Kansans that are new to vegetable gardening often have a hard time knowing how much of each variety to plant. Kansas State Research and Extension has a publication that might help you out with this problem.

The “Vegetable Garden Planting Guide” gives information on how much to plant of each veggie per person along with the average crop-yield expected per 100 feet.

Also included is a garden calendar highlighting recommended planting dates and expected harvest dates based on the average of seasonal temperatures. Information on specific crops is detailed including; days to germinate, plants or seeds needed per 10 feet of row, depth of planting, spacing within the row and spacing between rows.

Check out this publication online at: http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/bookstore/pubs/mf315.pdf, or you can find the publication at the Cottonwood Extension District’s office either in Great Bend or in Hays.

Another publication that is available and is a bit more in-depth, is titled the “Kansas Garden Guide.” This 77-page booklet covers much more detail, having sections on planning a garden, composting, improving soil, seeding and planting, garden care, watering, planting gardens for fall production, insect and disease control, container gardening, season extension and harvesting and storing. This is followed by an extensive section on how to grow specific vegetables and herbs.

You may order the print publication at http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/bookstore/Item.aspx?catId=534&pubId=8219 . This web page also provides a link to a free PDF copy of the same publication. These publications can also be quite helpful for the more experienced gardeners too.

Shifting gears here, I would like to discuss a bit on herbicides that address grass problems. So often one hears or reads information on herbicides that rid broad leaf weeds in turf areas, but rarely on how to attack unwanted grassy weeds that may be growing in your perennial garden, or areas around bushes and trees.

There are two major herbicide products that are used to kill grasses specifically that may have invaded your broadleaf plant area. Commercially, the trade names for these products are Fusilade and Poast.

Homeowner labeling is more diverse. Fusilade may be sold under the names of Ortho “Grass-B-Gon”, and Poast is sometimes sold to homeowners under the Poast label but it’s usually sold as “Bonide Grass Beater,” “Fertilome Over the Top II Grass Killer,” “Hi-Yield Grass Killer” and “Monterey Grass Getter.” Fortunately, you can identify these products by their common chemical names listed on the label. Fusilade’s common chemical name is fluazifop, and Poast’s is sethoxydim.

If you decide to use one of these products, read the label carefully. Remember, these chemicals are for killing grasses. Often, a surfactant (crop oil) must be added to the spray solution for the herbicide to work well. Please note; some grassy weeds such as bromegrass and sandbur are not controlled.  Neither is mature tall fescue controlled, though seedling tall fescue is.  Established Bermudagrass is knocked back but rarely killed.

Though both these products can be used over the top of numerous broadleaf plants (including iris), there are some differences in labeling. For example, if you need to control grasses in strawberries, choose Poast because it has a seven-day waiting period before harvest. Fusilade cannot be used within one year of harvest.

Rip Winkel is the Horticulture agent in the Cottonwood District (Barton and Ellis Counties) for K-State Research and Extension. You can contact him by e-mail at [email protected] or calling either 785-682-9430, or 620-793-1910. This article is based on information from Ward Upham, Kansas State Research and Extension.

 

The specter of Sam Brownback haunted the Kansas statehouse last week in the form of a proposition that would place unchecked power for funding public schools in the legislature’s hands.

Beginning with his election as governor in 2010 Brownback and his allies blamed the Kansas Supreme Court for the state’s financial distress. Remember that they tried to intimidate the Court into submission on school funding. That did not work. They next proposed to pack the Court with partisan judges. That went nowhere. Then they campaigned to oust judges standing for retention. Voters rejected that ploy.

Brownback acolytes are now back for a last hurrah—pushing forward on the former governor’s call to rewrite the Kansas Constitution and slam the door on the Court from ever again reviewing the adequacy of funding public schools. House Judiciary Chair Blaine Finch hosted the ghost by ramming an amendment out of his committee after a couple hours of hearings.

This move is powered by the same shadowy folks who gave Kansans the five-year nightmare of unbalanced budgets, unfair taxes, and record debt, from 2011 through 2016. The Kansas State Chamber in alliance with dark money operations such as American for Prosperity and Club for Growth demanded elimination of the state income tax and elected radical Republicans to do their bidding. Names such as Koch, Murfin, Crossman, and Hill heavily bankrolled the debacle.

This right-wing coalition cares little about adequate funding of public schools. During their emasculation of state finance base funding for schools was cut, block grants then capped funding levels, and taxpayer funds were diverted to private schools. Only the Kansas Supreme Court stood in their way.

As if to shout out their disdain for public schools, in the waning hours before first adjournment Senate President Susan Wagle and Majority Leader Jim Denning spooked the senate into emergency action to pass millions more in tax cuts instead of addressing the adequacy of school finance.

Imagine, if you will, the scary prospect of granting this coalition absolute power to fund public schools. Kansans would soon be looking to Oklahoma—with four-day school weeks and teachers’ salaries ranked at the bottom—as a model for school finance.

The coalition’s constitutional proposition has little chance of passing, but that is not their objective. They are seeking campaign fodder to be used in a blizzard of postcard smears to beguile and mislead Kansas voters. That might undo the will of Kansas voters who rebuked the Chamber and its allies in 2016.

Kansas voters should know by now the political tactics of this coalition. They have already set up the “Kansas Coalition for Fair Funding,” a pleasant sounding front to finance their crusade with dark money from deep pockets. They will use legislative votes on the constitutional amendment to target centrist lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats, who undid the disastrous tax experiment last year and are currently moving the funding of public schools in the right direction.

Get ready for a postcard campaign of spooky ghost stories. Charges will be scurrilous. Graphics will be dark. Scaremongering will prevail.

So, Kansas voters, take a hint from the movie theme: “Who ya gonna call? Ghost Busters!” Call out for those voters of 2016 to return to the ballot box in 2018 and forever entomb the toxic ghost of Brownback past.

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

Though the 2017-2018 legislative session is drawing to a close, the insurance gap for thousands of Kansans is not. Kansas has yet to expand Medicaid (known as “KanCare”) for low-income individuals. This especially impacts rural communities, where accessing health care is already difficult.

I am particularly concerned about uninsured young adults. I grew up in McCracken, graduated from Ellis High School, and I’m now a doctoral candidate at the University of Kansas. Many of the students I have taught worry about whether they can afford to go to the doctor, fill a prescription, or have a medical procedure done. This is true not only at KU, but in Hays and in rural communities throughout our state.

Experiences in young adulthood have an impact on future health and well-being. These Kansans are at higher risk of developing long-term health problems, incur heavier debt, and may be less competitive on the job market.

The ACA expanded the age range for dependent coverage to 26, but that only helps those whose parents have insurance. Many young adults work low-wage jobs and end up in a coverage gap – they earn too much to be eligible for KanCare, but not enough to qualify for help to buy private coverage.

In Ellis County, KS, nearly half of 18 to 24 year olds have incomes that are less than the federal poverty level. Many of them lack health coverage.

I am proud to have grown up in McCracken, and I care about the future of rural communities in Kansas. I advocate for expansion of KanCare because the future of rural Kansas depends on the health and productivity of our young people. If you feel this way too, contact your state legislators and let them know you support KanCare expansion.

Ashley Palmer
Lawrence

Sometime Friday afternoon the state’s official financial gurus—the Consensus Revenue Estimating Group—will meet and come to agreement on just how much money the state will receive in the remaining few months of this fiscal year and next fiscal year that starts July 1.

That memo, called CRE, will be not quite as big a deal as a puff of white smoke rising above the Vatican, but for Kansas government/legislative/political purposes it will be close. Very close.

That estimate of revenue becomes the official estimate of revenue and everything that happens after it is announced is tied to that estimate.

Right or wrong, high or low, it’s the basis for nearly everything that is going to happen to or for Kansans for the fiscal year.

The issues that are going to be decided based on those estimates are school finance, of course, and a potential income tax cut for some Kansans, investments in water supply, highway improvements/repair and the pensions of thousands of Kansans who are members of the Kansas Public Employee Retirement System. Oh, and don’t forget health care for thousands of Kansans and payments for hospitals and nursing homes that take care of the elderly and frail.

A lot of issues based on that Friday afternoon meeting? Sure are, and the number that the CRE presents also will influence legislators—the entire House of Representatives, which is up for election this fall.

How does that figure into life for folks who don’t spend their day hanging around the Statehouse? It determines just what the state can afford and can’t afford and that determines just what legislators can pass or not pass that will make Kansans’ lives better or at least no worse.

Schools are of course at the top of the list, and there is that roughly $80 million that was inadvertently left out of the school finance bill that Gov. Jeff Colyer will sign into law this week. Sign a bill to boost state aid to elementary and secondary schools that doesn’t include all the money that lawmakers thought they were spending? Yes, because that bill, though it doesn’t contain all the dollars it should, also put lawmakers on the hook for it. They will have to pony up the money to accomplish what they thought they were voting on to convince the Kansas Supreme Court that they actually intend to make state funding for public schools constitutional. Not much backing out room there, is there?

But the other major issue that is dependent on that CRE will be an income tax cut for thousands of Kansans, because the state can’t cut taxes—that’s taxes for most of us, and revenue for the state—without an estimate that shows the state can afford it. And who doesn’t want a tax cut, and the bullet point on those House members’ palm cards that shows that they cut your taxes?

It’s a federal trickle-down deal, the less federal income taxes you pay the more of your money is left sitting around to levy state income taxes against. And, if the CRE comes in big enough, well, the state won’t need to tax that cash left over from your federal taxes, and it will appear that the state isn’t just gobbling up the federal tax leftovers.

Enough money for schools and a tax cut? What’s still on the plate can be spent for those roads, the water supply, care for the elderly and poor, law enforcement, prisons, a lot of things that have been scrimped on in recent years. If the CRE says the money is there.

Yes…Friday afternoon. We’ll see how that works out, won’t we…?

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

Lack of understanding and critical thinking on the part of some in the environmental movement has compromised their effectiveness as self-appointed protector and guardian of our planet.

Whenever we improve our critical thinking skills it becomes easier to see through deception and exaggeration that has characterized the promotions of some environmental organizations and the mass media’s coverage of their issues.

If we examine the issue of critical thinking, one of the first things we must realize is correlation is not causation. I know I am wandering into a deep subject for such a shallow mind as mine but bear with me.

Correlation means two things tend to happen at the same time. Causation means that one thing is known to cause another.

Because two things happen at the same time doesn’t mean one is causing the other. We need proof, including a reasonable theory showing the path by which one thing causes another to occur.

Global warming and pollution of the water supply with herbicides for example – common environmental concerns – have resulted when correlation of two things was mistaken for causation. To avoid future errors, radical environmentalists must be responsible for proving one thing is causing another to happen.

They just can’t say it. That doesn’t make it so.

In today’s world, much remains unexplained. Cancer is one disease that comes to mind.

This dreaded disease might be due to genetic conditions, nutrition, a health problem in childhood, prolonged stress or a combination of these factors. One day scientists may find a cure for this disease, but that day has not arrived.

Trends don’t always predict the future. During the early ‘70s some scientists predicted the advent of another ice age. During the ‘80s temperatures increased and some experts said we’d experience catastrophic global warming. The cold winter of 1993-94 prompted a new wave of hysteria about another ice age.

Today’s projected cataclysms are the continued fear of global warming and the melting of the polar ice caps. Predictions of resource depletion are another reason for concern. Most of these are based on projections of past trends. Trends only serve as a guideline of past events and cannot document exactly what will happen down the road.

Another element of critical thinking is reliance on fact rather than opinion. So often in our society, the “squeaky wheel gets the grease.” The loudest or most controversial opinion receives the most attention. Need I say more about our society today?

This has definitely been true in the environmental movement where claims of upcoming calamities receive extensive media coverage. To make sure experts with a minority view don’t mislead the public, seek relevant facts and make up your own mind.

The same goes for all the misinformation in the political arena.

One reason apocalyptic abusers thrive is the public rarely relies on its long-term memory. People are unlikely to remember a doomsayer’s dire predictions of a few months ago, much less 10 or 20 years back. We must remember yesterday’s false alarms and the people who sounded them if we are to respond to future calls to action.

While few people enjoy risk in their lives, we can’t live without it. Everything we do has risk attached. Even ordinary events like walking down the steps (falling and breaking bones) or crossing the street (being hit by a truck).

Remember the risk of drowning (16 in a million) or dying in a home accident (90 in a million) or being killed in an auto accident (192 in a million) greatly exceeds the alleged environmental risks being hawked by some organizations.

Throughout our lives we make choices. We must decide between the black pair of shoes and the brown. We must decide on catsup, pickles or mustard on our hot dog.

The same can be said about our environment and our politics. We must choose our priorities wisely. We can’t do everything at once. To do so could produce unintended consequences that could harm the world in which we live.

Instead, we must apply the same prudence we apply to other significant aspect of our lives. The importance of environmental issues doesn’t exempt them from this discipline. Their importance makes careful planning and efficiency all the more necessary.

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

The Cottonwood Extension District, in partnership with the Hays Public Library, will host a free educational program on Emergent Literacy on Wednesday, April 25, 1:30-2:30 pm in the Schmidt Gallery at the Hays Public Library, 1205 Main Street, Hays.

Dr. Bradford Wiles, Extension Child Development specialist, will be the guest speaker for this program which is suitable for parents, grandparents, child care providers and early childhood professionals. Dr Wiles also wrote the K-State Research and Extension publication on this topic which all participants will receive.

According to Dr Wiles, children become readers and writers though a continuous developmental process called ‘emergent literacy’. He says learning to read is a process driven by a more experienced person (someone who already knows how to read, usually an adult), with a less experienced individual (usually a child.) While each person learns to read differently, research shows that building emergent literacy skills can be done intentionally and provides great fun for both the adult and child.

The most important aspect of the process is to read WITH the child, as opposed to reading TO the child. Reading with a child is a engaging process that joins the adult and child together in navigating the book’s story, characters, and ideas about what is happening.

In child development, the first step is to think about the child as an individual with a developing mind, as opposed to just an individual with needs to be met (such as for food, clothing and shelter.) As young children are growing and developing, they are constantly learning about the world and their minds are working to make sense of what they are experiencing.

Being “mind-minded” means being aware of what the child is thinking about when reading and being open to following the child’s imagination and direction during that time. These two concepts work hand-in-hand, meaning the book is really used as a good excuse to get adults and children together to interact in a rich, meaningful, and fun activity which demonstrates the importance of language skills and reading.

During the program, Dr Wiles will discuss six strategies adults can use to help children navigate books and explore the world of reading in a way that focuses on their developing mind and emerging literacy skills.
Pre-registration is helpful to ensure adequate program materials. Call the Hays office of the Cottonwood Extension District at 785-628-9430 to sign up for this program and learn to set the stage for future development of the children in your life.

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

By JOHN P. TRETBAR

Regulators respond to a string of more than a dozen earthquakes in northwestern Oklahoma last week by placing limits on one oil and gas producer’s saltwater disposal. The Oklahoma Corporation Commission directed operator M. M. Energy to reduce disposal volumes from 17-thousand to five thousand barrels per day at a disposal well in Garfield County, Oklahoma. The commission called this an “ongoing situation” and said further actions are possible. The first quake occurred on Saturday (4/7), registering at magnitude 4.6, and was followed by several others, including a 4.5 temblor near Perry, Oklahoma early the following Monday (4/9), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quakes were felt across parts of southern Kansas and as far north as Great Bend.

Independent Oil & Gas Service reported nine active drilling rigs in eastern Kansas for the week, which is up two, and 31 west of Wichita, up one. Operators were moving in completion tools at two sites in Barton County, five in Ellis County and three in Stafford County. Baker Hughes on Friday reported 1008 active drilling rigs coast to coast, up seven oil rigs including five in Oklahoma and Texas. The total reflects a drop of two rigs exploring for natural gas. The rig count across Canada was 102, down nine rigs.

Operators filed 13 new permits for drilling at new locations across the state last week, six east of Wichita and seven in western Kansas, for a year-to-date total of 428 permits. There’s one new permit on file in Barton County and one in Ellis County.

Independent Oil & Gas Service reported 31 new well completions for the week, including 15 east of Wichita and 16 in western Kansas. Barton County notched two new completed wells according to the latest numbers. That’s 447 new well completions so far this year.

The first quarter of 2018 marked some slight improvements over the last couple of years in the Kansas oil patch, but the state is still well behind the huge numbers posted three years ago. Independent Oil & Gas Service reports 402 total completions for the first quarter, which is slightly higher than last year (349) and the year before (392). But the total is less than one-third of the 1,394 wells completed during the first three months of 2015.

Barton County operators completed four oil and gas wells in March and 12 during the first quarter of 2018. Ellis County reported three in April and 12 so far this year. Russell County reports three so far this year, two in March. Stafford County notched ten completions during the first three months of the year after adding four in March.

More than one in every four newly-completed oil and gas wells in western Kansas so far this year have failed to produce pay dirt. Out of 91 completions west of Wichita in March, 24 were dry holes. That’s 54 dry holes out of 214 total completions for the first quarter of 2018.

Operators last month filed 144 permits for drilling at new locations the state, bringing the total to 396 year-to-date. The quarterly total is slightly higher than last year (383), more than double the year before (192), but less than two-thirds of the first-quarter total from 2015 (669).

The Kansas Geological Society met in March to recognize and name six new oil fields across the state. That brings to 12 the total of new pool and infield wildcat discoveries so far this year.

The government reports US crude inventories grew by 3.3 million barrels last week. Gasoline inventories increased by half a million barrels. The US Energy Information Administration said imports were up 752,000 barrels per day over the prior week, but the four-week average is less than the same period last year.

Annual natural gas production in the U.S. is on pace to break records in 2018 and 2019, according to the monthly short-term energy outlook from EIA. Natural gas consumption is expected to rise over the next two years, with power generation the leading driver.

China’s Sinopec, Asia’s largest refiner, plans to cut Saudi crude oil imports loading in May by 40 percent after Saudi Aramco set higher-than-expected prices. Two refineries in northern Asia told CNBC they each planned to reduce May orders from Saudi Arabia by 10 percent.

There are currently a slew of job openings in the oil patch of North Dakota, but you may want to investigate housing before you apply. The Williston area, which is in the heart of the Bakken play, is in the midst of a single-family housing shortage. The Bismarck Tribune reports real-estate agents sold 110 homes during the first quarter of this year, the most ever for a three month period in the area. Officials are still unsure how new employees might get housing through the summer. State officials say the state has a “huge, huge need” for personnel for fracking, driving, drone and pipeline operations, as well as health-care professionals and teachers. The number of job openings for March reached its highest level since 2015. This is not the first time officials in North Dakota have faced this problem. Back in 2012, as the Bakken play was first bearing fruit, officials wrestled with increased demand for everything from new roads and housing to law enforcement and sewer service.

I recently agreed to see if a skunk needed evicted from beneath a friend’s empty home that is for sale. She said she was in the house the other day and it smelled terribly “skunky” inside, making her think one might be living under the porch. My glasses have transition lenses that turn really dark in the sunlight, so as I blindly peered into the darkness beneath the porch I wondered aloud how bad the situation might turn if I suddenly came face-to-face (and hopefully not face-to-butt) with the resident skunk.

I’ve had some interesting adventures involving skunks in traps, the worst of which led to a drive home in my underwear so I didn’t totally contaminate the inside of my truck. Looking back, I can call them interesting now, but at the time my descriptions were slightly different. Skunks are fairly laid back critters and if caught in an enclosed or covered cage trap can usually be carted away in the trap and unceremoniously dumped somewhere without incident.

Some years ago as a new trapper, I caught one in a large cage trap set for bobcats, possibly a first for both me and the skunk. As I slowly approached the cage, the silly thing ran to the back and began an acrobatics display fit for a circus. First up one side, across the back by its front claws then down the other side it went, twirling like a little black and white ballerina. With great effort and a long stick I got the cage door propped open, then turned and ran cause’ I knew Pepe’ would be charging the open door for his freedom. At a safe distance I turned to watch, and there it still hung like Spiderman on the inside of the cage.

My next plan involved rushing the cage, arms flailing and shouting at the top of my lungs, hoping to scare the critter out the open front door. It didn’t take me long to see how this would turn disastrous and the maneuver was called off in mid-charge. I had other traps to check, so I opted to leave for awhile, then just stop on my way back through and reset the trap after Pepe’ had vamoosed. A half hour later I found it still in the trap, curled up in a fuzzy little black and white ball in the back corner of the cage. I finally just left and the thing vanished sometime overnight.

My latest encounter was just last season. A short distance from town I had a large skunk caught in a foothold coyote trap. Despite most people’s thinking, foothold traps usually cause a critter no more than a sore foot for awhile, but this skunk appeared to be stone cold dead. I stood and marveled at its beautiful silky fur as it rippled in the wind, and tried to figure what had caused its demise. It had the trap completely covered so I needed to push it aside to remove it. Both the skunk and the trap were going to stink already, and not anxious to drive home again in my stocking feet or underwear, I found a nice sturdy stick to roll it out of the way. I don’t know who was most surprised, the sleeping skunk when I poked it with the stick or me when it suddenly jumped to its feet! This encounter did not end in disaster (for me) but it gave new meaning to the old cliché’ “Things are not always as they seem.”

I’ve never understood how the term “skunked” came to mean basically getting nothing, as in getting “skunked” on a fishing trip. They are amazing little creatures that are very good at doing what God created them to do. Their fur is soft and silky, their essence is prized by trappers and the perfume industry and they’re actually fun to watch as they waddle along. But if you ever get “skunked” by messing with one, I guarantee you’ll get way more than nothing!

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

Sometimes you look at a creature and wonder how it evolved. Kangaroos and platypus come to mind, but they’re Australian. The critter I’m most curious about is one frequently seen squashed on Texas and Oklahoma Interstates–the armadillo. Not long ago, I spied an immigrant armadillo flattened on I-70 in Trego County.

Just as African killer bees keep moving north from South America, it appears invading armadillos add to regional highway death tolls. These elliptical fellows must not know about our winters, or they’d keep their hairy little scutes in warmer climates.

Perhaps they should reconsider these migrations since farmers and ranchers love armadillos about as much as they love prairie dogs. Despite their lack of popularity with agricultural folk, these prehistoric beasties won my heart years ago when I discovered their ability to vertically leap six feet from a standing position.

This introduction occurred as I drove down an isolated road late at night. A bizarrely snouted creature supported on a short-legged and long clawed-ovoid body waddled across the road. My first thought was aliens had invaded. A newcomer to Oklahoma, I’d seen armadillos only in magazines. The vision before me compelled me to slow to a crawl.

For lack of definitive gender identification, I’ll call this guy a “he.” Thinking he would hurry across the road as I coasted, I decelerated further. This had a similar effect upon the varmint. Only he stopped like he was stuck in tar. I didn’t want to squash him, so I halted as well.

Thank goodness my brights were on so I got the full effect of his antics. That armadillo leapt straight up–a good foot above the hood of my 66 Plymouth. Headlights reflecting from his eyeballs added an eerie component to his comic jump. With that football-shape and those clawed feet sticking out at right angles, he hovered like a basketball player going for a tough lay up. Once more, aliens crossed my mind.

Under different circumstances that armadillo would have ended up as road kill. Because he surprised me on a county road that permitted me to ogle strange creatures, his jump simply surprised the two of us. No damage occurred and these beasts won a new fan. Had we been on Interstate, this would’ve been messy.
I’ve never seen an armadillo since that doesn’t trigger that memory. Mr. Been- Around-Since-Prehistoric-Times charmed me and began a love affair that lasts today.

Since that first meeting, I’ve collected over 50 armadillo figurines. Strangers spot them in my curio cabinet and ask what I might’ve asked nearly 40 years ago– “What’s that?” —opening the door to share odd facts about this New World trespasser.

Nine-banded armadillos living in the southern United States have unique characteristics that enable it to survive its slow march toward Canada. Besides the obvious physical adaptation of the hair covered shell that protects soft body parts and its jumping talent, armadillos are reproductive marvels.

Like some marsupials, female armadillos are able to delay fertilized egg development until optimum conditions exist. This species almost always bears four same-sex young—identical quadruplets in other words. According to James Michener’s Texas, females determine which gender they’ll bear. I haven’t verified this, but if true, these armored ones possess abilities some would pay millions to share.
Despite ranchers’ opinions about armadillos, I like them. I like anything that scares predators with a leap and a funny face. I like a critter that can select the gender of its offspring and when it delivers them.

I want another chance to watch an armadillo levitate and hover. However, I don’t want to meet on Interstate. I want both parties to survive unscathed.

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.

WEEKLY OVERVIEW

Last week was the final week of legislative activity before First Adjournment.  Early Sunday morning, the Senate gaveled out for adjournment and will reconvene on April 26^th or Veto Session.  The Senate voted on numerous conference committee reports, a tax reform bill, and a school finance plan.  A conference committee is a small, bipartisan, and bicameral committee that works to smooth out the differences between the House and Senate’s version of a similar bill. Once the conference committee reaches a compromise, the negotiated bill is sent to both the House and Senate for a final vote before advancing to the governor’s desk.  When the Senate gavels in on April 26^th, we will begin Veto Session and will wrap up any legislative loose ends for the year.

SCHOOL FINANCE

In the early hours of Sunday morning and after a night of debate, the Senate voted to concur on a school finance plan that the House sent over earlier that day. On Saturday morning, the House narrowly passed a school finance deal on a vote of 63-56. The House placed their original K-12 finance plan into a Senate bill and passed it to the Senate to either concur or non-concur on the deal. The House’s plan would add $500 million to public school funding over the next five years. The funding plan almost doubles the cost of the Senate’s proposed plan that passed earlier that week. The Senate voted 21-19 to concur, sending it to Governor Colyer’s desk for him to sign.  As this article was going to press, it was discovered that a calculation error was made in the bill – watch for a trailer bill to be debated before the entire education package can be turned over to the Attorney General (after the Governor’s signature) for the ruling of the Supreme Court case.

FLOOR ACTION

SENATE SCHOOL FINANCE PLAN:  Substitute Senate Bill 423 amends the Kansas School Equity and Enhancement Act by making appropriations to the Department of Education relating to school finance. Sub SB 423 would phase in a $275 million increase to education funding.

Some major policy provisions included in SB 423 are:

• Base aid for student excellence will increase from $4,006 to $4,258 in 2018-19, to $4,334 in 2019-20, to $4,412 in 2020-21, to $4,492 in 2021-22, and to $4,574 in 2022-23.
• Increase special education funding by $24 million in 2018-2019.
• Expand early childhood funding by increasing state aid for three- and four-year-old at-risk children by $3,000,000.
• Allow all students the opportunity to participate in ACT and ACT Work Keys funded by the state.
• Add $1,760,000 for ABC Early Childhood Program.
• Provide a pilot program for improvement of mental health services for school districts.
• Provides that all high school students may take a college class in Comp I at no cost to the student.

KANSAS TAX REFORM

Senate Substitute for House Bill 2228 amends current law allowing Kansans to receive the anticipated state windfall from federal tax reform. The bill increases the state’s standard income tax deduction and allows Kansans to itemize deductions for state income taxes if they don’t itemize deductions for federal taxation. The bill would accelerate restoration of itemized deductions on state income taxes. Currently, state law allows a 50 percent deduction for medical expenses, mortgage interest, and property taxes in 2018. S Sub 2228 would raise the deduction to 75 percent in tax year 2018 and 100 percent in tax year 2020.  The legislation also aims to bring more revenue into the state by taxing international income that is expected to flow back into the United States due to federal tax adjustment. An amendment was placed on the floor to grant a 50 percent state tax credit for donors to exhibit renovations at the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene. The bill will allow Kansans to keep the windfall money instead of the state government. It is estimated that the windfall could be around $137 million in the next fiscal year, $179 million in the subsequent fiscal year, and $187 million the following fiscal year.  The bill passed the Senate 24-16. 

CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORTS

House Bill 2470 would allow microbreweries within the state of Kansas to contract with other microbreweries for production and packaging of beer and hard cider. The bill amends law related to the sale of alcoholic candy and to the sale of domestic beer in refillable containers. HB 2470 allows licensed microbreweries in the state to produce beer containing up to 15 percent alcohol by weight. The bill also increases the length of time that certain businesses may serve alcohol to 6AM to 2AM.  The Conference Committee Report was adopted by a vote of 27-10. 

 House Bill 2606 amends law related to testing for a class M (motorcycle) driver’s license, online driver’s license renewal, and the length of time a commercial driver’s license is valid. The Conference Committee Report was adopted by a vote of 38-2.

House Bill 2597 would amend law regarding designation of an urban area. The bill amends law when a mayor is considered a member of a governing body. HB 2597 also deals with the compensation, supervision, personnel, and budgeting policies of election commissioners. The Conference Committee Report was adopted by a vote of 29-10. 

House Bill 2542 amends statutes for fees collected by the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) and performance-based budgeting requirements. HB 2542 also creates the Dyslexia Task Force that will conduct a study of issues and report to the Kansas Legislature by January 30, 2019. The Conference Committee Report was adopted by a vote of 40-0.

House Bill 2583 would create the Noxious Weed Act and repeal current Noxious Weed law. The Conference Committee Report was adopted by a vote of 35-5.

House Bill 2476 would amend the section of the Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) related to the unlawful use of names derived from public records. The bill would create an additional exception to the general prohibition in KORA against selling, giving, or receiving any list of names and addresses from public records for sales purposes. The Conference Committee Report was adopted by a vote of 39-1. 

Senate Substitute for Senate Substitute for House Bill 2386 would amend law related to licensure, certification, or registration qualifications for employment at adult care homes, hospitals, and home health agencies. It would add all employees of the Kansas Commission on Veterans’ Affairs Office to the definition of “safety sensitive positions” found in law. The Conference Committee Report was adopted by a vote of 40-0.

Senate Substitute for House Bill 2600 would amend the Nuclear Energy Development and Radiation Control Act, provide for the study and investigation of maternal deaths by the Secretary of Health and Environment, and create the Palliative Care and Quality of Life Interdisciplinary Advisory Council and the State Palliative Care Consumer and Professional Information and Education Program within the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE).  The Conference Committee Report was adopted by a vote of 27-12.

 House Bill 2482 would amend law related to contracts between the State and persons or companies who are actively engaged in a boycott of Israel. The Conference Committee Report was adopted by a vote of 36-1. 

Substitute House Bill 2556 would establish the State Interoperability Advisory Committee in statute. Currently, a State Interoperability Executive Committee exists by executive order. The committee would provide input to the Adjutant General’s Department (TAG) for the development and deployment of centralized interoperable communications planning and implementation capacity for Kansas.  The Conference Committee Report was adopted by a vote of 37-3.

Senate Substitute for House Bill 2701 would establish the Statewide Broadband Expansion Planning Task Force. The Conference Committee Report was adopted by a vote of 40-0. 

Senate Substitute for House Bill 2028would establish the Kansas Telemedicine Act. The bill would also provide for coverage of speech-language pathologist and audiologist services via telehealth under the Kansas Medical Assistance Program (KMAP) if such services would be covered under KMAP when delivered via in-person contact.The Conference Committee Report was adopted by a vote of 24-14.

CONCURS

Senate Bill 324amends the vehicle dealers and manufacturers licensing act. The Senate concurred on House amendments 37-0. 

Senate Bill 410updates captive insurance statutes and provides for association and branch captive insurance companies and special purpose insurance companies. The Senate concurred on House amendments 39-0.

Senate Bill 394ensures transparency in state government contract decisions. The Senate concurred on House amendments 40-0.

Senate Bill 275relates to mid-term appointments of credit union council members. The Senate concurred on House amendments 40-0.

Senate Bill 263creates a program to research the use of industrial hemp. The Senate concurred on House amendments 40-0.

CONSIDERATION OF APPOINTMENTS

The Senate confirmed Dwight Keen to serve on the Kansas Corporation Commission. Keen is a co-owner of Keen Oil Co., a Winfield, Kan., oil and gas production company. He has served as Securities Commissioner of Kansas and board chair for the Kansas Independent Oil and Gas Association. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s in economics from Wichita State University and received a law degree from Kansas University. Keen was nominated last month by Governor Jeff Colyer and replaces Pat Apple on the three-person commission after Apple announced in December that he would not seek reappointment.

The Senate confirmed Keen on Saturday April 7^th.

GOV. COLYER, COMMERCE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCE COMMUNITIES TO BE DESIGNATED AS OPPORTUNITY ZONES – Senate District #36  

Governor Jeff Colyer and officials from state government agencies have completed a review of Letters of Interest submitted from communities across the state to be considered for designation as Opportunity Zones. Opportunity Zones are a new economic development tool enacted by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 designed to encourage long-term investments in low-income urban and rural communities. Based upon the number of low-income communities identified by the Federal Census, the Governor may nominate up to 74 census tracts in Kansas for designation as Opportunity Zones.

In February, the Kansas Department of Commerce announced it would begin accepting Letters of Interest from communities to have their eligible low-income census tracts designated as Opportunity Zones. The communities with census tracts chosen to be included in Governor Colyer’s nominations for designation as Opportunity Zones include Belleville, Cloud County, Jewell County and Rooks County.

HARD FACTS FROM THE KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE

• Total tax receipts so far, this fiscal year total $4.8 billion, which is $673.61 million or 16.32 percent above last year at this time and $314.83 million above estimates for the year.
• Income tax collections for the fiscal year are $603.95 million above last year and $325.73 million above current expectations.
• March 2018 tax receipts came in $60.91 million over last March and $39.47 million above current expectations. Individual income tax collections in March were $77.88 million above last year. Sales tax receipts are up for the year by $38.36 million over last year.

Thank You for Engaging

Thank you for all of your calls, emails, and letters regarding your thoughts and concerns about happenings in Kansas. I always encourage you to stay informed of the issues under consideration by the Kansas Legislature. Committee schedules, bills, and other helpful information can be easily accessed through the legislature’s website at www.kslegislature.org. You are also able to ‘listen in live’ at this website or watch live at YouTube Streaming: http://bit.ly/2CZj9O0.  The Senate will be in session each day at 10:00AM through the wrap-up session. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts, concerns, and suggestions. An email is the best at this point in the session.

Thank you for the honor of serving you!

Senator Elaine Bowers
Kansas State Capitol Building
Room 223-E
300 SW 10th St.
Topeka, KS 66612
[email protected]
785-296-7389

On one the most limiting factors in western Kansas dryland cropping systems is moisture. It is critical that we do everything we can to capture and store as much water in the soil as possible. One of the key elements of doing this is to keep the soil covered with crop residue and crop canopy as much as possible. Not an easy task to accomplish in a semi-arid environment where sometimes we struggle to just grow a decent crop.

In Wheat – Row Crop – Fallow rotations, which are common in western Kansas, wheat stubble height can also help in storing more soil moisture. Tall stubble decreases the wind speeds at the soil surface which slows the water evaporation rate at the soil surface. Less evaporation means more moisture is stored in the soil profile that can be used by the next crop.

Tall wheat stubble also provides more “snow catch” when we have winters with snow. During a heavy snow event, with wind, a tall wheat stubble field will be filled with snow to the top of the stubble. Depending on the year this can be twice as much then a field that has a low stubble height.

I know the tendency for most farmers and custom cutters is to have the header cutter bar low enough so every last “sucker head” goes through the combine. In reality most of these heads have very little grain and it’s generally has a lower test weight. Research completed by Kansas State University shows that if you run the header cutter bar just 10” below the top of the majority of wheat heads the amount of heads not harvested is less than one half of a percent. So in a sixty bushel wheat crop you would lose about 0.3 bushels of wheat.

So it would only stand to reason that the more moisture we capture and store in the moisture profile the higher the yields would be in the next crop. Several years Kansas State University research shows corn yields on an average can be increased by around 10%. Grain sorghum yields weren’t quite as dramatic but still increased by 3 – 5%. Most of the yield increase was due to the increased of amount of kernels per ear or head, and increased kernel size. On tall wheat stubble plots the wheat after corn also showed a three to five bushel increase indicating that the benefits are there for multiple years.

An added bonus to the tall stubble height is that it provides excellent habitat for upland game birds. Research completed several years ago by Kansas Wildlife and Parks shows that increasing stubble height from about 8 inches to around 18 inches more than doubled the amount of pheasants the field.

On our farm we use a stripper header to harvest our wheat. This header just removes the kernels out of the head leaving the stubble height the same as the original wheat plant height. As expected, the stripper straw fields typically have more moisture at the soil surface than fields that were harvested with a conventional header. This helps get the next crop up and growing, especially in a dry spring. It also works well in lodged wheat. Since it uses fingers attached to a high speed rotor the header actually lifts and stands the wheat stubble up again nearly to the height that it originally was.

For more information about this or other soil health practices you can contact me at [email protected] or any local NRCS office.

By RON WILSON
Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development

The Facebook post came from Mike Rowe, the nationally-known television host and advocate for American workers. His post featured a beautiful rocking chair and the craftsman who made it in the heartland of rural Kansas.

Zack Schaffer is the owner, founder and sole employee of Schaffer Furniture which was recently featured on Mike Rowe’s Facebook page. Zack grew up on a farm and ranch near Jetmore. “I took wood shop in high school to avoid calculus and trigonometry,” Zack said. He majored in industrial technology at Fort Hays State.

Zack specialized in making hand-crafted wooden furniture. Due to the fact that there were no fine furniture makers nearby, his required internship for degree completion was the implementation of a self-directed project in fine furniture making. He designed and built a cherry Queen Anne style highboy.

“For the tools I had at the time, it was phenomenal, but looking back it was pretty crude,” Zack said. After graduation, he moved back to the ranch and got married. During off times or after chores were done, Zack continued to work with wood.

He started working in his dad’s shop, a converted two-car garage. He watched videos, became a self-taught craftsman, improved his craft, and started selling his handmade wood products. In September 2017 Zack bought a building on the main street in Jetmore, expanded his inventory of tools and opened Schaffer Furniture.

Today, Schaffer Furniture is shipping its handmade products from Philadelphia to California. Each item is custom-built. “A bed is kind of a standard design for anybody, but a chair has to fit each individual person,” Zack said. He designs his chairs to support the lumbar region and take stress off the sciatic nerve. He produces rocking chairs, other chairs, cribs, desks, bar stools, and more.

His raw wood comes from all over the U.S. “I get slabs from Oregon to New York,” Zack said. His wood rasps come from France. Through word of mouth, his products have become known for their craftsmanship. “One guy in DC bought a chair for his mom,” he said.

Zack is also a fan of Mike Rowe, the host of television shows such as Dirty Jobs on the Discovery Channel and the CNN series Somebody’s Gotta Do It. Zack especially appreciated his creation of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation which supports those working in the skilled trades.

Zack decided to send Mike Rowe a handmade rocking chair. “It was meant as a gift to thank him for what he’s doing,” Zack said. When Mike Rowe got the rocking chair, he posted a response on Facebook on March 16, 2018. Here’s an excerpt:

“Zack Schaffer is a wheat farmer in Jetmore, Kansas. He runs 200 head of cattle. He lives with his wife Renee and their new son, Henry… When Zack’s not farming, he’s making furniture….Zack made me a rocking chair. It arrived at my home today. It’s made of solid walnut, and it’s stunning…. Here’s the thing about Zack. I don’t know him from Adam. He’s just a farmer who called my office one day and said, ‘Hi, I’m Zack. I make furniture and I love what mikeroweWORKS is doing. I’d like to send Mike a handmade rocking chair, as a token of my appreciation. Do you think he’d like a handmade rocking chair?’ Who says “no” to a handmade rocking chair? I’m not only humbled by Zack’s gift, I’m blown away by his craftsmanship. Here’s a young man, raising a family in America’s heartland by growing the food we eat, and making something as beautiful as it is useful. By hand. One piece at a time…I called Zack Schaffer this morning to thank him for his gift. He was impossibly gracious…We talked about his grandparents, Dan and Ruby. We talked about the challenges of farming, and of furniture making…I think he does amazing work.”

I’m proud that this craftsman is found in the rural community of Jetmore, population 867 people. Now, that’s rural. For more information, see www.schafferfurniture.com.

We commend Zack Schaffer for making a difference with his craftsmanship and entrepreneurship. I think it rocks.

TOPEKA — Prepare yourself and your family by deciding on financial and insurance priorities as you approach retirement, say Ken Selzer CPA, Kansas Commissioner of Insurance; and John Wine, Kansas Securities Commissioner.

“Changes in employee benefits, health care, longer life spans, and uncertainty with Social Security and Medicare are challenges for today’s older Kansans,” Commissioner Selzer said.  Those ages 40-65 should look to develop financial preparedness for their retirement years.”

“Simple things, such as being proactive and routinely assessing your financial preparedness for retirement, are great first steps toward achieving a financially secure and dignified retirement,” said Commissioner Wine.

Both commissioners ask fellow Kansans to consider the following points as part of retirement plans.

• Develop a plan to save and invest — Developing a plan and starting to save and invest early are the first steps toward a financially secure future. Waiting until later requires much more aggressive investing and may even require working longer.  In general, experts recommend saving and investing 10 to 20 percent of annual income each year, depending on age and the number of years until retirement.
• Learn the basics of financial planning — Retirement planning and preparedness are at critically inadequate levels, with studies showing the majority of Americans lacking any kind of retirement savings strategy. Learning the basics of investment and insurance needs is important.
• Consider seeking out a financial professional — Many Kansans who are unsure about where to begin may benefit from developing a retirement income plan with the help of a trusted, qualified adviser. A knowledgeable adviser could help define life goals, identify risks, and establish the right financial picture.
• Study your insurance policies and options — Kansans nearing retirement age should review their insurance options with a local, trusted agent.  Life insurance, annuities, Medicare supplement insurance, health insurance, and long-term care insurance are all possible topics of discussion. Be sure to know the details of any current or future policies.

The Kansas Insurance Department has publications available for download or ordering that address retirement-age considerations, including “Life Insurance and Annuity Basics,” “Medicare Supplement Insurance Shopper’s Guide,” and “Health Insurance in Kansas.” Go to www.ksinsurance.org under “Finding a Publication” to print or order copies.

Kansans can also contact the department’s Consumer Assistance Hotline at 1-800-432-2484 to speak to a representative about insurance needs, or they can “chat” with a representative through the online service on the website.

The Office of the Kansas Securities Commissioner also has a booklet entitled “Maximize Your Retirement Investments,” which is a step-by-step guide to better investing for the long term.  Copies are available online at www.ksc.ks.gov/index.aspx?nid=114.

“Every day nearly 10,000 Baby Boomers enter their retirement years, according to the Insured Retirement Institute,” said Commissioner Selzer. “Whatever your financial goals are for your retirement years, periodic consultation with an insurance agent and financial adviser could be important.”