Food spoils faster in the summer. Why? Bacteria grow fastest in the heat and humidity. Also, more people cook outside at picnics, barbecues and on camping trips, where refrigeration and washing facilities can be hard to find. Fortunately, you can take steps to make sure your food is safe to eat even during the heat of summer.

Here is the “Top 10” list of summer food safety tips shared in an issue of the Dining on a Dime newsletter.

• When planning a picnic, barbecue or camping trip, find out if there will be a source of safe drinking water. If not, take water for preparation and cleaning.
• Pack disposable washcloths and use them to clean your hands.
• Keep beverages in a separate cooler, since it will probably be opened frequently.
• Pack perishable foods (such as luncheon meats, cooked meat and chicken, and potato or pasta salads) in sealed plastic bags under several inches of ice, ice packs or containers of frozen water in an insulated cooler. If packing raw meats, do not allow raw meat juices to touch ready-to-eat food. Pack just the amount of perishable food that you can use.
• Keep the perishable food cooler in the coolest part of the car. Place it in the shade or shelter it from the sun at the picnic site. Preserve the cold temperature of the cooler by replenishing the ice as needed.
• If an insulated cooler is not available, do not take perishable foods. Instead, pack foods such as hard cheese, canned meats, chicken and tuna; nuts, peanut butter, dry cereals, bread, crackers, fruits and vegetables.
• Do not partially cook food ahead of time. Pack either raw or fully-cooked meat and poultry. Bacteria can survive and multiply in partially cooked foods.
• Pack a food thermometer. Meat cooked on a grill often browns fast on the outside. Check meats with a food thermometer to be sure they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. for beef, 160 degrees F. for pork and 165 degrees F. for poultry.
• Wash all plates, utensils and cutting boards that held raw meat or poultry with hot soapy water before using them again for cooked food.
• Perishable food that is not kept cold for more than 2 hours is not considered safe to eat. When summer heat gets above 90 degrees, foods left out of the cooler for as little as 1 hour should be thrown away.

Let me end my column with the phrase you may have heard related to food safety decisions. “When in doubt, throw it out,” really is good advice.

Donna Krug is the Family & Consumer Science Agent and District Director for the Cottonwood Extension District. You may reach her at: (620)793-1910 or [email protected]

By JACKIE MUNDT
Pratt County farmer and rancher

Every June, girls from across the state of Kansas travel to our small community with the goal of becoming the next Miss Kansas. Hosting the “Pageant” as we locals call it, is an honor the Pratt community has held for almost 65 years.

Pageant week is full of community events, volunteer responsibilities, preliminary competitions, youth programs, late night socials, a parade and the finale where the new Miss Kansas is crowned. We open our businesses, homes and wallets to the pageant every year with excitement and pride.
Outsiders sometimes criticize the Miss Kansas program for being antiquated, sexist or even a little silly. The people of Pratt know better.

We see firsthand how each contestant develops confidence through interviews, invests in creating change to address a social issue, raises money to support Children’s Miracle Network and earns scholarships to pursue her career goals. Young girls participating in the youth programing get to live a dream by spending time with role models who dress like princesses.

As pageant insiders, we take the selection process as seriously as the actual judges do. Predicting the winner requires you to look past the elegant ball gowns and fabulous shoes, for confidence and joie de vivre, or enjoyment of life. There are spirited debates over what talent performances rise to the top. Conversations sparked by candidates’ social platforms and opinions on current events.

I often refer to the pageant as the “social highlight of the Pratt season,” which is a humorous parallel to the debutante seasons of British high society. Instead of the grandeur of Windsor Castle or Buckingham Palace, our royalty attends events at places like the municipal building, the local country club and the main events take place on a temporary stage and runway built in the middle of the Beaver Dome, our local community college’s sports arena.

The event may not be elegant or spectacular but that is the point. If we look past physical beauty and crowns, we find the heart of the tradition: community.

Year after year, people volunteer, sponsor and attend the pageant because we want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. We want to have a reason to get gussied up and spend time with our friends and neighbors; relish the magic that comes from watching someone new fall in love with a favorite tradition; feel the satisfaction of a successful event; enjoy the anticipation that comes from having great ideas about how the event will be even better next year.

Pratt is not the only place brought together by an annual event. All across the heartland, you can find jubilees, Fourth of July celebrations, harvest festivals and so much more. Each one has traditions you will not understand if you are an outsider. Don’t let that stop you.

As rural America continues to shrink, the strength of many communities may very well depend on events like Pratt’s Pageant. Raise your hand to help. Make the drive to join in the fun. Try the local flare and support a small-town business.

“Insight” is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.

Every outdoorsman I know grows a few tomato plants each year, even if they have to sneak them in with the snapdragons or hide them amongst the hibiscus. After all, nothing goes better with a freshly grilled venison burger than a juicy slice of fresh tomato. Though my thumb is only mildly green, I have become pretty successful at growing dandy tomatoes and I’m always experimenting with something new, so here are a few tips I find to work well for me most years.

Tomatoes today come in literally dozens of varieties, sizes and shapes. I find it prudent to know a little about the varieties I choose and what they are best used for, and I like to get plants that are resistant to most common tomato ailments. Tomato plants come in 2 different types, determinate and indeterminate. Determinate plants are bred to grow only about 3 feet tall, to set and ripen their fruit and then they are basically done. Indeterminate plants will keep growing and producing fruit the entire season, (so they’ll need to be well staked and supported) and as long as they are kept alive and healthy through the hot summer, they will begin setting and ripening fruit again when temperatures cool off. So if you want to take advantage of cooler fall weather to keep the tomatoes coming again in fall, you’ll need indeterminate plants.

Tomato plants will not set fruit from their blossoms when daytime temperatures exceed 90 degrees and nighttime temps exceed 75 to 80, so I plant early to get a start on production before the hot summer arrives like we know it will. I usually plant in early to mid April and surround my plants with structures called Walls of Water. They are round flexible plastic tubes with numerous small compartments that you fill with water. When erected, they form a pyramid about 18’’ tall around and over the plant, open at the top and the water absorbs heat and sunlight to basically create a tiny greenhouse for each plant. Simply remove them when temperatures stabilize.

When actually setting my plants in the ground, I go a little above-and-beyond also. I dig a hole about the width and depth of a one gallon milk jug. In the hole I put a shovel full of fresh compost or good composted manure. Then I add one-quarter cup of Epson salts, which adds magnesium, and sulfur to help grow good sturdy healthy plants. Throw in a small amount of the dirt dug from the hole and mix it up a little with your hands. Set the plant in the hole at least 6 inches deep, pruning off bottom branches if necessary to allow that. This gets the roots down deep immediately to begin feeding and helps the plant develop deep roots sooner to make for a sturdy plant. Water with Miracle Grow tomato fertilizer or sprinkle a little of the dry crystals in the hole with the Epson salt. An overabundance of nitrogen will cause the plant to grow like gangbusters, but tomato fertilizer is low in nitrogen and high in Phosphate and Potash which the plant needs to produce blossoms and to set fruit. As the season progresses, if your vines are growing well but have few blossoms, feed them with fertilizer high in both Phosphate and Potash. If the vines don’t seem to be growing, feed them a little nitrogen.

I like to water each individual tomato plant at its base which puts the water where it needs to be rather than all over the garden or all over the plants foliage. To help accomplish this, I used to get empty one gallon cans from the local nursing home kitchen, cut both ends from them and place them around each plant, pushing them a couple inches into the ground. To water, I’d simply put a couple inches of water into each can once a week. That’s fine and puts the water at the base of the plant, but on top of the ground, requiring it to soak down to the roots. This year I tried something new to get the water immediately to the plants roots. I cut old downspout into 2 foot lengths, then gingerly dig at the base of each plant just out far enough and down deep enough to find the roots. I stick the downspout into the hole at an angle and pack dirt around it. Either fill each downspout a couple times a week, or keep a little water in them all the time to put water directly onto the plants roots.

Well there you have a few tips I use to grow tomatoes each year. We eat some fresh during the season, but most of our tomatoes are frozen as we get them and used to make homemade tomato soup from a recipe my mom used. There is absolutely nothing like a hot bowl of homemade tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich on a cold evening. I imagine lots of you readers also have “tomato tips” you have developed over the years, and if you’d like to share them, send them to me and if I get enough I’ll make an entire column out of them. Yet another way to Explore Kansas Outdoors!

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

By JOHN P. TRETBAR

The weather in Western Kansas was responsible for some big swings in the weekly rig counts from Independent Oil & Gas Service. John Morrison of IOGSI tells us many of the state’s drilling contractors were unable to move their rigs because of wet field conditions. The weekly rig report for May 30 showed showed a 62% drop in the number of active drilling rigs in Kansas. The total in Western Kansas dropped by 15 rigs, the exact number added to the list of rigs that were awaiting their next location assignment. Last week, Independent reported a big increase in active drilling rigs in Kansas, as operators were finally able to move those rigs that were stuck in the mud. West of Wichita, there are 20 active rigs, up 12. That’s about equal to the number that dropped off the “pending” list. Drilling is underway at one lease in Ellis County.

Baker Hughes reported the largest weekly decline in active oil drilling rigs in six weeks. The count last week was 975 active rigs, a drop of eleven oil rigs. The count in the Permian basin of Texas and New Mexico was down by six rigs.

Regulators approved 18 permits for drilling at new locations across Kansas last week, all of them in Western Kansas, including one in Ellis County and one in Stafford County. That’s 382 new permits so far this year statewide.

Independent Oil & Gas Service reported 15 newly-completed wells in Kansas last week, three east of Wichita and 12 in the western half of the state. Operators completed two wells in Barton County and one in Russell County. So far this year we’ve seen 670 new well completions.

The Kansas Geological Survey reports a slight dip in monthly statewide crude-oil production, from 2.8 million [[“two point eight million”]] barrels in January to just under 2.5 million [[“two point five million”]] in February. Barton County producers added nearly 118-thousand barrels in February, Ellis County notched 182-thousand, the total in Russell County in February was 110-thousand, and Stafford County pumped nearly 79-thousand barrels.

The Kansas Corporation Commission reports 81 new intent-to-drill notices filed during the month of May, down from 106 in April and well below the 143 intents filed in May of last year. There were three new intents filed last month in Barton County, five in Ellis County, two in Russell county and two in Stafford County.

The government reported record U.S. weekly crude oil production of 12.378 million barrels per day for the week ending May 31. That’s 104-thousand barrels per day more than the week before.

U.S. crude oil inventories increased for the second week in a row. The Energy Information Administration said stockpiles grew by 6.8 million barrels over the previous week to about six percent above the five-year seasonal average.

America’s largest oil hub is growing even as producers and traders look to move surging West Texas production to the coast for export. According to Bloomberg, the U.S. petroleum industry is planning to add about 4.8 million barrels of storage capacity and as many as seven new pipelines to move oil to and from the hub in Cushing, Oklahoma.

Using natural gas and carbon dioxide to enhance oil recovery is not new, but it is now emerging for the first time in U.S. shale fields. Drillers in Texas are pushing natural gas under high pressure into older wells, and then capping those wells, in the hope of releasing oil still trapped in the rock. This is good news for the Texas patch in two ways: it reduces the flaring of natural gas, and it increases oil production by anywhere from 30 to 70 percent in oil wells where production had been slipping.

Industry consultant Rystad Energy is raising its U.S. production forecasts, with new records expected in May and at year’s end. By December they’re predicting average output of 13.4 million barrels per day. The prediction for May tops 12.5 million barrels per day. Both figures would be all-time records.

Friends,

On Wednesday I traveled to Normandy, France, to honor the 75th anniversary of D-Day. On June 6th, 1944, future President and Kansan, General Dwight D. Eisenhower gave the command for Allied forces to invade German-occupied Europe. During the initial invasion 2,499 Americans selflessly gave their lives on the beaches of Normandy. The world owes them a debt that can never be repaid.

I am grateful to be able to participate and pay homage at this solemn event to the heroes who risked everything and gave their lives fighting for a better world. This anniversary serves as a reminder of the cost of liberty and of our continued responsibility to protect it like those who came before us.

Abilene native Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s D-Day Message

 

Talking Trade in France
My time in France included meetings with the French Parliament and European trade representatives. I have previously expressed my frustration with European Union Ambassadors’ unwillingness to include agriculture in trade negotiations between the U.S. and EU.

The European Union is one of Kansas’s top trade partners and a crucial market for Kansas beef, pork and soybeans. According to the U.S. Trade Representative, the U.S. domestic exports of agricultural products to the EU totaled $11.5 billion in 2016. That means the EU countries together would rank fourth as an agricultural export market for the U.S.

In my meetings Friday with French officials, I continued to advocate for the inclusion of agriculture goods in a future trade deal. It is crucial that in this difficult time for Kansas producers, Congress make agriculture a priority and do everything in its power provide open, fair markets for farmers to sell their goods.

Democrats Block Born Alive Protections
On Monday, I gave a speech demanding that the Born Alive Survivors Protection Act be brought to the house floor for a vote, only to once again be rejected by anti-life Democrats. The Born Alive Survivors Protection Act would provide protections to babies that survive botched abortions and ensure that they receive the immediate medical care they desperately need. To date, 198 Republicans and 3 Democrats have signed the petition demanding a vote. I find it hard to understand why this legislation should even need to debated, yet my Democratic colleagues continue to reject it outright. I have spent my entire professional career fighting for the lives of babies as an OB-GYN. I would have never thought that the fight would be harder in Congress than in the delivery room.

Disaster Aid Is On Its Way
This week Congress passed much needed disaster relief legislation, allocating $19.1 billion to help Americans struggling to recover from the catastrophic storms and flooding that we have seen in Kansas and across the country.

On May 26, the President declared an Emergency Declaration for the State of Kansas, which at this time includes 18 counties but more are under consideration for addition. Ensuring that our communities have the tools and resources needed to recover from the severe flooding is essential, and this aid package will provide assistance to farmers and families who are impacted.

This legislation specifically allocates $3 billion dollars to the USDA to distribute to farmers and ranchers who have been impacted, covering farmers for loss of stored product as well as compensation for those whose land has been damaged by the weather.

Health Innovation Roundtable
This week I organized a health innovation roundtable with 20 innovators in the health industry, pioneering new techniques to deliver quality and cost saving care. From tech titans and small business entrepreneurs to investors, each participant shared their projects and business models. We discussed what federal road blocks exist that hinders their ability to advance, and what potential new avenues could be utilized in Medicare coverage and reimbursement.

While I would love to list them all, I would like to highlight is the great work of Dr. Josh Umbehr with Atlas MD, a Kansas based direct primary care practice. Dr. Umbehr, who has testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and has been recognized at the national level, specializes in a “Netflix” like model that makes the patient their primary focus aligns all other incentives for cost and quality care around that centerpiece. A resounding success, he asked that Congress consider allowing direct primary care as an allowable expense under Health Savings Accounts, a concept which I fully support.

A special shout out to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for joining us for this special event!

As a member of the GOP Doctors Caucus as well as Chairman of the Republican Study Committee’s Healthcare Task Force, I am tasked with developing market-based solutions that would reduce the cost health care. I will continue to keep you updated as we further develop these policy proposals.

Improving Continuity of Care for America’s Seniors
Since last Congress, I’ve been working with Reps. Mike Kelly and Suzan DelBene in drafting a bill that would enable physicians to better serve their patients by streamlining a dreaded issue – prior authorization. Prior authorization is the pre-approval process that healthcare providers must go through before performing a procedure or prescribing a medication, and is long overdue for an update to address the needs of physicians and patients. After many drafts and receiving input from Kansans, Reps. Suzan DelBene, Mike Kelly, myself, and Ami Bera, introduced H.R. 3107, the “Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2019. This bill would improve the prior authorization process in Medicare Advantage plans through common-sense transparency, electronic adoption, and an analysis on the items and services subject to prior authorization.

I will always be a physician at heart, and my work towards helping improve the care that patients receive is the work I am most proud of. This bipartisan legislation will make the lives of patients and their families better.

To learn more, please see the joint press release HERE.

Kansas Bankers
Before heading to the airport I got a chance to speak with representatives from the Kansas Bankers Association. We touched on how important local banking institutions are for growing rural communities and the importance of increasing credit opportunities in these rural areas. They also got me up to speed on all the work that their industry is doing in order to protect the privacy data of Kansan consumers. As a former community bank board member I understand the importance of the work that they are doing, and look forward to working with them to ensure that Kansans have access to the services that they need to prosper.

Kansas Building Industry Association
A delegation from the Kansas Building Industry Association made it to my DC office this Wednesday, and I was glad that we had the opportunity to discuss their issues in between votes.

Workforce development remains an issue that so many industries around Kansas are facing. Labor shortages can lead to higher costs for consumers, which for the building industry can mean increased home prices, delays in production schedules, and lower economic growth. I take these issues very seriously and am committed to making sure that we have the workforce we need for Kansas to thrive.

New Summer Interns in DC
In our office this summer we are excited to have 3 new interns with us. We love being able to bring more Kansans to Washington. Our three new interns are Sarah Mauler, Lacey Pitts, and Wyatt Rugan.

Sarah is from Great Bend and is a senior at Kansas State University majoring in Human Resource Management, Wyatt, also from Great Bend, is a junior at the University of Kansas majoring in Accounting and Lacey is a former K-State student from Buhler. We could not be more excited to welcome these interns to Capitol Hill.

Dr. Roger Marshall, R-Great Bend, is the First District Kansas Congressman.

How do any of us cope with the catastrophes of life? Years ago, a couple faced the tragedy of an accidental death of their only young child. Even though most marriages don’t survive such an insult, this one did. Between the woman and man, there was love, forgiveness, and plenty of help from the people of their church. The people of the congregation, like the wings of a mother hen, surrounded the couple with support, comfort, and warmth.

Researchers found that no society has survived more than three generations without a religious foundation including belief in prayer, afterlife, and ritual. One interpretation of this data argues that religion serves the function of helping a society continue, thus implying religion endures due to survival advantage. Some critics of organized religion argue just because we have the need for a spiritual connection doesn’t mean that God exists. I contend that the opposite is true. Even though atrocities have been done in the name of religion, I am reassured of God’s presence by the fact that societies do better with a faith-based underpinning. However, I think there are other more convincing reasons than this to believe in God.

I am reassured of God’s presence when watching a religious based rehabilitation program successfully help men find their way back from drug or alcohol abuse. The leaders, who fill a mentor role, teach “It’s not just about you. . . it’s about loving others and loving God.” I am reassured when studying the complexity of the human heart and the way the heart muscle, valves, and arteries interact while sending blood with oxygen and nutrition to every cell in the body. I am reassured when our Hopeful Spirit Chorale sings, bringing spiritual connection to the hearts, and tears to the eyes of those listening and singing. I am reassured when a church, mosque, or synagogue full of people saying a wisdom prayer such as the Lord’s Prayer in unison, vibrates the souls of the congregation. I am reassured when watching a flock of birds or a school of fish move together and change direction as if one organism, in synchrony by some ancient and holy spirit.

As a medical doctor caring for people through the years, I have had to rely on science with which to help resolve health problems people face. Observing people, especially as they reach the end of their lives, I realized that often science is simply not enough. There is a deeper place where people need to go for help when the end is near. In my view, if we listen very carefully, the spiritual realm is all around. For many, this Divine Essence provides great help and meaning. We need to open our spiritual ears for that Holy Something that resides outside our scientific understanding.

In one famous interview of Mother Theresa the interviewer asked her how she prays. “I listen,” was her response. “What does God say in return?” was the next question. “He listens,” was the answer.

For free and easy access to the entire Prairie Doc® library, visit www.prairiedoc.org and follow The Prairie Doc® on Facebook, featuring On Call with the Prairie Doc® a medical Q&A show streaming live most Thursdays at 7 p.m. central.

By RON WILSON
Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development

Pecan groves in Kansas? The idea might seem rather far-fetched. In fact, some would say it sounds nuts. But today we’ll learn about a family-owned business in southeast Kansas which is raising and marketing pecans and more.

During the last two weeks, we have learned about local foods in southeast Kansas. A USDA Rural Development grant is supporting K-State’s Technology Development Institute in building markets for local foods.

Tom Circle and his family represent another example of a value-added, local foods producer. In this case, the food is pecans.

“We are on the northern edge of the pecan belt,” Tom said. He grew up on the family farm here where his parents and grandparents raised traditional row crops. During the farm downturn of the 1980s, his family wanted to diversify.

During the late 1960s, a neighbor of theirs had grown a few pecan trees, but the pecan grove had not been maintained. In 1992, Tom’s father bought the property and started to improve it, clearing brush, flagging the trees they wanted and transplanting the trees into rows. Then they began grafting and improving the varieties they wanted. The pecan trees did well.

One natural pest affecting pecans is the pecan weevil. Tom’s grandfather designed a weevil trap to monitor and control these pests. That innovative weevil trap is used nationwide today.

“(My dad) started selling a few nuts in an old building at the corner of the highway,” Tom said. Their roadside stand was open only in November and December during pecan harvest.
The business continued to grow, and the Circle family remodeled the old building. Tom’s father kept thinking of ways to add products and value, and his mother started baking pecan pies, for example. Pecan pie, by the way, is my absolute favorite.

Tom went to college and spent a few years away before he and his wife Barbara came back into the family pecan business. Another building expansion took place in 2011.

Today, Circle’s Pecans and Country Store is open year-round. The store offers pecans and much more. There are pecans in the shell, those which are called cracked and blown, and those which are completely shelled as halves and pieces. Then there are pecan pies, fruit pies, cream pies, and homemade ice cream. Did I mention pecan pies?

Circle’s Pecans and Country Store includes a full bakery and deli with a daily lunch menu. The food is homemade, using family recipes handed down from Tom’s mother and grandmother. The sandwich meats are shaved by hand for deli sandwiches. The store also offers other Kansas products, such as jams, jellies and homemade fudge.

Breakfast is offered on Saturday mornings. On the third Saturday of each month, there is an open mike, bluegrass pickers jam from noon to 4. “We’re just down-home folks and we want to welcome everyone,” Tom Circle said. His son helps part-time, making four generations which have been involved with the family business so far. Grandkids are also on the way.

Circle’s Pecans and Country Store is located along Highway 400, making it a convenient stop for tour busses, travelers, and the local regulars. The store is situated between Parsons and Pittsburg, near the rural community of McCune, population 409 people. Now, that’s rural.

The business website reports that interest in pecans is up, due to the nutrient-dense nature of the pecan meats. Pecans are said to be high in fiber, zinc, important vitamins such as E, and other essential minerals that support strong bones and good digestion. Pecans contain superior levels of antioxidant flavonoids and cholesterol-lowering plant sterols, more than any other tree nut. In fact, pecans are the only nut to rank in the top 20 antioxidant-rich foods.

For more information, go to www.kansaspecans.com.

Pecan groves in Kansas. Not only can these be found within our state, this entrepreneurial family is adding value by marketing pecans and related products directly to the consumer. We commend Tom Circle and family for making a difference by creatively marketing this special crop. If you haven’t guessed it by now, I must tell you that I’m nuts for pecan pie.

By EDWARD CROSS
Kansas Independent Oil & Gas Association

America’s energy revolution has changed the global landscape. The U.S. has surpassed all expectations and achieved a level of domestic energy production that was unthinkable just a few years ago. We are now the number one producer of oil and natural gas.

Additionally, this market-driven success has helped our nation achieve significant emission reductions. According to Energy Information Administration (EIA) data, U.S. carbon emissions are the lowest they have been in nearly seven decades.

While we can thank American oil and natural gas producers for the hard work and entrepreneurial spirit that made this possible, we must ensure that elected officials work to ensure that our nation achieves its full energy potential. What we need from our elected leaders are smart energy policies that promote our nation’s position as a leader in energy production.

In general, the most affordable forms of energy come from fossil fuels, such as oil, natural gas, and coal. Compared to these energy sources, alternative fuels such as solar and wind power are considerably more expensive and less reliable.

Burning fossil fuels to generate electricity or provide power necessarily releases carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a gas we exhale every time we breathe. Erupting volcanoes, decaying trees, wildfires, and the animals on which we rely for food all emit CO2. This by-product, which is essential for plant life and an unavoidable aspect of human life, is at the center of today’s climate change controversies.

The United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released its latest climate change report. The IPCC’s models emphasize the need for people to change their lifestyle and consumption patterns to more sustainable alternatives, specifically in areas they can control, like modes of transportation, the buildings they inhabit and their dietary preferences.

While the 133 report authors are undoubtedly well accomplished in their scientific fields, they fail to understand the unintended consequences and high taxpayer and consumer costs that come with climate action. They want to drastically cut carbon emissions worldwide to limit global warming by 1.5 degrees over the next few decades. In order to meet the 1.5 degree goal, the IPCC envisions a future where people travel less using buses, trains, hybrid and electric cars. And in order to overhaul agricultural and land-use practices, the IPCC suggest eating less meat. Going all in to limit warming to a degree and a half would mean bilking the poor around the world while increasing other environmental harms.

Those who believe that increased CO2 emissions inevitably lead to global warming believe this change is directly attributable to the widespread use of fossil fuels. Because they believe further warming will have catastrophic effects, they have waged a war on carbon for many years. They advocate restricting carbon-based fuels in favor of subsidized alternative energy and encourage policymakers to make fossil fuels more expensive in hopes of discouraging their use.

If the goal is really to reduce carbon emissions, it’s worth noting that the U.S. is already doing a good job of achieving that goal. Greenhouse gas emissions continue to plummet according to the latest U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data. The EPA found that greenhouse gas emissions, mostly carbon dioxide, fell 2.7% from 2016 to 2017.

Increased natural gas consumption has generated a truly incredible story for the environment as U.S. greenhouse gas emissions have fallen to their lowest levels since 1992. This downward trend is occurring even as U.S. oil and gas production grows dramatically.

Methane emissions from onshore U.S. oil and natural gas production fell 24%, while oil and natural gas production rose 65% and 19%, respectively, from 2011 to 2017, according to data from the EPA and the EIA.
America’s oil and natural gas producers are working hard to develop America’s own abundant resources in a safe and environmentally sound manner. The federal government’s own data confirms methane emissions have fallen in recent years and are continuing to drop, even as oil and natural gas production has risen.

Industry processes have become more efficient. Responsible energy development has and will continue to play a leading role in making the U.S. the world leader in greenhouse gas reductions.

Rational, data-driven, common-sense approach to energy policy is what our nation needs to fulfill its full energy potential, and sadly is all too often absent from today’s energy discussion. We need a new American understanding of energy and with it a national energy policy based on science, the free market, and entrepreneurial spirit. Those who act on our behalf at all levels of government should use those principles as the foundation for their energy policy decisions.

The oil and gas industry has proven that over the long-term it is possible to lead in energy production and environmental stewardship. By focusing on more efficient use of energy, it is possible to lower emissions without imposing even more environmental restrictions. The key is to avoid placing unnecessary political or legal obstacles in the way of innovation and expansion. An American energy policy that values innovation over regulation can turn energy policy challenges into great opportunities for economic growth and energy security. This approach is not just good business, it’s good stewardship and a much better strategy for improving the quality of life for all.

June is the time to fertilize warm-season lawn grasses such as 
bermudagrass, buffalograss, and zoysiagrass. These species all thrive in 
warmer summer weather, so this is the time they respond best to 
fertilization. The most important nutrient is nitrogen (N), and these 
three species need it in varying amounts.

Bermudagrass requires the most nitrogen. High-quality bermuda 
stands need about 4 lbs. nitrogen per 1,000 sq. ft. during the season 
(low maintenance areas can get by on 2 lbs.). Apply this as four 
separate applications, about 4 weeks apart, of 1 lb. N per 1,000 sq. ft. 
starting in early May. It is already too late for the May application, 
but the June application is just around the corner. The nitrogen can 
come from either a quick- or slow-release source. So any lawn fertilizer 
will work. Plan the last application for no later than August 15. This 
helps ensure the bermudagrass is not overstimulated, making it 
susceptible to winter-kill.

Zoysiagrass grows more slowly than bermudagrass and is prone to 
develop thatch.
Consequently, it does not need as much nitrogen. In fact, too much is 
worse than too little. One and one-half to 2 pounds N per 1,000 sq. ft. 
during the season is sufficient. Split the total in two and apply once 
in early June and again around mid-July. Slow-release nitrogen is 
preferable but quick-release is acceptable. Slow-release nitrogen is 
sometimes listed as “slowly available” or “water insoluble.”

Buffalograss requires the least nitrogen of all lawn species 
commonly grown in Kansas. It will survive and persist with no 
supplemental nitrogen, but giving it one lb. N per 1,000 sq. ft. will 
improve color and density. This application should be made in early 
June. For a little darker color, fertilize it as described for 
zoysiagrass in the previous paragraph, but do not apply more than a 
total of 2 lb. N per 1,000 sq. ft. in one season.  As with zoysia, 
slow-release nitrogen is preferable, but fast-release is also OK. As for 
all turfgrasses, phosphorus and potassium are best applied according to 
soil test results because many soils already have adequate amounts of 
these nutrients for turfgrass growth. If you need to apply phosphorus or 
potassium, it is best to core aerate beforehand to ensure the nutrients 
reach the roots.

Alicia Boor is an Agriculture and Natural Resources agent in the Cottonwood District (which includes Barton and Ellis counties) for K-State Research and Extension. You can contact her by e-mail at [email protected] or calling 620-793-1910.

By GLENN BRUNKOW
Pottawatomie County farmer and rancher

I believe in the future of agriculture, with a faith born not of words but of deeds. The opening of the FFA creed, and a phrase near and dear to the heart of every member who has ever put on the corduroy. It is a phrase that speaks to the very core of who we are as farmers and ranchers and one of the reasons Kansas Farm Bureau supports FFA.

This past week I had the honor of representing KFB at the Kansas FFA Convention, and I must admit being a bit selfish when it comes to volunteering for this gig. I don’t know what it is about the convention that fires me up, but I find no matter how bad the weather or the current situation in agriculture is, I am ready to tackle anything after attending. This year certainly tried to test that.

Maybe that was why this convention was extra special; I was fortunate enough to spend three days on the state officer nominating committee. It was three days of intense interviews with the candidates and long hours, but it also was three days of getting to know 13 incredible young adults. It was an experience I wish I could have shared with everyone.

I got to hear the hopes and dreams of these young leaders as they start their journey in life. I experienced the unbridled enthusiasm and optimism of the best and brightest Kansas FFA has to offer and let me tell you the future is bright. This group of young people have a passion for agriculture and a burning desire to serve their communities. They all know they are going to accomplish something great; they just don’t know what that will be yet.

If you have doubts about the character of our youth, I challenge you to spend a day at the Kansas FFA Convention. You will find several hundred of the very best examples of what we hope our kids will be. All clad in the blue and gold, they will make you feel good about the future.

That is why it is so important all of us invest in the future of agriculture by supporting FFA, 4-H and FCCLA. The money and time we give to these organizations is not a donation, rather it’s an investment in our future. Will all the youth in these organizations come back to the farm? No, but many will find careers in agriculture. Even more will go on to find careers in other fields, and that is OK.

That is why I am so proud to support and help fund these great youth organizations. Through our contributions we must continue to grow future generations of leaders. Why? Because, I believe in the future of agriculture, with a faith born not of words but of deeds.

“Insight” is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.

Well, you almost hate to make the comparison — but we will — that the first year of the Gov. Laura Kelly administration and the first year of the Republican Legislature’s battle against much of what got her elected ended in a draw.

She won some, the Legislature won some, and there were a few nice little, but not earthshaking, changes made to the state.

Almost, and here’s that ugly comparison, like leaving the new cat while you went to the store and finding on return that it had used the litter box. What an admittedly small relief.

But this is just year one of the Kelly regime, and the first year of a split (mostly in the House) Republican Party in the Legislature battling each other to see who is in charge. And while there was the persistent back-and-forth over public policy, over “how Kansans want things,” lawmakers and the governor actually got some good things done. Just not headline-grabbing stuff that they can brag about this summer while lawmakers gear up for next year’s elections which put every House and Senate seat up for grabs.

The session, though, did create new and powerful political issues for the election-year Legislature which convenes Jan. 13, 2020, and will probably create the issues that Kansans will be voting on that fall.

No action on income taxes, either for individual voters or for the multinational corporations which employ many of them. That’s the No. 1 issue in an election year, and the clear fight will be just how the Legislature and governor spread them across the state—to businesses or voters, or to voters and businesses in some proportion that will get lawmakers re-elected.

The tax issue? That’s going to be finger-pointing at the federal government which lowered rates two years ago that increased Kansans’ taxable income base. Who gets helped, of course, is the election-year session issue, but this year’s failure of the Legislature to override Kelly’s veto means little likelihood of a retroactive cut which would boost state revenue loss. It means essentially a year’s bonus for the Kansas treasury, and failing to reduce Kansas income taxes is politically different from affirmatively acting to raise Kansas taxes. Or so we’ll hear during next session.

No action on expansion of Medicaid to maybe 100,000 or more Kansans (the numbers are unclear now and will remain so until provisions of an expansion bill are adopted). That was a big issue in Kelly’s election campaign. Not sure whether that got her elected, or whether not being conservative Republican then-Secretary of State Kris Kobach tipped the balance.

After the roadblock this year, look for a tense election-year Medicaid expansion bill, one that is designed by Republicans to tightly limit qualification for the health care and fought by Democrats for exempting some needy Kansans from health care coverage. That’s the fight that will brew all summer in a Senate interim committee.

But this session, which actually didn’t produce a lot of new law most Kansans will notice, provided a warm-up for the real test of the governor: The 2020 election in which the entire House and Senate will stand for re-election. That’s the test that will determine whether the final two years of Kelly’s (first?) term will put her stamp on this Republican state.

The line-item budget veto overrides by the Legislature? Good as talking points, but don’t really amount to earth-shakers on the campaign trail…

Round 1 is a draw. We’ll see who gains ground with lawmakers at home.

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

We recently had to cancel or at least postpone a planned fishing excursion to Glen Elder Lake because of the high flood waters, the condition of the lake and the nasty weather at the time. We try to plan a fishing trip each spring to a Kansas lake known for its walleye fishing in hopes of adding a few bags of walleye and crappie fillets to our freezer. Interestingly enough, Glen Elder Lake is the location of a Kansas Dept of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) walleye study beginning this year.

I talked with the KDWPT fisheries biologist Scott Waters whose territory includes Glen Elder. It seems walleye behavior is different in each body of water, so when money became available to fund selected studies, Scott submitted an application and was selected for funding of a 3 year walleye study there in Glen Elder Lake.

In early spring, 60 walleye, split evenly between males and females 17 inches and longer were captured with gill nets and trap nets. The fish were taken to shore and placed in an anesthetic bath for several minutes, then a small incision was made in the underside of each and a small ultrasonic transmitter was inserted. Three tiny sutures and a drop of glue was used to close the incision and they were given an antibiotic to prevent infection. When the anesthetic had worn off and all fish were acting normal again, they were returned to the lake. The transmitters have a range of 1 kilometer and will help biologists learn more about walleye mortality rates, movement, home range and habitat there in Glen Elder Lake.

Each fish also has a pink tag in its dorsal fin with its study ID number, KDWPT contact info and a message offering $100 for each transmitter returned from legally kept fish. KDWPT is also asking anglers to report the length and location of each tagged fish they catch that is too short to legally keep, and return it gently to the lake.

Scott and his crew will take to the water a couple times each month to track the fish manually, plus they will be tracked more frequently during certain periods of the year. When a fish is located, water depth and temperature, the identification number of that fish and the GPS coordinates where it’s found will be recorded. Daily movement patterns will also be studies by tracking some fish daily. Angling mortality will be noted when transmitters are returned and natural mortality will be assumed when transmitters show no movement over time. Scott also hopes this study will help them know how many fish pass through the gates out of the lake.

This study is unique for Kansas and will give biologists answers about walleye life that will help them better manage walleye in Glen Elder and other walleye fisheries in Kansas. KDWPT is asking for anglers help by returning transmitters and by recording information from fish not kept. Updates will be provided throughout the study to help fisherman learn more about walleye daily and seasonal patterns and habitat.
When Scott and I spoke this week, 7 tagged fish had been recorded caught and 10 – 15 were assumed to have already gone down stream and out of the lake through the gates. Returned transmitters will be reprogrammed and placed in additional fish. So if you get to fish Glen Elder this year, please help with this study if given the opportunity, to help insure a good supply of walleye fillets for all our freezers! Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.

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