Imagine scoring 82 points in a single football game, and losing.

Oconomowoc High School in Wisconsin topped Wisconsin Lutheran School by a final score of 84-82 in the single largest-scoring football game in state history.

It should be pointed out that the 166 points still falls far short of the national record for both single and combined points for a game.

That record was set in 1926 by Haven High School in Kansas, which beat Sylvia High 256-0.

Beware Mom: Listeria is a Killer

Mom, imagine that you are in a sci-fi movie, stalked by a relentless creature who has targeted you and your family. This deadly killer ignores others and focuses its wrath on you and your young children. It takes all of your knowledge and skill to survive and protect those you love.
Fiction? No! This killer with the scary-sounding name is Listeria monocytogenes, a foodborne bacteria that is a very real threat to pregnant women and their young children.
Listeria is the 3rd leading cause of death from foodborne illness. Ninety percent of the people who get Listeria infections are either pregnant women and their newborns or older people over age 65. Pregnant women are 20 times more likely to get a Listeria infection than other healthy adults. Listeria can cause miscarriage, premature delivery and stillbirth. It can also cause serious bacterial infection and meningitis Most people who have a Listeria infection require hospital care, and 1 in 5 people die.
September is National Food Safety Education Month– a time to draw attention to foodborne illnesses and ways that consumers can keep food safe in order to keep themselves healthy.
A foodborne illness occurs when people eat or drink harmful microorganisms or contaminants in their food or beverages. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that there are about 48 million cases of foodborne illness each year– on average, that’s 1 in 6 Americans each year who get sick from something they eat.
Food safety is important to everyone, but it is especially important to groups that we know are at higher risk of serious consequences from foodborne illnesses. Those vulnerable groups include the very young, the very old, and people who are already in poor health or with weakened immune systems. Foodborne illness is a special risk for pregnant women whose immune systems are stressed due to pregnancy, and their unborn children, infants and young children whose immune systems are not developed enough to fight off harmful microorganisms.
The bacteria Listeria monocytogenes is especially dangerous for several reasons. Listeria is a hardy germ which can survive at refrigerator temperatures where most other foodborne bacteria do not. So, it breaks the rules about keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold as a way to control microorganisms. When someone eats food contaminated with Listeria, sickness may not occur until weeks later when it is difficult to identify which food might have been the source. Listeria can contaminate many foods that we don’t usually cook, and Listeria can contaminate some foods that we don’t usually associate with foodborne illness problems, like cantaloupe and celery and sprouts
The most common culprits for Listeria are moist, high-protein foods which aren’t usually cooked. To prevent the risk of illness from Listeria, pregnant women and their young children should heed these cautions:
– Do not eat hot dogs or luncheon meats- unless they’re steaming hot.
– Do not eat soft cheese unless it’s made with pasteurized milk. These would include cheeses such as Feta, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined soft cheese, queso fresco or other soft ethnic cheeses. Check the labels to be sure.
– Do not eat refrigerated meat spreads or dips.
– Do not eat refrigerated smoked seafood unless it’s in a cooked dish. This would include gourmet smoked seafood products such as smoked salmon and related foods that might be labeled as lox or “nova-style” and sold in the refrigerated section of the deli or seafood counter of grocery stores.
– Do not eat raw sprouts.
– Do not drink raw milk or eat foods that contain unpasteurized milk.
– Do not eat homemade jerky unless it was prepared according to current recommendations to heat the product to 160 degrees before or after drying.
Reliable food safety information about Listeria is available online from the Centers for Disease Control, the US Department of Agriculture, the federal Food and Drug Administration and K-State Research and Extension. You may also contact the Ellis County Extension Office for the USDA publication “Food Safety for Pregnant Women” and other resources about food safety and how to protect your family from food-borne illness. Visit us at 601 Main Street in Hays, see our website at www.ellis.ksu.edu or call 785-628-9430.

CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULT (YA) PROGRAM

Monday, Sept. 30

10:00 AM Storytime

11:00 AM Storytime

4:00 PM Games

4:00-4:40 PM Bal-A-Vis-X (Preregister at www.hayspublib.org or 785-625-5916)

6:30 PM Storytime

Tuesday, Oct. 1

10:00 AM Storytime

11:00 AM Storytime

3:30 PM Video Game League (YA)

4:00 PM Family Nutrition

Wednesday, Oct. 2

10:00 AM Storytime

10:00 AM Hora De Leer en Espanol

10:45 AM Lapsit

3:30 PM Wavering Wednesdays (YA)

4:00 PM Scratch Club House (preregister at www.hayspublib.org or 785-625-591)

4:00 – 4:40 PM Bal-A-Vis-X (preregister at www.hayspublib.org or 785-625-591)

Thursday, Oct. 3

10:00 AM Storytime

11:00 AM Digital Storytime

3:30 PM Make-n-Take

4:00 PM Take 5

Friday, Oct. 4

10:00 AM Cre-8-tive Moments: Food for thought with Geovannie Gone

4:00 PM Chess Club

Saturday, Oct. 5

10:00 AM Lego Club

ADULT PROGRAMS AND EVENTS
Monday, Sept. 30

12:00 PM- 6:00 PM Kansas Cooks! Chili Cook-off

Tuesday, Oct.1

5:00 PM Herb Study Group

Wednesday, Oct. 2

12:00 PM Feed and Film

Thursday, Oct. 3

6:00 PM Mango/Language Resource Workshop- Learning different languages for free!

By John Schlageck, Kansas Farm Bureau

With each passing day there’s more interest in the Grain Belt Express Clean Line transmission project. This is the proposed direct current (DC) electric transmission line that would run from near Spearville north and east across the state to the Kansas-Missouri border.

Thousands of farmers and ranchers who live and work along the proposed route of this project may need to alter their practices if the line is built across their property.

Like other Kansans, farmers and ranchers understand the importance of developing our state’s wind resources. They also realize that in order to maximize the potential for wind development, transmission lines are necessary to move power to population centers across the state and the nation.

If Grain Belt is successful in building this transmission line, nearly 1,000 more wind towers could go online in southwestern Kansas. This could result in an economic boom for a part of the state that is reeling from extended drought and the impact of the declining Ogallala Aquifer on the grain and feedlot industries.

Utilities building transmission lines in Kansas should look at options that minimize the impact on landowners and create positive long-term relationships between agriculture and industry.

Compensation should be paid annually and based on the fair market value of the property impacted by transmission line easements or restrictions, says Mike Irvin, Kansas Farm Bureau legislative counsel. If lines impact farm or ranching operations or requires alteration of facilities, those expenses should be included in any compensation package.

“Sitings should be located along section of property lines,” Irvin says. “Landowners may be able to maximize the potential of their land and minimize logistical inconvenience – even if a line is built on their property.”

Developers must restore damage to grasslands and compensate for crop damage resulting from activity associated with the building, maintenance and operation of the line.

“Transmission line easements often try to shift or place liability for any unintended or inadvertent damage to structures to the landowner,” Irvin says. “The KCC should require developers to assume and mange that risk.”

Transmission lines have the potential to interfere with modern agricultural technologies that is expensive and provides necessary, valuable data to farmers and ranchers about their production practices.

“We strongly suggest that before the KCC approves any transmission line routes in Kansas, that studies be conducted to show potential impacts and efforts be made by developers to minimize interference to landowners, their property and operations.”

Are there other unknown and possible unintended consequences?

Consider the following: there has been no discussion of the impact or location of generator lead lines that will connect wind towers with the conversion station. There are no restrictions to prevent other power generation companies from accessing the line or to prevent power produced outside of Kansas from connecting with the project.

All Kansas citizens, landowners and businesses deserve a thorough examination of these issues before final approval is given. The Kansas Corporation Commission will conduct an evidentiary hearing, open to the public, concerning the proposed Clean Line project.

The hearing is slated for 9 a.m., Oct. 8-10 in the first floor hearing room at the Kansas Corporation Commission Topeka office, 1500 S.W. Arrowhead Road.

DEADLINES FOR OCTOBER 2ND
If a class is full PLEASE put your name on the waiting list. We always do our best to accommodate everyone so if you are not on the waiting list and we add an additional class you will miss out!

YOUTH/ADULT SPORTS
SCHOLARSHIP KICK BALL TOURNAMENT!
Round up 10 to 12 friends and help out area youth! Join us for a great day of Kickball. Proceeds from the tournament will help the HRC Scholarship program – which gives low income kids a chance to participate in sports and other activities.
Entry Deadline: October 2
Entry Fee: $75.00
Held on: Saturday, October 5
Time: TBA
Divisions: 6th – 8th graders (Coed div.’s)
9th – 12th graders (Coed div.’s)
Adults 18 & older (Coed div.’s)
Location: Bickle/Schmidt Sports Complex

TINY TAS (2-5 YEAR OLDS)
FREAKY FRIDAYS
Moms or dads, it’s time to drop off your children and spend some time to yourself or with friends. Children will enjoy the morning doing arts and crafts, playing games, having snacks, and developing social interaction skills with other children. We request that children be able to use the restroom by themselves. Each month will have a special theme.
Entry Deadline: Wednesday before each session
Entry Fee: $5.00 per session
Held on: Session 1: Friday, Oct. 4 – Color Day
Session 2: Friday, Nov. 8 – Tales Day
Session 3: Friday, Dec. 13 – Pajama Day
Session 4: Friday, Jan. 3 – Train Day
Session 5: Friday, Feb. 7 – Sweets Day
Session 6: Friday, March 7 – Aliens Day
Times: 9:00 – 11:00am
Ages: 3 – 5
Location: Recreation Center
Limitations: Min. 5 Max. 12

TASTE BUDS
Come and join us for a story and cooking project. Let your child learn basic cooking skills, including recipe reading and ingredient measuring while building fun in the kitchen. This once a month activity will be a delight for any child.
Entry Deadline: Wednesday before each session
Entry Fee: $3.00 per session
Held on: Monday’s – Oct. 7, Nov. 4, Dec. 9, Jan. 13, Feb. 3, & March 3
Times: 10:00 – 10:45am
Ages: 2 – 5 w/an adult
Location: Recreation Center
Limitations: Min. 5 Max. 15

MUSIC SPARKS: SHARING
Here’s a chance for you and your child to share the joy of music and learning with the support of the wonderful residents of Cedar View. Each session will be six weeks of songs, instrument play, movement and much more. Participating families will each receive a book and access to a private resource page.
Entry Deadline: Session 1: October 2
Session 2: January 15
Entry Fee: $40.00 per student, each additional sibling $35.00 with each family receiving a book. (Scholarship fee will be $15.00)
Held on: Session 1: Monday’s – Oct. 14 – Dec. 2 No class On October 28, November 25 (Make-up if needed 12/9)
Session 2: Monday’s – Jan. 27 – March 3 (Make–up if needed 3/10)
Time: 10:30 – 11:10am
Location: Cedar View Assisted Living
Ages: 2 – 5 w/adult
Limitation: Min. 4 Max 8
Instructor: JoAnn Jordan, Board Certified Music Therapist

POTTERY AND BOOKS
Pottery and reading, what a great combination. This program will start off with a book followed by painting a piece of pottery that relates to the story. Kids will have a great time using their imagination to create a storybook character or related idea.
Entry Deadline: Wednesday before each class
Entry Fee: $13.00 per session
Held on: Tuesday’s – Sept. 10, Oct. 8, Nov. 12, Dec. 3, Jan. 7, Feb. 4, & April 8
Time: 1:00 – 2:00pm
Ages: 3 & older w/an adult
Location: Pottery Works – 126 West 9th
Limitations: Min. 5 Max. 10
Instructor: Pam Fellers

TWEEN TAS (5 & OLDER)
BE A BOOK COOK: ONE FUN EGG ROLL
Learn to love reading, cooking and healthy nutrition when you become a Book Cook! This new class from the Ellis County Extension links a favorite story book with a fun cooking experience. Enjoy a story about cultural foods, then work together to make egg rolls and sample your creation with several sauces for dipping. Extension Agent Linda Beech will be the class instructor. Recipes available to take home. Class lasts approximately 1 hour Parents are welcome to attend and assist, too!
Entry Deadline: October 2
Entry Fee: $2.00
Held on: Monday, October 7
Time: 3:30 – 4:30pm
Age: 7 – 12
Location: Recreation Center
Limitations: Min. 4 Max. 12

KIDS N’ TEENS FITNESS CHALLENGE
It is time to get your kid or teen off the sofa and excited about something else other than the TV. This introductory course is designed to get your child excited about being active. Our goal is to motivate and encourage your kid or teen to start and keep a healthy lifestyle. Your teen will be given an exercise logbook, which they will receive Oct. 5. This book will lead them over the length of a month and will be used to engage them in different activities. They will use this book to help keep track of their improvement as well. We will meet again Nov. 2 to discuss their progress and talk about ways to help them keep engaged in that healthy lifestyle. T-shirts, prizes, and awards will also be given out to all participants.
Entry Deadline: October 2
Entry Fee: $20.00
Held on: Saturday’s – October 5 & November 2
Time: Session 1: 9:00 – 10:00am
Session 2: 10:15 – 11:15 am
Ages: Session 1: 7 – 12
Session 2: 13 – 15
Location: Recreation Center
Limitations: Min. 5 Max 25

ADULT LEISURE
ADULT BALLET LESSONS
Come enjoy a dance class for adults. This class is for the beginner as well as those who have taken lessons before. Class attire is ballet leotard and tights or tight fitting (workout) clothes, and any soft soled dance shoe (ballet, jazz, etc.).
Entry Deadline: Session 1: October 2
Session 2: January 15
Entry Fee: $15.00
Held on: Session 1: Friday’s – Oct. 11 – Nov. 22
Session 2: Friday’s – Jan. 24 – March 14
Times: 5:00 – 6:00 pm
Ages: 18 & older
Location: Recreation Center
Limitations: Min. 5 Max. 8
Instructor: Aunalies Unsworth

FUR-EVER FRIENDS: PUPPY COURSE
This class is for puppy’s ages 10 weeks to 6 months. Handler must provide a copy of first round of shots. There will need to be one handler per dog. In this class the puppies will learn socialization and a few of the basic obedience commands. On week 4 of the class, the puppy will have fun with agility obstacles and will also receive a diploma.
Entry Deadline: Session 1: October 2
Session 2: February 26
Entry Fee: $50.00
Held on: Session 1: Monday’s – Oct. 7 – 28
Session 2: Monday’s March 3 – 24
Times: 6:00 – 7:00 pm
Ages: 18 & older
Location: Speier Ballpark – 10th & Vine
Limitations: Min. 3 Max. 8
Instructor: Raina Alm – Certified Dog Trainer

FUR-EVER FRIENDS: BASIC OBEDIENCE COURSE
This class is for dog’s that are ages 6 months and up. Handler must provide a copy of shots that include rabies and bordatella. There will be one handler per dog. In this class the handler will be trained to train their dog. They will learn basic obedience which includes sit, down, sit-stay, and down-stay; leave it and how to walk on a leash. A head collar or pinch collar is preferred for this class. NO choke chains are allowed. No flexi-leashes are allowed, prefer a 6-8 foot nylon leash (they will be dragging the leash around). On week 6 of the class, the dogs will have fun with agility obstacles and will also receive a diploma. If the handler is unsatisfied with the dog’s progression, they can retake the class for half price.
Entry Deadline: Session 1: October 2
Session 2: February 26
Entry Fee: $75.00
Held on: Session 1: Monday’s – Oct. 7 – Nov. 11
Session 2: Monday’s March 3 – April 7
Times: 7:00 – 8:00 pm
Ages: 18 & older
Location: Speier Ballpark – 10th & Vine
Limitations: Min. 3 Max. 8
Instructor: Raina Alm – Certified Dog Trainer

ACTIVELY 55 CLUB
LITTLE SWEDEN
Let us celebrate in Lindsborg with the Swedish traditions. We will walk through tents full of arts & crafts, Swedish folk dancing, cooking demonstrations, and other entertainment. Food is available for sale. Your meal is not included in the price.
Entry Deadline: October 2
Entry Fee: $12.00
Held on: Saturday, October 5
Time: 8:00am – 5:30pm
Age: 55 & older
Departs from: Recreation Center
Limitations: Min. 5 Max. 15

TREASURES IN ELLSWORTH TRIP
Come with us for a full day of activities in Ellsworth. We will start the day at Ellsworth Prison. On this trip we will view the prison yard, cells and learn what the prisoners do on a daily base. We will also view the CARES Program (Canine Assistance Rehabilitation Education and Services). After a 3 hour tour we will head downtown to take advantage of the antiques and have lunch. This day is a full day with walking involved so wear your comfortable shoes. Your lunch is NOT included.
Entry Deadline: October 2
Entry Fee: $10.00
Held on: Friday, October 11
Time: 7:30am – 3:00pm
Age: 55 & older
Depart from: Recreation Center
Limitations: Min. 5 Max. 15

YOUTH WELLNESS
KIDS N’ TEENS FITNESS CHALLENGE
It is time to get your kid or teen off the sofa and excited about something else other than the TV. This introductory course is designed to get your child excited about being active. Our goal is to motivate and encourage your kid or teen to start and keep a healthy lifestyle. Your teen will be given an exercise logbook, which they will receive Oct. 5. This book will lead them over the length of a month and will be used to engage them in different activities. They will use this book to help keep track of their improvement as well. We will meet again Nov. 2 to discuss their progress and talk about ways to help them keep engaged in that healthy lifestyle. T-shirts, prizes, and awards will also be given out to all participants.
Entry Deadline: October 2
Entry Fee: $20.00
Held on: Saturday’s – October 5 & November 2
Time: Session 1: 9:00 – 10:00am
Session 2: 10:15 – 11:15 am
Ages: Session 1: 7 – 12
Session 2: 13 – 15
Location: Recreation Center
Limitations: Min. 5 Max 25

SPECIAL POPS
To participate in these activities, a person must:
-be diagnosed with intellectual disabilities
-have a significant learning or vocational problem

To sign up for these activities by the deadline you can contact:
-Haley Nixon at HRC @ [email protected] or (785)623-2650
-DSNWK Members – Scott Stults @ [email protected] or (785)625-5678
-ARC Members – Gloria VonFeldt @ [email protected] or (785)628-6512
-Visit haysrec.org and sign up online!

SPECIAL POPS PUTT-PUTT
Meet us at Precision Valley for some fun team putt-putt, darts, and pool! You can choose your teammate or we’ll find you one when you get there. We’ll see who can cheer on their team the most!
Entry Deadline: October 2
Entry Fee: $2.00
Held on: Thursday, October 3
Times: 5:30 – 6:30pm
Ages: All Ages
Location: Precision Valley – 1500 West 27th
Limitations: Min. 5 Max. 40

SPECIAL POPS ADAPTIVE YOGA
The aim of these yoga sessions will be towards stress relief and relaxation. Join me as we experiment with breathing techniques and restorative poses. Mats will be provided.
Entry Deadline: Session1: October 2
Session 2: January 29
Entry Fee: $5.00 per session
Held on: Session 1: Monday’s – October 7 -28
Session 2: Monday’s – February 3 -24
Times: 9:00 – 9:45am
Ages: All ages
Location: Recreation Center
Limitations: Min. 5 Max. 20

SPECIAL POPS – JAM (JUST ADD
MUSIC)
Music can make a lot of things better. Come JAM with friends at one or more sessions of fun music filled activities.
Entry Deadline: Session 1: October 2
Session 2: November 6
Session 3: December 4
Session 4: January 8
Session 5: February 5
Entry Fee: $5.00 per session
Held on: Session 1: October 8
Session 2: November 12
Session 3: December 10
Session 4: January 14
Session 5: February 11
Times: 6:30 – 7:30pm
Ages: All ages
Location: Recreation Center
Limitation: Min. 5 Max. 12
Instructor: JoAnn Jordan, Board Certified Music Therapist

UPCOMING DEADLINES
Wednesday, October 9
Dodgeball Tournament
Breakfast Bingo
Special Pops Hoedown
Special Pops Tye-Dye Glowing T-Shirts

By Gene Policinski

We’re all facing a tough decision by Congress later this year – and it’s not about the federal budget or national health care policy.
A question that ultimately will affect us all involves a bill with the innocuous name “Free Flow of Information Act.” In other words, it’s a proposal to create – for the first time legislatively – a national “shield law” aimed at protecting news sources and the confidential information they have provided from having to be disclosed by journalists facing a subpoena or federal grand jury.
Note that that description, unlike most, starts out by referring to the protection that sources get under the proposal, not the benefit that derives to journalists.
From a First Amendment view, that’s about the only way one feel comfortable with such a law. The major hurdle that remains is that the measure must include a definition of a “journalist,” which by-definition must exclude some of our fellow citizens or it would read “everyone.” But the 45 words of the First Amendment have no modifier in front of “press” in forbidding government from restraining or censoring what it publishes.
Advocates of the bill have come a long way over several decades from legislation to include as many as they can in this latest proposal. Earliest versions – a product of their pre-Internet times as well as some institutional mindset — focused just on traditional ideas of who is a journalist: Employees of major news companies or publications, or those whose income is principally from journalism. Left out were journalists for student publications, along with newer groups like bloggers, aggregators and Tweeters.

Even some early proposals this time around left some in those same groups potentially without the means to pledge anonymity to their sources. But amendments Sept. 12 in the Senate Judiciary Committee have addressed those problems, supporters say, partially by including students and freelance writers, and by including a “catch-all” provision that permits a federal judge to say the law applies to anyone who the judge deems to be acting “in the public interest.”
Critics of the bill, which has bipartisan support, say that despite these changes, the bill doesn’t provide protection to enough people, enough of the time, to override concerns that by defining who is a journalist it is a back-door exercise in, in effect, “licensing” journalists for the first time.
The bill includes some non-controversial exceptions, such as where the information disclosed directly involves an act of terrorism, death, kidnapping or bodily harm. But then it attempts to define and exclude groups like “Wikileaks” and individuals such as former NSA analyst Edward Snowden, which have dumped wholesale lots of classified information onto the Internet.
Along with spies and terrorists, they and their sources are not protected. And, veteran journalist Scott Armstrong said Sept .18 in a panel discussion at the Newseum, neither will be the reporters who need it most: Those reporting on national security matters regularly.
“It won’t protect us,” Armstrong said, “We’re going to get exempted out of it one way or another.”
Others on the panel countered that having some chance at defeating a subpoena is better than nothing. But both advocates and critics have conceded along the bill’s progress that the possibility of losing such a fight – and the investigation and court proceedings it will entail – will at the least have a “chilling effect” on future sources.
Placing the focus on protecting the sources of a “Free Flow of Information” won’t solve the “who is a journalist” issue, but it may well make it less of a stumbling block – since the “how” a leak reaches the public would be subordinate to the “who leaked it” issue.
And with that orientation in mind, all of us can consider whether we want to protect the source – perhaps based on the idea of the larger benefit they are bringing to society, which is the basis for other such protections: priest-penitent, doctor-patient, lawyer-client, and such.
In each of those cases, an individual gets specific benefits from the confidentiality of the relationship- — and society benefits indirectly by having such options available. Ironically, in the source-journalist equation, its society that gains first when the disclosures keep citizens informed about the policies, practices and sometimes-secret acts of government.
The Founders created such strong protection for a free press because they say its values to society: The open exchange of views and information, the senses of “community” created by common media and, of course, the watchdog role of independent journalists.
At times, reporters need confidential sources to get at stories that are hidden behind piles of paper, bureaucratic blunders or program hidden from the public. It’s there that the benefit of a “shield law” ultimately rests.
If a journalist gets a good story, or even wins an award, in the process – well, that’s well down into “secondary” effects calculation.
Gene Policinski is chief operating officer of the Newseum Institute and senior vice president of the Institute’s First Amendment Center. Contact him at [email protected].

Brett Wessler, Staff Writer Drovers Cattle Network

“Local” is one of the many buzzwords consumers face when grocery shopping. While consumer translations of these words vary, a study pinned down the most common definition.

Two University of Kentucky agricultural economists found consumers have a preferred distance limit on the distance a product can travel to be considered “local.” The survey included 1,013 Canadian beef consumers between the ages of 19 and 74.
Findings from the report show consumers were less strict than the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in defining local beef. While the CFIA requires local beef to originate from a farm less than 30 miles away, Canadian consumers were just as likely to select beef labeled “local,” meeting CFIA requirements, as they were selecting beef with a “100 miles” label.

The CFIA local beef was preferred over the beef with a “200 miles” label.
In addition to the “local” label preferences, consumers were more likely to select a product produced in the local province compared to a product with a “local” label.
According to the study, the preference for a product made in the province “perhaps is due to the more coordinated efforts by provincial government in food marketing. Or alternatively, this could be that consumers value local and home-province product with different motivation, or that Canadians identify strongly with province.”
Regardless of the distance, local labels were preferred to products with labels identifying the beef as a product made in Canada or the USA. The survey showed 69 percent of the Canadian consumers would select local over one labeled as a product of Canada and 84 percent would select a local product over one marked “Made in the USA.”

Stacy Campbell
K-State Research & Extension

The  Ellis County Master Gardeners and I are currently filling in for Holly while she is on maternity leave. Before Holly left she mentioned to me that if I wanted to write about a horticulture topic–how to control little barley would be very timely.

Many people mistake little barley (Hordeum pusillum) for a little foxtail because the foxtail and little barley seedheads are similar. However, little barley is a winter annual that comes up in late September – October and spends the winter as a small plant. It thrives in the cooler spring temperatures, forms seed heads and dies out usually by July. Foxtail, on the other hand, is a summer annual that does well in hot weather. Also, foxtail will not produce seedheads until mid- to late-summer.

So why are we talking about little barley now? Because now is the time to control it for next year, according to K-State Horticulturist Ward Upham.

The best control for little barley is a thick lawn that is mowed high enough that sunlight does not hit the soil. Little barley seed will not germinate in such conditions. Over-seeding now can
thicken up a tall fescue lawn and prevent a little barley infestation. However, if you do not plan to over-seed, preemergence herbicides can be used to provide at least partial control of this weed.

The only preemergence herbicide that I know is labeled specifically for little barley is Surflan. It
is also sold under the name of Weed Impede by Monterey Lawn and Garden. Surflan can only be
used on warm-season grasses (bermudagrass, buffalograss, zoysiagrass) and tall fescue grown in
warm-season areas such as Kansas. However, Dimension (dithiopyr), is labeled for barley
(Herodium spp.) which would include little barley and therefore can be used to keep this weed
under control. Because little barley is a winter annual, apply the preemergence herbicide in
September and water in to activate. If overseeding, do not apply any preemergence herbicide as
it will interfere with the germination of tall fescue.
Fertilizing cool-season lawns
For cool-season lawns, most of the fertilizer should be applied in the fall. Fescue and bluegrass benefit most from fall-applied nitrogen applications. September is the most important time. Nitrogen (N) applied during September helps thicken the stand, and encourages development of a healthy root system. A November application (at about the time of the final mowing of the season) helps the turf build food reserves. This enables the lawn to green up earlier in the spring, without encouraging the excessive shoot growth that often accompanies early spring N applications.
This emphasis on fall fertilization may seem strange, especially since some garden centers and stores vigorously promote their fertilizer products in the spring. But cool-season lawns characteristically experience a flush of shoot growth sometime in mid-spring. Applying N before this flush is over can cause the grass to grow too fast. The shoot growth exhausts the plant’s food stocks, and leaves it with little in reserve for the stressful summer ahead. So it is best to wait until the flush of shoot growth is over, normally early in May, before making spring-applications of N. Ideally, a slowly available N source would be used for the May application. This encourages moderate, controlled growth as the hot summer weather approaches. If a late June or early July application is deemed necessary, use a slow-release N source and keep rates on the low side ½ to 1 lb./1,000 sq. feet. Excessive N during the summer can potentially lead to disease problems for cool-season grasses.

The views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the author. These views and opinions do not represent those of the Post News Network and/or any/all contributors to this site

By Congressman Tim Huelskamp

From job-killing regulations to invasions of our privacy, the executive branch in Washington is out of control.

The alphabet soup of federal agencies is on an all-out push to produce new regulations: from the EPA, to OSHA, to HHS. According to the Heritage Foundation, during President Obama’s first term in office, the annual regulatory burden on the economy increased by $70 billion! And in 2012 alone, the President’s team put forward 2,605 new rules. Of those new rules, 69 cost more than $100 million, but only two rules actually decreased regulations.

Consider the story of Marty the Magician. Marty owns a rabbit as part of his act. He was informed by federal regulators that he has to file a “contingency plan” for handling his bunny in the event of a natural or man-made disaster. Marty is subject to an unannounced home rabbit inspection by the U.S. Department of Agriculture once a year to evaluate his plan, and he will be required to carry a copy of the contingency plan with him at all times.

In Kansas, we know a little bit about federal rules and regulations causing us headaches.

New school lunch regulations have taken away the flexibility of local school districts to provide meals that parents want and students will eat. The regulation will cost schools at least $3.4 billion to implement – taking much of that money out of the classroom.

The Fish and Wildlife Service wants to list the lesser prairie chicken as endangered even though Kansas has enough birds to still allow them to be hunted.

Sunflower Electric has been unable to bring much needed new power generating capacity online in Holcomb because of federal rules. Now, President Obama’s EPA is proposing a rule that even the EPA admits would prevent coal-fired plants from being built for nearly two decades. This will lead to more expensive, less readily available power to our local economy.

Regulations even threaten our religious liberties. A rule promulgated by Health and Human Services Secretary Sebelius in the name of Obamacare mandated abortion coverage in all insurance plans, even by employers who hold Constitutionally-protected rights of conscience opposed to it.

Last week, I worked with my House Small Business Committee to pass our Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2013. This proposal requires the federal government to account for the real economic impact of any new regulation. It also requires regulators proposing new regulations to identify alternatives that would minimize any adverse impacts on small businesses. Further, I amended the bill to increase transparency in these agencies. My amendment requires federal agencies to turn over all information on how proposed rules impact small businesses before the regulation is finalized. At a minimum, small businesses and all of America should know why and how agencies make decisions that so affect our daily lives.

The House also passed a bill this summer, called the REINS Act, to require all major regulations to gain Congressional approval before taking effect. If Washington adopted this approach, Americans could rest easier knowing bureaucrat-filled agencies inside the DC beltway would no longer be free to pass regulations that strain the bounds of common sense – like their abandoned proposal to limit the ability of kids to work on farms.
When dealing with a huge Washington bureaucracy, legislative proposals like these are a necessary check on this ongoing DC power grab.

By John Schlageck, Kansas Farm Bureau

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. While they are learning to sow seeds, cultivate weeds and harvest grains, flowers and vegetables, they are also cultivating 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 simple 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 till the soil come to understand such basics as distance, depth and height. They learn that the plants that bear our food came from places all over the world – rice from the Far East, wheat from Russia.

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 on 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 that 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 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.

While encouraging students to consider growing and caring for a small plot with wheat, roasting ears or assorted vegetables, be sure to equip them 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. 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 that ultimately winds up as hamburger on a pizza.

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.

Encourage them to dig in the soil for earthworms. Tell them to pick the flowers – when they’re mature.

Above all, make certain the learning experience is enjoyable. Encourage them to keep a daily journal about each day’s activity.

Take pictures of the learning journey in the field 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.

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.

The views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the author. These views and opinions do not represent those of the Post News Network and/or any/all contributors to this site.

By John Hannah

Kansas legislators are likely to have another debate next year over expanding the state’s Medicaid program

Antipathy from conservative Republicans toward the federal health care overhaul prevented such a move this year by either Gov. Sam Brownback or the GOP-dominated Legislature.

But a debate appears to be coming because of what advocates of an expansion see as a perverse result. They expect thousands of poor Kansas adults to remain without health coverage, even as the federal government provides subsidies to better-off neighbors.

Advocates of a Medicaid expansion expect word-of-mouth among poor Kansans and their neighbors to pressure legislators to reconsider. Prominent Democrats also want to raise the issue ahead of next year’s campaign against Brownback’s re-election.

Even Republicans who still oppose an expansion expect a debate.

 

 The views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the author. These views and opinions do not represent those of the Post News Network and/or any/all contributors to this site.

Friday’s vote by the House to take us closer to a government shutdown, and potentially defaulting on our obligations is dangerous for the US and world’s economy and could be devastating for the economic security of every American.

The danger of the GOP’s opening gambit in the shutdown-default debate isn’t going unnoticed.

Here’s what Kansas Democratic Party Second Congressional District Candidate Margie Wakefield said about today’s vote:

“The broken politics from those in Washington like Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins are now hurtling us towards a total government shutdown which would hurt Kansas families at every level and deliver a self-inflicted wound that our economy cannot afford,” said Margie Wakefield. “Lynn claims that she voted today to continue funding the government, but we all know that’s not true. This was a vote to shut down the government, pure and simple It is past time for Congresswoman Jenkins to stop the political gamesmanship, stop standing in the way of solutions, and get to work passing a budget that will help businesses create jobs and protect Kansas families. In Congress, my commitment to the people of Kansas is to work with both Republicans and Democrats to focus on solutions instead of this reckless partisanship.”
Here are a few more early reports on the GOP’s vote:

“It’s such an exercise in futility; it’s such a waste of time.” NBC’s Andrea Mitchell

“But even before such next steps were worked out, House Republican leaders were driving their party toward the next showdown over the debt ceiling. That could prove an even more white-knuckled ride, since a default on Treasury debt would have far greater economic implications than a partial government shutdown.” NY Times

“Even with the grab bag of GOP chestnuts, some ardent conservatives are likely to balk at voting for any debt limit measure.” Associated Press

“John Boehner is being even more irresponsible than Ted Cruz,” according to the Washington Post’s Ezra Kelin

 

Library Events September 23-28

CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULT (YA) PROGRAM

Monday, Sept. 23

10:00 AM Storytime

11:00 AM Storytime

4:00 PM Games

4:00-4:40 PM Bal-A-Vis-X (Preregister at www.hayspublib.org or 785-625-5916)

6:30 PM Storytime

Tuesday, Sept. 24

10:00 AM Storytime

11:00 AM Storytime

3:30 PM Video Game League (YA)

4:00 PM Dace Fever

4:00 PM YA Writing Group (YA)

Wednesday, Sept. 25

10:00 AM Storytime

10:00 AM Hora De Leer en Espanol

10:45 AM Lapsit

3:30 PM Wavering Wednesdays (YA)

4:00 PM Whoa! Did You See That? Science Experiments

4:00 – 4:40 PM Bal-A-Vis-X (preregister at www.hayspublib.org or 785-625-591)

Thursday, Sept. 26

10:00 AM Storytime

11:00 AM Digital Storytime

3:30 PM Make-n-Take

4:00 PM Art Start: Falling Leaves

Friday, Sept. 27

10:00 AM Cre-8-tive Moments: Bal-A-Vis-X

4:00 PM Chess Club

ADULT PROGRAMS AND EVENTS
Monday, Sept. 23

5:30 PM Book Club on Location: Syria

Tuesday, Sept. 24

6:00 PM Budgeting Workshop

6:00 PM Learning How to Line Dance II

Wednesday, Sept. 25

12:00 PM Feed and Film
6:00 PM Mindfulness & Meditation

Thursday, Sept. 26

6:00 PM Creative Writing Group

6:00 PM Computer Class

Friday, Sept. 27

6:30 PM Magic the Gathering (All Ages Welcome)

Saturday, Sept. 28

8:00 AM Fall Bird Walk in Frontier Park

2:00 PM Crafternoon: Infinity Scarves