By JOHN P. TRETBAR

Operators in Kansas produced more than 2.2 million barrels of crude oil in February, just over 5.6 million barrels for the first two months of the year. The Kansas Geological Survey said the two-month total in Barton County was over 277,000 barrels, an increase of approximately 112-thousand barrels. Ellis County’s total was over 431-thousand barrels, adding 182,000 barrels in February. Production in Russell County increased by 111-thousand barrels to 256-thousand through February, and in Stafford County, operators produced 61 thousand barrels for a two-month total of 164-thousand barrels.

Even with recent drops in price, Kansas oil producers are bringing home more money for their crude than they have in three years. Over the last two years, the average price for a barrel of Kansas Common crude has increased more than $25. The most recent monthly average available from CHS in McPherson is for April, 2018, at $56.55 per barrel. That’s more than $15 dollars higher than the average in April of last year ($41.40), and another ten dollars higher than the average in April of 2016 ($31.275). The peak monthly average price for Kansas Common crude in McPherson dates back to June of 2008, when the former NCRA refinery paid out an average of more than $124 a barrel. Kansas Common starts this week at $58.25, amid dropping futures prices.

The announcement of a possible boost in output from OPEC and its allies sent shock waves through the crude marketplace. Domestic prices plunged more than four percent Friday and continued the plunge Tuesday. OPEC and Russia are considering relaxing their production cuts, increasing production to meet a shortfall in supply from sanction-targets Iran and Venezuela. Bloomberg said they’re considering an increase of from 300,000 and 800,000 barrels per day, while Reuters said the number could be as high as 1 million barrels.

London Brent now commands a nearly $9 premium over U.S. futures. Reuters reports that the biggest spread since March of 2015, suggesting U.S. exports are becoming more competitive.

Canada’s federal government said Tuesday it is buying a controversial pipeline from the Alberta oil sands to the Pacific Coast to ensure it gets built. The government plans to spend $3.4 billion in U.S. dollars to buy Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline, which would allow Canada to get higher prices by exporting to Asia. Houston-based Kinder Morgan earlier halted essential spending on the project and said it would cancel it altogether if the national and provincial governments could not guarantee it.

Baker Hughes report a big bump inn the national tally of active drilling rigs Friday, 1,059 active rigs, an increase of fifteen oil rigs. Texas added nine rigs and the Permian Basin total increased by eleven. Independent Oil & Gas Service reported 11 active rigs in eastern Kansas (down five) and 25 west of Wichita (unchanged). The number of rigs in transit in Kansas was up six, while operators move in completion tools to five well heads in Barton County and six in Ellis County. They’re drilling at one site in Ellis County and one in Stafford County. Drilling is about to commence on a pair of leases in Barton County.

Independent Oil & Gas Service reported 29 newly-completed wells for the last week (604 so far this year). That’s 15 completions in eastern Kansas and 14 west of Wichita, with two in Barton County and one in Ellis County.
Operators filed 37 new drilling permits last week, 624 year-to-date. There were 25 east of Wichita and 12 in Western Kansas, including two new permits in Ellis County.

A lawsuit moves forward in Oklahoma in which the plaintiffs plan to explore the scientific link, if any, between earthquakes and oil field saltwater disposal. A judge approved class-action status and set a September trial date for the lawsuit, in which Jennifer Lin Cooper blames Tulsa-based oil company New Dominion for injuries and damage caused by a string of earthquakes in 2011. One temblor in Prague, Oklahoma was the first in the state linked by scientists to the energy industry practice of pumping oil-field wastewater into class-2 disposal wells. Residents and businesses in nine counties can join the lawsuit, now scheduled September 10. The oil company has declined comment to numerous media outlets, but in court filings has denied causing the earthquakes. Cooper’s lawyer says he intends to prove the quakes were caused by New Dominion’s operations.

The patch in Texas recorded its first year of net positive job growth since 2014. The Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association said the oil and gas industry supported more than 325-thousand direct jobs in Texas in 2017. Federal stats show the trend continued through the first quarter of 2018. But, TIPRO President Ed Longaneker warned that employers in various segments of the industry are already beginning to encounter a shortage of available talent, with thousands of open positions in Texas in support activities for operations and drilling.
Workforce recruiting is once again at the forefront in western North Dakota’s oil industry. The Bismarck Tribune reports that demand for drivers and heavy equipment operators is contributing to nearly 9,400 job openings statewide by next year. Job Service North Dakota official Cindy Sanford says the agency participated in four job fairs last week, and recruiters hired more than half the people attending.

Anadarko Petroleum said Wednesday it has reached legal settlements with the families of two men killed in a northern Colorado home explosion linked to one of the company’s wells. The April 2017 explosion in the town of Firestone killed Mark Martinez and Joey Irwin. Texas-based Anadarko said it would not disclose the details of the agreements.

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Years ago our family tent-camped at Slough Creek Camp Ground, a primitive site at the north end of Yellowstone National Park where wildlife is abundant and close. That particular summer, the regions’ fawn population exploded. Does led babies to the stream bank directly across from our tent. While my husband fished, transfixed little girls and I watched delicate, speckled creatures scamper and nurse while their mommas browsed and occasionally cleaned a baby. This is my fondest memory of camping with small children.

Our daughters are grown now, but sometimes an event sparks old recollections that make it seem like only yesterday that we were three squealing females trying to stifle our glee at seeing a dozen spotted babes so close we could almost touch them. What triggered this reminiscence was an abundance of fawns in our rural backyard one summer.

I mentioned in another essay that we lost our long time guard dog who took his duty to scare deer away very seriously. After Tucker died, bucks, does, and fawns passed safely within feet of the house, browsing shrubs, trees, and flowers and drinking out of the creek running at the base of our yard. Awakening each morning, I anticipated viewing multiple examples of wild America that visited daily.

Keep in mind, these animals have delicate noses, as well as sharp ears and eyes. As a result, they don’t hang out when we garden or sit on the back porch. That’s too much human contact for their comfort—as it should be.

Interactions with them required camouflaged viewing from the dining room window that overlooked Big Creek and doubled as a photographer’s blind. Wild beasts are so cautious that any movement or noise from inside the house spurs a dash to safety. To prevent scaring the focus of my observations, I moved slowly, making sure my camera didn’t beep and frighten these tawny beauties.

That morning, I began the day spying on a little one nursing while his mom browsed the creek banks. She ate while baby fed, and then she licked him thoroughly before they meandered to a nearby alfalfa patch. Later, I walked by the window while I dusted and noted a young buck standing half hidden in tall grass. I got a good look, but he heard the beep of my camera so I missed my photo op.

Later, another momma brought her singleton to water where it frolicked while she drank. A fawnless doe accompanied her, and I photographed them as they nibbled greens for twenty minutes.

I was grateful to see so many deer that day, and then life got better. Looking out the bathroom window, I noticed a mom with more mature twins wading the creek. Her babies leapt and charged one another in the slow-moving stream. When they braved approaching the house, mom shooed them back into the water.

My own girls may be grown and the memory of that day at Slough Creek Campground distant, but those moments watching fawns out my own window compressed time, making it seem like it was not so long ago. A hiding place and a ready camera helped me capture memories to share when our daughters visited and we recalled a long distant magical day.

Native Kansan Karen Madorin is a local writer and retired teacher who loves sharing stories about places, people, critters, plants, food, and history of the High Plains.

It’s likely to be one of those years—first in (practically) 24 years—that Kansas Democrats might want to carry a note into the primary election voting booth to remember the name of their favorite gubernatorial candidate.

For most of the last 24 years, it’s been just checking the box on the only Democrat in the race. Made it pretty simple, and you didn’t have to remember the name, just the office.

Democrats had their last “official” primary election race for governor back in 1998, but it was the late Rev. Fred Phelps, of Topeka, and now-Rep. Tom Sawyer, D-Wichita, who were on the ballot back then, and the votes were about 15,000 for Phelps for all the reasons that the anti-gay Topeka minister preached about…and anyone else on the ballot…Sawyer.

Before that, it was the 1994 five-way Democratic primary which saw 7-term former U.S. Rep. Jim Slattery, D-Kan., and running mate Carol Sader take the primary easily, later losing in the general.

But this year, for the first time in 20 years, it’s going to be a three-way; four, if you count a high schooler who has officially filed for office. Nobody’s heard from two other Democratic potential candidates, Salinan Robert Klingenberg and Olathe doctor Arden Anderson. While there are two clear leaders—Sen. Laura Kelly, D-Topeka, and former state Rep. Josh Svaty, of Ellsworth and later Topeka—just how they come out is uncertain.

And, nobody yet knows just what the candidacy of former Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer will have on what most are predicting to be the split between Kelly and Svaty. There’s always the upset, and either Kelly or Svaty could do something or say something that immediately costs her/him the election, but both are careful and in interviews appear to quietly think through their answers before they utter a response.

Yes, it’s going to be considerably different for Democrats than the good old days of the summer of 1998.

Is it going to be the former lawmaker Svaty who has roots in rural Ellsworth, which is west of Salina, and running with businesswoman Katrina Lewison of Manhattan? Or maybe the current senator with Topeka roots, and running mate Lynn Rogers of Wichita who sits just to her left in the Senate chamber? Or Brewer of Wichita where he was elected, then elected again as mayor, and his running mate former Gardner (that’s Johnson County) Mayor Chris Morrow?

Is geography a big part of the decision? Any chance a Democratic nominee from your area gets your local roads repaired, or at least at the top of the list for repairs? Maybe it’s not geography, though it doesn’t hurt…

If it comes down to experience, well, that comes down to experience doing what?

Is it experience running a government that deals closely with its constituents—we’re thinking the mayors here—or does it come down to experience in state government? That’s probably the Kelly and the Svaty teams. Svaty served four and a half terms in the House before Gov. Mark Parkinson named him Secretary of Agriculture in 2009, and he was out the day that Republican Gov. Sam Brownback took office. Things have changed a lot in the last eight years.

Kelly? Four terms in the Senate, starting under Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and later Parkinson. And she’s been there in the eight-year Brownback/Gov. Jeff Colyer regime. The question, for Democrats, is whether she can use the Brownback/Colyer years to her advantage.

Wonder how this is going to work out…who remembers what…and their names…

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

Reflection is a good thing. It allows you to see where you’ve been and hopefully chart a better course on where you’re going. While on vacation recently I had a chance to think about the small community where I grew up.

Located in northwestern Kansas, Seguin was a small farm/ranch community of approximately 50 hearty souls. Located in Sheridan County, three miles south of Highway 24, the Union Pacific railroad used to run through our small town.

Seguin was a community where families were raised and values – good and sometimes bad – were instilled. Looking back, those fortunate enough to grow up there – like I did in the ‘50s and ‘60s – were surrounded by people with core values that helped guide us throughout our lives.

Human spiritual nature topped the list. A spiritual quality like, seek ye first this kingdom of God and his righteousness and all things shall be given unto you.

We all grew up with Monsignor Mulvihill and the Sisters of St. Joseph, went to mass six days a week and learned to abide by the golden rule.

Next, was the courtesy level of our town. This was measured by the ordinary civilities a total stranger could expect. Residents of Seguin and the outlying community always welcomed family and friends back for special events – many centered around our church and its congregation. Other celebrations included wheat harvest, a wedding or graduation from school.

Transient laborers, especially during wheat, milo and corn harvest, were also treated well because of their valuable contributions during these critical periods.

Rootedness or a sense of commitment on the part of a town’s people was another cornerstone in our little community. Dependent on the fertile, sandy loam soil of the High Plains, Seguin’s families lived by the unspoken agreement that this was a place to stay, put down roots and build a family, a farm, a business and a future.

This quality is closely related to a sense of place, which now grows rarer with each passing day.

Diversity – not necessarily in the form of many nationalities – but rather in the form of creative disagreement was another building block in our community. This meant our little town enjoyed a certain confidence that all its inhabitants didn’t have to echo one another to make progress.

On the contrary, a community, like a country, can profit by its differences. Believe me, nearly everyone I ever knew in Seguin spoke up, voiced their opinions and let their ideas be heard.

Loyalty was the fifth attribute our community was blessed with. Loyalty is often confused with conformity, though the two are really opposites.

It is precisely loyalty to the community, to posterity and to principle that moves a citizen not to conform. A dissenter may never be so loyal as when refusing to go along quietly.

Loyalty is a virtue, but not a simple one. Certainly, it is not as simple as those who use it as a club to enforce their will on an individual or a community.

Generosity was the sixth attribute and not just with material support but a generosity of spirit akin to humility. This broader, deeper attribute sets aside not only personal interests for the sake of community, but personal grudges, slights and obsessions.

One might call this trait charity, but charity in our society has acquired an unfortunate connotation of being optional – not obligatory. Some believe charity is what you do with what you have left over. Those who believe they owe a debt to their community and embrace the opportunity to repay it practice charity, the real thing.

Pride in our little burg was also clear. Self-respect may be a better word for this civic virtue. It has to do with much more than clean streets, green lawns and painted buildings. It also explains good schools, honest law enforcement and other amenities that make for a proud, self-respecting community.

Openness was the final attribute in our small northwestern Kansas community. Without openness all of these other virtues would only be a facade. Our community was an open book. Everyone knew everyone else and everything that was going on. Candor, candidness, frankness, sincerity and plain dealing were the only way of doing business and conducting each day of your life.

Everyone who lived in Seguin was a member of the community and part of our town. Didn’t matter who you were, where you lived, how old you were or whatever else. Our community was a place of human and humane values.

Sometimes in the rush of everyday life we forget to live by such values. Know your neighbors, coworkers and the members of your community. And, yes, it’s all right to argue with them and disagree with them about what is best for the community.

What is important is to care about your community. Think of its best interests and don’t let your mind be diverted by lesser concerns or scattered holdings.

Just like the little community I grew up in and the family and neighbors who helped shape who I am today, each of us live in communities that have values and fine traditions to uphold. Be part of yours.

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.

I have a love-hate relationship with squirrels, also known as limb chickens or tree bacon in our neck of the woods. They taunt our two little pups from the top of my back fence or from the roof of our neighbor’s garage and work them into an absolute frenzy. They hang upside-down from their heels on the side of the tree, just out of reach and chatter away as if to say “Come and get me you yappy little mongrels!”

Squirrels are not to be trifled with and can give a nasty bite, but just once I wish my dumb mutts would learn to work together and snag one. Like maybe one pup could prance around the tree with a big grin on its face, clutching an acorn in its teeth, luring the little bird-feeder-vandal near the ground, while the other pup sneaks up from the other side, pounces on its back and cleans it off the side of tree. But it would be just my luck the squirrel would weigh more than the dog and instead of crumpling to the ground with the pooch on its back, it would head for the top of the tree with the pooch on its back. At that point I don’t know which would be worse, the hapless hound hangin’ on to end up somewhere in the treetops, or fallin’ off somewhere over the middle of the yard.

Pesky as they are, I know of no other wild critter in the US more pampered than the squirrel. I have to admit squirrels are fun to watch as they roll around inside those glass jar feeders. I’ve always wanted to catch a squirrel inside one and run out and screw the lid on before it could flee. We buy corn to feed them, and then buy feeders to hold the corn. We teach them to take peanuts from our hands, and I even heard of someone who had taught the little beggars to tap on the front door when they wanted a handout. Last year at the fair we bought a rig that suspends two ears of corn side-by-side above the ground, forcing them to jump up and hang onto the corn while they get a mouthful.

Lately a squirrel with only half a tail has become a regular at our new feeder; we’ve named it “Ole’ Stumpy.” We thought at first that Stumpy was a male, but when they hang spread-eagled from the corn with both right feet on one ear and both left on the other and spin around in the process looking like a centerfold for PlaySquirrel, it becomes fairly simple to examine them anatomically. There are no bulging body parts on Stumpy’s underside so we’ve deemed her a girl.

We can only guess at how Stumpy lost the end of her tail. Perhaps at Stumpy’s last home, some yappy little mongrel did get a piece of her, proudly wagging its tail as it showed its master nothing but the back half of Ole’ Stumpy’s tail. Or maybe Stumpy was one of those squirrels that someone taught to knock on the front door for a treat. We have lots of seniors in our little town, and I can see it all now; old Mrs. Dinglemire up the street who’s partly deaf and mostly blind hears a tapping sound at her front door and when she opens it, there stands Ole’( Not Yet) Stumpy. Now Ole’ (Not Yet) Stumpy looks like a rat to her, so she grabs her broom and swings it at the innocent squirrel, entangling it’s thick tail in the broom, so when she lifts the broom the squirrel comes with it and……well you get the picture; somehow in the melee the little panhandler’s tail gets snapped off in the door and Ole’ (not yet) Stumpy becomes Ole’ Stumpy.

I did a little research on Ole’ Stumpy’s tail dilemma on a website named “The Squirrel Board” (I can’t make this stuff up!) It seems Ole’ Stumpy’s not alone and squirrel tails are made so they will “deglove” or snap off if a predator has hold of it. The jury seemed to still be out as to whether it would ever grow back and Stumpy would be whole again. The squirrel lovers on that site are out of my league. One guy said “If you’re feeding peanuts to your squirrels make sure they are roasted…I feed mine chopped almonds because they are healthier than peanuts.” (Really; sounds like his squirrels eat better than I do.) He goes on to say “Thanksgiving week we fed them almonds, cashews, pistachios, walnuts, chestnuts and hazelnuts for a variety.” I have to admit that would make for some tasty squirrel if you roasted em’ while they were still full of nuts.

Now even though Cousin Eddy from the National Lampoon movie “Christmas Vacation” says squirrels are high in cholesterol, they are not. Bentonville Arkansas, headquarters of Walmart, has an annual World Champion Squirrel Cook-Off that draws TV crews, executive chefs and visitors from around the globe. Their theme is “Squirrel – it’s what’s for Supper,” and they offer “organic tree-to-table squirrel” in dishes like squirrel pizza and squirrel flavored ice cream. And are you aware there is actually an organization called “Squirrels Unlimited?”(SQU for short) Its mission statement reads: SQU is dedicated to the recognition and promotion of the squirrel as one of mankind’s greatest gifts.” Squirrel, it’s what’s for supper; You gotta love it! Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.

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

Kansans should thank those courageous state representatives, a coalition of Republicans and Democrats, who in the last hour of the last day of the recent legislative session withstood the tempting siren song of “return the windfall.” Even so every candidate seeking state office this year will face a headwind of windfall politics.

What exactly is this “windfall,” you ask?

Generally, when federal and state income taxes are connected, as they are in Kansas, a tax cut at the federal level could result in a revenue gain at the state level. Last February the Kansas Department of Revenue offered “rough approximations” that the bump in Kansas could be as much as $138 million in the upcoming fiscal year. That figure represents at most a 3-to-4 percent increase in state income tax revenues or less than 2 percent of state general fund revenues.

The possibility of this bump prompted a frenzied cry by some legislators and special interests to “return the windfall!” Did those shouting out know how much should be returned? No. Did they know which taxpayers were actually affected? Of course not. Did they know to whom money should be returned? Not really.

What they came up with at the last minute was the height of fiscal irresponsibility, a cockamamie bill that threw a bunch of money at a dozen favored benefactors along with the fantasy of telling voters the windfall would be returned. Thankfully, the bill was defeated.

 A bit of Kansas windfall history may have relevance here.

Less than two weeks before Election Day 1986, Republican Mike Hayden and Democrat Tom Docking were locked in a tightly contested race for governor. President Reagan had just signed major tax reform legislation. At a candidate forum in Johnson County both candidates hastily responded to a question that any windfall accruing to the state as a result of reform should be returned to taxpayers. Their rejoinder gave birth to “return the windfall” as a potent political force.

Hayden won the governorship that year, and windfall demands would complicate his management of state finance for the next three legislative sessions. By year three taxes had been cut, but the lengthy debate had exhausted many taxpayers, and the result fell short of their heightened expectations.

Current candidates for state office seeking advantage in windfall politics should thus be forewarned. The amount of any so-called windfall will be guesswork, particularly as taxpayers adjust behavior in response to state or national action. Whether a taxpayer benefits or not from federal tax changes will be unknown. So, returning any windfall will involve a calculation of guesswork with unknowns. That is not a great way to make state tax policy, and lawmakers should not expect political credit for their work.

More importantly, most Kansans remember seven years of financial mismanagement under Brownback and will be wary of candidates promising new tax cuts under the guise of returning the windfall. Voters will be looking with more favor toward candidates concerned about the condition of state finance: Has the state stopped skipping pension payments? Are highway funds no longer being swept? Is the state meeting statutory requirements for general fund balances? Has the state’s credit rating been restored? Has the state met its constitutional obligations for funding schools? Has the damage to essential services been repaired?

These are consequential questions for state government, and voters should beware of simple-minded “windfall politics” this election year.

Flentje is professor emeritus at Wichita State University and served with Kansas Governors Bennett and Hayden.

 

This year 4,533 students received degrees at Fort Hays State University. How exciting it was to be a part of these record-setting commencement exercises! These newly conferred academic degrees are gateways to new beginnings for our most recent alumni. These graduates are full of promise and hope, and it was with both pride and confidence that I conferred degrees.

The pride comes from valuing the hard work and the many accomplishments of our students. The confidence emanates from the knowledge that Fort Hays State University is truly a student-centered institution. Our students work hard to earn their degrees, but it is often our faculty and staff who inspire their dreams, help them discover their talents, and fuel their passion in this leg of their journey through life.

My remarks during the ceremony centered on the theme of change and how a Fort Hays State University education prepares our alumni for a world of constant change – equipping them to be agents of change. As the famous saying goes: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

While I was preparing my remarks, I took a moment to ask our graduates to share with me their stories of change. To my delight, I received many emails from our graduates, sharing their stories of change and impact. Here are a few of their stories:

Hezekiah Herrera –
I’m a 32-year-old, single father of two. I, like many others in my position, decided to return to school. It was having my first child that motivated me to complete my degree. Two years into my studies, I would welcome my second child. All the while, I had experienced intimate partner violence throughout the course of my marriage until a heartbreaking divorce during my final academic year … Despite these setbacks, with the support of G-d, family, friends, and faculty at FHSU, I was able to walk across the stage to greet you in front of both of my children – I wanted them to see with their eyes that anything is possible and what defines us is not our past, but our future.

Kristi Rodriguez –
The leadership courses have expanded my ability and shown me the passion I have for leadership. These courses gave me an excuse to take the risk to do the things that I never put as a priority. Since taking these courses, I have created a community project partnering with six other agencies, taught a professional training course for my organization, and made the time to truly reflect and build on my abilities as a leader and a follower. … I began like an amateur ball player who just ended her season with a grand slam!

Trevor Shankle –
Change can be difficult at times, but without change life becomes stagnant and predictable. I leave this university ready to face whatever change the world may throw at me. I cannot imagine my life without Fort Hays State University, and I am forever grateful to be a part of the Tiger Family.

Faith Burdine –
I never thought that I would be earning my master’s degree by 22 years old; I never thought I would be as mature as I have become. FHSU has enabled me to change from an emotionally charged, impulsive teenager to a rational (with some emotion), logical thinker. I still have days where I eat cookies for breakfast and ice cream for dinner, and sometimes my emotions can cause me to want to react impulsively, but with the help of some of my wonderful professors at FHSU, I know that I am still becoming the person (and eating a balanced diet) I want to be and that FHSU has been and will be my alma mater and home.

Douglas Lindsay –
I have obtained my bachelor’s degree in nursing at 47 years old. Neither of my parents were high school graduates, and obtaining a degree was never really emphasized. Unfortunately, it took me a while to discover the value of an education. That all changed when I became a nurse. I finally found a place in which I excelled and thoroughly enjoyed my work. Prior to that profession, it was usually one or the other. The field placed a high value on education and learning. So, I continued my education. I graduated summa cum laude from FHSU in December 2017. I have already begun my advanced degree to become a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. I could not be more thrilled. So, the changes I have experienced at FHSU are not only mine. I have changed the trajectory of my life. I have changed the trajectory of my family’s life. I have changed the trajectory of my son’s life, who is 4 years old. In my profession, I effect change every day. I have the opportunity to heal and educate people and change the trajectory of their health and lives, thereby affecting all of the people they know.

So as I looked out at the graduates, faculty, and staff in the coliseum, I knew that our faculty and staff prepared our students well to be agents of change and engaged global citizens. Fort Hays State University delivers more than a degree, it provides a passport to the future – and it fills me with a great sense of optimism.

The Hays City Commission is poised to vote on a plan that would create a system of roundabouts on Vine Street. Click HERE to read more about the proposal.

What do you think?

[polldaddy poll=10012598]

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They say time flies when you’re having fun. That certainly seems to be the case as I reflect on these past 6 ½ years as your Extension Agent for family and consumer sciences. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Ellis County and the Hays community– and for the past year as part of the Cottonwood Extension District– but the time has come to say farewell. I will be retiring on May 31 after 39 years as a K-State Research and Extension agent in four counties in northwest and southwest Kansas.

As I sit in my office for the last full week and reflect on all I’ve done over the years, it’s the people and events of Extension work that come to mind. It’s all of YOU who have captured a place in my heart.
Thank you for allowing me to become involved with you and your lives. I hope that your interaction with K-State Research and Extension and the Cottonwood Extension District has made some small difference for you– made things easier, less confusing, more empowering. I thought for my final column I’d share some of my favorite phone calls, office visits and situations of these past years as an Extension agent and tell you about my retirement project for the future.

The first special situation that comes to mind is the call from a local mother who wanted to know if she could mail a bowl of potato salad to her daughter across the country. It seems the daughter was expecting a baby and craving her mother’s potato salad– and despite having Mom’s recipe, nothing she made tasted quite the same. We finally nixed the potato salad shipment due to the food safety concerns with a perishable food and a pregnant woman, but it was an interesting discussion and one that helped me see again the strength of family bonds.

Then there was the lady who called for instructions on how to can bear meat. It was the height of the Y2K scare and she said she planned to sustain her family on canned bear meat from her husband’s fall hunting trip. No, the family had never eaten canned bear meat before, and yes, I was able to provide the canning instructions, but I never heard whether the hunting expedition and the canning session were successful. Thankfully for all of us, the century rolled over without incident.

I also remember the first day at one of my county fairs. An irritated mom demanded that her son’s arts & crafts entry be judged by a different judge. It seems she didn’t like the red ribbon the entry had received. I gently tried to explain that we hire the judges for their expertise and while we may not always agree with the outcome, that day it was the judge’s opinion which counted. About five days later the same Mom came to my office to apologize. She said there had been a death in the family and she was not at her best at fair time. Over the years I’ve learned that none of us are at our best at fair time– and given about five days, most people and situations regain a more balanced perspective.

My time as an Extension agent has been full of interesting and wonderful experiences– from taking a leave of absence from my first county to travel to the Philippines as a 4-H exchange delegate, to judging countless foods exhibits and cooking contests, to watching technology change from manual typewriters and duplicating machines to wi-fi and the internet cloud, to teaching more Extension educational programs than I can ever count, including a nutrition class presented through three different language interpreters in the same room at the same time one day in Garden City.

In order to give back for a career I’ve loved, I have compiled a “best of the best” collection which includes 90 recipes and 80 news columns from 39 years in Extension. It is available in downloadable PDF Portfolio format for a free-will donation to the Kansas 4-H Foundation at www.kansas4hfoundation.org/beechrecipes. All proceeds will benefit the Kansas 4-H Foundation and the four counties where I worked (Hodgeman, Stevens, Finney, and Ellis.) I receive nothing but satisfaction from this project- 100% of the proceeds will support Extension and 4-H programs in Kansas.

I’ve loved getting to know all the individuals and families involved in Extension programs across Kansas, and I thank everyone for the friendship and support you’ve given to me and my family over the years. Good luck and many blessings to all of you! Thanks, and farewell!

Linda K. Beech is Cottonwood District Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.

By JOHN P. TRETBAR

Wichita oil man Wayne Woolsey and his wife Kay will give $10 million to Wichita State University to build a new home for the Barton School of Business, and another $2 million to support field camps and other programs in Petroleum Geology. The WSU Foundation says this is the single largest cash donation in university history. The Board of Regents approved naming the new building “Wayne and Kay Woolsey Hall.”

In its weekly rig count, Baker Hughes noted three more active rigs in New Mexico, two more in Texas, but noted that losses elsewhere held the total nationwide to 1,046, up one gas rig. Independent Oil & Gas Service reports the count was unchanged in eastern Kansas with 16 active rigs, and 25 active oil and gas drilling rigs west of Wichita, down one. Drilling is underway at one site in Russell County. Operators were moving in completion tools to five leases in Barton County and six in Ellis County.

Operators filed 35 permits for drilling at new locations last week, 587 so far this year. There are 19 east of Wichita and 16 in western Kansas, including two new permits in Barton County and one in Stafford County.
Independent Oil & Gas Service reported just six new well completions across Kansas, three east and three west of Wichita, including one dry hole in Barton County, and one completion about to make the list in Ellis County. So far this year, operators in Kansas have reported 575 newly-completed wells.

With the explosive growth in the Permian Basin comes a huge windfall for the State of New Mexico. Land leases to the oil and gas industry generated more state income over the last year than in the last six. According to The Carlsbad Current Argus, this year’s oil and gas lease sales on State Trust land surpassed the one-year record in May. Fiscal year 2018 still has one monthly lease sale to go, and has already generated a record $102.2 million total for state coffers, according to the newspaper.

North Dakota’s top energy regulator blames the weather for a monthly drop in the state’s crude oil production to 1.16 million barrels per day in March. Director Lynn Helms of the Department of Natural Resources also said the state’s natural-gas flaring rate was unchanged from February to March: 258 million cubic feet per day of natural gas burned off at oil well sites. That’s an 89% capture percentage, which meets the current target. Lawmakers have established goals and offered incentives to increase the capture rates and reduce flaring in North Dakota.

The International Energy Agency opened discussions with major oil-producing nations about collapsing output from Venezuela, home to the world’s biggest petroleum reserves. President Nicolas Maduro’s victory in widely-criticized elections brought on more U.S. sanctions against the nation’s already-crippled energy industry. On Friday, two days before the Venezuelan election, the administration announced sanctions against a powerful governing party politician and his family. The Treasury Department also for the first time formally accused President Maduro of profiting from illegal narcotics shipments. And on Monday, the administration announced an executive order banning U.S. citizens from being involved in the sales of that country’s accounts receivables related to oil and other assets.

If European nations are to continue buying oil from Iran, they’ll need to consider how they’ll insure those oil tankers. By November, U.S. sanctions will likely prevent members of the International Group from insuring the global tanker fleet if they’re hauling cargo to or from Iran. In the past, some carriers and countries have set up their own sovereign insurance funds to cover shipments that run afoul of sanctions.
The production-cut deal between OPEC and its allies should hold in its current form until December 2018, but one analyst suggests the risk of compliance slippage has materially increased with our decision to withdraw from the nuclear accord with Iran. Ending sanctions waivers could help ease the addition of new cartel production next year, according to the Web site Rig Zone, citing analysis from BMI Research.

Russia’s Finance Ministry is predicting the country will post a budget surplus in 2018 for the first time in seven years, thanks to the oil-price rally and a five fold increase in oil and gas revenues. Oil and gas exports account for around 40 percent of Russia’s federal budget revenues.

A dramatic increase in natural gas production helped the US become a net exporter last year. Forbes reports US natural gas exports nearly quadrupled to almost 1.94 billion cubic feet per day. More than half of that went to Mexico, South Korea and China.

Bloomberg reports Europe will vie with China for U.S. Liquefied Natural Gas, as new export facilities come online here. Imports from the two are roughly equal now. But China is trying to replace its coal consumption, and Europe is hoping to replace its own declining domestic gas production. European imports climbed 20% last year, while China’s consumption jumped 42%.

Gotta wonder just what the members of the House who are seeking re-election are going to say through the screen door on your porch to convince you that they deserve another two years in the Statehouse.

Because if you look at the big-picture stuff, well, it’s a little thin on anything that is much of a vote-mover.

The 2018 Legislature passed a budget, it offered up what lawmakers hope is a “fix” for the state’s unconstitutional school finance plan, and…oh yes, they passed the bill that will let bars and restaurants—and maybe the local pancake house?—sell alcoholic drinks at 6 a.m., giving you a three-hour head-start over the current 9 a.m. kick-off to a day’s drinking.

But there was a passel of narrow-interest measures that will appeal to some through the primary and into the general election.

Like…for the first time, making possession of a gun a felony if the gun owner has within five years been convicted of domestic violence, stalking and violence toward children.

That’s a major gun control law, and the National Rifle Association was pretty quiet about it because, well, it is aimed at gun owners who have been convicted of domestic violence…not exactly the members that any organization would brag about…

And lawmakers also passed the telemedicine act, which will expand that health-care service into rural areas, where doctors are sparse and where specialists are even more sparse. Wouldn’t that be nice if you had a health problem that your general practitioner recognizes, but would like a specialist to look at?

The law, which specifically says it does not authorize delivery of any abortion services via telemedicine (largely prescription of abortifacients), contains the hotly debated non-severability clause that says if the abortion provision is held invalid or unconstitutional, the entire bill will be struck down–essentially ending tele-health regulation in the state. But…the law until antiabortion forces try to dismantle it in court…sounds like something most voters would commend…

Candidates probably won’t be talking-up last year’s repeal of the Gov. Sam Brownback-era income tax cuts that slashed revenue and spurred budget paring that was reflected in everything from failure to improve roads and bridges to less money for public schools to higher tuition when you send the kids off to college. Tricky that campaigning, not knowing whether the person behind the door has an LLC and is having to re-learn how to file Kansas income taxes after the four-year non-wage income tax holiday or is one of those Kansans who paid taxes all along and saw their tax bill rise this year.

Maybe…they holler through the door that the state budget appears to be stable again, schools, social services, roads, law enforcement and such are starting to see their budgets rise a dab to provide voters the services they expect.

Or…maybe they say that by not passing a major tax cut bill this year, when—or if—they return to the Statehouse next year they will know how much that federal income tax trickle-down will yield in state revenues and find some use for it that will make most voters happy. How about a cut in the sales tax on groceries, maybe giving every Kansan a taste of that trickle-down by raising the state’s standard deduction, or maybe spending that unexpected cash on social services to the state’s poor.

Could be the campaigns this summer will be about a couple nice things, and some mistakes not made.

But it’s hard to campaign on not making mistakes, isn’t it?

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

Grandma and Grandpa Becker were people of action rather than words. Not that they didn’t have much to say. They just chose their words well and needed only a few to convey much.

As their oldest grandson, I visited them during the summer when I was growing up in the late ‘50s. I always talked Grandma into letting me sleep in the screened-in porch on the east side of their home.

Shaded by tall elm trees, this was the coolest place to slumber on those warm summer nights before air conditioning. More importantly, the porch was right next to my grandparent’s room where I felt safe and slept like a log each night.

Their morning activities would always wake me, and their longest conversations of the day took place while drinking black coffee with bacon and eggs several hours before I crawled out of my comfortable bed. In the background you could always hear a black Zenith AM radio providing them with the news and weather of the upcoming day.

I’d just lie there comfortably in my bed soaking up the sounds. I knew Grandma would make me my own special breakfast at a more kid-visiting-his-grandparents hour.

My Grandpa Bert was a tall slender man with kind eyes and a rich baritone voice that invited attention and respect. During those early-morning conversations with my Grandma Rose, he spoke with a gentleness that was unlike any other.

While I didn’t really think of it back then, I just remember I loved listening to them visit and appreciated how my Grandpa talked to my Grandma.

Today, I understand what I was listening to were conversations between a woman and a man who had truly become one.

Grandpa always respected and took care of Grandma’s every need. She cheerfully and willingly gave back all that she received.

My Grandpa Bert was a veteran of World War I, saw action in France. He died nearly 25 years before Grandma Rose. His later years were difficult, and he suffered from Parkinson’s disease. I also believe ghosts from those brothers in arms, who didn’t return home with him, weighed heavy on his soul.

Still, I never heard him complain. Grandma and my mother loved and cared for him when he couldn’t do so for himself.

I have always considered myself a lucky man to have inherited some of the wonderful attributes of the Becker family – cheerfulness, perseverance, a willingness to think, work smart – and the ability to enjoy and appreciate others.

Having Becker blood also means you have family and some good friends willing to stand by your side during the best and worst of times. And while your living may be hard-earned – your life will be rich beyond measure.

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 EDWARD CROSS
Kansas Independent Oil & Gas Association president

Just a few years ago, many experts were relying on traditional economic models to suggest the economy would be in trouble when oil prices started going up. However, now that the U.S. is a leading oil producer, that economic modeling dynamic is no longer true.

The drastic drop in crude oil prices in 2015 and 2016 slowed economic growth. But since that time, oil prices have more than doubled and the U.S. economy has shown strong growth.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently reported that the daily output of crude oil in the U.S. in 2017 was the highest since 1972, and U.S. oil production is expected to set a new record of approximately 10.6 million barrels in 2018.

The U.S. is projected to produce 18% of the world’s oil within the next 20 years; ahead of Saudi Arabia, which will likely fall to second place at 13%.

In the U.S., oil and natural gas are projected to supply 60% of U.S. energy needs by 2040, even under the most optimistic scenarios for renewable energy growth. Worldwide energy consumption is projected to increase by 27% by 2040, and 77% of that energy consumption will be met by fossil fuels.

Energy analysts point to several reasons for this turnabout they call ‘flipping’. Historically, high oil prices slowed economic activity and low oil prices led to a strong economy. However, the leadership role the U.S. plays in world oil markets has helped ‘flip’ the historic model.

The Asian financial crisis in 1998 impacted the deep decline in oil prices, but the trade-off was a sharp boost to the U.S. economy. Ten years later, that model continued when oil prices skyrocketed, and a weak economy followed.

Today, with the U.S. leadership role in world oil markets, higher oil prices give rise to an increase in production and jobs in the U.S. Consumers are affected by rising oil prices, but many experts now believe job creation is a huge positive trade-off.

When oil prices were in a slump at the end of 2015, shipments of manufactured goods tied to commodities like fabricated metal products and construction machinery were down by 12% from the year before. A year later, as oil prices recovered, so too did shipments of manufactured goods. By the end of 2017, the tide had turned and shipments were up by 9%.

All Americans benefit from a safe, environmentally responsible, and thriving oil industry.