil bust. A boom-bust report from the University of Texas at San Antonio tracks the swings of the oil business. The San Antonio Express-News reports the first Eagle Ford well was drilled in 2008, and by 2014 the total economic impact of the 400-mile field hit the $123 billion high point. The study shows that impact fell to $80 billion in 2015 as oil prices crashed, and dipped to $50 billion last year.

President Donald Trump will not be added as a defendant in a lawsuit over the disputed Dakota Access oil pipeline that he pushed to completion. Part of a deal with a federal judge to allow a group of Sioux tribal members to intervene in the case as individuals. A group of 13 Sioux tribal members asked to join the lawsuit filed by their tribes, arguing they’re personally affected by the project. Boasberg last week said he would allow the individuals to intervene if they kept their arguments to those being argued by the full tribes and agreed to drop the request to add Trump to the case.

Russian investor Mikhail Fridman and his business partners have pulled out of a U.S. energy investment to avoid resistance from the Trump administration. The company LetterOne recently walked away from a deal to buy Texas oil producer ExL Petroleum Management for about $700 million over concerns the plan could be rebuffed by the government panel that reviews deals for national security risks.

When Tropical Storm Cindy made landfall along the Gulf Coast Thursday the storm brought the energy industry in the Gulf of Mexico to a halt. Bloomberg reports it forced producers across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida to suspend shipping and production. About 1/6 of Gulf production was shut down, and at least one major oil-import terminal halted vessel unloadings.

Iran has finally started exporting natural gas to its neighbor Iraq, after a four-year delay due to the challenging security situation in the region. The exports started at a daily rate of 7 million cu m, but should reach 35 million cu m at an unspecified point in the future, according to Reuters.

An oil tanker carrying Kurdish crude appears to be on its way to the U.S., reviving a trade from three years ago that became a symbol of a dispute between the semi-autonomous region in Iraq and the federal government in Baghdad. The Aframax tanker Neverland normally hauls about 650,000 barrels. The vessel exited the Mediterranean Sea two days ago according to tracking from Bloomberg.

It’s going to be an interesting year and a half for Kansas, as we either get a new governor…or don’t…and wait until November of 2018 to learn who is going to be leading the state for the next four years.

At this point, probably sometime around noon Monday, the 2017 legislative session will have ended.

And with Gov. Sam Brownback’s penchant for biennial budget bills, covering the fiscal years that start July 1 and run through June 30 of 2019, after today he essentially could be out of work for the remaining year and a half of his term.

Oh, there will be touch-ups next session of that budget, but in all likelihood unless the Kansas Supreme Court in July rejects the new K-12 school finance plan, most of the work of the Legislature and the governor will be done for the remainder of his term.

That ramps up the halltalk that Brownback might get a presidential appointment to something or other for the federal government. Ambassadorships and delegation to international organizations are rife and require a presidential appointment.

If that does happen, well, most Kansans — even those who aren’t Brownback fans — hope that an appointment is to something fairly substantial that would make good use of his history as a Kansas Secretary of Agriculture or U.S. House member or U.S. senator. Hate to see him get an appointment as a postmaster somewhere or other.

But, if Brownback stays, it’s going to be mostly cutting ribbons, taking that first shovel of dirt at a new highway project—if the Kansas Department of Transportation has any money to build anything—and stuff like that. Probably, we’re thinking, light enough work that he can make a clean shirt last two days…

And it is that all-but-over governorship that makes the upcoming gubernatorial race interesting, and getting an early start.

If Brownback gets a federal appointment, or just quits because he doesn’t want to spend his day doing crossword puzzles or watching soap operas on TV, the new governor is Republican Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer. Nice enough guy, but closely linked to Brownback, and by implication virtually everything Brownback has done that a majority of Kansans say they don’t care for.

So, a quick move-on by Brownback would give Colyer a chance to create his own gubernatorial identity, which will require some clever work because he has been just across the second-floor Statehouse hallway from Brownback for seven years.

While that’s going on, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and former State Sen. Jim Barnett, Wichita businessman Wink Hartman, possibly former Rep. Ed O’Malley, and, well, several other Republicans can angle for the GOP primary victory. Remember, the highest vote total wins, and the more candidates in the race, the lower percentage needed to get the GOP nomination.

Democrats will at this point probably have to campaign against Brownback and what he has done to the state (or accomplished, you choose the word) and not until after the 2018 primary campaign against a single target.

In that race? Recent Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer, former Kansas House member/Kansas Agriculture Secretary Josh Svaty and possibly House Minority Leader Jim Ward, D-Wichita.

Don’t think that roster is closed, either, and again, their campaigns will be pretty much linked to Brownback, and whoever has ever been in a photograph smiling along with Brownback at anything.

So, what’s it going to be like between now and the 2018 elections?

Mostly politics. Look for Democrats to assert that just fixing the tax system so LLCs pay taxes again didn’t solve the state’s budget problems, and look for Republicans to say that the state is again on a sound financial footing after a noble experiment that just didn’t work.

Oh, and there are still going to be bridges and highways to be named after politically popular figures that might just win some votes.

Just not seeing the Sam Brownback Highway going far, though…

Syndicated by Hawver News Company LLC of Topeka; Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report—to learn more about this nonpartisan statewide political news service, visit the website at www.hawvernews.com.

July 1 is the opening day of Kansas Bull Frog Season, a hunting season that gets little fanfare, and frankly a season that’s as underutilized here in Kansas as is squirrel or rabbit season. Nonetheless, hunting bull frogs can be an action-packed way to spend a hot summer night, and will reward you with a feast of sweet tasty frog legs.

My introduction to frog hunting came when I was in third or fourth grade. Across the road from the neighbors house was a deep drainage ditch that always harbored a few frogs. The three neighbor kids had a BB gun, and when we weren’t behind their barn trying to shoot their big boar hog in the butt with it, we were at the ditch tryin’ to shoot frogs. We were such poor shots with that old BB gun that the frog population always kept ahead of us, so there were always plenty to chase. When we did kill one, it was retrieved and cut open to get our BB back (the ultimate in recycling!)

I can think of no other hunting sport where there are so many legal ways to harvest your quarry, even though shooting them with a BB gun is NOT among them. For starters, you can don old sneakers or waders and walk, or you can hunt from a canoe, kayak or any kind of boat. Frogs can legally be caught by hand, with a dip net, by hook and line, speared with a gig, or shot with a bow or a crossbow outfitted with a bow fishing rig that uses a barbed arrow attached to the bow or crossbow with a reel or string, and even though most frog hunting is done at night, any of these methods can also be employed during daylight hours to harvest frogs.

Nighttime bull frog hunting has additional challenges, but after dark is the standard tried-and-true time to hunt them. A bright flashlight or headlamp is perhaps the most important tool for nighttime frog hunts no matter the method you choose. Most ponds, lakes, rivers, streams (and yes, even drainage ditches) contain bull frogs; you’ll hear their deep, soothing “harumm, harumm, harumm” nighttime calls piercing the darkness. The trick is to creep silently up on them, whether by boat or by boot, then shine the flashlight or headlamp into their glowing eyes, which temporarily blinds and stuns them, allowing the hunter to capture them by whatever method.

Perhaps my most memorable frog hunt was an ill-conceived safari I took with a coworker when I was a kid. I worked with this guy named Frank who was at least 15 or 20 years my senior and the strange thing was I didn’t even like the guy! To say Frank was eccentric was like calling Chernobyl a small hazardous waste spill. The guy had built a huge box kite that he launched from the back of his old flat bed truck by driving like a maniac through a field, then hoisting it into the sky with a winch! Anyway, for whatever reason, I agreed to take him frog hunting that particular night. It was well past 10 as we drove along a dirt road to a creek where I had never hunted frogs before. I seem to remember that I drove, and somehow in the process of getting off the road far enough to park, I slid my old pickup into the ditch.

We decided to hunt frogs then worry about that predicament latter. The fact that my truck was in the ditch kinda soured the whole experience for me, and after wading the unknown creek for awhile, we returned to the “stuck-truck” empty-handed and proceeded to try wresting our transportation from said ditch. After a time of “nothing working,” we trekked up the road to the nearest house and knocked on the door. By then it was past midnight, and as we waited for the owner to stumble to the door, or to shoot at us, whichever came first, some kids heard the commotion and stuck their heads out a couple upstairs windows right above us. As they stared down at the two wet, stinking absolute strangers below, their brief conversation I’ll take with me to the grave. “Who is it?” asked one kid. “I don’t know” answered a second. Then a third kid chimed in “Looks like a couple bums to me!”

So here are my tips for a fun and successful frog hunting experience. First of all, go with someone you actually like. Secondly, don’t put your truck in the ditch. Thirdly, find yourselves a farm pond, lake or stream full of bull frogs and have at it with whatever method of harvest you choose. When you get home, butcher the frogs by cutting off the big, white, meaty hind legs, skin them with a pair of pliers, rinse them, pat them dry, dredge them in a milk/egg mixture, roll them in flour or cornmeal and fry them just a short time until they’re golden brown. Their sweet taste will amaze you and you’ll be hooked on Kansas Froggin’. Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors!

Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at [email protected].