Kansas farmers have always
endured - it is often one of the first things written in the story of who we
are. We built the farms, the towns, the economic power that brought the
railroads and we became stewards of this land. Kansas farmers have spent
generations knowing that we were keeping a promise to all those that came
before us and would come after us. We built Kansas and the cities sprung from
our success. 

Now though, that promise to the farm has become much harder to
keep even as our cities boom - and we can’t forget that it's the farmers that
put food on the table and over $8 billion in economic power to the state. 

We
have seen crises before in the farming community, the economic collapse that
nearly destroyed family farming, droughts, fires, and poor harvests - but we
are still here.

So now, why are we looking at our kids and the next generation
of farmers and asking ourselves if it is fair or worth it to ask them to keep
this promise? 

Market swings that drive up costs of fertilizers, fuel, equipment
and supplies, they all drive up the price of doing business - but these factors
pale in comparison to the costs facing young farmers. Crippling debt for
college when they pursue agriculture or related sciences and studies, housing
costs that are exponentially higher than what their parents faced, and a
business environment that requires infrastructure like high speed internet,
access to global markets, and understanding of global economic conditions.

 It's
hard to be a farmer but it doesn’t have to be this hard. 

It's time for the
politicians that are supposed to be representing our communities to do their
jobs. 

The solutions are simple, and some leaders in Kansas are focused on clean
simple solutions - but others are still spending way too much time telling us
who to be mad at instead of working for us, and that’s not how your government
should treat you. 

The Kansas House Democrats and Treasurer Lynn Rogers have
introduced a plan that helps fight back against the things drawing the next
generation of Kansas farmers away from the fields, by providing the family farm
with a tool to pay off the student loan debt that pushes these young farmers
away. 

One of the three provisions of the package is for a student loan
repayment program, or tuition reimbursement program. 

The family farm can now
offer to pay off the balance of student loans carried by your returning
graduate and receive a tax credit up to $5,250 from the state to balance the
burden. 

This package is a path towards financial
freedom for the folks in your family who want to learn about agricultural and related
fields in school and come back to put that learning to use on the farm or
another agribusiness position, but don’t have the capital to handle the debt
trap that student loans can create. They have to work for it, as it’s the
family business offering the relief and receiving the credit from the state,
but it’s a path where their hard work can pay off big. 

Passing the farm to the
next generation is how we keep Kansas farmers feeding the country for
generations to come, but in order to do that we have to give our families
pathways that aren’t a handout, but are just a little easier for our kids to
work their way down towards financial freedom and education. 

So let’s work
together to carry the farm to the next generation. Let’s support this tax
package and create pathways that encourage our next generation of farmers to
find their homes in Kansas

Democrat Lynn Rogers is the Kansas State Treasurer.&nbsp;He grew up on a large&nbsp;hog&nbsp;farm in rural Nebraska. Rogers&nbsp;is running for re-election in November.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665763423321.jpeg" alt="Lynn Rogers, Kansas State Treasurer" />
 <figcaption>Lynn Rogers, Kansas State Treasurer</figcaption>
 </figure>We can’t let this be how it ends. Kansas farmers have always
endured - it is often one of the first things written in the story of who we
are. We built the farms, the towns, the economic power that brought the
railroads and we became stewards of this land. Kansas farmers have spent
generations knowing that we were keeping a promise to all those that came
before us and would come after us. We built Kansas and the cities sprung from
our success. Now though, that promise to the farm has become much harder to
keep even as our cities boom - and we can’t forget that it's the farmers that
put food on the table and over $8 billion in economic power to the state. We
have seen crises before in the farming community, the economic collapse that
nearly destroyed family farming, droughts, fires, and poor harvests - but we
are still here.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>So now, why are we looking at our kids and the next generation
of farmers and asking ourselves if it is fair or worth it to ask them to keep
this promise? Market swings that drive up costs of fertilizers, fuel, equipment
and supplies, they all drive up the price of doing business - but these factors
pale in comparison to the costs facing young farmers. Crippling debt for
college when they pursue agriculture or related sciences and studies, housing
costs that are exponentially higher than what their parents faced, and a
business environment that requires infrastructure like high speed internet,
access to global markets, and understanding of global economic conditions. It's
hard to be a farmer but it doesn’t have to be this hard. It's time for the
politicians that are supposed to be representing our communities to do their
jobs. The solutions are simple, and some leaders in Kansas are focused on clean
simple solutions - but others are still spending way too much time telling us
who to be mad at instead of working for us, and that’s not how your government
should treat you. The Kansas House Democrats and Treasurer Lynn Rogers have
introduced a plan that helps fight back against the things drawing the next
generation of Kansas farmers away from the fields, by providing the family farm
with a tool to pay off the student loan debt that pushes these young farmers
away. One of the three provisions of the package is for a student loan
repayment program, or tuition reimbursement program. The family farm can now
offer to pay off the balance of student loans carried by your returning
graduate and receive a tax credit up to $5,250 from the state to balance the
burden. First, it just has to pass. This package is a path towards financial
freedom for the folks in your family who want to learn about agricultural and related
fields in school and come back to put that learning to use on the farm or
another agribusiness position, but don’t have the capital to handle the debt
trap that student loans can create. They have to work for it, as it’s the
family business offering the relief and receiving the credit from the state,
but it’s a path where their hard work can pay off big. Passing the farm to the
next generation is how we keep Kansas farmers feeding the country for
generations to come, but in order to do that we have to give our families
pathways that aren’t a handout, but are just a little easier for our kids to
work their way down towards financial freedom and education. So let’s work
together to carry the farm to the next generation. Let’s support this tax
package and create pathways that encourage our next generation of farmers to
find their homes in KansasDemocrat Lynn Rogers is the Kansas State Treasurer.&nbsp;He grew up on a large&nbsp;hog&nbsp;farm in rural Nebraska. Rogers&nbsp;is running for re-election in November.&nbsp;

ROGERS: Carrying the farm to the next generation

As it was pointed out in the Fiction vs Fact letter published in Hays Post, Sept. 30, my Democratic opponent continues to believe that if he states his opinion enough times that people will somehow believe it is fact. &nbsp;But the voters of Ellis County are smarter than that.

He says that I will not support Obamacare Expansion and he also claims that Fort Hays show receive $20 million to $30 million in additional funding per year. &nbsp;The following are my actual and stated positions on each issue.

FACT:​​ I am not against the idea of Obamacare expansion itself. But so far legislation to expand Obamacare proposed in the state House has&nbsp;not&nbsp;included&nbsp;the three things that need to be addressed in a financially responsible way:&nbsp;&nbsp;1.&nbsp;Work Requirement Issue – Obamacare expansion almost forces applicants to not work and penalizes those who make too much money; 2. &nbsp;Making sure expansion legislation doesn’t push the disabled population further down the list of applicants; and 3. include&nbsp;an automatic trigger if the federal government reimbursement rate falls below 90%.

FACT: &nbsp;​​It is absolute fact that Fort Hays gets full funding for the programs that it provides its students. It is also true that my opponent’s claim is not&nbsp;based in reality. His&nbsp;opinion is based on a comparison with Wichita State University that compares&nbsp;apples to oranges. This session Fort Hays got an additional&nbsp;$5 million to renovate Gross Memorial&nbsp;Coliseum as well as&nbsp;$500,000 for their cybersecurity&nbsp;program. &nbsp;Also in 2022, higher education received $160 million to cover revenue not received from tuition increases. &nbsp;Neither the Regents nor the governor pushed for Fort Hays,&nbsp;but&nbsp;I did. &nbsp;

The choice is clear on Nov. 8. &nbsp;Vote for someone who works for you,&nbsp;and advocates for our community. &nbsp;Vote for&nbsp;me,&nbsp;Barb Wasinger.

As it was pointed out in the Fiction vs Fact letter published in Hays Post, Sept. 30, my Democratic opponent continues to believe that if he states his opinion enough times that people will somehow believe it is fact. &nbsp;But the voters of Ellis County are smarter than that.He says that I will not support Obamacare Expansion and he also claims that Fort Hays show receive $20 million to $30 million in additional funding per year. &nbsp;The following are my actual and stated positions on each issue.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>FACT:​​ I am not against the idea of Obamacare expansion itself. But so far legislation to expand Obamacare proposed in the state House has&nbsp;not&nbsp;included&nbsp;the three things that need to be addressed in a financially responsible way:&nbsp;&nbsp;1.&nbsp;Work Requirement Issue – Obamacare expansion almost forces applicants to not work and penalizes those who make too much money; 2. &nbsp;Making sure expansion legislation doesn’t push the disabled population further down the list of applicants; and 3. include&nbsp;an automatic trigger if the federal government reimbursement rate falls below 90%.FACT: &nbsp;​​It is absolute fact that Fort Hays gets full funding for the programs that it provides its students. It is also true that my opponent’s claim is not&nbsp;based in reality. His&nbsp;opinion is based on a comparison with Wichita State University that compares&nbsp;apples to oranges. This session Fort Hays got an additional&nbsp;$5 million to renovate Gross Memorial&nbsp;Coliseum as well as&nbsp;$500,000 for their cybersecurity&nbsp;program. &nbsp;Also in 2022, higher education received $160 million to cover revenue not received from tuition increases. &nbsp;Neither the Regents nor the governor pushed for Fort Hays,&nbsp;but&nbsp;I did. &nbsp;The choice is clear on Nov. 8. &nbsp;Vote for someone who works for you,&nbsp;and advocates for our community. &nbsp;Vote for&nbsp;me,&nbsp;Barb Wasinger.State Rep. Barb Wasinger, R-Hays

LETTER: Fact versus fiction, part II

Simply put, I created this column so that I could write stories about remarkable people like the reigning Miss Kansas, Ayanna Hensley. Life for Ayanna was a&nbsp;challenge&nbsp;from the start. She grew up in Dodge City, the child of two parents whose substance abuse issues led to related criminal activity.&nbsp;She never knew what would happen when she got up each day or what awaited her after the school day.&nbsp;

“My parents were young, and truthfully neither one of them&nbsp;was&nbsp;anticipating a child. I was the result of a teen pregnancy. Although there have been highs and lows in my relationships with my parents, I am grateful they sacrificed what they could in order to help support me in my endeavors today,” said Ayanna.

While other children her age enjoyed birthday parties, sleepovers,&nbsp;and family dinners, she was subject to abuse, neglect, and poverty. Trauma was something the young Ayanna simply had to learn to live with&nbsp;to&nbsp;survive. That was until she entered the second grade. Then, Ayanna encountered one of the first adults who recognized her as a traumatized child and did something to help.&nbsp;

Her teacher, Karen Bartholomay, noticed that Ayanna often fell asleep in class, tended to wear the same clothes every day, and couldn’t handle even the slightest disruption or conflict. Karen created a “book club” for her and select classmates. This fed her natural love of reading and helped her develop social skills and relationships with classmates. She also&nbsp;allowed&nbsp;Ayanna to nap when she needed it&nbsp;and provided her&nbsp;with a snack drawer&nbsp;in the classroom she&nbsp;could go to on the days when she had nothing at home to eat. She didn’t know it at the time, but the kindness of Karen Bartholomy instilled in&nbsp;a&nbsp;very young Ayanna a glimmer of hope that life for her didn’t&nbsp;always&nbsp;have to be&nbsp;a struggle.&nbsp;

Still, it wasn’t until middle school that Ayanna realized that the dynamics&nbsp;of&nbsp;her life differed from other students. Fortunately for Ayanna, the transition from middle to high school would also serve as a transformative experience for Ayanna. Cross country would be the catalyst for her transformation. She found a “tribe” in athletic competition that welcomed, respected, and supported her. She won her share of races but also learned to become a good teammate and leader. Competitive team sports also created structure and stability she had never known.&nbsp;

“Sports instilled consistency and accountability when I needed it most. I found an escape in activities that pushed me to be a better athlete and overall leader,” said Ayanna.

As a high school senior, Ayanna earned a prestigious Rudd Scholarship. The Rudd Scholarship is a Kansas program for Kansas residents who qualify for a Pell Grant and have the grit and determination to achieve their long-term goals. She arrived on&nbsp;the FHSU&nbsp;campus in the fall of 2019 with the intention of&nbsp;pursuing her&nbsp;love of dance&nbsp;as a member of&nbsp;the Tiger Debs Dance Team.&nbsp;

Entering FHSU, she also decided to make the most of the opportunity.&nbsp;During her freshman year of college, she decided to compete for the title of Miss Kansas.&nbsp;

“I finally had&nbsp;the&nbsp;money&nbsp;I needed&nbsp;to pursue the things I wanted to do, so I made a promise to myself to try new things. One of my high school friends had competed, and I saw her confidence grow through her involvement, so I figured,&nbsp;why not?” said Ayanna.

She took a bold leap and entered the world of competitive scholarship pageants, winning the Dodge City/Cowboy Capital/Boot Hill Scholarship Competition in her hometown of Dodge City. She parleyed that success into the opportunity to compete for the title of Miss Kansas. She finished second in the 2021 competition.&nbsp;

She re-entered the Miss Kansas competition in 2022, winning the title of Miss Kiowa County and again qualifying for the statewide competition. She won that competition in June of this year, and you might think that might be the culmination of a dream, but it was just the start for Ayanna.&nbsp;

Ayanna’s decision to compete for the Miss Kansas title was not a pursuit of personal fame and glory; it was always going to be about using the platform to make a difference in the lives of children who, like her, are stuck in a cycle of abuse, neglect, and poverty. Each Miss Kansas is required to create a social impact initiative. ACE’s Low: Overcoming Adverse Childhood Experiences is the title of Ayanna’s initiative. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes “ACEs” as adverse childhood experiences that can tremendously impact future violence victimization, perpetration, lifelong health, and opportunity. ACEs include all types of abuse and neglect, such as parental substance use, incarceration, and domestic violence.

As the newly crowned Miss Kansas, Ayanna immediately dove into the vital work of advancing her ACE’s&nbsp;low initiative, crisscrossing the state and taking advantage of every opportunity to share the story of her experiences and how her faith has changed her life. She credits her faith with bringing people into her life who helped her reach her potential. She further credits her faith with providing her with a sense of consistency in new and often foreign environments, like scholarship pageants and public speaking tours.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Now four months into her service as Miss Kansas, Ayanna has made frequent appearances in Hays and&nbsp;on the FHSU&nbsp;campus. She was in Hays on September 15 to participate in the FHSU Language and Literacy Institute’s family literacy night at the Hays Masonic Lodge 195. The following day, she was on campus to promote a new FHSU scholarship program for Miss Kansas scholarship competition participants. She returned to campus on September 20 to join K12 education, mental health, and social work professionals for a live-streamed panel discussion on students and trauma.&nbsp;

I had the opportunity to meet Ayanna a few weeks ago, and I was struck by her seemingly boundless energy and her clear-eyed and complete dedication to using her opportunity as Miss&nbsp;Kansas 2022 to do good work and make a difference. That work includes childhood literacy and mentorship through a partnership with the Big Brothers and Big Sisters network in Kansas. But her principal focus will be on bringing awareness to the issue of childhood trauma.&nbsp;&nbsp;

This amazing young woman endured and ultimately overcame years of childhood trauma that could have led to despair and getting sucked into the cycle of addiction, abuse, and neglect that had taken so much from her family. Ayanna Hensley personifies the characteristics of the wonderful people I speak about all the time in this column. She is persistent when the going gets tough and finds innovative ways to turn her Miss Kansas opportunity into a catalyst to make impactful change in our communities. And Ayanna does it all with an ethic of care in service to others, demonstrating&nbsp;what it means to approach life with the “heart of a tiger.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575301942236.jpeg" alt="Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU president" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU president</figcaption>
 </figure>Simply put, I created this column so that I could write stories about remarkable people like the reigning Miss Kansas, Ayanna Hensley. Life for Ayanna was a&nbsp;challenge&nbsp;from the start. She grew up in Dodge City, the child of two parents whose substance abuse issues led to related criminal activity.&nbsp;She never knew what would happen when she got up each day or what awaited her after the school day.&nbsp;“My parents were young, and truthfully neither one of them&nbsp;was&nbsp;anticipating a child. I was the result of a teen pregnancy. Although there have been highs and lows in my relationships with my parents, I am grateful they sacrificed what they could in order to help support me in my endeavors today,” said Ayanna.While other children her age enjoyed birthday parties, sleepovers,&nbsp;and family dinners, she was subject to abuse, neglect, and poverty. Trauma was something the young Ayanna simply had to learn to live with&nbsp;to&nbsp;survive. That was until she entered the second grade. Then, Ayanna encountered one of the first adults who recognized her as a traumatized child and did something to help.&nbsp;Her teacher, Karen Bartholomay, noticed that Ayanna often fell asleep in class, tended to wear the same clothes every day, and couldn’t handle even the slightest disruption or conflict. Karen created a “book club” for her and select classmates. This fed her natural love of reading and helped her develop social skills and relationships with classmates. She also&nbsp;allowed&nbsp;Ayanna to nap when she needed it&nbsp;and provided her&nbsp;with a snack drawer&nbsp;in the classroom she&nbsp;could go to on the days when she had nothing at home to eat. She didn’t know it at the time, but the kindness of Karen Bartholomy instilled in&nbsp;a&nbsp;very young Ayanna a glimmer of hope that life for her didn’t&nbsp;always&nbsp;have to be&nbsp;a struggle.&nbsp;Still, it wasn’t until middle school that Ayanna realized that the dynamics&nbsp;of&nbsp;her life differed from other students. Fortunately for Ayanna, the transition from middle to high school would also serve as a transformative experience for Ayanna. Cross country would be the catalyst for her transformation. She found a “tribe” in athletic competition that welcomed, respected, and supported her. She won her share of races but also learned to become a good teammate and leader. Competitive team sports also created structure and stability she had never known.&nbsp;“Sports instilled consistency and accountability when I needed it most. I found an escape in activities that pushed me to be a better athlete and overall leader,” said Ayanna.As a high school senior, Ayanna earned a prestigious Rudd Scholarship. The Rudd Scholarship is a Kansas program for Kansas residents who qualify for a Pell Grant and have the grit and determination to achieve their long-term goals. She arrived on&nbsp;the FHSU&nbsp;campus in the fall of 2019 with the intention of&nbsp;pursuing her&nbsp;love of dance&nbsp;as a member of&nbsp;the Tiger Debs Dance Team.&nbsp;Entering FHSU, she also decided to make the most of the opportunity.&nbsp;During her freshman year of college, she decided to compete for the title of Miss Kansas.&nbsp;“I finally had&nbsp;the&nbsp;money&nbsp;I needed&nbsp;to pursue the things I wanted to do, so I made a promise to myself to try new things. One of my high school friends had competed, and I saw her confidence grow through her involvement, so I figured,&nbsp;why not?” said Ayanna.She took a bold leap and entered the world of competitive scholarship pageants, winning the Dodge City/Cowboy Capital/Boot Hill Scholarship Competition in her hometown of Dodge City. She parleyed that success into the opportunity to compete for the title of Miss Kansas. She finished second in the 2021 competition.&nbsp;She re-entered the Miss Kansas competition in 2022, winning the title of Miss Kiowa County and again qualifying for the statewide competition. She won that competition in June of this year, and you might think that might be the culmination of a dream, but it was just the start for Ayanna.&nbsp;Ayanna’s decision to compete for the Miss Kansas title was not a pursuit of personal fame and glory; it was always going to be about using the platform to make a difference in the lives of children who, like her, are stuck in a cycle of abuse, neglect, and poverty. Each Miss Kansas is required to create a social impact initiative. ACE’s Low: Overcoming Adverse Childhood Experiences is the title of Ayanna’s initiative. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes “ACEs” as adverse childhood experiences that can tremendously impact future violence victimization, perpetration, lifelong health, and opportunity. ACEs include all types of abuse and neglect, such as parental substance use, incarceration, and domestic violence.As the newly crowned Miss Kansas, Ayanna immediately dove into the vital work of advancing her ACE’s&nbsp;low initiative, crisscrossing the state and taking advantage of every opportunity to share the story of her experiences and how her faith has changed her life. She credits her faith with bringing people into her life who helped her reach her potential. She further credits her faith with providing her with a sense of consistency in new and often foreign environments, like scholarship pageants and public speaking tours.&nbsp;&nbsp;Now four months into her service as Miss Kansas, Ayanna has made frequent appearances in Hays and&nbsp;on the FHSU&nbsp;campus. She was in Hays on September 15 to participate in the FHSU Language and Literacy Institute’s family literacy night at the Hays Masonic Lodge 195. The following day, she was on campus to promote a new FHSU scholarship program for Miss Kansas scholarship competition participants. She returned to campus on September 20 to join K12 education, mental health, and social work professionals for a live-streamed panel discussion on students and trauma.&nbsp;I had the opportunity to meet Ayanna a few weeks ago, and I was struck by her seemingly boundless energy and her clear-eyed and complete dedication to using her opportunity as Miss&nbsp;Kansas 2022 to do good work and make a difference. That work includes childhood literacy and mentorship through a partnership with the Big Brothers and Big Sisters network in Kansas. But her principal focus will be on bringing awareness to the issue of childhood trauma.&nbsp;&nbsp;This amazing young woman endured and ultimately overcame years of childhood trauma that could have led to despair and getting sucked into the cycle of addiction, abuse, and neglect that had taken so much from her family. Ayanna Hensley personifies the characteristics of the wonderful people I speak about all the time in this column. She is persistent when the going gets tough and finds innovative ways to turn her Miss Kansas opportunity into a catalyst to make impactful change in our communities. And Ayanna does it all with an ethic of care in service to others, demonstrating&nbsp;what it means to approach life with the “heart of a tiger.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Heart of a Tiger: Meet Ayanna Hensley

By KIM BALDWIN McPherson County farmer and rancher The morning air has turned crisp, the temperatures have begun to drop, and the sun noticeably rises a little bit later every morning. It is definitely beginning to feel like fall on the farm. Most evenings are also filled with a layer of dust in the atmosphere stirred up by the steady movement of the combines and tractors in the surrounding fields.&nbsp; While we continue to bring the grain out of the fields during fall harvest, we have also turned our attention to the fields that will soon have green shoots growing. It’s time to start sowing wheat. After missing rain showers practically all summer, we recently received some much-needed moisture. The slow, steady rain provided us assurance that it does, in fact, still rain on occasion.&nbsp; But it also provided our soil with enough moisture to ensure a good start for most of our wheat. The hard red winter wheat we place into the ground every fall has proven time and time again it can handle a lot of extreme weather conditions throughout the year. From arctic blasts in the winter, late freezes and hailstorms in the late spring, we know this crop is hardy.&nbsp; But one thing the wheat absolutely needs to ensure a good start is moisture in the ground. For many months we’ve waited for it to rain. We’ve looked really hard for signs that a rain could be coming.&nbsp; We’ve been teased with chances of precipitation all summer to only see those chances dissipate to nothing within 10-day forecasts.

We’ve prayed for it to rain.&nbsp; And we breathed a sigh of relief and gave thanks when the small rain finally came. It’s amazing how something like a rain shower can completely alter our outlook. It’s as if a rain can wash away any doubt that might have settled in our minds.&nbsp; It’s cleansing and provides the rejuvenation of faith we all need to begin a new season. It encourages us to firmly believe many seeds can and will be produced from one tiny seed planted into the ground. As primarily dryland farmers, a rain shower is life-giving for our present and future crops alike. As we continue to sow the wheat into the soil this month, we know that we’ll need more rain to get to a successful harvest. And while the forecast doesn’t show any chance of precipitation in the near future, we’ll sow anyway.&nbsp; We’ll continue the tasks on the farm this fall and plan for a successful wheat crop this summer — all while patiently waiting on a rain.

"Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573617414005.jpeg" alt="Kim Baldwin" />
 <figcaption>Kim Baldwin</figcaption>
 </figure>By KIM BALDWIN McPherson County farmer and rancher The morning air has turned crisp, the temperatures have begun to drop, and the sun noticeably rises a little bit later every morning. It is definitely beginning to feel like fall on the farm. Most evenings are also filled with a layer of dust in the atmosphere stirred up by the steady movement of the combines and tractors in the surrounding fields.&nbsp; While we continue to bring the grain out of the fields during fall harvest, we have also turned our attention to the fields that will soon have green shoots growing. It’s time to start sowing wheat. After missing rain showers practically all summer, we recently received some much-needed moisture. The slow, steady rain provided us assurance that it does, in fact, still rain on occasion.&nbsp; But it also provided our soil with enough moisture to ensure a good start for most of our wheat. The hard red winter wheat we place into the ground every fall has proven time and time again it can handle a lot of extreme weather conditions throughout the year. From arctic blasts in the winter, late freezes and hailstorms in the late spring, we know this crop is hardy.&nbsp; But one thing the wheat absolutely needs to ensure a good start is moisture in the ground. For many months we’ve waited for it to rain. We’ve looked really hard for signs that a rain could be coming.&nbsp; We’ve been teased with chances of precipitation all summer to only see those chances dissipate to nothing within 10-day forecasts. We’ve prayed for it to rain.&nbsp; And we breathed a sigh of relief and gave thanks when the small rain finally came. It’s amazing how something like a rain shower can completely alter our outlook. It’s as if a rain can wash away any doubt that might have settled in our minds.&nbsp; It’s cleansing and provides the rejuvenation of faith we all need to begin a new season. It encourages us to firmly believe many seeds can and will be produced from one tiny seed planted into the ground. As primarily dryland farmers, a rain shower is life-giving for our present and future crops alike. As we continue to sow the wheat into the soil this month, we know that we’ll need more rain to get to a successful harvest. And while the forecast doesn’t show any chance of precipitation in the near future, we’ll sow anyway.&nbsp; We’ll continue the tasks on the farm this fall and plan for a successful wheat crop this summer — all while patiently waiting on a rain."Insight" is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state's largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.&nbsp;

Kansas Farm Bureau Insight: Waiting for rain

​I am concerned about the election for Kansas State Board of Education, District 5.

​What if the person who represented you in an office was someone that you knew had “skin in the game”? &nbsp;What if they spoke up for folks who don’t have a voice? &nbsp;What if they had demonstrated their commitment to healthy families and communities?&nbsp; Wouldn’t&nbsp;you really like to have someone like that in the office of the Fifth District of the Kansas State Board of Education?&nbsp;

<a></a>Write in Jean&nbsp;Clifford for District 5, Kansas State Board of education on &nbsp;your ballot on Nov. 8. &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>​I am concerned about the election for Kansas State Board of Education, District 5.​What if the person who represented you in an office was someone that you knew had “skin in the game”? &nbsp;What if they spoke up for folks who don’t have a voice? &nbsp;What if they had demonstrated their commitment to healthy families and communities?&nbsp; Wouldn’t&nbsp;you really like to have someone like that in the office of the Fifth District of the Kansas State Board of Education?&nbsp;You can do this. &nbsp; &nbsp;<a></a>Write in Jean&nbsp;Clifford for District 5, Kansas State Board of education on &nbsp;your ballot on Nov. 8. &nbsp;I know Jean. I trust Jean. &nbsp;Verna Rundell, Syracuse

LETTER: Write-in candidate best choice for state school board

By ERIC THOMAS <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/10/09/cameras-in-hand-parents-proudly-document-everything-is-that-whats-best-for-our-kids/">Courtesy Kansas Reflector</a>

Seventeen years ago, I pointed a 
gleaming silver camcorder at my newborn daughter as she alternated 
breathing and screaming during her first moments of life. She lay, eyes 
clenched in struggle, on a neonatal warming bed in an Overland Park 
hospital. When I glanced away from the LCD screen of the video camera, I
 could tell that her first gasps were healthy because the delivery nurse
 was smiling at Ella while checking her vitals.

My right finger looped around the top
 of the camera, toggling the lens of the camera to zoom in and capture a
 close-up. The image through the viewfinder blurred before the pixels 
snapped back into focus. Ella’s face filled the frame. I remember my 
wife’s voice — fatigued and faint — asking from across the hospital room
 if Ella was OK.

“She,” I said, my voice high-pitched 
and cracking with happiness. “She … is beautiful.” The last syllable 
trailed off on the video footage, my grip on the camera wavering with 
fatherly joy.

Since that moment, Ella’s life has 
been a seamless series of visuals. We are assembling the same visual 
timeline for her brother, born four years later.

The images follow, one after another.
 Yearbook portraits posed in school cafeterias converted for a day into 
photo studios. Videos from the sidelines. Selfies studded with the glint
 of middle-school braces. Snapchats sent from the backseat of a friend’s
 car on the way to the homecoming dance.

We have been here, whether with a 
cellphone camera or a digital SLR, in response to nearly every modestly 
significant twitch in her life arc. We stand poised with our iPhones. I 
crouch low with my camera, my SD card reformatted, to ensure that not 
even one digital image gets mangled. We preserve every moment we can.&nbsp;

The size of our image archive became 
clear this fall when a rite of high school senior year — the senior 
yearbook ad — forced me to narrow my catalog of nine bazillion images 
down to a handful. Which of the 3,587 photos of her with the dog should I
 choose? Which of the 7,962 photos of her at the barn should I choose?&nbsp;

Curating those photos — the daily 
chronicling of my daughter’s life — made me realize how thoroughly 
documented her life is. Along with so many others in her generation who 
stare back at the lens’ gaze, my daughter will not wonder what her life 
looked like. Her clothes in 2010. Her hair in 2014. Her boyfriend in 
2022. Her young life is one without gaps. We have it all archived.

My wife and I are a little jealous of
 that. Even though I loved photography at the time, some of my best 
friends from high school in the 1990s exist almost completely in my 
memory. I remember my buddy Aaron painting my chest blue before a 
football game. No photos exist.

If we were teens in 2022, my high 
school best friend Jeff and I would have made endless videos of our 
backyard fireworks stunts. The kinds of moments that Ella is 
photographing exhaustively these days are missing from my high school 
photo albums.

I still hold these happy pockets of 
memories, even without photos. But I can’t help but wonder how just a 
few images might teleport me back to those moments of school spirit and 
youthful pyromania.

With that said, omnipresent cameras 
create costs. With cameras so present at every occasion (and 
non-occasion), our sons and daughters preen and perform for the 
attention of the lens. Would the occasion be more joyful, we parents ask
 as we watch from the outskirts, if they simply celebrated for the fun 
of it, rather than for the camera?

Our daughters bear an outsized 
burden. Social media constantly deceives them about the allure of being 
impossibly thin, glossy and happy — giddy mannequins wrapped in luxury 
clothing.

When I told Ella about my column idea
 for today, she provided another anecdote to illustrate how much our 
relationship with cameras has changed. One of her favorite podcasts, <a target="_blank" href="https://serialpodcast.org/">a true-crime investigation of a murder in 1999</a>,
 tracked the life of a teenage boy who was a suspect in the crime. When 
police asked him to provide an alibi, he wasn’t able to pinpoint exactly
 where he had been on the day of the murder.

Ella holds her alibi in her hand: her
 phone. The Snapchat messages from friends beg for an immediate 
response. Her camera roll is an hourly collection of silly dogs, friends
 in class and selfies at stoplights. The lens of her camera phone knows 
more than we do as parents.

When our children were younger, I 
worried about posting too many images of them on my social media. What 
if, I wondered, my son, then three years old, didn’t want his photo on 
Instagram with spaghetti and marinara cascading down his belly as he 
reclined in a high chair? Even if I asked my daughter, who was 8 at the 
time, if I could post her photo, did she really understand what “public”
 meant? Did she understand that the goofy image would be online 
essentially forever?

So, I retreated from posting online. Instead, I sent dispatches of images to grandma and grandpa.

The irony is that my kids could care 
less about me sharing those images now that they are older. They’re busy
 watching their friends casually post their most personal moments.

Their photographic lives seem 
obligatorily online, constantly shooting pixels up into the cloud. The 
photos are vital, so we must save them. And if we must save them, we 
must use archives hosted by Apple, Amazon and Google (<a target="_blank" href="https://www.pcmag.com/news/you-have-until-sept-24-to-claim-part-of-100m-google-photos-privacy-settlement">who needs to be sued to stop surveilling us</a>).

Perhaps that bond between our photos 
and how we so often share them with huge data corporations is even a 
bigger change for our children’s lives lived in front of the camera — 
more significant still than how often we photograph them. The fact that 
the images are online changes everything. (Yes, Mr. McLuhan, <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_medium_is_the_message">the medium is the message</a>. I get it.)

That first video of my newborn 
daughter is not on YouTube or online. She was born at just the 
technological moment when sharing videos meant saving the movie files to
 DVDs. In our living room cabinet, there is a portfolio of disks with 
all of those movies, starting with the tearful moment where my voice 
cracks in the delivery room. While I worry that we might have gone a bit
 overboard — both as a culture and as a family — in recording every 
semi-significant moment, I know one thing.

I’m glad I have that moment. But I’m glad it’s an unshared moment. A moving image forever and only for our family.

Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association, a nonprofit that supports student journalism throughout the state. He also teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. He lives in Leawood with his wife and two children.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665329858143.png" alt="Columnist Eric Thomas has documented the life of his daughter, Ella, in a seamless series of visuals. (Eric Thomas for Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption>Columnist Eric Thomas has documented the life of his daughter, Ella, in a seamless series of visuals. (Eric Thomas for Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>By ERIC THOMAS <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2022/10/09/cameras-in-hand-parents-proudly-document-everything-is-that-whats-best-for-our-kids/">Courtesy Kansas Reflector</a>Seventeen years ago, I pointed a 
gleaming silver camcorder at my newborn daughter as she alternated 
breathing and screaming during her first moments of life. She lay, eyes 
clenched in struggle, on a neonatal warming bed in an Overland Park 
hospital. When I glanced away from the LCD screen of the video camera, I
 could tell that her first gasps were healthy because the delivery nurse
 was smiling at Ella while checking her vitals.My right finger looped around the top
 of the camera, toggling the lens of the camera to zoom in and capture a
 close-up. The image through the viewfinder blurred before the pixels 
snapped back into focus. Ella’s face filled the frame. I remember my 
wife’s voice — fatigued and faint — asking from across the hospital room
 if Ella was OK.“She,” I said, my voice high-pitched 
and cracking with happiness. “She … is beautiful.” The last syllable 
trailed off on the video footage, my grip on the camera wavering with 
fatherly joy.Since that moment, Ella’s life has 
been a seamless series of visuals. We are assembling the same visual 
timeline for her brother, born four years later.The images follow, one after another.
 Yearbook portraits posed in school cafeterias converted for a day into 
photo studios. Videos from the sidelines. Selfies studded with the glint
 of middle-school braces. Snapchats sent from the backseat of a friend’s
 car on the way to the homecoming dance.And always, photos by her mother and me.We have been here, whether with a 
cellphone camera or a digital SLR, in response to nearly every modestly 
significant twitch in her life arc. We stand poised with our iPhones. I 
crouch low with my camera, my SD card reformatted, to ensure that not 
even one digital image gets mangled. We preserve every moment we can.&nbsp;The size of our image archive became 
clear this fall when a rite of high school senior year — the senior 
yearbook ad — forced me to narrow my catalog of nine bazillion images 
down to a handful. Which of the 3,587 photos of her with the dog should I
 choose? Which of the 7,962 photos of her at the barn should I choose?&nbsp;Curating those photos — the daily 
chronicling of my daughter’s life — made me realize how thoroughly 
documented her life is. Along with so many others in her generation who 
stare back at the lens’ gaze, my daughter will not wonder what her life 
looked like. Her clothes in 2010. Her hair in 2014. Her boyfriend in 
2022. Her young life is one without gaps. We have it all archived.My wife and I are a little jealous of
 that. Even though I loved photography at the time, some of my best 
friends from high school in the 1990s exist almost completely in my 
memory. I remember my buddy Aaron painting my chest blue before a 
football game. No photos exist.If we were teens in 2022, my high 
school best friend Jeff and I would have made endless videos of our 
backyard fireworks stunts. The kinds of moments that Ella is 
photographing exhaustively these days are missing from my high school 
photo albums.I still hold these happy pockets of 
memories, even without photos. But I can’t help but wonder how just a 
few images might teleport me back to those moments of school spirit and 
youthful pyromania.With that said, omnipresent cameras 
create costs. With cameras so present at every occasion (and 
non-occasion), our sons and daughters preen and perform for the 
attention of the lens. Would the occasion be more joyful, we parents ask
 as we watch from the outskirts, if they simply celebrated for the fun 
of it, rather than for the camera?Our daughters bear an outsized 
burden. Social media constantly deceives them about the allure of being 
impossibly thin, glossy and happy — giddy mannequins wrapped in luxury 
clothing.When I told Ella about my column idea
 for today, she provided another anecdote to illustrate how much our 
relationship with cameras has changed. One of her favorite podcasts, <a target="_blank" href="https://serialpodcast.org/">a true-crime investigation of a murder in 1999</a>,
 tracked the life of a teenage boy who was a suspect in the crime. When 
police asked him to provide an alibi, he wasn’t able to pinpoint exactly
 where he had been on the day of the murder.Ella holds her alibi in her hand: her
 phone. The Snapchat messages from friends beg for an immediate 
response. Her camera roll is an hourly collection of silly dogs, friends
 in class and selfies at stoplights. The lens of her camera phone knows 
more than we do as parents.When our children were younger, I 
worried about posting too many images of them on my social media. What 
if, I wondered, my son, then three years old, didn’t want his photo on 
Instagram with spaghetti and marinara cascading down his belly as he 
reclined in a high chair? Even if I asked my daughter, who was 8 at the 
time, if I could post her photo, did she really understand what “public”
 meant? Did she understand that the goofy image would be online 
essentially forever?So, I retreated from posting online. Instead, I sent dispatches of images to grandma and grandpa.The irony is that my kids could care 
less about me sharing those images now that they are older. They’re busy
 watching their friends casually post their most personal moments.Their photographic lives seem 
obligatorily online, constantly shooting pixels up into the cloud. The 
photos are vital, so we must save them. And if we must save them, we 
must use archives hosted by Apple, Amazon and Google (<a target="_blank" href="https://www.pcmag.com/news/you-have-until-sept-24-to-claim-part-of-100m-google-photos-privacy-settlement">who needs to be sued to stop surveilling us</a>).Perhaps that bond between our photos 
and how we so often share them with huge data corporations is even a 
bigger change for our children’s lives lived in front of the camera — 
more significant still than how often we photograph them. The fact that 
the images are online changes everything. (Yes, Mr. McLuhan, <a target="_blank" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_medium_is_the_message">the medium is the message</a>. I get it.)That first video of my newborn 
daughter is not on YouTube or online. She was born at just the 
technological moment when sharing videos meant saving the movie files to
 DVDs. In our living room cabinet, there is a portfolio of disks with 
all of those movies, starting with the tearful moment where my voice 
cracks in the delivery room. While I worry that we might have gone a bit
 overboard — both as a culture and as a family — in recording every 
semi-significant moment, I know one thing.I’m glad I have that moment. But I’m glad it’s an unshared moment. A moving image forever and only for our family.Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association, a nonprofit that supports student journalism throughout the state. He also teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. He lives in Leawood with his wife and two children.

OPINION: Is documenting their lives what’s best for our kids?

Kansans will soon vote on Constitutional Amendment 1 (also called HCR 5014), which creates a “legislative veto.” At stake is an important but dull topic to most — checks and balances.&nbsp;

Legislatures make laws, often using vague language. Governors and the state agencies they direct (the “executive branch”) create concrete rules and regulations to implement those vague laws. Government agencies are the “bureaucracy,” and most government workers (e.g., police, child welfare workers, food inspectors, teachers, or soldiers) are “bureaucrats.”&nbsp;

You probably remember checks and balances. Governors can veto bills that the legislature passes, but a supermajority of legislators can override that veto and make that bill law. And, if the executive branch develops rules or regulations that the legislature dislikes, then the legislature can pass a bill overturning those and override a governor’s veto of that bill.&nbsp;

That’s how Kansas works now.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Amendment 1 changes that process to give the legislature relatively more power over a governor, altering traditional checks and balances. It allows the legislature to “veto” executive branch rules or regulations by a simple majority vote. No supermajority required. No gubernatorial veto.&nbsp;

Kansas adopted a legislative veto in 1939. However, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional in 1984 as a violation of separation of powers and checks and balances. Amendment 1 overturns that ruling.&nbsp;

There isn’t much campaigning around Amendment 1. One pro-amendment special interest group is targeting voters with emotional mailers about “red tape” and unchecked bureaucrats, plus some questionably honest arguments about the Kansas legislature’s actual power. That’s sadly standard practice in the politics industry, especially in political advertising.&nbsp;

A legislative veto sounds harmless, but there are some real concerns.&nbsp;

First, it upends traditional checks and balances. The legislature currently has the power to stop rules and regulations by passing a law. However, if you prefer the legislature to have more power than it does now, then you might like a change.&nbsp;

Second, it might become another tool for partisan and ideological warfare. In Kansas, that realistically means a very conservative Republican legislature vetoing actions by a Democratic governor like Laura Kelly. Partisan readers probably see the stakes here for their party teams.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Third, the legislature could cripple the ability of a governor to implement laws. Legislatures cannot implement laws themselves. If the legislature becomes super activist in using a legislative veto, then how much will laws actually get enforced?&nbsp;

Fourth, it puts more burden on the part-time legislature to solve problems. Legislatures are often better at saying “no” than saying “yes” to difficult policy solutions. Think of all the problems that fester while legislatures don’t act. If a legislature vetoes executive branch action to address problems, then who in government is solving problems?&nbsp;

Fifth, it might empower special interests that dominate the legislature. For example, if interests that are strongly opposed to environmental regulation have a stranglehold over the legislature, then they have an easier path to stopping government regulations around things like clean drinking water or ground contaminants.&nbsp;

Ultimately, Amendment 1 is about how much you trust the Kansas legislature. If you want a more powerful legislature, then voting “yes” on the amendment may be for you. However, if you trust the legislature less and prefer more traditional checks and balances, then voting “no” might suit you better. It’s your choice, Kansas.&nbsp;

Patrick R. Miller is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Kansas.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575644168170.png" alt="Patrick R. Miller is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Kansas.&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Patrick R. Miller is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Kansas.&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>Kansans will soon vote on Constitutional Amendment 1 (also called HCR 5014), which creates a “legislative veto.” At stake is an important but dull topic to most — checks and balances.&nbsp;Civics 101 time.&nbsp;Legislatures make laws, often using vague language. Governors and the state agencies they direct (the “executive branch”) create concrete rules and regulations to implement those vague laws. Government agencies are the “bureaucracy,” and most government workers (e.g., police, child welfare workers, food inspectors, teachers, or soldiers) are “bureaucrats.”&nbsp;You probably remember checks and balances. Governors can veto bills that the legislature passes, but a supermajority of legislators can override that veto and make that bill law. And, if the executive branch develops rules or regulations that the legislature dislikes, then the legislature can pass a bill overturning those and override a governor’s veto of that bill.&nbsp;That’s how Kansas works now.&nbsp;&nbsp;Amendment 1 changes that process to give the legislature relatively more power over a governor, altering traditional checks and balances. It allows the legislature to “veto” executive branch rules or regulations by a simple majority vote. No supermajority required. No gubernatorial veto.&nbsp;Kansas adopted a legislative veto in 1939. However, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional in 1984 as a violation of separation of powers and checks and balances. Amendment 1 overturns that ruling.&nbsp;There isn’t much campaigning around Amendment 1. One pro-amendment special interest group is targeting voters with emotional mailers about “red tape” and unchecked bureaucrats, plus some questionably honest arguments about the Kansas legislature’s actual power. That’s sadly standard practice in the politics industry, especially in political advertising.&nbsp;A legislative veto sounds harmless, but there are some real concerns.&nbsp;First, it upends traditional checks and balances. The legislature currently has the power to stop rules and regulations by passing a law. However, if you prefer the legislature to have more power than it does now, then you might like a change.&nbsp;Second, it might become another tool for partisan and ideological warfare. In Kansas, that realistically means a very conservative Republican legislature vetoing actions by a Democratic governor like Laura Kelly. Partisan readers probably see the stakes here for their party teams.&nbsp;&nbsp;Third, the legislature could cripple the ability of a governor to implement laws. Legislatures cannot implement laws themselves. If the legislature becomes super activist in using a legislative veto, then how much will laws actually get enforced?&nbsp;Fourth, it puts more burden on the part-time legislature to solve problems. Legislatures are often better at saying “no” than saying “yes” to difficult policy solutions. Think of all the problems that fester while legislatures don’t act. If a legislature vetoes executive branch action to address problems, then who in government is solving problems?&nbsp;Fifth, it might empower special interests that dominate the legislature. For example, if interests that are strongly opposed to environmental regulation have a stranglehold over the legislature, then they have an easier path to stopping government regulations around things like clean drinking water or ground contaminants.&nbsp;Ultimately, Amendment 1 is about how much you trust the Kansas legislature. If you want a more powerful legislature, then voting “yes” on the amendment may be for you. However, if you trust the legislature less and prefer more traditional checks and balances, then voting “no” might suit you better. It’s your choice, Kansas.&nbsp;Patrick R. Miller is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Kansas.&nbsp;

INSIGHT KANSAS: How are you voting on legislative veto? 

A recent letter to the editor&nbsp;declared that I have been unfair to my opponent in the race for the 111th&nbsp;District seat in the Kansas House. The letter sought to show how my opponent is actually a great supporter of K-12 education and Fort Hays State University.

I thought that, instead of writing a letter to set the record straight and&nbsp;asking friends&nbsp;to sign, I would just put my own name on it.

In reality,&nbsp;my opponent’s&nbsp;letter was more of the shell game that&nbsp;she&nbsp;continues to play with funding for education in general and Fort Hays State in particular.

My opponent, or her supporters, can claim all they want that she has voted for “full constitutional funding” for K-12 education, but the fact is that she gave with one hand and took away with the other.

She supported the legislative gamesmanship that funded the operational side of K-12 education but then&nbsp;cut special education. They knew – or should have known – that federal and state mandates&nbsp;for special education funding&nbsp;meant that school districts would be forced to make up&nbsp;the shortfall&nbsp;by taking money from the operational side.

And let’s be clear what the operational side is – it’s everything from electricity to teacher salaries.&nbsp;The shortfall in&nbsp;the two districts is equivalent to 22.5 teaching positions.

Statewide, the funding bill my opponent voted for was $155 million short of what would have actually met the&nbsp;Supreme Court’s Montoy&nbsp;mandate.&nbsp;She&nbsp;even&nbsp;voted against&nbsp;– twice –&nbsp;a compromise&nbsp;amendment&nbsp;that would have made up $68 million of the&nbsp;special education deficit.

That letter also engages in misdirection on Fort Hays State’s funding.&nbsp;Fort Hays State “has been granted funding for everything it has requested,” the letter says, citing $500,000 for a cybersecurity program and $1.5 million – from Covid funds – for air conditioning in Gross Memorial Coliseum.

These budget&nbsp;allocations are&nbsp;offered as proof that she “has consistently and vigorously advocated for Fort Hays interests.”&nbsp;But fair and equitable funding is really determined by the size of the institutional block grant.

I think being a consistent, vigorous&nbsp;advocate would involve&nbsp;fighting for fair and equitable funding in the university’s annual block grant – the largest single portion of&nbsp;its&nbsp;state funding.

The funding problem started when the Legislature decoupled enrollment from the block grant allocation for Regents institutions.&nbsp;

The problem grew as the university enrollment grew throughout almost two decades of record-setting growth.&nbsp;That enrollment growth was never recognized in the block grant formula.

A fair and equitable&nbsp;block grant&nbsp;would be&nbsp;an additional&nbsp;$20 million to $30 million&nbsp;more&nbsp;each year.&nbsp;A fair and equitable&nbsp;block grant&nbsp;would recognize the tremendous achievement of the university’s growth from 6,000 students to almost 16,000&nbsp;in roughly a dozen years.

A consistent, vigorous advocate would not accuse the university of cannibalizing students from around&nbsp;Kansas. A consistent, vigorous advocate would recognize FHSU’s worth to the state, and its citizens, by investing&nbsp;in FHSU’s record of&nbsp;growth.

At the end of this year’s legislative session, the state had $2 billion in reserves and $960 million in the&nbsp;rainy-day&nbsp;fund.&nbsp;Her letter correctly called education “one of the cornerstones of our great state.”

We had the money to&nbsp;fully fund&nbsp;education.&nbsp;Yet my opponent&nbsp;declined&nbsp;even&nbsp;to&nbsp;try to&nbsp;advocate&nbsp;fora&nbsp;correction in the&nbsp;block grant&nbsp;process.

I don’t think it’s&nbsp;unfair to point this out. I just think that we&nbsp;in the 111th&nbsp;District&nbsp;should have&nbsp;our own advocate, and that’s why I am running to replace her.

Ed Hammond, D-Hays, candidate for the 111th Kansas House

A recent letter to the editor&nbsp;declared that I have been unfair to my opponent in the race for the 111th&nbsp;District seat in the Kansas House. The letter sought to show how my opponent is actually a great supporter of K-12 education and Fort Hays State University.I thought that, instead of writing a letter to set the record straight and&nbsp;asking friends&nbsp;to sign, I would just put my own name on it.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>In reality,&nbsp;my opponent’s&nbsp;letter was more of the shell game that&nbsp;she&nbsp;continues to play with funding for education in general and Fort Hays State in particular.My opponent, or her supporters, can claim all they want that she has voted for “full constitutional funding” for K-12 education, but the fact is that she gave with one hand and took away with the other.She supported the legislative gamesmanship that funded the operational side of K-12 education but then&nbsp;cut special education. They knew – or should have known – that federal and state mandates&nbsp;for special education funding&nbsp;meant that school districts would be forced to make up&nbsp;the shortfall&nbsp;by taking money from the operational side.And let’s be clear what the operational side is – it’s everything from electricity to teacher salaries.&nbsp;The shortfall in&nbsp;the two districts is equivalent to 22.5 teaching positions.Statewide, the funding bill my opponent voted for was $155 million short of what would have actually met the&nbsp;Supreme Court’s Montoy&nbsp;mandate.&nbsp;She&nbsp;even&nbsp;voted against&nbsp;– twice –&nbsp;a compromise&nbsp;amendment&nbsp;that would have made up $68 million of the&nbsp;special education deficit.That letter also engages in misdirection on Fort Hays State’s funding.&nbsp;Fort Hays State “has been granted funding for everything it has requested,” the letter says, citing $500,000 for a cybersecurity program and $1.5 million – from Covid funds – for air conditioning in Gross Memorial Coliseum.These budget&nbsp;allocations are&nbsp;offered as proof that she “has consistently and vigorously advocated for Fort Hays interests.”&nbsp;But fair and equitable funding is really determined by the size of the institutional block grant.I think being a consistent, vigorous&nbsp;advocate would involve&nbsp;fighting for fair and equitable funding in the university’s annual block grant – the largest single portion of&nbsp;its&nbsp;state funding.The funding problem started when the Legislature decoupled enrollment from the block grant allocation for Regents institutions.&nbsp;The problem grew as the university enrollment grew throughout almost two decades of record-setting growth.&nbsp;That enrollment growth was never recognized in the block grant formula.A fair and equitable&nbsp;block grant&nbsp;would be&nbsp;an additional&nbsp;$20 million to $30 million&nbsp;more&nbsp;each year.&nbsp;A fair and equitable&nbsp;block grant&nbsp;would recognize the tremendous achievement of the university’s growth from 6,000 students to almost 16,000&nbsp;in roughly a dozen years.A consistent, vigorous advocate would not accuse the university of cannibalizing students from around&nbsp;Kansas. A consistent, vigorous advocate would recognize FHSU’s worth to the state, and its citizens, by investing&nbsp;in FHSU’s record of&nbsp;growth.At the end of this year’s legislative session, the state had $2 billion in reserves and $960 million in the&nbsp;rainy-day&nbsp;fund.&nbsp;Her letter correctly called education “one of the cornerstones of our great state.”We had the money to&nbsp;fully fund&nbsp;education.&nbsp;Yet my opponent&nbsp;declined&nbsp;even&nbsp;to&nbsp;try to&nbsp;advocate&nbsp;fora&nbsp;correction in the&nbsp;block grant&nbsp;process.I don’t think it’s&nbsp;unfair to point this out. I just think that we&nbsp;in the 111th&nbsp;District&nbsp;should have&nbsp;our own advocate, and that’s why I am running to replace her.Ed Hammond, D-Hays, candidate for the 111th Kansas House

LETTER: Ugly truth doesn’t turn fact into fiction

BY RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development&nbsp;

“I cannot live without books,” said Thomas Jefferson.&nbsp;

Stephen King described books as “uniquely portable magic” and “the perfect entertainment: no commercials, no batteries, hours of enjoyment for each dollar spent.”&nbsp;

And author Jhumpa Lahiri wrote: “That's the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.”&nbsp;

The benefits of books are now being discovered and shared in a new, independent bookstore in a rural community of Kansas. Jennifer Kassebaum is the owner of Flint Hills Books in Council Grove.&nbsp;

Kassebaum went to the University of Kansas and earned a law degree at the KU law school, where she met and married Bill Kassebaum. They now have a cow-calf operation on a ranch near the rural community of Burdick, population 62 people. Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;

Kassebaum practiced law, worked as assistant general counsel at K-State and later at Wichita State before taking early retirement. As she thought about what she would like to be involved with next, one topic kept surfacing: Books.&nbsp;

“I always enjoyed books,” Kassebaum said. She thought about opening an independent bookstore. After researching the idea, including talking to several independent booksellers, Kassebaum leased a space in a beautiful former bank building in the nearby town of Council Grove.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Other bookstore owners encouraged her to take the American Booksellers Association training, so she did. At one of the training sessions, the instructor stated that a successful bookstore should be at least 1,200 square feet in size and be located in a town of at least 10,000 population.&nbsp;

Uh oh. Kassebaum’s store met neither criterion.&nbsp;

After a lot of thought, she decided to proceed with her store in downtown Council Grove.&nbsp;&nbsp;The grand opening of the store was in April 2021.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The bookstore’s website states: “Flint Hills Books&nbsp;is a general interest bookstore nestled in the breathtaking grandeur of the Flint Hills.”&nbsp;&nbsp;The store is “where a deep love for the majestic Flint Hills and a passion for books collide.”&nbsp;

Flint Hills Books offers a curated collection of books, puzzles, and other activities and gifts. Kassebaum has simple but high standards for selecting books:&nbsp;&nbsp;“I include books I’ve read, books I want to read, and books that I think a good bookstore should have.”&nbsp;

There are bestsellers, new books, fiction, non-fiction, young adult books and more. Her store offers book-signings and a children’s section as well as cards, puzzles and gifts. The bookstore website has a section for audio books and online shopping.&nbsp;

Julie Hower, president of the Farmers &amp; Drovers Bank in Council Grove, pointed out that there has been a resurgence of woman-owned businesses in that community’s downtown.&nbsp;

For example, an independent coffee house named Watts Coffee is right down the street from Kassebaum’s bookstore, and a new brewery named Riverbank Brewing Company is on the other side of the street. There are several more.&nbsp;

These independent businesses have found ways to work together. Kassebaum partnered with Watts Coffee to produce a co-branded espresso-flavored gourmet chocolate bar. The label of the chocolate bar, produced by Sweet Granada Chocolate Company in Emporia, bears both the Watts Coffee and Flint Hills Books logos with the saying, “Because nothing is better than a good book and a great cup of coffee.”&nbsp;

Kassebaum is also partnering with Riverbank Brewing for a monthly event called Books &amp; Brews. That includes an evening social hour at the brewery where Kassebaum speaks about upcoming book releases. “I do as much locally as I can,” she said.&nbsp;

“Cami San Romani, owner of Cami’s Cakes and The Wooden Spoon, is an amazing baker whose artful cookies make bookstore events so special,” Kassebaum said.&nbsp;&nbsp;“Lindsey Patnode, owner of Flowers by Lindsey, has helped me with elegant flower arrangements for special events.”&nbsp;

For more information, see&nbsp;<a href="http://www.flinthillsbooks.com/">www.flinthillsbooks.com</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

We commend Jennifer Kassebaum for making a difference with her love of books and for sharing that with this rural community. As Garrison Keillor said, “A book is a gift you can open again and again.”&nbsp;

And there’s more. Remember the resurgence of woman-owned businesses in Council Grove? We’ll learn more about that next week.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1664974255597.png" alt="Jennifer Kassebaum" />
 <figcaption>Jennifer Kassebaum</figcaption>
 </figure>BY RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development&nbsp;“I cannot live without books,” said Thomas Jefferson.&nbsp;Stephen King described books as “uniquely portable magic” and “the perfect entertainment: no commercials, no batteries, hours of enjoyment for each dollar spent.”&nbsp;And author Jhumpa Lahiri wrote: “That's the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.”&nbsp;The benefits of books are now being discovered and shared in a new, independent bookstore in a rural community of Kansas. Jennifer Kassebaum is the owner of Flint Hills Books in Council Grove.&nbsp;Kassebaum went to the University of Kansas and earned a law degree at the KU law school, where she met and married Bill Kassebaum. They now have a cow-calf operation on a ranch near the rural community of Burdick, population 62 people. Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;Kassebaum practiced law, worked as assistant general counsel at K-State and later at Wichita State before taking early retirement. As she thought about what she would like to be involved with next, one topic kept surfacing: Books.&nbsp;“I always enjoyed books,” Kassebaum said. She thought about opening an independent bookstore. After researching the idea, including talking to several independent booksellers, Kassebaum leased a space in a beautiful former bank building in the nearby town of Council Grove.&nbsp;&nbsp;Other bookstore owners encouraged her to take the American Booksellers Association training, so she did. At one of the training sessions, the instructor stated that a successful bookstore should be at least 1,200 square feet in size and be located in a town of at least 10,000 population.&nbsp;Uh oh. Kassebaum’s store met neither criterion.&nbsp;After a lot of thought, she decided to proceed with her store in downtown Council Grove.&nbsp;&nbsp;The grand opening of the store was in April 2021.&nbsp;&nbsp;The bookstore’s website states: “Flint Hills Books&nbsp;is a general interest bookstore nestled in the breathtaking grandeur of the Flint Hills.”&nbsp;&nbsp;The store is “where a deep love for the majestic Flint Hills and a passion for books collide.”&nbsp;Flint Hills Books offers a curated collection of books, puzzles, and other activities and gifts. Kassebaum has simple but high standards for selecting books:&nbsp;&nbsp;“I include books I’ve read, books I want to read, and books that I think a good bookstore should have.”&nbsp;There are bestsellers, new books, fiction, non-fiction, young adult books and more. Her store offers book-signings and a children’s section as well as cards, puzzles and gifts. The bookstore website has a section for audio books and online shopping.&nbsp;Julie Hower, president of the Farmers &amp; Drovers Bank in Council Grove, pointed out that there has been a resurgence of woman-owned businesses in that community’s downtown.&nbsp;For example, an independent coffee house named Watts Coffee is right down the street from Kassebaum’s bookstore, and a new brewery named Riverbank Brewing Company is on the other side of the street. There are several more.&nbsp;These independent businesses have found ways to work together. Kassebaum partnered with Watts Coffee to produce a co-branded espresso-flavored gourmet chocolate bar. The label of the chocolate bar, produced by Sweet Granada Chocolate Company in Emporia, bears both the Watts Coffee and Flint Hills Books logos with the saying, “Because nothing is better than a good book and a great cup of coffee.”&nbsp;Kassebaum is also partnering with Riverbank Brewing for a monthly event called Books &amp; Brews. That includes an evening social hour at the brewery where Kassebaum speaks about upcoming book releases. “I do as much locally as I can,” she said.&nbsp;“Cami San Romani, owner of Cami’s Cakes and The Wooden Spoon, is an amazing baker whose artful cookies make bookstore events so special,” Kassebaum said.&nbsp;&nbsp;“Lindsey Patnode, owner of Flowers by Lindsey, has helped me with elegant flower arrangements for special events.”&nbsp;For more information, see&nbsp;<a href="http://www.flinthillsbooks.com/">www.flinthillsbooks.com</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;We commend Jennifer Kassebaum for making a difference with her love of books and for sharing that with this rural community. As Garrison Keillor said, “A book is a gift you can open again and again.”&nbsp;And there’s more. Remember the resurgence of woman-owned businesses in Council Grove? We’ll learn more about that next week.&nbsp;

Now That’s Rural: Jennifer Kassebaum, Flint Hills Books 

OPEC+ nations, where Saudi Arabia is the prime mover,&nbsp;recently&nbsp;announced they would cut oil production by 2 million barrels per day starting in November.&nbsp;Saudi officials said the cut is motivated by the concern over the global economy.&nbsp;OPEC countries are seeking to boost their budgets to cope with rising food prices and the strong dollar.&nbsp;

The Saudis are underscoring the folly of President Biden’s limits on oil production, and his non-emergency release of oil from the strategic petroleum reserve.&nbsp;Last July, Biden traveled to Saudi Arabia to beg the Crown Prince for help containing surging U.S. gasoline prices.&nbsp;Biden administration officials spent days in a frantic lobbying effort to persuade Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members to change course. &nbsp;

For Biden, OPEC’s decision to cut production is a blow.&nbsp;It is a personal rebuff to a president who had vowed during his election campaign to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah," only to seek to patch up relations this year in the hope of securing higher oil supplies.&nbsp;

High&nbsp;gasoline prices were a Biden administration policy choice, not an unavoidable accident.&nbsp;First a pipeline bringing oil from Canada to the U.S. was quickly canceled.&nbsp;Then, new leasing for energy development on federal acreage was stopped.&nbsp;Added to that was a batch of proposed punitive, unnecessary, and burdensome regulations on oil and gas operations.&nbsp;These actions have severely hampered American oil and gas companies’ ability to adequately supply the market.&nbsp;These short-sighted energy policies result in higher energy costs that disproportionately harm low-income groups.&nbsp;

U.S. energy policies that restrict domestic production force our country to seek relief from foreign suppliers of energy.&nbsp;The problem is that when certain foreign governments control your energy, they have the power to use it for their own purposes, not yours.&nbsp;America should not be in the position of asking for foreign energy supplies, especially when we have abundant resources produced to standards that are among the highest in the world, right here at home.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

While claiming to fight to bring energy prices down, President Biden has made the wrong move at every turn.&nbsp;Nothing less than a total reversal of his approach is necessary.&nbsp;President Biden should embrace American oil and gas exploration and production.&nbsp;Then we would not have to beg people in the Middle East or Russia to help us and Putin would not have the financial reserves to subsidize an invasion.&nbsp;

It is surprising that President Biden thought Saudi Arabia would increase oil supplies.&nbsp;The Biden administration came into office deriding Saudi Arabia and what it called “the Saudi war in&nbsp;Yemen.”&nbsp;More correctly, that war is the Iranian-fostered Houthi war in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, in which Saudi cities and oil production facilities have been attacked.&nbsp;The Biden administration subsequently pulled American Patriot Missile batteries out of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and some from Jordan, leaving those countries exposed to increasingly long range and accurate missiles supplied to the Houthis by Tehran.&nbsp;In what universe would Saudi Arabia pump more oil, lower the price, and help the U.S.?&nbsp;

The most pressing risks facing the U.S. economy in the foreseeable future are unlikely to be those arising from climate change or an energy transition.&nbsp;Rather the factors to watch are more apt to be inflation, rising energy costs, and national security threats.&nbsp;The Biden administration is too focused on climate change to anticipate or deter these significant real threats.&nbsp;

President Biden and all federal and state policymakers should prioritize advancing American energy leadership with policies that encourage development of responsibly produced energy here at home.&nbsp;These policies should recognize the volatile world we live in and the long-term impacts of returning to the days of foreign energy dependency.

Edward Cross is president of the Kansas Independent Oil &amp; Gas Association.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/10/1665148994103.jpeg" alt="Cross " />
 <figcaption>Cross </figcaption>
 </figure>By EDWARD CROSS KIOGAOPEC+ nations, where Saudi Arabia is the prime mover,&nbsp;recently&nbsp;announced they would cut oil production by 2 million barrels per day starting in November.&nbsp;Saudi officials said the cut is motivated by the concern over the global economy.&nbsp;OPEC countries are seeking to boost their budgets to cope with rising food prices and the strong dollar.&nbsp;The Saudis are underscoring the folly of President Biden’s limits on oil production, and his non-emergency release of oil from the strategic petroleum reserve.&nbsp;Last July, Biden traveled to Saudi Arabia to beg the Crown Prince for help containing surging U.S. gasoline prices.&nbsp;Biden administration officials spent days in a frantic lobbying effort to persuade Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members to change course. &nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>For Biden, OPEC’s decision to cut production is a blow.&nbsp;It is a personal rebuff to a president who had vowed during his election campaign to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah," only to seek to patch up relations this year in the hope of securing higher oil supplies.&nbsp;High&nbsp;gasoline prices were a Biden administration policy choice, not an unavoidable accident.&nbsp;First a pipeline bringing oil from Canada to the U.S. was quickly canceled.&nbsp;Then, new leasing for energy development on federal acreage was stopped.&nbsp;Added to that was a batch of proposed punitive, unnecessary, and burdensome regulations on oil and gas operations.&nbsp;These actions have severely hampered American oil and gas companies’ ability to adequately supply the market.&nbsp;These short-sighted energy policies result in higher energy costs that disproportionately harm low-income groups.&nbsp;U.S. energy policies that restrict domestic production force our country to seek relief from foreign suppliers of energy.&nbsp;The problem is that when certain foreign governments control your energy, they have the power to use it for their own purposes, not yours.&nbsp;America should not be in the position of asking for foreign energy supplies, especially when we have abundant resources produced to standards that are among the highest in the world, right here at home.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;While claiming to fight to bring energy prices down, President Biden has made the wrong move at every turn.&nbsp;Nothing less than a total reversal of his approach is necessary.&nbsp;President Biden should embrace American oil and gas exploration and production.&nbsp;Then we would not have to beg people in the Middle East or Russia to help us and Putin would not have the financial reserves to subsidize an invasion.&nbsp;It is surprising that President Biden thought Saudi Arabia would increase oil supplies.&nbsp;The Biden administration came into office deriding Saudi Arabia and what it called “the Saudi war in&nbsp;Yemen.”&nbsp;More correctly, that war is the Iranian-fostered Houthi war in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, in which Saudi cities and oil production facilities have been attacked.&nbsp;The Biden administration subsequently pulled American Patriot Missile batteries out of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and some from Jordan, leaving those countries exposed to increasingly long range and accurate missiles supplied to the Houthis by Tehran.&nbsp;In what universe would Saudi Arabia pump more oil, lower the price, and help the U.S.?&nbsp;The most pressing risks facing the U.S. economy in the foreseeable future are unlikely to be those arising from climate change or an energy transition.&nbsp;Rather the factors to watch are more apt to be inflation, rising energy costs, and national security threats.&nbsp;The Biden administration is too focused on climate change to anticipate or deter these significant real threats.&nbsp;President Biden and all federal and state policymakers should prioritize advancing American energy leadership with policies that encourage development of responsibly produced energy here at home.&nbsp;These policies should recognize the volatile world we live in and the long-term impacts of returning to the days of foreign energy dependency.Edward Cross is president of the Kansas Independent Oil &amp; Gas Association.

CROSS: OPEC+ snubs Biden with oil output cuts

I saw a poster the other day that caught my eye. It was a tennis-themed poster that included life lessons from a tennis perspective.&nbsp;I smiled as I thought how applicable thetennis quotes&nbsp;were to&nbsp;the practice of&nbsp;leadership. Here&nbsp;are&nbsp;a couple: &nbsp;“Foot faults happen – you get a second chance;”&nbsp;“Commit to follow through;”&nbsp;“No matter how far down you are, there’s always hope for a comeback.”&nbsp;All of&nbsp;these examples offer great advice&nbsp;that is&nbsp;applicable&nbsp;in&nbsp;so many&nbsp;situations.

The poster also prompted me to check in with&nbsp;tennis&nbsp;coach Brian Flax.&nbsp;Coach&nbsp;Flax is in his 27th year as the head tennis coach&nbsp;at FHSU.&nbsp;He&nbsp;ranks as the all-time leader in coaching victories with 205.&nbsp;Brian&nbsp;is currently the longest-tenured head coach at Fort Hays State.&nbsp;We are so grateful for his dedication to our players and&nbsp;to&nbsp;Tiger Tennis.

This season&nbsp;we returned&nbsp;the majority of the roster.&nbsp;Several of our returning players will&nbsp;bring significant experience to the fall 2022&nbsp;season.&nbsp;Among those returning as sophomores are twin sisters Heidi and Hope Lubbers.&nbsp;Hope is majoring in English, secondary education,&nbsp;while Heidi is preparing for our medical diagnostic imaging program with an emphasis on&nbsp;ultrasound.

Coach Flax shared that Heidi and Hope Lubbers come from a long line of&nbsp;tennis-playing&nbsp;family members.&nbsp;Their grandpa taught them,&nbsp;their sisters, uncles, and their mom&nbsp;the play and love the game.&nbsp;As soon as&nbsp;Heidi and Hope&nbsp;could&nbsp;hold a racquet, they&nbsp;were on the court too.&nbsp;In fact,&nbsp;their grandpa loved tennis so much&nbsp;that&nbsp;he built a court in his&nbsp;backyard.&nbsp;Older twin sisters Nicole and Natalie&nbsp;Lubbers&nbsp;played for the Tigers&nbsp;several&nbsp;years ago.&nbsp;Yup – two sets of twins; a&nbsp;double-double!

Heidi and Hope&nbsp;played for Bishop Carroll High School in Wichita,&nbsp;where they&nbsp;dominated the 5A doubles circuit,&nbsp;placing&nbsp;second&nbsp;at state their senior year.&nbsp;Their most memorable moment&nbsp;was&nbsp;winning the doubles semi-finals in the state tournament in that senior year. That match helped their team achieve enough points to win the state championship title. “I can still remember how proud our family and coach looked when we walked off that court,” shared Hope. I am sure that was&nbsp;the realization of a lot of dreams in a family where&nbsp;the passion for the game spans&nbsp;generations.&nbsp;

From my perspective, I&nbsp;love that this tennis family has such a strong legacy connection to FHSU. In fact, that connection to FHSU &nbsp;became&nbsp;even&nbsp;more apparent&nbsp;when I learned that Heidi and Hope&nbsp;made attending&nbsp;FHSU&nbsp;their first priority-above tennis. I think that is&nbsp;incredible!&nbsp;

“Having come often to visit our sisters here at Hays, Hope and I grew to love the campus,”&nbsp;shared Heidi. “From the homey feel of the town to the beautiful buildings that are all walking distance from the residential halls, this college was always our top choice.”

Heidi and Hope’s aspirations of attending FHSU slipped somewhat when they didn’t receive an offer to play tennis due to the low number of team members graduating, which would have opened spots for the duo.&nbsp;“That hit us&nbsp;hard,” Heidi said.&nbsp;“But after talking it over, we were willing to put down our rackets for good and come just as students, but not student-athletes.”

The twins’ commitment to FHSU paid off in their senior year of high school when two spots opened on the tennis team. Coach Flax knew exactly who to call.

Heidi said that she and Hope have been grateful for the opportunity the coach gave them to play. Additionally, the twins are glad that the team&nbsp;comprises young players&nbsp;they can work with throughout their undergraduate careers. “College tennis teams like ours are composed of players who play at different skill levels.&nbsp;This would seem to cause a lot of drama in a competitive sport, but during my time here,&nbsp;there has been no drama or fights&nbsp;over&nbsp;a limited number of starting spots. All the girls respect Coach’s decisions.”&nbsp;Heidi said.

I was curious&nbsp;whether the twins&nbsp;felt they had an advantage when playing doubles. The answer&nbsp;was a definitive “Yes!”

“Heidi and I were meant to be doubles partners,” Hope&nbsp;shared.”&nbsp;As fraternal twins, our older sisters, Nicole and Natalie, never really got along on the court, so it was a no-brainer that they would not be doubles partners. Heidi and I, however,&nbsp;are identical twins,&nbsp;and we think that helps us&nbsp;work very well together,”&nbsp;

The twins point out that they have a connection most of their teammates don’t have. They continue to support and coach each other without judgment or holding back.&nbsp;

Hope and Heidi also mentioned&nbsp;how tennis has helped them grow in other ways. From Hope’s&nbsp;perspective,&nbsp;being&nbsp;a part of the FHSU tennis team has allowed&nbsp;her&nbsp;to take on roles&nbsp;she&nbsp;wouldn’t have&nbsp;had&nbsp;outside of the sport.&nbsp;She&nbsp;steps&nbsp;in to play leader when&nbsp;theteam captain&nbsp;or the coaches need&nbsp;her.

“Most of the time, I&nbsp;work hard to support&nbsp;the other girls, whether before, during, or after a tough match,&nbsp;or simply during a time of struggle in their personal lives, Hope said.“Everyone on the team&nbsp;must be flexible&nbsp;and be ready to take on different&nbsp;roles&nbsp;when necessary.&nbsp;Only when all the roles are filled can a team succeed and each player become a champion.”

Heidi also&nbsp;shared&nbsp;thoughts on&nbsp;being a champion: As a sophomore,&nbsp;she has&nbsp;seen howimportant it is to be a team leader to the freshman because they&nbsp;are aware of upperclassmen’s&nbsp;attitudes&nbsp;on and off the court.

“In order to be a champion, you should want your teammates to be champions before yourself.&nbsp;If&nbsp;I am not at the top of the lineup,&nbsp;and&nbsp;I am not performing my best, as long as the rest of the team is&nbsp;ready to step in and perform, everyone can be a champion.”&nbsp;Heidi said.

From Coach Flax’s&nbsp;perspective, Heidi&nbsp;and Hope&nbsp;are a&nbsp;dream&nbsp;to coach,&nbsp;and they&nbsp;are&nbsp;among the best overall&nbsp;teammates&nbsp;he has worked with&nbsp;in&nbsp;his&nbsp;27 years&nbsp;of&nbsp;coaching.&nbsp;He believes they are&nbsp;excellent ambassadors for the sport&nbsp;and&nbsp;constantly&nbsp;remind&nbsp;him&nbsp;of the&nbsp;essential&nbsp;intersection between athletics and leadership.&nbsp;

Diving back into tennis-inspired life lessons, it is said that every&nbsp;set in tennis&nbsp;begins with “Love,”&nbsp;and each point&nbsp;offers&nbsp;a new opportunity&nbsp;to win.&nbsp;Tiger Tennis is definitely a winner thanks to the community of care modeled by the coaching staff and&nbsp;embraced by the Lubbers sisters and their Tiger Tennis teammates. &nbsp;

If you would like to support the Tiger Tennis program, please consider two new sponsorship options. The first is a court sponsorship. For a $500 donation, you can have the name of your choice posted on a sign on one or more of the six tennis courts where the Tigers compete. If you wish to make a financial donation of any kind to support Tiger Tennis, the name of your choice will be placed on a new “Tiger Advantage Backers” sign at the tennis complex. Learn&nbsp;more and make your donations on the&nbsp;<a href="https://foundation.fhsu.edu/support-fhsu-tennis/?bbeml=tp-hf8wJfoouUSxi7AQP3Blmw.joixybNBdike6WQzDWwHkbw.rxqxaxTmsAkGB2AtiBd6xGg.lb0ESIFdyAkSHPSuEclIUBg">Support Tiger Tennis web page</a>&nbsp;hosted by the FHSU Foundation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575301942236.jpeg" alt="Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU president" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU president</figcaption>
 </figure>I saw a poster the other day that caught my eye. It was a tennis-themed poster that included life lessons from a tennis perspective.&nbsp;I smiled as I thought how applicable thetennis quotes&nbsp;were to&nbsp;the practice of&nbsp;leadership. Here&nbsp;are&nbsp;a couple: &nbsp;“Foot faults happen – you get a second chance;”&nbsp;“Commit to follow through;”&nbsp;“No matter how far down you are, there’s always hope for a comeback.”&nbsp;All of&nbsp;these examples offer great advice&nbsp;that is&nbsp;applicable&nbsp;in&nbsp;so many&nbsp;situations.The poster also prompted me to check in with&nbsp;tennis&nbsp;coach Brian Flax.&nbsp;Coach&nbsp;Flax is in his 27th year as the head tennis coach&nbsp;at FHSU.&nbsp;He&nbsp;ranks as the all-time leader in coaching victories with 205.&nbsp;Brian&nbsp;is currently the longest-tenured head coach at Fort Hays State.&nbsp;We are so grateful for his dedication to our players and&nbsp;to&nbsp;Tiger Tennis.This season&nbsp;we returned&nbsp;the majority of the roster.&nbsp;Several of our returning players will&nbsp;bring significant experience to the fall 2022&nbsp;season.&nbsp;Among those returning as sophomores are twin sisters Heidi and Hope Lubbers.&nbsp;Hope is majoring in English, secondary education,&nbsp;while Heidi is preparing for our medical diagnostic imaging program with an emphasis on&nbsp;ultrasound.Coach Flax shared that Heidi and Hope Lubbers come from a long line of&nbsp;tennis-playing&nbsp;family members.&nbsp;Their grandpa taught them,&nbsp;their sisters, uncles, and their mom&nbsp;the play and love the game.&nbsp;As soon as&nbsp;Heidi and Hope&nbsp;could&nbsp;hold a racquet, they&nbsp;were on the court too.&nbsp;In fact,&nbsp;their grandpa loved tennis so much&nbsp;that&nbsp;he built a court in his&nbsp;backyard.&nbsp;Older twin sisters Nicole and Natalie&nbsp;Lubbers&nbsp;played for the Tigers&nbsp;several&nbsp;years ago.&nbsp;Yup – two sets of twins; a&nbsp;double-double!Heidi and Hope&nbsp;played for Bishop Carroll High School in Wichita,&nbsp;where they&nbsp;dominated the 5A doubles circuit,&nbsp;placing&nbsp;second&nbsp;at state their senior year.&nbsp;Their most memorable moment&nbsp;was&nbsp;winning the doubles semi-finals in the state tournament in that senior year. That match helped their team achieve enough points to win the state championship title. “I can still remember how proud our family and coach looked when we walked off that court,” shared Hope. I am sure that was&nbsp;the realization of a lot of dreams in a family where&nbsp;the passion for the game spans&nbsp;generations.&nbsp;From my perspective, I&nbsp;love that this tennis family has such a strong legacy connection to FHSU. In fact, that connection to FHSU &nbsp;became&nbsp;even&nbsp;more apparent&nbsp;when I learned that Heidi and Hope&nbsp;made attending&nbsp;FHSU&nbsp;their first priority-above tennis. I think that is&nbsp;incredible!&nbsp;“Having come often to visit our sisters here at Hays, Hope and I grew to love the campus,”&nbsp;shared Heidi. “From the homey feel of the town to the beautiful buildings that are all walking distance from the residential halls, this college was always our top choice.”Heidi and Hope’s aspirations of attending FHSU slipped somewhat when they didn’t receive an offer to play tennis due to the low number of team members graduating, which would have opened spots for the duo.&nbsp;“That hit us&nbsp;hard,” Heidi said.&nbsp;“But after talking it over, we were willing to put down our rackets for good and come just as students, but not student-athletes.”The twins’ commitment to FHSU paid off in their senior year of high school when two spots opened on the tennis team. Coach Flax knew exactly who to call.Heidi said that she and Hope have been grateful for the opportunity the coach gave them to play. Additionally, the twins are glad that the team&nbsp;comprises young players&nbsp;they can work with throughout their undergraduate careers. “College tennis teams like ours are composed of players who play at different skill levels.&nbsp;This would seem to cause a lot of drama in a competitive sport, but during my time here,&nbsp;there has been no drama or fights&nbsp;over&nbsp;a limited number of starting spots. All the girls respect Coach’s decisions.”&nbsp;Heidi said.I was curious&nbsp;whether the twins&nbsp;felt they had an advantage when playing doubles. The answer&nbsp;was a definitive “Yes!”“Heidi and I were meant to be doubles partners,” Hope&nbsp;shared.”&nbsp;As fraternal twins, our older sisters, Nicole and Natalie, never really got along on the court, so it was a no-brainer that they would not be doubles partners. Heidi and I, however,&nbsp;are identical twins,&nbsp;and we think that helps us&nbsp;work very well together,”&nbsp;The twins point out that they have a connection most of their teammates don’t have. They continue to support and coach each other without judgment or holding back.&nbsp;Hope and Heidi also mentioned&nbsp;how tennis has helped them grow in other ways. From Hope’s&nbsp;perspective,&nbsp;being&nbsp;a part of the FHSU tennis team has allowed&nbsp;her&nbsp;to take on roles&nbsp;she&nbsp;wouldn’t have&nbsp;had&nbsp;outside of the sport.&nbsp;She&nbsp;steps&nbsp;in to play leader when&nbsp;theteam captain&nbsp;or the coaches need&nbsp;her.“Most of the time, I&nbsp;work hard to support&nbsp;the other girls, whether before, during, or after a tough match,&nbsp;or simply during a time of struggle in their personal lives, Hope said.“Everyone on the team&nbsp;must be flexible&nbsp;and be ready to take on different&nbsp;roles&nbsp;when necessary.&nbsp;Only when all the roles are filled can a team succeed and each player become a champion.”Heidi also&nbsp;shared&nbsp;thoughts on&nbsp;being a champion: As a sophomore,&nbsp;she has&nbsp;seen howimportant it is to be a team leader to the freshman because they&nbsp;are aware of upperclassmen’s&nbsp;attitudes&nbsp;on and off the court.“In order to be a champion, you should want your teammates to be champions before yourself.&nbsp;If&nbsp;I am not at the top of the lineup,&nbsp;and&nbsp;I am not performing my best, as long as the rest of the team is&nbsp;ready to step in and perform, everyone can be a champion.”&nbsp;Heidi said.From Coach Flax’s&nbsp;perspective, Heidi&nbsp;and Hope&nbsp;are a&nbsp;dream&nbsp;to coach,&nbsp;and they&nbsp;are&nbsp;among the best overall&nbsp;teammates&nbsp;he has worked with&nbsp;in&nbsp;his&nbsp;27 years&nbsp;of&nbsp;coaching.&nbsp;He believes they are&nbsp;excellent ambassadors for the sport&nbsp;and&nbsp;constantly&nbsp;remind&nbsp;him&nbsp;of the&nbsp;essential&nbsp;intersection between athletics and leadership.&nbsp;Diving back into tennis-inspired life lessons, it is said that every&nbsp;set in tennis&nbsp;begins with “Love,”&nbsp;and each point&nbsp;offers&nbsp;a new opportunity&nbsp;to win.&nbsp;Tiger Tennis is definitely a winner thanks to the community of care modeled by the coaching staff and&nbsp;embraced by the Lubbers sisters and their Tiger Tennis teammates. &nbsp;If you would like to support the Tiger Tennis program, please consider two new sponsorship options. The first is a court sponsorship. For a $500 donation, you can have the name of your choice posted on a sign on one or more of the six tennis courts where the Tigers compete. If you wish to make a financial donation of any kind to support Tiger Tennis, the name of your choice will be placed on a new “Tiger Advantage Backers” sign at the tennis complex. Learn&nbsp;more and make your donations on the&nbsp;<a href="https://foundation.fhsu.edu/support-fhsu-tennis/?bbeml=tp-hf8wJfoouUSxi7AQP3Blmw.joixybNBdike6WQzDWwHkbw.rxqxaxTmsAkGB2AtiBd6xGg.lb0ESIFdyAkSHPSuEclIUBg">Support Tiger Tennis web page</a>&nbsp;hosted by the FHSU Foundation.

Heart of a Tiger: A tennis double-double

Is Ellis County losing millions of dollars each year? Proponents of&nbsp;Obamacare&nbsp;expansion have recently&nbsp;suggested that&nbsp;this is the case. However, I know that isn’t true.&nbsp;How? Because I&nbsp;expanded&nbsp;Obamacare&nbsp;in Colorado.&nbsp;

During the 2013 Colorado legislative session I worked for a Colorado trade association that represented physicians before the state legislature. I was tasked with creating arguments that supported an expansion &nbsp;of&nbsp;Obamacare.&nbsp;The arguments we made then are the same ones being used now, and they simply do not live up to scrutiny.&nbsp;

For example, one of the biggest arguments made in favor of expansion is the “federal government picks up 90% of the cost”.&nbsp;However, I&nbsp;would ask ourselves if&nbsp;ever&nbsp;increasing federal spending has been benefiting us recently? With record inflation, soaring costs, and no relief in sight to energy prices I would argue the last thing we need is hundreds of millions in new federal spending&nbsp;which will only lead to further inflation and even higher costs in our daily lives.&nbsp;

Another argument is&nbsp;“expansion” is&nbsp;actually “budget neutral”.&nbsp;In other words, Kansas should spend hundreds of millions of dollars to hopefully save a few million.&nbsp;This&nbsp;claim is based on the concept of “budget offsets”, which is a fancy lobbyist term for&nbsp;what amounts to a&nbsp;shell game.&nbsp;For example,&nbsp;proponents&nbsp;argue that one way to “offset” the cost is&nbsp;putting prisoners on government insurance. By doing this,&nbsp;the state “saves money” because the federal government is paying for a significant portion of the cost, and thus saves Kansans money.&nbsp;If that seems confusing,&nbsp;it is supposed to.&nbsp;Proponents do not want us to look behind the hood of their proposal, rather just accept their arguments at face value.&nbsp;

Let me be clear. As a person who has an ongoing illness that nearly killed me,&nbsp;and has had more surgeries than&nbsp;I can remember, I support&nbsp;affordable&nbsp;access to healthcare for&nbsp;every single person in our community. However, the idea that more government spending will fix the problem has been proven to be untrue&nbsp;every single time it has been tried. That is why I appreciate&nbsp;our local state&nbsp;Representative&nbsp;Barb Wasinger&nbsp;looking for real solutions to the cost and availability of healthcare. Simply put, we do not&nbsp;need&nbsp;special interest groups controlling healthcare in Kansas,&nbsp;we need dedicated people whose best interests&nbsp;are&nbsp;our community.&nbsp;

Is Ellis County losing millions of dollars each year? Proponents of&nbsp;Obamacare&nbsp;expansion have recently&nbsp;suggested that&nbsp;this is the case. However, I know that isn’t true.&nbsp;How? Because I&nbsp;expanded&nbsp;Obamacare&nbsp;in Colorado.&nbsp;During the 2013 Colorado legislative session I worked for a Colorado trade association that represented physicians before the state legislature. I was tasked with creating arguments that supported an expansion &nbsp;of&nbsp;Obamacare.&nbsp;The arguments we made then are the same ones being used now, and they simply do not live up to scrutiny.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>For example, one of the biggest arguments made in favor of expansion is the “federal government picks up 90% of the cost”.&nbsp;However, I&nbsp;would ask ourselves if&nbsp;ever&nbsp;increasing federal spending has been benefiting us recently? With record inflation, soaring costs, and no relief in sight to energy prices I would argue the last thing we need is hundreds of millions in new federal spending&nbsp;which will only lead to further inflation and even higher costs in our daily lives.&nbsp;Another argument is&nbsp;“expansion” is&nbsp;actually “budget neutral”.&nbsp;In other words, Kansas should spend hundreds of millions of dollars to hopefully save a few million.&nbsp;This&nbsp;claim is based on the concept of “budget offsets”, which is a fancy lobbyist term for&nbsp;what amounts to a&nbsp;shell game.&nbsp;For example,&nbsp;proponents&nbsp;argue that one way to “offset” the cost is&nbsp;putting prisoners on government insurance. By doing this,&nbsp;the state “saves money” because the federal government is paying for a significant portion of the cost, and thus saves Kansans money.&nbsp;If that seems confusing,&nbsp;it is supposed to.&nbsp;Proponents do not want us to look behind the hood of their proposal, rather just accept their arguments at face value.&nbsp;Let me be clear. As a person who has an ongoing illness that nearly killed me,&nbsp;and has had more surgeries than&nbsp;I can remember, I support&nbsp;affordable&nbsp;access to healthcare for&nbsp;every single person in our community. However, the idea that more government spending will fix the problem has been proven to be untrue&nbsp;every single time it has been tried. That is why I appreciate&nbsp;our local state&nbsp;Representative&nbsp;Barb Wasinger&nbsp;looking for real solutions to the cost and availability of healthcare. Simply put, we do not&nbsp;need&nbsp;special interest groups controlling healthcare in Kansas,&nbsp;we need dedicated people whose best interests&nbsp;are&nbsp;our community.&nbsp;Chris McGowne, Hays

LETTER: The true cost of Obamacare

Everyone has&nbsp;favorite foods that keep&nbsp;them&nbsp;coming back&nbsp;for more. One of mine is bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers. A local restaurant serves 5 on a plate for a reasonable price considering the amount of work&nbsp;required&nbsp;to make them. Sometimes when we go out for supper, that’s&nbsp;all&nbsp;I order&nbsp;besides a drink. &nbsp;I love them&nbsp;so much there are no&nbsp;leftovers.&nbsp;

​Since we put in a garden this year, I planted a jalapeño&nbsp;pepper&nbsp;to see how many I’d get and to try them&nbsp;turned into poppers. Years ago,&nbsp;on our hilltop west of Ellis, I grew&nbsp;them&nbsp;but hadn’t discovered the magic that happens when you&nbsp;fill&nbsp;de-seeded&nbsp;green casings&nbsp;withcheddar/cream cheese&nbsp;mix, wrap them&nbsp;in par cooked bacon, and&nbsp;roast&nbsp;them&nbsp;in a hot oven. Once they cool,&nbsp;the feast begins. For patient&nbsp;folk,&nbsp;a quick toss on the grill&nbsp;adds&nbsp;extra pizazz. &nbsp;

​Last time we&nbsp;grew these&nbsp;culinary&nbsp;fire&nbsp;bombs, I didn’t know pepper’s capsaicin&nbsp;stays on skin for days and&nbsp;didn’t wear protective gloves when I picked or pickled them. My fingers and hands started burning&nbsp;mid-harvest. It wasn’t&nbsp;painful&nbsp;enough to stop&nbsp;so I&nbsp;continued&nbsp;and assumedsoapy handwashing would&nbsp;solve the problem.&nbsp;

​Once in the kitchen, I rinsed&nbsp;and sliced a&nbsp;mixing&nbsp;bowl&nbsp;full&nbsp;of peppers&nbsp;to pack in jars and cover with&nbsp;brine.&nbsp;The&nbsp;heat&nbsp;increased&nbsp;til&nbsp;I was uncomfortable. At that point, I&nbsp;had&nbsp;to finish, so I kept soaping and rinsing my hands&nbsp;as I completed each step in the pickling process. By the time jars cooled on the counter,&nbsp;fiery flames danced from every nerve ending. No matter how much I washed, coated with creams, or dipped&nbsp;my hands&nbsp;in baking soda water,&nbsp;neurons&nbsp;flared. To make a long story longer,&nbsp;the&nbsp;pain&nbsp;lasted three days.&nbsp;

​Did that experience make me give up on using hot peppers? No. Did it make me keepprotective gloves&nbsp;on hand. Absolutely! If you’d been at my house last week while I&nbsp;picked,sorted, graded, rinsed, and de-seeded 50 fresh&nbsp;jalapeños, you’d have noticed I wore gloves from beginning&nbsp;to&nbsp;final clean up.&nbsp;At no time did I let&nbsp;bare flesh&nbsp;contact&nbsp;peppers&nbsp;or seeds.

​In addition, I&nbsp;opened&nbsp;every kitchen and dining room window to&nbsp;dilute&nbsp;spicy scents emanating from just cleaned peppers.&nbsp;Despite&nbsp;the&nbsp;fresh air, my nose and eyes ran enough to inconvenience me, but not enough to halt operations. Nope, there’d be poppers enough to last a while.

​While we were on vacation, some of my peppers turned from green to red. I googled to see if we could eat those. Based on online advice, both red and green jalapeños produce the same amount of heat, so my finished products had a festive Christmas look.&nbsp;

​When it came time to sample them, we found red&nbsp;tasted&nbsp;hotter than green--not enough to quit eating them, but enough to limit how many we might&nbsp;sample&nbsp;in one sitting. We don’t know if that&nbsp;was imagination&nbsp;or actual sensation, but red&nbsp;isn’t&nbsp;for wimps.&nbsp;

​I don’t have&nbsp;poppers&nbsp;enough to last all winter, but this experiment guarantees jalapeños will grow in the garden next year.&nbsp;And,&nbsp;I’ll have protective gloves on hand for future popper parties.

Karen is a retired teacher, writer, photographer, outdoors lover, and
 sixth-generation Kansan. After a time away, she’s glad to be home.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658158605319.jpeg" alt="Karen Madorin" />
 <figcaption>Karen Madorin</figcaption>
 </figure>By KAREN MADORINEveryone has&nbsp;favorite foods that keep&nbsp;them&nbsp;coming back&nbsp;for more. One of mine is bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers. A local restaurant serves 5 on a plate for a reasonable price considering the amount of work&nbsp;required&nbsp;to make them. Sometimes when we go out for supper, that’s&nbsp;all&nbsp;I order&nbsp;besides a drink. &nbsp;I love them&nbsp;so much there are no&nbsp;leftovers.&nbsp;​Since we put in a garden this year, I planted a jalapeño&nbsp;pepper&nbsp;to see how many I’d get and to try them&nbsp;turned into poppers. Years ago,&nbsp;on our hilltop west of Ellis, I grew&nbsp;them&nbsp;but hadn’t discovered the magic that happens when you&nbsp;fill&nbsp;de-seeded&nbsp;green casings&nbsp;withcheddar/cream cheese&nbsp;mix, wrap them&nbsp;in par cooked bacon, and&nbsp;roast&nbsp;them&nbsp;in a hot oven. Once they cool,&nbsp;the feast begins. For patient&nbsp;folk,&nbsp;a quick toss on the grill&nbsp;adds&nbsp;extra pizazz. &nbsp;​Last time we&nbsp;grew these&nbsp;culinary&nbsp;fire&nbsp;bombs, I didn’t know pepper’s capsaicin&nbsp;stays on skin for days and&nbsp;didn’t wear protective gloves when I picked or pickled them. My fingers and hands started burning&nbsp;mid-harvest. It wasn’t&nbsp;painful&nbsp;enough to stop&nbsp;so I&nbsp;continued&nbsp;and assumedsoapy handwashing would&nbsp;solve the problem.&nbsp;​Once in the kitchen, I rinsed&nbsp;and sliced a&nbsp;mixing&nbsp;bowl&nbsp;full&nbsp;of peppers&nbsp;to pack in jars and cover with&nbsp;brine.&nbsp;The&nbsp;heat&nbsp;increased&nbsp;til&nbsp;I was uncomfortable. At that point, I&nbsp;had&nbsp;to finish, so I kept soaping and rinsing my hands&nbsp;as I completed each step in the pickling process. By the time jars cooled on the counter,&nbsp;fiery flames danced from every nerve ending. No matter how much I washed, coated with creams, or dipped&nbsp;my hands&nbsp;in baking soda water,&nbsp;neurons&nbsp;flared. To make a long story longer,&nbsp;the&nbsp;pain&nbsp;lasted three days.&nbsp;​Did that experience make me give up on using hot peppers? No. Did it make me keepprotective gloves&nbsp;on hand. Absolutely! If you’d been at my house last week while I&nbsp;picked,sorted, graded, rinsed, and de-seeded 50 fresh&nbsp;jalapeños, you’d have noticed I wore gloves from beginning&nbsp;to&nbsp;final clean up.&nbsp;At no time did I let&nbsp;bare flesh&nbsp;contact&nbsp;peppers&nbsp;or seeds.​In addition, I&nbsp;opened&nbsp;every kitchen and dining room window to&nbsp;dilute&nbsp;spicy scents emanating from just cleaned peppers.&nbsp;Despite&nbsp;the&nbsp;fresh air, my nose and eyes ran enough to inconvenience me, but not enough to halt operations. Nope, there’d be poppers enough to last a while.​While we were on vacation, some of my peppers turned from green to red. I googled to see if we could eat those. Based on online advice, both red and green jalapeños produce the same amount of heat, so my finished products had a festive Christmas look.&nbsp;​When it came time to sample them, we found red&nbsp;tasted&nbsp;hotter than green--not enough to quit eating them, but enough to limit how many we might&nbsp;sample&nbsp;in one sitting. We don’t know if that&nbsp;was imagination&nbsp;or actual sensation, but red&nbsp;isn’t&nbsp;for wimps.&nbsp;​I don’t have&nbsp;poppers&nbsp;enough to last all winter, but this experiment guarantees jalapeños will grow in the garden next year.&nbsp;And,&nbsp;I’ll have protective gloves on hand for future popper parties.Karen is a retired teacher, writer, photographer, outdoors lover, and
 sixth-generation Kansan. After a time away, she’s glad to be home.

MADORIN: When the garden bites

By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development

“Oh, beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain ..."&nbsp;

PHILLIPSBURG — Those lines from "America the Beautiful" seem especially fitting to describe an exciting new wheat processing project in rural Kansas. Its name is Amber Wave.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

J.D. Schlieman is executive chairman and Randy Cimorelli is CEO of this company, located in Phillipsburg, Kan. Amber Wave’s parent company is Summit Ag Investors, an Iowa-based private equity firm focused on agriculture and renewable energy.&nbsp;

The savvy entrepreneurs at this company observed that U.S. food manufacturers used wheat protein products, and more than 70 percent of that was imported. Such dependence on overseas suppliers became a problem when supply chain disruptions hit.&nbsp;

“We’re a solutions-provider to the food industry,” Cimorelli said. In this case, the solution was to generate a domestic source of wheat protein.&nbsp;

The company began researching how to produce more food-grade wheat protein domestically while integrating renewable fuel production. In July 2021, Amber Wave found the site to do so when it purchased an existing corn ethanol plant in Phillipsburg.&nbsp;

The Prairie Agri-Energy ethanol plant had been operating in Phillipsburg since 2006. It will be expanded and converted for this new purpose by Amber Wave.&nbsp;

“We are building a new state-of-the-art wheat mill next to the existing ethanol plant, which will be converted to use wheat starch,” Schlieman said. “The protein from the wheat flour can be extracted for food and feed use, and the starch can be used for the ethanol.”&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1664370013775.png" alt="Courtesy K-State Research &amp; Extension" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy K-State Research &amp; Extension</figcaption>
 </figure>By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development“Oh, beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain ..."&nbsp;PHILLIPSBURG — Those lines from "America the Beautiful" seem especially fitting to describe an exciting new wheat processing project in rural Kansas. Its name is Amber Wave.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;J.D. Schlieman is executive chairman and Randy Cimorelli is CEO of this company, located in Phillipsburg, Kan. Amber Wave’s parent company is Summit Ag Investors, an Iowa-based private equity firm focused on agriculture and renewable energy.&nbsp;The savvy entrepreneurs at this company observed that U.S. food manufacturers used wheat protein products, and more than 70 percent of that was imported. Such dependence on overseas suppliers became a problem when supply chain disruptions hit.&nbsp;“We’re a solutions-provider to the food industry,” Cimorelli said. In this case, the solution was to generate a domestic source of wheat protein.&nbsp;The company began researching how to produce more food-grade wheat protein domestically while integrating renewable fuel production. In July 2021, Amber Wave found the site to do so when it purchased an existing corn ethanol plant in Phillipsburg.&nbsp;The Prairie Agri-Energy ethanol plant had been operating in Phillipsburg since 2006. It will be expanded and converted for this new purpose by Amber Wave.&nbsp;“We are building a new state-of-the-art wheat mill next to the existing ethanol plant, which will be converted to use wheat starch,” Schlieman said. “The protein from the wheat flour can be extracted for food and feed use, and the starch can be used for the ethanol.”&nbsp;This will produce a low carbon biofuel, which is especially in high demand in heavily-populated states like California that have standards requiring low carbon fuels.&nbsp;According to Cimorelli, the innovative and integrated approach can respond to multiple market needs. “We’re creating more value-added opportunities for wheat which ultimately benefits the farmer,” he said. “We’re also helping our food manufacturers by providing a domestic, reliable source of food protein, and our location should provide freight advantages.”&nbsp;The new wheat flour mill will incorporate the newest technology. “We’ll be able to make better use of water and better use of energy, so the operation will be more sustainable,” Cimorelli said. “We’re bringing new technologies into old space.”&nbsp;Many know that wheat protein products are used in baking breads, pastas and snacks, but they are also important in pet food and aquaculture. Further, this is a plant-based protein.&nbsp;&nbsp;“Kudos to Summit Ag for having the vision to convert a corn ethanol plant and broaden its scope of products in this way,” Cimorelli said.&nbsp;The corn ethanol plant in Phillipsburg is continuing to operate while the new wheat mill is under construction. A celebration of the new facility took place in Phillipsburg in August 2022, with Gov. Laura Kelly, Sen. Jerry Moran and others in attendance. The new plant is expected to be fully operational in summer 2023.&nbsp;Why Phillipsburg?&nbsp;&nbsp;“We looked at a number of alternatives and this achieved the best combination of factors,” Schlieman said. “We needed to be in a location with good access to lots of wheat production, and this is a high-quality working ethanol plant with good employees.”&nbsp;Speaking of employees, this project is anticipated to add 50-60 jobs to the existing 35 or so now working in the ethanol plant. In the near term, the construction process itself is having a major positive impact on the region.&nbsp;“We are very pleased with the cooperation we’ve found in working with the community,” Schlieman said.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;All told, this could be as much as a $300 million investment when the project is complete. It’s expected to be the largest wheat protein producer in North America.&nbsp;&nbsp;That’s an impressive accomplishment to find in a rural community like Phillipsburg, population 2,337 people. Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;For more information, see&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amberwaveusa.com/">www.amberwaveusa.com</a>.&nbsp;Now amber waves of grain can produce needed protein and environmentally friendly renewable energy, in addition to a beautiful Kansas landscape. We salute J.D. Schlieman, Randy Cimorelli and all those involved with Amber Wave for making a difference with this innovative investment.&nbsp;They are creating a whole new level of value, above the fruited plain.&nbsp;

Opinion