There’s an old saying that goes something like this: Sometimes you must look back on where you’ve been to know where you’re going. Being an ardent student of history, I believe it definitely has its place in our society today.

Whenever I take a road trip across Kansas or some other destination across our great land, I often stop along the way to read historical markers. They include details about battles, pestilence and devastation as well as discovery, success and progress.

When Mom and Dad were alive, we sometimes visited cemeteries in rural Kansas and Missouri to pay homage to relatives and friends. Below the headstones rested the remains of men in our family who spent their lives planting and harvesting behind sweating teams of horses, butchering hogs on bitterly cold days and teaching new sons about the soil.

Also, down there were the remains of women who collected eggs, washed clothes by hand, cooked skillets full of fried chicken and managed to raise and nurture a family under sometimes nearly impossible conditions.

They are the ones who wove the fabric that serves as the yardstick for our new and dynamic future. What happened with these early pioneers has a direct bearing on our present successes and failures.

One such winning story revolves around the strides agriculture and its people have made in the interests of conservation. Not everything that has happened in conservation can be limited to the last 20 or 30 years. Many of the innovations in conservation began taking shape in the years after the Dirty ‘30s, nearly 90 years ago.

Thousands of shelterbelts were planted in Kansas and other Great Plains states. After years of droughts and rain finally began falling again, ponds dotted the landscape holding this precious resource. Landowners learned to make the water walk and not run, conserving this water for livestock and sometimes for thirsty crops.

Terraces snaked their way across thousands of miles of farmland holding soil and water in place where it belonged. Soil stopping strip cropping created patterns and reduced wind erosion.

Slowly but surely conservation measures continued to slow the soil erosion gorilla that had stomped across the High Plains leaving in its wake gullies the size of automobiles, drifts of soil as high as fence posts, withered lifeless wheat and corn and starving livestock on barren pastures.

Yes, with knowledge, education, patience, understanding and hard work and Mother Nature’s ability to heal herself, the rich, fertile land recovered. Throughout this renaissance of the land, farmers and ranchers learned that stewardship of the soil, water and other resources is in the best interest of us all.

Without question, agriculture has yet to receive credit for what it has done to protect and to enhance the landscape and for its willingness to change and improve the few mistakes it has made.

It is important for all of us to understand what has happened in the past so we can place present events and future needs in their proper perspectives. To avoid doing so will blind us to involvement and participation in much larger efforts extending throughout a long span of time.

Incidentally, a new, modern twist may be nothing more than an old theme or something coming around after having gone around. After all, human history is comprised of human ideas. And incidentally, nearly all ideas are timeless, just waiting to be dusted off, reshaped and used again.

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.

By JOHN P. TRETBAR

Crude prices posted their sixth consecutive weekly loss on Friday. Since early October, the selloff has cut more than 20 percent from the price of London Brent, the international benchmark, and 25% off U.S. prices.

Independent Oil & Gas Service reports drilling underway at one lease in Ellis County and one in Stafford County. Operators are preparing to spud one new well in Barton County, two in Ellis County and one in Stafford County. In Western Kansas, there are 33 rigs moving in, rigging up, drilling or relocating, up three for the week. The count east of Wichita was unchanged at 15 active drilling rigs. The number of rigs shutdown awaiting drilling contracts or stacked was also higher. The inactive rig count for the week was up 13 at 162.

There are 33 new drilling permits on file this week across the Sunflower State, 1,616 so far this year. There were 22 in eastern Kansas and 11 west of Wichita, including two new permits in Ellis County, one in Russell County and one in Stafford County.

Independent Oil & Gas Service reports 25 newly-completed wells across Kansas for the week, 1,351 so far this year. Out of 17 completions in western Kansas, six were dry holes. Operators completed one dry hole in Ellis County, and two wells in Barton County, with one dry hole.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported its highest weekly crude oil production totals ever last week, just shy of 11.7 million barrels per day, an increase of 111 thousand barrels per day over the week before. Production is more than two million barrels per day higher than it was a year ago. U.S. commercial crude oil inventories increased by 10.3 million barrels from the previous week to 442.1 million barrels, and about five percent above the five year average for this time of year.

Crude oil imports were down again, a drop of 87 thousand barrels last week. Over the past four weeks our oil imports averaged about 3.1% less than the same period last year.

The government said gasoline inventories dropped 1.4 million barrels last week but remain about 7% above the five year average.

The U.S., Russia and Saudi Arabia are pumping record volumes of crude oil, and in a monthly update, the International Energy Agency said global supply will significantly outpace demand. OPEC and its partners are discussing a proposal for their meeting next month to cut output by up to 1.4 million barrels per day.

Analysts now say Canadian producers could lose $3.78 billion in oil-sands royalties by the end of next year. Pipeline and rail capacity shortages have increase the discount to WTI of Western Canadian Select to 40%. Cenovus Energy, one of Alberta’s biggest producers, says the province already has legislation on the books that would allow them to require drillers to cut output temporarily to alleviate the glut.

Members have approved the merger of Oklahoma’s two largest oil-and-gas trade groups. For now, the merged Oklahoma Independent Petroleum Association and Oklahoma Oil and Gas Association will become “OIPA-OKOGA.” They’ll consolidate operations in the OIPA building in OKC, and promise a new name early next year.

North Dakota producers are bracing for a perfect storm this winter, as record production fights record low prices. The state’s all-time high production is once again overwhelming pipeline takeaway capacity, and with frigid weather likely to disrupt rail loadings, prices could head even lower. Reuters reported Bakken crude traded at a record $20-per-barrel discount to U.S. crude futures last week.

The State of New Mexico is researching ways to streamline regulations to encourage the treatment and reuse of produced wastewater. According to a draft white paper, the state’s oil and gas industry generated nearly 38 billion gallons of wastewater last year. Officials expect that flood to grow as the boom continues.

The first few years Joyce and I were married I traveled to southwestern Kansas to hunt deer on ground operated by her uncle.

After 3 or 4 years, she accompanied me for the first time, and one particular evening decided to tag along for the evening hunt. She comes from a mostly non-hunting family, so she didn’t have a tag or carry a gun. We were tucked into a clump of weeds at the edge of an overgrown patch surrounding a wheat field. Before us lay miles of short-cropped pasture riddled with deep brushy draws and craggy hills. I could tell she was seriously questioning her decision to sit with me there in the middle of nowhere, and wondering what on God’s green earth we were doing.

I pointed to a steep rise a few hundred yards away and told her to watch closely because deer would soon be coming up and over that hill. I will take to my grave the look on her face as one-by-one mule deer began popping up and over that rise just as I’d predicted. She was hooked, and today has harvested a handful of Kansas deer herself, one of which hangs on our wall and was taken from almost the exact spot we sat that first night.

A spouse’s transition from tending the home fires to accompanying you on the hunt won’t happen overnight. Let me share some things that have helped Joyce and I become hunting partners.

First and foremost, be patient. Anyone acquainted with me knows that patience is not one of my virtues, but I’m learning to be more patient when it comes to explaining outdoor things to Joyce. Whether its pointing out coyote tracks or telling her about a deer scrape, I have to remind myself that it’s the same principle as if she were trying to teach me to crochet (now there’s a mental picture!).

We definitely hunt deer differently when we’re together than I do when I’m alone. When alone, I’m inclined to simply tuck myself in under the overhanging boughs of a cedar, or climb into the rubble of a fallen tree. When we hunt together however, we are always in our elevated blind which offers protection from the elements and allows for muffled conversations.

I just have to swallow my pride when she shoulders her “bag” containing a book, snacks, a drink, etc. My advice here is to buy a pop-up blind or put together some sort of shelter for you to hunt from as a “couple.” Trust me; it won’t detract from your masculinity!

My first deer gun was a little SKS military rifle chambered for rounds in 7.62 x 39; probably the absolute smallest I’d want for harvesting Kansas deer, but the recoil is minimal. When Joyce decided she wanted her own deer rifle, I gave her the little SKS and moved up to a .270 for myself. I sometimes wish she felt comfortable with something a little bigger that packs more knock-down power, but the SKS fits her well, she’s comfortable with it and well-placed shots from that little bugger have cleanly harvested both whitetail and muleys’ here in Kansas. My advices on guns for your spouse is to let her shoot a few then allow her to decide on the “hardware” she’ll carry to the woods. Whatever you do, don’t “over-gun” her. The same applies for shotguns too. If your spouse is short and petit like mine, a youth model may fit her best. Remember, she must enjoy shooting if you expect her to remain a hunting partner.

One of the first years we deer hunted seriously together, opening morning was brutally cold and windy. Joyce had been dressing in whatever we had in the closet that fit her and was warm. She got terribly cold that morning and we actually went to town over lunch and bought her a really good insulated sweatshirt that’s still part of her regular deer hunting ensemble today. After that, we took her shopping for good quality boots, gloves, insulated coveralls and whatever else she needed to stay warm and comfortable. Don’t scrimp on hunting apparel for your new hunting buddy! Take her shopping and let her get what fits her best. Don’t be afraid to offer your suggestions, but let her choose. For a little more money she can even choose from lines of hunting apparel specially tailored just for women.

There are times when I want to question Joyce’s commitment, but again I have to rein-in my judgment and put my thinking in perspective. So my final piece of advice is to lighten-up a little when hunting with a spouse. If she gets cold before you, let her go to the pickup and warm-up; if she gets bored and wants to read her book or throw in the towel for the morning before you, let her do it. Don’t be afraid to point out to her other things about nature as you sit there either, like the antics of a noisy squirrel in the tree next door, or the silent, graceful air show put on by a hunting hawk. Nature will provide the entertainment if you just look for it.

All these things also apply when hunting with a son or daughter. The more enjoyable and satisfying you can make their entry level experiences, the more likely they are to stick with it and to help carry-on your hunting traditions. Please remember it’s never too soon or too late to take a son, daughter or spouse to the deer blind, the pheasant field, he duck lease or the farm pond and help them Explore Kansas Outdoors with you!

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

A Kansas State University veterinarian is urging the state’s producers to be especially diligent about monitoring for mycotoxins in livestock feed this winter on the heels of weather conditions that promoted their growth this fall.

Toxicologist Steve Ensley said Kansas’ summer drought conditions led to a heightened risk of aflatoxin in the state’s grain crop, while wet conditions during the 2018 harvest also made that grain susceptible to fumonisin.

“This year we have already had some death losses associated with mycotoxins in pigs and horses and so we’ve measured just a very few samples of corn and found very high concentrations of fumonisin and aflatoxin,” Ensley said. “I’m very concerned that it may be a bigger health issue statewide than the localized cases we’ve seen so far.”

The fall weather patterns in Kansas were conducive to a buildup of mycotoxins in feedstuffs, particularly harvested grain and livestock feed, Ensley said. It simply means that livestock producers should be on the lookout for feed that may contain unsafe concentrations of mycotoxins, or mold toxins.

“These molds are present in agricultural environments all the time, but when they get on the right substrate with the right temperature and humidity, then they grow and produce a toxin,” Ensley said. “They can be there and not produce a toxin or be there and produce a toxin like we are seeing this year.

“They are not infectious in nature. It’s a toxin that gets in the feed, and then the animal has to consume the feed at the right concentration to get ill.”

Different species show different symptoms, including damage to the animals’ liver, kidney, brain or other organs. The disease is not transferable to humans.

In addition to aflatoxin and fumonisin, Ensley said that other mycotoxins of concern in Kansas this year include vomitoxin and zearalenone. He also noted that dried distiller’s grains, a by-product of corn ethanol production, can concentrate mycotoxins.

Ensley said that collecting a reliable sample of grain is key to detecting mycotoxins in an operation.

“The best time to sample is anytime you move grain from the field to the bin, or from the bin to feeding,” he said. “Anytime that grain is moving and you can get multiple samples along that line, that’s the best way to obtain a random sample.”

Ensley said samples that test positive for a mycotoxin can sometimes be diluted to a safe level, except for aflatoxin, a carcinogen that is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Ensley recommends that producers work with local veterinarians to collect reliable samples and interpret results, or they can also contact the K-State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at 866-512-5650.

K-State’s lab is also available by email, [email protected].

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.

 

 

As a native Floridian, and moving here 25 years ago, I would never have believed the Democrats in Hays America would throw their own election official under the bus! Are you kidding me?

I would expect hanging chads, mysterious ballots, corrupt election representatives to be present in Broward County. However, I never expected similar charges to be brought by the Democratic Party in my new hometown.

I am embarrassed by the Democratic officials challenging the election office as being incompetent and in need for legal supervision. I wonder if the same standard would apply if Eber had won the election? From sea to shining sea, the new normal for the Democratic Party is if you don’t like the election outcome, hire attorneys, challenge the election process and cry foul.

Very sad day for this transplant to Hays.

Don Tillman
Hays

The 2018 election was “Year of the Woman, Part Deux.” Women, particularly Democrats, made gains nationwide. Kansas factored into that, electing Laura Kelly as governor, Vicki Schmidt as insurance commissioner, and Sharice Davids to Congress. Despite these gains, women still have not achieved equal political representation.

Kelly’s win was not destiny. A year ago, Kansas had the only gubernatorial race in America with no woman running. Meanwhile, roughly twenty men were possible candidates, including several teenagers. There was an opening for a woman, especially on the Democratic side, and Kelly stepped into that void, albeit late and perhaps reluctantly. Though she ultimately prevailed, her gender was sometimes an issue, though a subtle one.

Female candidates are often told—usually by men—that they are unqualified. In Kansas, a Greg Orman surrogate ridiculed Kelly’s professional background as a recreational therapist for children with mental illness, insinuating that she lacked “a real job” and was thus unqualified to lead government, despite her fourteen years in the legislature. Some activists on social media even said that Kelly’s only qualification was her gender.

Women this year were often branded—usually by men—as “Hillary Clintons.” That happened to Kelly throughout the campaign, but particularly from young men on Twitter who supported Josh Svaty in the primary. Yes, Kelly is an older, quiet, and experienced lawmaker, but she is not Hillary. Even in the second congressional district Republican primary, Caryn Tyson, a conservative politician, was tarred as “just another Hillary.” So, if any female candidate is just another Hillary, then logically any male candidate is just another Sam Brownback? Awesome logic.

Moreover, some social media activists—usually men—suggested that Kelly expected women to vote for her because of her gender. Yes, after the years that men spent intentionally keeping women out of politics, some women want to support female candidates. But women also think with more than their reproductive parts. Most women vote Democratic, and the partisan gender gap is growing. Maybe most women voted for Kelly because she was an appealing Democrat?

Kelly aside, 2018 was mixed for Kansas women. Women still only have one Kansas seat in Congress. The number of women in the Kansas legislature declined by two, and has actually shrunk long-term. Before the election, men were 89% of Kansas county commissioners and 73% of county commissions were all male. That number barely budged, though the populous Johnson and Sedgwick counties finally added women to their commissions.

Female politicians often say that women need to be asked to run because society tells women they are not good enough and should not make demands. Political science research validates that. Female candidates are more likely to run because someone recruited them, whereas male candidates are more likely to recruit themselves. Women are less likely than men to think themselves qualified or knowledgeable enough for politics. Young women, especially minority women, are less likely than young men to say that their parents talk to them about politics or encourage them to consider political careers.

So, for women reading this, you should run for office. Whether you are a CEO, a stay-at-home mom, or work at Walmart, life qualifies you for politics. Love or hate Hillary, you are not Hillary. Despite what boys say, you are more than your gender and most voters will judge you on more than that. The voices of people like you are still disproportionately missing from government. If you do not fill that void, then who will? Representation matters.

Patrick. R. Miller is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Kansas.

We’d all like a “better” internet in terms of privacy, politeness, taste and safety. And who would oppose eliminating false or misleading information from social media sites, or preventing online bullying and such?

Last week, some of the world’s most significant, influential and powerful figures around such issues — in the words of The Wall Street Journal, “the giants of the web” — gathered at the 2018 Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal and in Brussels at an international conference on data privacy and policy.

At the Lisbon meeting, an audience reportedly cheered for a proposed international institute to propose regulations worldwide on social media. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned in a speech that “the weaponization of artificial intelligence is a serious danger” and Microsoft President Brad Smith called for “a digital Geneva Convention” to end state cyberattacks against civilians.

Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee called for private companies, governments and internet users to unite around what he called a “contract for the Web,” a nine-point plan with goals to protect personal privacy, create online methods to counteract harassment and hate speech and for universal access to the web.

In Brussels, Apple CEO Tim Cook advocated for the U.S. to adopt the European Union’s strict data privacy law, enacted in May, allowing consumers to review, edit and delete personal information on the web. Cook warned that technological advances are leading to a “data industrial complex” and that “our own information, from the everyday to the deeply personal, is being weaponized against us with military efficiency.”

So much for the once-hoped for era of “peace, love and harmony” that the World Wide Web was supposed to usher in on behalf of all humanity.

Still, we’ve been here before — and need to keep in mind we’ve overreacted to the threats, real and imagined, posed by new technology before dialing down regulations and codes to a reasonable compromise on free expression, privacy and safety.

Early concerns about privacy noted that the new-fangled telephone could ring into a home at any hour of the day, while proper guests of the day would knock on the door and announce themselves.

Content on radio was relatively unregulated, with government attention directed more to the actual problems with frequencies and interference — until the Communications Act of 1934 gave the Federal Communications Commission power not only to govern the technology but what was said over the airwaves via the so-called “Fairness Doctrine.” Intended to ensure that all voices were heard on public airwaves, the doctrine was abandoned in the 1980s as no longer needed in a world of virtually unlimited cable and satellite channels, but also with the realization that it actually diminished discussion on matters of public interest.

In movies, the “Hays Code” was adopted by Hollywood filmmakers in the early 1930s to head off moves to have Congress set strict standards for what movies could show across a wide range of topics and issues — from comments about the law and drug use to sex and violence. One silly example of the code’s restrictions: Childbirth was considered a “taboo” subject. In the acclaimed film “Gone with the Wind,” as a character was giving birth, actors in the scene could only be shown as shadows on a wall.

The code was on the books for decades but was weakened in the 1940s and 1950s — particularly in 1952 when the U.S. Supreme Court, considering a case involving the movie “The Miracle,” extended First Amendment protections to films.

Likewise in television, the “Television Code” was adopted by the National Association of Broadcasters under threat of a government council to set rules. From 1952 to 1983, the code ruled on everything from how actors dressed to references to religion, sex, family life and more. Famously, the code resulted in married couples shown on TV only using double beds and in 1952, when the star of “I Love Lucy,” Lucille Ball, became pregnant, that word was not permitted — the show was allowed to say only that she was “with child” or “expecting.”

When the sound of a flushing toilet was heard in 1971 in an episode of the groundbreaking sitcom, “All in the Family,” it reflected a growing demand by the public for realism rather than the unrealistic depictions of everyday life that the code had encouraged.

Note that all of those overreactive attempts to regulate came early in the development of those mediums of expression.

The web is barely out of its teenage years, in effect, and social media megaliths such as Facebook and Twitter are even younger. The web’s revolutionizing impact extends from newly accessible public records to instant global communication. And our reliance on social media as a means of reporting news, recording our lives and relaying our views is unlike anything seen in generations, if anything before.

But if history is a guide — and it is — we need to temper calls to “protect” ourselves from that which we do not like or find dangerous, lest we replace such with censored, sanitized and government-regulated messages or content intended to pacify rather than provoke and inform.

There may well be a need to rein in the wild web, to set privacy boundaries and fight real misuse. But we must be certain that the control over what we see, hear, say and access remains as close to our own fingertips as possible — and not handed over to some “National Nanny” claiming to act on our behalf, lest we be confined to a future of shadows on the wall, double beds and a view of life where no one ever uses a toilet.

Gene Policinski is president and chief operating officer of the Freedom Forum Institute. He can be reached at [email protected], or follow him on Twitter at @genefac.

How would you like to be elected governor of Kansas by about 46,000 votes on Tuesday and on Friday learn that you’re going to have $306.4 million more to spend than you thought?

Doesn’t get much better than that, does it? Well, that’s exactly what has happened to Gov.-elect Laura Kelly, who by the way beat Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach who pledged during his campaign to start cutting taxes quickly if elected.

Well, Kelly isn’t talking tax cuts, she’s talking investment in schools, expanding Medicaid and balancing the budget without new taxes—and that was before she heard about the $306 million windfall which the Consensus Revenue Estimating Group unveiled Friday. The CREG meets twice a year, in November and April, to predict upcoming state revenues.

This might be an interesting four years ahead with a governor who wants to first take care of the state’s responsibilities that have been avoided the past several years before talking about tax cuts. The new money is good, of course, but we’re not yet constitutionally “adequate” on state aid to schools and are making little progress in restoring money that has been “swept” out of agency budgets for highway construction, pensions and such.

No, we’re not looking for Kelly to start handing out tax cuts while she’s waiting for her stationery and business cards to be printed up.

In fact, even before that $306 million windfall, Kelly was talking about waiting until next April’s Consensus Revenue Estimate before giving much thought to tax cuts—after she’s nailed down the spending necessary to restore state government duties.

Part of that, of course, is her experience as a member of the Senate Ways and Means Committee—which makes the appropriations and cuts necessary to balance the budget. It’s been more cuts than appropriations in the past few years, and she’s made clear that restoration of services is first in line, ahead of tax cuts.

What’s it mean? Well, from a Statehouse viewpoint, it probably means a rather complicated “State of the State” message when lawmakers come back to town in mid-January. She’s a details person, likely to talk more about programs that need to be rebuilt or financed adequately than new programs that Republicans tend to spend a lot of time trying to think up catchy names (or acronyms) for.

Don’t look for flash.

Now, remember that she’s going to face an overwhelmingly Republican legislature that is probably going to be more interested in cutting taxes than rebuilding the state payroll of social workers and helping local school districts rebuild their staff of teachers and aides.

Key there is for the governor to convince those conservatives in the Legislature that the not-very-flashy care of the poor and ill and their children is the best way to improve the state before cutting taxes.

Tax cuts? They will probably start with the sales tax on food. It’s a big deal for the poor who see the cost of a can of beans at 9% or 10% (depending on local sales taxes) more than the shelf price before they get it out of the store and into the kitchen. Oh, and it also means that those steaks and salmon are cheaper, too, but it’s not an afford-it or not decision for more prosperous Kansans.

That $306 million? Well, it gives Kelly some negotiating room, enough spare cash to bargain a dab of tax cut in return for the social service, highway construction and health-care expenditures she’d like to make.

But all that new direction in state spending that Kelly proposes will ultimately be keyed off of the makeup of the Legislature, and whether that top-heavy Republican majority in both chambers is solid enough to pass veto-proof legislation.

We’ll see. Check back in April…

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.

When people think of Thanksgiving, what images come to mind?

Family, friends, an extra couple days of vacation, a big turkey dinner, pumpkin pie, football games, the beginning of the Christmas holiday season – the list is endless.

But what about the real reason for thanksgiving – what about the act of giving thanks or a prayer expressing gratitude?

After all, that’s how Thanksgiving Day began in this country back in 1621. The Pilgrims had just completed their first year in North America and the fall harvest was bountiful. As the story goes, there was plenty of corn, fruits, vegetables, fish packed in salt and cured meat. They harvested enough food to store some away for the long, cold winter.

To help give thanks for their abundant food and celebrate a peaceful co-existence with their Indian neighbors, Gov. William Bradford proclaimed a day of giving thanks. This annual celebration has continued throughout the years and become a U.S. custom.

As we prepare to travel to see loved ones or begin work on Thanksgiving in our own homes, let’s remember what this celebration is really about. Don’t forget when you’re eating all those wonderful holiday trimmings to give thanks for the wholesome, bountiful food we enjoy all year.

When it comes time to give thanks before the family dinner, remember to thank the good Lord for his blessings. Also include words of thanks for the farmers and ranchers in Kansas and across the United States.

Ask a blessing for those who prepared the wonderful meals and all the appetizers. Let them know during the meal how much you appreciate their culinary skills. They will appreciate the compliment.

As we wrap up 2018, it is important to give thanks to our agricultural producers. This year has been extremely tough on many farmers and ranchers.

In particular those producing grain, are struggling, thanks mostly to low commodity prices amid a global grain glut.

Net farm income is down for the fifth straight year, cut in half since 2013. Farmers continue to wrestle to cover expenses while their farms do not make a profit. Some producers say they’re running on empty.

Without question, challenges will continue to test the mettle of all those engaged in production agriculture. Challenges, like change, remain a constant part of our daily lives. In today’s business climate, all of us work hard, long hours and rarely think about it. We accept it as part of our lifestyle – it’s just the way it is, probably always has been and always will be.

Still, if we take a good look at our situations, we have plenty to be thankful for. Consider our good health, family, friends and the best country in the world to live in.

This Thanksgiving be thankful for all the gifts you are blessed with. Be happy and secure that family, and those you love surround you. Look back and smile about your successes and feel confident that you have learned from your mistakes.

After you’ve eaten all the turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy and pumpkin pie you can hold, remember the farmers who grow the food we eat. And don’t forget to say a prayer for those less fortunate and all those who helped make Thanksgiving a day we can all be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving.

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

By JOHN P. TRETBAR

Drilling activity in Kansas is on the rebound. Independent Oil & Gas Service reports drilling is underway at one site each in Barton, Ellis and Russell counties, and operators are about to spud one well in Russell County and three in Stafford County. There are 15 drilling rigs actively exploring for oil and gas in eastern Kansas, up five over last week, and 33 west of Wichita, up three.

Operators filed for 44 permits to drill at new locations across the state last week, 27 in eastern Kansas and 17 west of Wichita, including one new permit in Ellis County. That’s 1,583 new permits so far this year, up from 1,227 a year ago at this time.

Independent Oil & Gas Service reports 32 newly completed wells across Kansas in the last week. That’s 1,326 completions so far this year. There were ten east of Wichita and 22 in the western half of the state, including two in Barton County.

Kansas operators pumped 2.95 million barrels of crude oil in July, bringing our total so far this year to 20.51 million barrels. According to the latest numbers from the Kansas Geological Survey, July production across the state was up 30,000 barrels from June but is down 40,000 barrels from totals reported at this time a year ago. KGS reports Barton County adding 145,000 barrels in July. Ellis County continues to lead the state, producing 221,000 barrels. Russell County pumped 131,000 barrels, while Stafford County added 87,000 barrels. Haskell County operators produced more than 214,000 barrels. In Finney County, operators produced 162,000 barrels.

EIA reported Kansas production in August was up 1.2% over July to 96,000 barrels per day. That’s down 3.1% from the total last August.

Kansas Common crude at CHS in McPherson was fetching $50.50/bbl after dropping half a dollar on Friday. That’s three dollars less than a week ago, but three dollars more than a year ago.

There’s yet another setback for the Keystone Pipeline, as a U.S. Judge last week blocked construction of the last leg the system. District Judge Brian Morris issued a 54-page order saying the administration must conduct a more strenuous environmental review, including consideration of the impact of global warming and oil prices. The Great Falls Tribune reports TransCanada already has begun delivering and staging pipe in parts of Montana, and expects to begin construction next year.

Some of the world’s largest energy companies spent tens of millions of dollars to defeat ballot initiatives in the U.S. that would have limited their industry. They had mixed success. Voters in Colorado rejected a measure that would have increased the setback distances for new oil and gas drilling. In the State of Washington voters said “no” to a new carbon tax on polluting industries. But in Florida, voters passed a ban on offshore oil drilling in state waters. Voters in Oklahoma rejected a ballot question proposed by the Legislature that would have used some of their new oil-tax revenue to set up a budget hedge fund to protect against volatile oil and gas prices.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported record crude oil production in the U.S. last week, a whopping 11.58 million barrels per day. That’s the most anywhere, and an increase of 600,000 barrels per day over last week. We’re nearly two million barrels per day ahead of a year ago.

Monthly numbers from the EIA show October domestic crude production averaged 11.4 million barrels per day. The government predicts the production for the year 2018 will average 10.9 million barrels per day, and next year we’ll be over 12.1 million. EIA expects U.S. crude futures prices next year will average about seven dollars lower than London Brent, which they expect to average $72 a barrel in 2019.

The government reported a big boost in domestic crude oil stockpiles, up 5.8 million barrels from last week. We’re currently holding about three percent more than the five-year average for this time of year: 431.8 million barrels.

U.S. crude imports averaged 7.5 million barrels per day last week, up by 195,000 barrels per day. The four-week average is about 1.2% less than the same four-week period last year.

OPEC is now debating a production cut in advance of the cartel’s meeting next month, and Saudi Arabia says it will cut output by about one million barrels per day, to prevent an oversupplied market. Russia says it will follow the lead of the full cartel after its meeting next month.

Picture this; you’re a law enforcement officer in Kansas City, MO and you show up one morning at a home to evict the tenant, along with his belongings, only to find his “belongings” include a 7 foot alligator.

On Wednesday morning law enforcement officers arrived at the home of Sean Casey in southeast Kansas City, Missouri to evict him from the home he was renting, giving him just a short time to gather his possessions. They soon found his possessions included 3 python snakes, several domesticated dogs and cats, a rabbit named “Dinner” and a 7 foot alligator affectionately called “Katfish” found lounging in a hot tub at the home. The officers had to enlist the help of animal control officers and Dana Savorelli who operates Monkey Island, a local exotic wildlife rescue group. It took 4 men and Savorelli to remove the gator, and after a lengthy rodeo, Katfish was finally extracted from the hot tub and exiled to Monkey Island.

Casey got Katfish when he was only 15 to 18 inches long and now 4 years later he is 7 feet long and weights 200 ponds. Casey insists “Gators are not big and ferocious like people think. Katfish doesn’t seem to know he’s an alligator and thinks he’s a dog. He likes to come out and play and sit on my lap. Sometimes he gets kinda’ smelly but he wags his tail when I come home.” Casey said “I tell people I have an alligator that can’t swim and is afraid of the dark and thunderstorms.” Casey says he fed Katfish chicken nuggets, steak, deer and fish.

I personally think Casey is being really naïve. I have to think ole’ Katfish made secret nightly soirees out into the hood for snacks. I’ll bet if you only knew, that neighborhood is devoid of most anything else on 4 legs but Katfish, and is possibly missing a few occupants on 2 legs as well. Parts of Kansas City have a whitetail deer problem and that would be a novel “natural” solution.

Since Kansas deer have never seen the likes of a gator before, ole’ Katfish could probably waltz right up to grazing whitetails, wish them a good evening and invite them for dinner… his dinner that is. It looks like the house where he lived with Casey is very near a pond and not far from the Little Blue River, so after dinner a short waddle to either body of water would allow him to dispose of any remains and no one would be the wiser (at least for awhile.) Katfish must have had a special “Don’t Eat Us” contract with the rest of the pets and the rabbit named Dinner and with Casey too for that matter. After all, if Casey were to disappear, who would pay the electric bill to keep his hot tub warm? Casey told reporters he had made Katfish a ramp to get himself in and out of the hot tub and the house, so after his late night banquet he could just drag his fat and sassy carcass back up the ramp, plop back into his comfy warm hot tube sanctuary and life would be good; he’d be livin’ the dream!

Alligators are illegal to possess in Kansas City, so Katfish will remain for now at Monkey Island. Casey says he will fight to get Katfish back, but animal control says “That’s not going to happen.” When asked about Katfish’s new living situation, Savorelli told reporters his sanctuary was now full because he’s had to “rescue” 2 more alligators in the last couple months. Explaining that rescued alligators need separate pens, he said “You can’t just put these guys together, they’d be fighting like dinosaurs.” Wait, I thought Casey said “Gators are not big and ferocious like people think.” …I say isn’t there a Tony Lama
factory somewhere close??? Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.

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

In observance of National Diabetes Month and World Diabetes Day on November 14^th, the National Institute of Health urges people to set goals to make plans to prevent diabetes and diabetes related complications. This year the focus is on promoting health after gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy. Mothers who have had gestational diabetes need to know that they and their children have an increased lifelong risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

Most of the time, gestational diabetes goes away after the baby is born. Even if the diabetes goes away, you have a greater chance of getting diabetes – and your child from that pregnancy is at future risk for obesity and type 2 diabetes. In fact, half of all women who had gestational diabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes.

If you have had gestational diabetes it is important to get tested for type 2 diabetes within 12 weeks after your baby is born. If the test is normal, get tested every 3 years. Talk to your doctor if you plan to become pregnant again in the future.

Keep up healthy habits for a lifetime to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. Even if you know what to do to improve your health, figuring out how to do it and fitting it into your daily routine can be the challenging part. The first step is to think about what is important to you and your health. Next, determine what changes you are willing and able to make. Third, you will decide what steps will help you reach your health goals.

You have most likely heard me talk about an “Action Plan” in the past. This is the perfect time to revisit that concept. The most important part of an action plan is to choose something you want to do. Next it needs to be something reasonable, such as something you can expect to be able to accomplish in a week or two. A true action plan is behavior specific. Losing weight is not a behavior; not eating after dinner is.

An action plan answers these questions: What? How much? When? How often? The final piece of a successful action plan is to assess the confidence level that you will fulfill the contract. On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 represents little confidence and 10 represents total confidence, your plan should rank at least a 7. Once you have incorporated that action or goal into your daily life you are ready to choose something else to work on. I wrote a fact sheet a few years ago titled, “Action Plan for Healthy Living” which focuses on 15 lifestyle changes. If you have questions about developing an action plan related to a change you want to make, feel free to give me a call.

One final thought about National Diabetes Month – consider offering healthier choices at upcoming holiday celebrations that are centered around food. Almost any recipe can be modified by cutting down or changing the type of fat or sweetener used. Be respectful of your holiday guests’ dietary restrictions. Always have fresh vegetable and fruit plates available.

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