By GENE POLICINSKI
Inside the First Amendment

‘Tis the season to be jolly and of good will, right?

Responding to holiday cheer with a well-voiced “Bah” or “Humbug?”

Well, it’s our right under the First Amendment to speak and write in ways that are naughty or nice. Let’s stick with that seasonal theme as we move from the Christmas season into resolutions and forecasts for the New Year, and consider the past year and what’s ahead.

For both this year and next, the controversy over the National Security Agency and its electronic surveillance programs will be the “gift that keeps on giving.”

With regular revelations of top-secret details, and a federal district court decision just days ago declaring some elements of the NSA programs unconstitutional, the top story of 2013 in the area of privacy, press and individual rights most likely will be the top story for at least the first sixth months of 2014.

A presidential advisory board examining NSA policies recommended on Dec. 17 that the agency be blocked from storing massive amounts of data on Americans’ telephone records, and that court orders be required to conduct individual searches. But officials charged with preventing terror attacks said such restrictions will seriously slow efforts to prevent such attacks. And on Dec. 19, veteran national security writer Walter Pincus of The Washington Post wrote that “the vast majority” of 1.7 million classified documents that former NSA contractor Edward Snowden took with him in fleeing the U.S. have not yet been “leaked.”

Free press advocates supporting a federal shield law – protecting journalists from being compelled in court to disclose sources – got an early present from President Obama. In June, responded to a controversy over Justice Department seizures of press telephone records of The Associated Press, and phone and e-mail records of a Fox News correspondent by throwing administration support behind the bill. In 2010, following disclosure of U.S. secret cables and reports by the group Wikileaks, Obama opposed a similar bill.

Still, the Grinch that is Congress pushed any chance of opening that gift to a free press into the New Year, as the Free Flow of Information Act languished in the Senate in December – though some forecast a floor vote on the bill as early as January.
News photographers reporting on the President ended the year battling administration policies they say freeze out news media lenses in favor of the official White House camera. At a Dec. 17 meeting between top news media representatives and White House Press Secretary Jay Carney and agreed to continue talks in January about access for photo journalists to President Obama’s public events and appearances.

Not much under the First Amendment holiday tree for Freedom of Information (FOI) advocates – who see little in the way of major changes in laws to encourage “transparency” in government, but also continued problems in getting open access to officials who can interpret or explain policies, or parse increasing amounts of raw data available on government Web sites.

And then there’s an issue highlighted by – but not limited to – the NSA disclosures: The huge amount of data about us held by “third-parties” – private companies ranging from retailers to phone companies to internet providers. Not subject to FOI laws like government data bases, but vulnerable to government subpoenas or secret agreements with agencies, these information icebergs sail along like their real-world counterparts – with much of their bulk generally out of sight. Santa may reside in a toyshop at the North Pole, but deeps details of our daily routines live in these private sanctorums-in-cyberspace.

FoxNews.com reporter Jana Winter got the best gift of all – freedom – on Dec. 10 from the New York state Court of Appeals. It ruled she did not have to comply with a subpoena that would have forced her to choose in a Colorado court between going to jail and revealing confidential sources. The New York court said Winter was protected by that state’s “absolute” shield law – and not subject to Colorado’s significantly weaker law – from having to identify the sources of a story about a revealing notebook kept by accused Aurora, Colo., movie theater gunman James Holmes.

As we head into 2014, ultimately the best gift we can present to ourselves is continued vigilance about our First Amendment rights. And with that thought, to all a good night.

Gene Policinski is chief operating officer of the Newseum Institute and senior vice president of the Institute’s First Amendment Center. He can be reached at [email protected].

By RON WILSON
Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development

So what’s in store? No, I don’t mean what is coming up soon. I mean, what is inside the store? Today, we’ll learn about a community which lost its only local grocery store, only to get it back through its community foundation. Thanks to Logan Falleti of the K-State Center for Engagement and Community Development’s Rural Grocery Initiative for this story.

Faye Minium, a long-time local banker, is president of the Morland Community Foundation. The foundation was founded in 1994 and has funded various development projects through the years, but in 2006 it faced a new challenge: The town’s only grocery store was closing.

The store in Morland was founded in 1915. Through the years it had been known as Bean’s Country Store, Steven’s Grocery, and Brook’s Store. But in 2006 the owner closed the store because of declining health and age.

In response, the Morland Community Foundation launched an Access to Healthy Food initiative. The goal was to provide healthy food to the elderly and other members of the community. One component of the initiative was to reopen the store and operate it as a non-profit enterprise. They bought the former store building and named the new store Morland Mercantile.

With help from a community development block grant, the building was winterized, refurbished, and had a new furnace installed. Then another issue surfaced: The store and all of Morland was classified in a flood plain which made it difficult to get permits and insurance. The city did a study and found that the land could be reclassified. So, the city spent $28,000 over a year to remap and revise the flood plain boundaries. As an additional benefit to the community, all but two residences in Morland were cleared of their floodplain status.

The newly renovated building was then filled with equipment, most of which was donated or bought used. The foundation was able to buy used equipment from a town 100 miles away which had recently closed its grocery store.

The first order of canned goods arrived Oct 22, 2013 followed by deliveries of fresh produce and meat. Volunteers unloaded and stocked all the shelves.

The store’s permanent operations will add three new jobs to the town. One of those is a full-time manager. A resident of nearby Hill City, Ron Radcliffe, will manage the store. With his eight years of management experience, he knew how to set up the shelving in the correct way.

The store is supplied by Affiliated Foods, but in order to meet the minimum shipping order requirement, Morland orders through another rural Affiliated store: Joslyn’s Food Center, operated by Mark Joslyn of Hoxie, Kan. Hoxie is a rural community of 1,207 people. Now, that’s rural. When the Morland volunteers were having trouble with the exact dimensions of its meat counter, Mark Joslyn drove through a blizzard to Morland to answer their construction questions himself.

On November 2, 2013, the store opened for business. On Nov. 16, the Governor of Kansas cut the ribbon to celebrate the store’s grand opening.

“It was a neat thing,” said Fay Minium. “Everyone had fun and was enthusiastic about being there. It’s been a lot of work and a long time getting here, but I’m optimistic it will be a good project for the whole area. I hope we’re able to provide the service and inventory people in the community want and need, and can provide some unique projects.”

Another part of the Access to Healthy Food initiative is a community kitchen where residents can make their own products.

So what’s in store? Not just in store for the future, but in the store itself. The answer is necessities, healthy foods and local products for the people of Morland. We commend Faye Minium and the Morland Community Foundation for making a difference with this new service. If this community can maintain the model of local initiative, there should be a lot more good things in store.

And there’s more. Three doors down from the store is an agribusiness with cutting edge technology. We’ll learn about that next week in Kansas Profile.

Audio and text files of Kansas Profiles are available at https://www.kansasprofile.com. For more information about the Huck Boyd Institute, interested persons can visit https://www.huckboydinstitute.org.

The mission of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development is to enhance rural development by helping rural people help themselves. The Kansas Profile radio series and columns are produced with assistance from the K-State Research and Extension Department of Communications News Unit. A photo of Ron Wilson is available at https://www.ksre.ksu.edu/news/sty/RonWilson.htm. Audio and text files of Kansas Profiles are available at https://www.kansasprofile.com. For more information about the Huck Boyd Institute, interested persons can visit https://www.huckboydinstitute.org.

By JOHN SCHLAGECK

Kansas Farm Bureau

Genetically modified organisms still face challenges within the European Union; however, one Irish wheat farmer is optimistic change is on the way.

“With this challenge of feeding the world, we must embrace technology,” says John Dardis, who farms approximately 30 miles south of Dublin in Kildare County.

The challenge will be for farmers to double food production by 2050 to feed an estimated 9 billion mouths, Dardis told nearly 1,000 farmers and ranchers at Kansas Farm Bureau’s annual meeting the first week in December.

Originally the Dardis family raised beef cattle. Recently, John has moved exclusively to raising wheat, barley and oats. He is a 5th generation to farmer and serves as First Secretary of Agriculture and Food with the Embassy of Ireland in Washington, D.C.

While the EU clings to studies that say Western European consumers do not want bio technology used in their food, Dardis contends this attitude is changing.

The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, David Cameron, recently talked about the shift in the UK’s attitude towards this technology. Cameron emphasized the importance of fostering a “pro-science” culture and said he’s ready to call on the EU to relax its stifling restrictions on biotechnology.

“There’s also a vigorous scientific effort on behalf of the European Food Safety Authority to ensure the proper scientific overview is given to GMOs,” Dardis says. “When you look at the facts they conclude biotech is safe.”

As a wheat breeder, Dardis is convinced that ultimately food products will all post labels saying whether or not they are genetically modified. Then the consumer will have the opportunity to decide what she wants to buy, he says.

Another challenge the Irish farmer said his countrymen continue to face is the inability to use growth promoters with beef cattle. This means more time and expense to ready their livestock for market.

“We have a wonderful resource in our native grasses, but we have to feed our cattle silage and protein for another three to four months to finish them off,” Dardis says.

Ireland exports nearly 90 percent of its beef, mainly in the European Union. Irish-produced beef is a close second on the grocery shelf running only behind domestic beef raised throughout Western Europe, according to Dardis.

“While I prefer the grass-fed beef of Ireland, a good steak is a good steak wherever you have it in this world,” he says.

Dardis is also excited about the prospects of dairy in his home country. Irish dairy farmers have been restricted by a quota for many years.

In the early ‘80s Irish dairymen were exporting milk on par with New Zealand, Dardis recalls. New Zealand has expanded its dairy exports threefold since then and Ireland now lags far behind.

“We’re excited that in 2015, the quota will be removed from dairy,” the Irish farmer says. “We have plans to grow our dairy exports by 50 percent and rank in the top five in the coming years.”

Today Ireland imports milk from other countries and adds value to this raw product and then exports it as infant formula and finished cheeses.

Wrapping up his comments to the farmers and ranchers from across Kansas, Dardis told them to be, “proud of what you do.

“Farmers and ranchers on both sides of the Atlantic are increasingly under pressure from outside our world,” he says. “The natural reaction is to go into your shell and back to what you do and not put the facts on the table.

“You are feeding the world,” Dardis says. “That’s not rhetoric. Be proud of this and mold the discussion. Don’t stay away from it.”

John Schlageck, a Hoxie native, is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas who writes for the Kansas Farm Bureau.

Dear Dave,
My wife and I have $15,000 in debt left to pay off. We bring home around $32,000 a year, and we usually spend $250 to $300 on Christmas. I started talking to her about your plan earlier this year, and she finally agreed and got on board a couple of months ago. How should we handle Christmas budgeting in the middle of working our debt snowball?
Scott
Dear Scott,
The first thing I’d suggest is to not mention my name for a while. If she’s agreed to start working the plan and help you guys get control of your money, that’s enough for now. We don’t want to cause a rift during the holidays.
Just sit down together and ask her what she thinks is a reasonable amount to spend for Christmas while you’re trying to get out of debt. If it’s a reasonable figure, smile and tell her you agree. You might even ask if she’s okay with your old Christmas budget. If she is, then pencil it in and move on to other things.
The big thing is to make sure you listen to her opinion and work on this together. On the off chance that she gives some crazy dollar amount, just nod and ask how she came to that figure. Then, talk things out. Don’t bring up my name or go crazy about things. It sounds like you two are on the right track!

 

Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and business. He’s authored four New York Times best-selling books and “The Dave Ramsey Show” is heard by more than 6 million listeners each week on more than 500 radio stations. Follow Dave on Twitter at @DaveRamsey and on the web at daveramsey.com.

By MARTIN HAWVER

For three-quarters of Kansas, here’s an interesting little look at the just-under way campaign for the congressional seat in the Big First District.

For a quarter of Kansans living in the First District, well, watch what happens where you live.

The deal: Two-term U.S. Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., was elected in 2010 after surviving a six-candidate Republican primary election. He was a state senator before that, pretty well-known in his own district and in surrounding legislative districts. His congressional primary election back in 2010 saw him get 34 percent of the vote and he was virtually elected, having an R beside his name in the Republican-heavy (by percentage, we’re not talking weight) First District.

Huelskamp campaigned hard, and got 34,819 votes in that primary election. The other 65,164 votes were split unevenly among the five other candidates on the GOP ballot out west. He didn’t get the majority of the primary vote—that would have been 49,992—but he won the plurality and got the nomination.

Key here: The more Republican candidates on the primary election ballot, the fewer votes you need to win. Calculator ready? Theoretically, Huelskamp could have won the primary with as few as 16,665 votes, had every candidate gotten one-sixth of the vote and Huelskamp got a couple extras.

See what happens in primary elections? The more candidates, the fewer votes you need to win. In 2010 Huelskamp did get more than a third of the primary vote, not a bad showing, but nearly two-thirds of the votes went to other candidates.

And last year, he ran for election to a second term…and there was no Republican primary opposition…and no registered Democrat ran against him, so he virtually skated into a second term. We’re figuring checking the Huelskamp box was probably quicker than writing-in, say, Beyonce…

Doesn’t get much better than that if you are a freshman congressman…running—or with no opposition you could just walk into—for a second term.

So, last week, former State Rep. Kent Roth, of Ellinwood, a Democrat when he served in the Legislature but a registered Republican and U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, R-Kan., supporter for the last 21 years, decided to get into the GOP primary against Huelskamp.

Now is when it gets interesting…

If Roth can stay the only GOP challenger, the winner of the primary will need 51 percent of the GOP votes. And that at least partly (sure, there are other factors) turns the race into a Yes or No vote on Huelskamp since the congressman hasn’t been tested at the ballot box since his 2010 primary win. What if the two-thirds of Republicans, or many of them, who didn’t vote for Huelskamp in 2010 vote for Roth? Roth wins the primary…and likely the general election…

See the key here: Roth is hoping to be the only other candidate on the primary ballot, and if you were Huelskamp, you’d probably be hoping for more candidates, all he can get on the ballot. It’s safer that way.

If you live in the First District let us know if you get a box of bumper stickers with your name on them from Huelskamp for Christmas…

Syndicated by Hawver News Co. of Topeka, Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report. To learn more about this nonpartisan statewide political news service, visit www.hawvernews.com.

by Dan Murphy

An animal rights activist in northern Australia is vowing to protest a mega-church’s Christmas show. Why? Because the church offers young kids attending services with their families the chance to visit a popular little animal farm, according to a report from the Noosa News website.

A group calling itself the Vegan Warriors has threatened the Lifepointe Baptist Church, which is located in Queensland’s famed Sunshine Coast resort area, with protests and picketing unless its “live animal exhibit” is removed from the church’s Christmas Lights Spectacular, a show that annually attracts thousands of visitors.

Having spent some serious vacation time in the company of my Aussie in-laws on the Sunshine Coast, I recommend visiting in the “off-season” (June, July, and September), when temperatures remain in the 70s but the beaches are virtually empty. Let me help those unfamiliar with the location of the Lifepointe Baptist Church: It’s about 20 kilometers north of Mooloolaba and 10 kilomotors south and east of Diddillibah, right in the heart of Maroochydore.

Got it?

The Vegan Warriors email stated that the group would protest what is essentially a petting zoo, even if the mini-animal farm is operating within legal guidelines and has the endorsement of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which it does.

Phil Greenbury, the church’s senior pastor, told the media that was the first complaint against the church’s animal farm in the nine years it has been operating as part of the Lights Spectacular show.

“All care, consideration and concern is always taken for all our animals, and we outsource our farm to a company that specializes in small animal farms,” Greenbury said. He noted that Vivienne White, who runs Viv’s Farm Animals, runs the petting zoo and has more than 20 years’ experience in children’s farm displays.

“During the last Christmas show, there were no injuries, no deaths, no vets needed and no medication for any of the animals,” White said. “They were all very healthy. There is also a designated area so the animals can be rotated and rested from the [attention of] general public.”

One-woman ‘group’

A little background here.

The Vegan Warriors appears to be a one-woman show. Its website states that the group “was started by Jaylene Musgrave, who is passionate about animal rights and decided to start Vegan Warriors to use her skills as a publicist to stand up for the rights of our precious animals.”

On the site, she lists “supporters” of her (alleged) group, but it’s merely a list of self-proclaimed vegetarians, including rock singer Joan Jett, Paul McCartney and his ex-wife Heather Mills.

Doubtful if any of them are actual supporters of the Vegan Warriors.

And here’s the ironic part of Musgrave’s passion: She calls the late Steve Irwin “her hero and inspiration.” As most Americans know from his show “The Crocodile Hunter,” Irwin was deeply involved in wildlife protection and habitat preservation. What many people don’t know, however, is that he founded and his widow continues to operate one of the largest zoos in the country, the Australia Zoo. The zoo, which has giant murals of Irwin in his trademark khaki shorts plastered on virtually every available space, offers all the traditional exhibits and shows: An elephant feeding station, a water show featuring “trained” crocodiles and a Big Cat amphitheater where tigers and leopards climb trees, jump across a small creek and otherwise perform for an audience safely seated on bleachers located behind a giant glass wall.

But while Musgrave is busy lauding Irwin, an Australia Zoo tiger handler named Dave Styles was attacked by a six-year-old Bengal tiger during a Big Cat show last month in front of dozens of shocked families. He survived, but spent 10 days in intensive care, endured multiple surgeries and only emerged from a life-threatening coma two days ago.

Yet she wants to shut down a church’s little kids’ animal display.

Could the hypocrisy be layered on any thicker?

Musgrave said she wants to “dialogue” with Lifepointe Baptist Church in hopes that “they may acknowledge this cruelty inflicted on animals.”

Only one problem with her plan: She admitted to the newspaper that she’s never attended any of the Christmas shows.

“I never go to church,” she said.

If she decides to re-think her ridiculous campaign, maybe that might be a good place to start.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Dan Murphy, a veteran food-industry journalist and commentator.

There are many fiscally and economically responsible reasons to expand Medicaid in Kansas. Here are a few:

• Medicaid expansion is a smart choice for Kansas. Accounting for factors that reduce costs, the Kaiser Family Foundation finds that states as a whole are likely to see net savings from expanding Medicaid. Combining Medicaid costs with a conservative estimate of $18 billion in state and local non-Medicaid savings on uncompensated care, the Medicaid expansion would save states a total of $10 billion over 2013-2022. And the Kansas Hospital Association estimated that Kansas would save $82 million if we expanded Medicaid.

• Medicaid expansion would create good Kansas jobs (and lots of them). Estimates suggest that expanding Medicaid would lead to the creation of 4,000 new jobs in Kansas. And not just temporary low-wage jobs. Expanding Medicaid means more good paying jobs in the health industry that will stay in Kansas and can’t be exported to Missouri or Mexico.

• Medicaid expansion drastically reduces number of uninsured Kansans. Almost 400,000 Kansans currently have no health insurance. Expanding Medicaid would drop that number by 169,000 Kansans. And the number of currently uninsured Kansans that will have access to health insurance coverage for $100 per month or less next year would rise to 8 in 10.

And while all these numbers are accurate and compelling, Medicaid expansion has the benefit of being the morally right thing to do too. Helping middle-class families and small businesses regain financial security and giving Kansas families the peace of mind that comes with health insurance makes us all stronger. Too often sickness and bankruptcy are just one bad break away – Medicaid expansion would end that for thousands of Kansans.

– See more at: https://www.ksdp.org/blog/medicaid-expansion-smart-choice-kansas#sthash.WlLICwvo.dpuf

Picture yourself as a scientist– white lab coat on, chemicals at the ready, surrounded by beakers, burners and utensils. Now, imagine that the subject of your lab experiment is sinfully sweet and delicious homemade fudge!

Fudge is a popular treat during the holidays. It can also be frustrating– deliciously smooth and fudgy if done correctly, or hard and grainy if something goes wrong. There are many recipes to make fudge, but old- fashioned fudge made on the stovetop can be a lesson in food science.
Here are some secrets from Extension food experts to help a kitchen scientist make the smoothest fudge:
1. Corn syrup and butter (not margarine!) help prevent crystallization and a grainy texture. Adding butter after boiling the chocolate mixture helps dissolve crystals.
2. Clean the sides of the pan so crystals don’t slip into the fudge mixture during boiling. Simply cover the pan with a lid to trap steam after the mixture starts boiling. Leave the lid on for two minutes and crystals will slide down the sides of the pan and melt into the fudge.
3. Use a candy thermometer to know the temperature. Fudge is cooked to the soft-ball stage (236°F to 238°F). This concentrates the sugar so the fudge will have the proper firmness in the end. If the temperature is too low, the fudge will be soft. If too high, it will be too firm.
4. After reaching the soft-ball stage, leave the fudge alone! Shaking or stirring at this point results in crystal formation and the crystals will keep growing, giving a grainy, sugary end product.
5. Let the mixture cool until it is 110°F, glossy and dark brown. Be patient! If too hot, the result is grainy fudge. If too cool, it will set up and be stiff.
6. If your fudge recipe includes nuts, while the candy mixture is cooling, spread the
nuts on a baking sheet and warm them slightly (in a 200-degree oven) before stirring them in. Nuts also can be placed in a skillet and warmed on the stove top at a low temperature. Warming the nuts helps to support the gradual cooling process of the candy and also enhances the flavor of the nuts.
7. Let the beating begin! This creates smooth fudge with tiny crystals and a light brown color. Beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture is thick and loses its glossy sheen.
8. After beating and adding nuts or other additions such as marshmallows, fudge should be spread in a buttered pan and allowed to cool at room temperature.
Fudge can be cut and stored in a covered container at room temperature. (Now is the time for any good scientist to perform a sensory analysis test by sampling a yummy piece!)
Well-covered to prevent drying out, fudge will keep for several days, until it is given as gifts or consumed by the lead scientist and the rest of the kitchen laboratory crew. Enjoy!

by Stacy Campbell, K-State Research and Extension

The last time farmers and ranchers in Kansas were surveyed, over two thirds of all
crop and pasture land was leased and most producers had at least three landlords that they
deal with. Needless to say there are lots of different lease arrangements, and many
factors to consider and places where misunderstandings can happen. Additionally, many leases are still oral leases that are “signed” with a handshake.
One of the best ways to create a better understanding between tenant and landlord in most cases is to have a written lease. Having a written lease causes many topics to be discussed that otherwise might not. These would include, but are not limited to:
Hunting/fishing rights
Recreation access
Payment due dates
Termination procedures
In addition to the previously mentioned items a written pasture lease for example can spell out responsibilities of both parties in regards to:
Care of fences
Noxious weed control
Water supply maintenance
Grazing capacity restrictions and beginning and ending date of grazing season
A bonus of a written lease is that it documents the terms of the business relationship in case the contract is questioned, this can be especially important if the land changes hands.
Obviously, it is not necessary to have a written lease in order to have good communication between tenant and landlord but it can be helpful in spelling things out and avoiding misunderstandings and hard feelings. There may be some cases when introducing the possibility of implementing a written lease might damage the business relationship. Regardless of whether you have a written lease or not, make sure those lines of communication are kept open.
If you have questions about leases or leasing contact your local K-State Research & Extension County Office.

Kansas Lease Law

The following summarizes some of the provisions of the Kansas lease law.

1) In 2002 the law was changed so that the same termination date (March 1) and notification procedures apply to pastures, hay ground and cropland.
2) For non-written leases of pastures and cropland, notice to terminate must be given in writing at least 30 days prior to March 1 and fix tenancy termination date on March 1.
3) For fall seeded crops notice to terminate must be given in writing at least 30 days prior to March 1 and fix tenancy termination date on March 1.
Tenant has right to harvest crop, tenancy will terminate after harvest or August 1 whichever occurs first.
4) Recent Legal Ruling (2000): If notice is given early, BEFORE any field work starts for wheat crop in the fall, then lease is terminated on the following March 1.
5) Written lease termination notice terms will supersede state law for oral leases.
6) IF prior to termination notice, Tenant has tilled, applied or furnished fertilizers, herbicides, or pest control substances & has NOT planted the crop, THEN the Landowner must pay the tenant a fair and reasonable value of those services furnished.
7) Tenants Are NOT Allowed Compensation for Land Improvements UNLESS Otherwise Stated in a Written Lease
8) Unpaid Rent is an Automatic Lien on Crops.
9) With a crop share lease, a RENTAL LEIN attaches to the landowner’s share of the crop. The landowner must file to perfect this lien.
10) If Tenant Dies, the lease is terminated, no notice to the tenant’s heirs is necessary.
11) If Landowner Dies, heirs assume the lease.
12) If property sells, lease goes with property. If landlord fails to disclose lease to new owner they are responsible for making tenant whole.

As with all laws, lease laws are subject to change from legislative action or interpretation from judicial review. Consultation with a legal professional may be necessary. A KSRE publication on “Kansas Agriculture Lease Law” is available on our web site at www.ellis.ksu.edu
More detailed information on leasing arrangements, leasing guides to develop a written lease and further leasing information can be found on the K-State Research and Extension Ag Economics web site at www.agmanager.info

The holiday season often means two things: time spent with family and friends and great food. This year, Sharon Davis, Manhattan based mother of two who works as the family and consumer sciences education consultant for the Home Baking Association recommends great ways to incorporate the two.

She shares that baking is a family activity that will encourage healthy eating and make subjects like math seem fun for kids. Davis suggests baked goods as the perfect gift for the season. She especially recommends baking mixes and granola as easy and delicious holiday giveaways.

“Baking mixes can be made in large portions and then divided to make great gifts for family and friends,” said Davis. “I especially love putting them in mugs and doing small portions for just one person.”

Davis said she believes that holiday baking traditions can be started at any time. Davis added that baking is a science and it is okay to fail because it is inexpensive and often most failures still taste great.

“Nothing could be easier than baking bread!” said Davis. “Plus people will be so wowed that you made them a loaf of bread, and really it is not that hard.”

For families, Davis says there are too many good reasons to bake to name. She said she believes that baking as a family can create some of the best memories. Although it often takes more time to bake with a child, the opportunity to spend time together, foster relationships and teach important skills like math and science is priceless.

“It’s never too late to start,” said Davis. “My kids who are 20 and 21 and their friends still want to learn to bake and create things with their hands. Just remember, it’s not art, you are not going to hang it on your wall you are going to eat it!”

Grandma’s Refrigerator Dough is a recipe that Davis uses every holiday season. This versatile dough can be turned into cinnamon rolls, tea rings, dinner rolls, butterhorns and more. However, she says her favorite holiday baked good is gingerbread because her kids always look forward to it. Grandma’s Refrigerator Dough recipes and more can be found online the Home Baking Association’s website at www.homebaking.org.

Cindy Falk, nutrition educator for Kansas Wheat shared that her favorite way to take holiday baked goods to the next level is by adding white whole wheat flour to provide a whole grain product, often without family or party guests knowing the difference.

“My favorite way to incorporate more whole grain flour into baking is to use white whole wheat flour,” Falk says. “It is ideal for the full range of your holiday baking repertoire, from cookies to quick breads, yeast breads and even pie crusts.”

Falk, who has been baking for over 50 years, also shares her favorite holiday recipe, Sweet Wheat Bread, a finalist recipe in the 2011 National Festival of Breads. For Falk’s recipe, additional baking tips and holiday recipes visit www.americasbreadbasket.com.

In their latest parody of Katy Perry’s hit song, “Roar,” the Peterson Farm Brothers take farm chores to a new level.

By John Schlageck, Kansas Farm Bureau

For farm and ranch families across Kansas, adding flexibility to our agribusiness laws represents a unique opportunity to access new markets, to diversify operations and to attempt a new strategy to invigorate rural communities and offer young people a rural alternative.

Our current law has restricted this state’s ability to attract and capitalize on the potential in Kansas, keep families on the farm and rural communities alive and well. For many years we’ve simply watched as farm consolidation occurred and rural communities ceased to exist.

While no single concept is likely to address all of the issues of out‐migration or depopulation, removing the real or perceived hurdles to bringing new business ventures to Kansas will encourage growth and industry and in turn attract jobs and residents to rural communities.

Revising restrictive laws is one step in the right direction to diversify economies, improve markets and give a brighter future to families who want to continue to live and thrive in rural Kansas.

Kansas is now one of just nine states in the country that prohibit or restrict certain farms from doing business in the state. Courts have struck down these restrictions in three of those states. Current family owned farms in Kansas could be in violation of our existing law.

Agribusiness, swine, dairy and poultry producers have approached Kansas about the possibility of locating here. Updating state law to reflect modern-day business structure reality will allow efficient, environmentally sound corporate citizens to revitalize many of our rural communities.

A crucial part of this story remains the privately held farms in Kansas. When comparing land values from 15 states, both with and without restrictions, there was no correlation between land values and restrictions on business structures.

Some say a change in law will hurt small farms. Research shows the opposite is true. Those states without restrictions experienced a growth of 5.24 percent in small farms compared to 0.35 percent in Kansas.

For farmers and ranchers of all sizes, increasing the flexibility of our laws represents a unique opportunity to access new markets, to diversify operations and to attempt a new strategy to invigorate rural communities and offer young people a rural alternative.

Whether in business as a sole proprietorship, an LLC or any other entity structure, farmers and ranchers look at real numbers and real value, not emotional, unsubstantiated arguments. It’s also why they support existing requirements for environmental measures that ensure they leave the land better than when they began caring for it.

In today’s global economy Kansas will continue to struggle if we fail to embrace free and open markets. This is a concept farmers and ranchers have long supported.

Rural Kansans deserve the opportunity to open our state to new development by removing barriers for entering, or in some cases remaining in business, in Kansas. Changing the law will allow multi‐generational family operations to continue to work in Kansas instead of imposing a system in which future generations may be ineligible to own or operate the farm or ranch.

It’s time we rethink the status quo and focus all our energy on growing all parts of the state to ensure vibrant farms, ranches, schools, faith communities and food systems in both rural and urban areas of our state.

John Schlageck is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas. Born and raised on a diversified farm in northwestern Kansas, his writing reflects a lifetime of experience, knowledge and passion.