I love the Kansas State Fair and I love talking to people about trapping, so I spend some time each year at the Kansas Fur Harvesters Assn. booth, near the butter sculture, at the Kansas State Fair. That booth is an excellent way to educate people about the importance of trapping here in the U.S.&nbsp;

Displayed at the booth are tanned pelts representing every furbearer found in Kansas. Everyone enjoys trying to identify each pelt as they run their fingers through the soft luxurious fur. The skunk pelt is always a good conversation starter, and visitors are usually astonished at how soft and beautiful skunk fur really is; even more surprising to them is the fact that skunk essence is used in MINUTE amounts in perfume as an agent to hold and carry the aroma, making it last longer (ever noticed how long skunk smell hangs around?) We also have a unique hat made from 3 skunk pelts that provides me more fun than should be allowed. I talk fair visitors from seniors in wheelchairs to young kids into getting their pictures taken with it on their heads.&nbsp;

As people stop by the booth, one of the things we point out is that furbearers in Kansas are very prolific breeders and trapping is a perfect and necessary harvest tool to keep their populations manageable. Beavers have from one to six young each year, and they do considerable damage by damming streams and ponds that flood farmland, back roads and golf courses. They cut off newly planted saplings with just a couple bites and kill large standing trees by completely chewing off the bark as high as they can reach. Muskrats have three to five litters per year, each containing up to five kits, and even though they don’t chew trees, they can absolutely riddle dikes, stream banks and pond dams with holes for dens. Raccoons birth three or four young each year and their taste for eggs leads them to destroy large numbers of songbird, pheasant and quail nests every spring. Coyotes have six to ten pups each year and even if only three survive, that’s a three hundred percent population increase, and any hunter, farmer and rancher from the Midwest knows the predation damage to young deer fawns and livestock by coyotes.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Numerous men who stop at the booth trapped when they were kids and they often ask about fur prices today. Their eyes widen when we tell them that nearly all the wild-caught fur from the U.S. now goes overseas to China, Korea, Greece, Italy and Russia, so the economy of those countries and even the severity of winter in Russia directly affect the prices we are paid for our wild-caught fur here in Kansas.

As recently as a generation ago, hunting, trapping and fishing were never questioned and were just a part of life. Today, because of seasons and harvest limits there is more game and fish available for harvest than ever before in the history of our country, so it makes no sense to me that hunting, trapping and fishing would be challenged now. I wish every anti-hunter could envision a world without regulated hunting, trapping and fishing, where deer and predators died only from starvation, rampant disease and indiscriminate shooting; it wouldn’t be pretty! Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.

Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574696211722.png" alt="Steve&nbsp;Gilliland" />
 <figcaption>Steve&nbsp;Gilliland</figcaption>
 </figure>I love the Kansas State Fair and I love talking to people about trapping, so I spend some time each year at the Kansas Fur Harvesters Assn. booth, near the butter sculture, at the Kansas State Fair. That booth is an excellent way to educate people about the importance of trapping here in the U.S.&nbsp;Displayed at the booth are tanned pelts representing every furbearer found in Kansas. Everyone enjoys trying to identify each pelt as they run their fingers through the soft luxurious fur. The skunk pelt is always a good conversation starter, and visitors are usually astonished at how soft and beautiful skunk fur really is; even more surprising to them is the fact that skunk essence is used in MINUTE amounts in perfume as an agent to hold and carry the aroma, making it last longer (ever noticed how long skunk smell hangs around?) We also have a unique hat made from 3 skunk pelts that provides me more fun than should be allowed. I talk fair visitors from seniors in wheelchairs to young kids into getting their pictures taken with it on their heads.&nbsp;As people stop by the booth, one of the things we point out is that furbearers in Kansas are very prolific breeders and trapping is a perfect and necessary harvest tool to keep their populations manageable. Beavers have from one to six young each year, and they do considerable damage by damming streams and ponds that flood farmland, back roads and golf courses. They cut off newly planted saplings with just a couple bites and kill large standing trees by completely chewing off the bark as high as they can reach. Muskrats have three to five litters per year, each containing up to five kits, and even though they don’t chew trees, they can absolutely riddle dikes, stream banks and pond dams with holes for dens. Raccoons birth three or four young each year and their taste for eggs leads them to destroy large numbers of songbird, pheasant and quail nests every spring. Coyotes have six to ten pups each year and even if only three survive, that’s a three hundred percent population increase, and any hunter, farmer and rancher from the Midwest knows the predation damage to young deer fawns and livestock by coyotes.&nbsp; &nbsp;Numerous men who stop at the booth trapped when they were kids and they often ask about fur prices today. Their eyes widen when we tell them that nearly all the wild-caught fur from the U.S. now goes overseas to China, Korea, Greece, Italy and Russia, so the economy of those countries and even the severity of winter in Russia directly affect the prices we are paid for our wild-caught fur here in Kansas.As recently as a generation ago, hunting, trapping and fishing were never questioned and were just a part of life. Today, because of seasons and harvest limits there is more game and fish available for harvest than ever before in the history of our country, so it makes no sense to me that hunting, trapping and fishing would be challenged now. I wish every anti-hunter could envision a world without regulated hunting, trapping and fishing, where deer and predators died only from starvation, rampant disease and indiscriminate shooting; it wouldn’t be pretty! Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.&nbsp;

Exploring Outdoors Kansas: Trapping apologetics

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

“Bake the world a better place.” Not just “Make the world a better place,” but “Bake the world a better place.”&nbsp;

That sounds like a baker’s motto, and it would certainly apply to this bakery and gift shop in rural Kansas.&nbsp;

Nan Lisher is owner and founder of Elsie Grace’s Gift Shoppe and Bakery in Frankfort.&nbsp;As a kid, Nan was close to her grandmother, Elsie Grace Tilley. “She taught me a lot about baking and cooking,” Nan said. Nan and her cousin Sara even dreamed of running a restaurant someday.&nbsp;

That dream came true when Nan opened Nan’s Cooking Nook in Frankfort, with Sara’s help. They served homemade food. Their pies were especially popular. The restaurant operated until 1992.&nbsp;

Then Nan started formulating dry mixes for her snack dips, soups and pies. She formed a company to market these products and named it in honor of her grandmother, Elsie Grace’s. Nan and Sara marketed the dry mixes across northeast Kansas.&nbsp;

In downtown Frankfort, an older lady operated a small gift shop and fudge factory. One day in 1999, Nan stopped in to visit the lady and said, “If you ever want to sell this place, keep me in mind.” One month later, Nan owned the store. Talk about good timing.&nbsp;

Elsie Grace’s Gift Shoppe and Bakery now operates in that location, with Nan and her cousin Sara Colvin. The store offers a wide variety of gifts plus homemade pies, hot lunch meals and fudge. “There’s been fudge produced at this corner of town for 32 years,” Nan said.&nbsp;

Nan and Sara brought one of their homemade pies with them when they consulted with the director of the Small Business Development Center at the time. “He told us the pie was delicious but he said, ‘Nobody makes pies anymore.’” However, he helped with their business plan and promotion. “He was very beneficial, but I still laugh about that because I use that pie mix every day of the week,” Nan said.&nbsp;

“I love to bake and I love to cook,” she added. Her mother helped in the store and her husband would help open up in the mornings. “He called this my hobby.” That would change in a tragic instant.&nbsp;

April 7, 2002. Nan and her husband and her mom and dad were driving to Topeka for her grandson’s fourth birthday party. Near Frankfort, their car was hit by a drunk driver.&nbsp;Nan’s husband and her mother were killed instantly. Nan and her father were critically injured but survived.&nbsp;

“Without the town of Frankfort, I would never have made it,” Nan said. “The people in Frankfort wrapped their arms around us.” The community mobilized to help, with fundraisers and support.&nbsp;

“You have choices in life,” Nan said. “You can give up or you can stand on your feet.” With support from the community, Nan chose to continue Elsie Grace’s after her recovery. “I threw myself into the business after the accident,” Nan said. She later remarried.&nbsp;

Today, Elsie Grace’s offers products online as well as in the store at Frankfort. The business has expanded to the building next door. Upstairs apartments in the building are available for rent.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Nan and Sara created the 320-page Elsie Grace’s Family and Friends Cookbook. At the gift shop and bakery, hot homemade meals are served at lunch on weekdays. The dry mixes for pies, soups, pancakes, cookies and dips are marketed across the nation.&nbsp;

“We’ve shipped to most states and as far away as Germany,” Nan said. That’s an impressive record for a business based in the rural community of Frankfort, population 726 people. Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;

“Cooking is my therapy,” she said. “I love to make people happy with food.”&nbsp;

For more information, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.elsiegraces1.com/">www.elsiegraces1.com</a>.&nbsp;

“Bake the world a better place.” That is a good way to describe what happens at Elsie Grace’s Gift Shoppe and Bakery. We commend Nan Lisher and Sara Colvin at Elsie Grace’s for making a difference with a creative gift selection and delicious food. They are baking the world better, one pie at a time.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631712605760.png" alt="Sara Colvin and Nan Lisher" />
 <figcaption>Sara Colvin and Nan Lisher</figcaption>
 </figure>By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development&nbsp;“Bake the world a better place.” Not just “Make the world a better place,” but “Bake the world a better place.”&nbsp;That sounds like a baker’s motto, and it would certainly apply to this bakery and gift shop in rural Kansas.&nbsp;Nan Lisher is owner and founder of Elsie Grace’s Gift Shoppe and Bakery in Frankfort.&nbsp;As a kid, Nan was close to her grandmother, Elsie Grace Tilley. “She taught me a lot about baking and cooking,” Nan said. Nan and her cousin Sara even dreamed of running a restaurant someday.&nbsp;That dream came true when Nan opened Nan’s Cooking Nook in Frankfort, with Sara’s help. They served homemade food. Their pies were especially popular. The restaurant operated until 1992.&nbsp;Then Nan started formulating dry mixes for her snack dips, soups and pies. She formed a company to market these products and named it in honor of her grandmother, Elsie Grace’s. Nan and Sara marketed the dry mixes across northeast Kansas.&nbsp;In downtown Frankfort, an older lady operated a small gift shop and fudge factory. One day in 1999, Nan stopped in to visit the lady and said, “If you ever want to sell this place, keep me in mind.” One month later, Nan owned the store. Talk about good timing.&nbsp;Elsie Grace’s Gift Shoppe and Bakery now operates in that location, with Nan and her cousin Sara Colvin. The store offers a wide variety of gifts plus homemade pies, hot lunch meals and fudge. “There’s been fudge produced at this corner of town for 32 years,” Nan said.&nbsp;Nan and Sara brought one of their homemade pies with them when they consulted with the director of the Small Business Development Center at the time. “He told us the pie was delicious but he said, ‘Nobody makes pies anymore.’” However, he helped with their business plan and promotion. “He was very beneficial, but I still laugh about that because I use that pie mix every day of the week,” Nan said.&nbsp;“I love to bake and I love to cook,” she added. Her mother helped in the store and her husband would help open up in the mornings. “He called this my hobby.” That would change in a tragic instant.&nbsp;April 7, 2002. Nan and her husband and her mom and dad were driving to Topeka for her grandson’s fourth birthday party. Near Frankfort, their car was hit by a drunk driver.&nbsp;Nan’s husband and her mother were killed instantly. Nan and her father were critically injured but survived.&nbsp;“Without the town of Frankfort, I would never have made it,” Nan said. “The people in Frankfort wrapped their arms around us.” The community mobilized to help, with fundraisers and support.&nbsp;“You have choices in life,” Nan said. “You can give up or you can stand on your feet.” With support from the community, Nan chose to continue Elsie Grace’s after her recovery. “I threw myself into the business after the accident,” Nan said. She later remarried.&nbsp;Today, Elsie Grace’s offers products online as well as in the store at Frankfort. The business has expanded to the building next door. Upstairs apartments in the building are available for rent.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Nan and Sara created the 320-page Elsie Grace’s Family and Friends Cookbook. At the gift shop and bakery, hot homemade meals are served at lunch on weekdays. The dry mixes for pies, soups, pancakes, cookies and dips are marketed across the nation.&nbsp;“We’ve shipped to most states and as far away as Germany,” Nan said. That’s an impressive record for a business based in the rural community of Frankfort, population 726 people. Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;“Cooking is my therapy,” she said. “I love to make people happy with food.”&nbsp;For more information, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.elsiegraces1.com/">www.elsiegraces1.com</a>.&nbsp;“Bake the world a better place.” That is a good way to describe what happens at Elsie Grace’s Gift Shoppe and Bakery. We commend Nan Lisher and Sara Colvin at Elsie Grace’s for making a difference with a creative gift selection and delicious food. They are baking the world better, one pie at a time.&nbsp;

Now That’s Rural:  Nan Lisher, Elsie Grace’s 

Health insurance companies have been shielding many customers from out-of-pocket “cost-sharing” expenses like deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments for Covid-related medical care. But that safety cushion is disappearing, increasing your direct financial risk from the disease.&nbsp;

Now that vaccines have proven safe and effective at mitigating Covid, insurers are shifting costs back onto customers, including large insurers here in Kansas like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas and Blue KC.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Testing and vaccines will continue to have no out-of-pocket costs under federal law, but other services will trigger customer cost-sharing.&nbsp;

For those who remain unvaccinated, that means a heightened risk of large medical bills, on top of their heightened risk of contracting Covid and suffering its more severe health effects.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The group most directly impacted is the nearly 60 percent of Kansans who, per the Kansas Health Institute (KHI), get their health insurance through an employer. Should these folks incur costs for Covid-related care, cost-sharing under their respective plans kicks in.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that in Kansas the average annual family deductible is about $3,600 and the average individual deductible is about $1,900. Annual out-of-pocket maximums for covered services for families can currently exceed $17,000 under federal law.&nbsp;

Going forward, then, an insured person who needs Covid treatment could face thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs that they didn’t risk before in the pandemic.&nbsp;

Roughly 250,000 Kansans lack health insurance, according to the KHI. These Kansans are disproportionately low income workers. They are also more likely to live in rural communities that have lower vaccination rates and that Covid has hit harder on a per capita basis. Not having benefited from cost-sharing waivers because they lacked insurance, not much changes for these folks and their risk for large medical debt.&nbsp;

If four-figure medical bills don’t intimidate you financially, congratulations on your comfort.&nbsp;&nbsp;

But for many Kansans, that kind of expense risks financial ruin and entrapment as a defendant in the legal system. Economic surveys commonly estimate that the median American has under $4,000 in cash savings, while the Federal Reserve reported in 2019 that about 40 percent of Americans would struggle to cover a $400 emergency expense.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Many readers probably know people—often the uninsured or the under-insured—who have asked for charity on GoFundMe to cover their medical bills. That is a sad reality of the modern American health care market, especially for the working class.&nbsp;&nbsp;

These crowdfunding attempts typically fall far short, though. The&nbsp;Journal of the American Medical Association&nbsp;published a study in early 2021 reporting that the roughly 250,000 medical expense fundraisers on GoFundMe in the previous decade raised just 36% of their total goal.&nbsp;&nbsp;

If neighborly goodwill can’t cover medical expenses for cancer patients when economic times are good, how can we expect it to cover the ballooning costs of Covid care in tougher economic times and when this disease has seemingly driven so many Americans to loathe each other and wish each other harm?&nbsp;

Most Kansans probably aren’t enthusiastic to blow thousands of dollars on Covid care. Nor would they proudly tout that bill in some grand display of conservative virtue signaling. There is no shame in getting vaccinated just to lower your financial risks. But for those who choose to remain unvaccinated, hopefully they know the heightened financial peril they are embracing.&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>Health insurance companies have been shielding many customers from out-of-pocket “cost-sharing” expenses like deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments for Covid-related medical care. But that safety cushion is disappearing, increasing your direct financial risk from the disease.&nbsp;Now that vaccines have proven safe and effective at mitigating Covid, insurers are shifting costs back onto customers, including large insurers here in Kansas like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas and Blue KC.&nbsp;&nbsp;Testing and vaccines will continue to have no out-of-pocket costs under federal law, but other services will trigger customer cost-sharing.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>For those who remain unvaccinated, that means a heightened risk of large medical bills, on top of their heightened risk of contracting Covid and suffering its more severe health effects.&nbsp;&nbsp;The group most directly impacted is the nearly 60 percent of Kansans who, per the Kansas Health Institute (KHI), get their health insurance through an employer. Should these folks incur costs for Covid-related care, cost-sharing under their respective plans kicks in.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that in Kansas the average annual family deductible is about $3,600 and the average individual deductible is about $1,900. Annual out-of-pocket maximums for covered services for families can currently exceed $17,000 under federal law.&nbsp;Going forward, then, an insured person who needs Covid treatment could face thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs that they didn’t risk before in the pandemic.&nbsp;Roughly 250,000 Kansans lack health insurance, according to the KHI. These Kansans are disproportionately low income workers. They are also more likely to live in rural communities that have lower vaccination rates and that Covid has hit harder on a per capita basis. Not having benefited from cost-sharing waivers because they lacked insurance, not much changes for these folks and their risk for large medical debt.&nbsp;If four-figure medical bills don’t intimidate you financially, congratulations on your comfort.&nbsp;&nbsp;But for many Kansans, that kind of expense risks financial ruin and entrapment as a defendant in the legal system. Economic surveys commonly estimate that the median American has under $4,000 in cash savings, while the Federal Reserve reported in 2019 that about 40 percent of Americans would struggle to cover a $400 emergency expense.&nbsp;&nbsp;Many readers probably know people—often the uninsured or the under-insured—who have asked for charity on GoFundMe to cover their medical bills. That is a sad reality of the modern American health care market, especially for the working class.&nbsp;&nbsp;These crowdfunding attempts typically fall far short, though. The&nbsp;Journal of the American Medical Association&nbsp;published a study in early 2021 reporting that the roughly 250,000 medical expense fundraisers on GoFundMe in the previous decade raised just 36% of their total goal.&nbsp;&nbsp;If neighborly goodwill can’t cover medical expenses for cancer patients when economic times are good, how can we expect it to cover the ballooning costs of Covid care in tougher economic times and when this disease has seemingly driven so many Americans to loathe each other and wish each other harm?&nbsp;Most Kansans probably aren’t enthusiastic to blow thousands of dollars on Covid care. Nor would they proudly tout that bill in some grand display of conservative virtue signaling. There is no shame in getting vaccinated just to lower your financial risks. But for those who choose to remain unvaccinated, hopefully they know the heightened financial peril they are embracing.&nbsp;Patrick R. Miller is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Kansas.&nbsp;

INSIGHT KANSAS: Financial risks of COVID increasing for most Kansans 

By GLENN BRUNKOW Pottawatomie&nbsp;County farmer and rancher Last Sunday I was in church minding my own business when my occupation came under fire. Our church is without a pastor right now, and we rely on pulpit supply, so the preacher was a guest fill-in. The prayer he had prepared was one promoting environmental justice and in it we prayed to save our world from the overuse of harsh chemicals and the erosion of the soils brought on by agriculture. As you can imagine, that caught my attention. The pastor called on our church to take up the mantle of environmental justice. That carried with it a list of other issues I will not get into, but it also put a spotlight on global climate change and the effect agriculture has on it. I am Presbyterian, but the environmental justice movement was one promoted by the liturgy shared by many denominations. In our bulletin a small blurb promoted the environmental justice issue and indicated it was supported by several other churches including Catholic and Lutheran organizations. I would guess no matter what your religious affiliation you can find a link to this movement. Upon further research, and it did not take much, I learned one way your church could help save the environment was to limit the amount of red meat consumed because the production of red meat and the correlating grain production produced greenhouse gases. This is a tactic used by environmental activists that we know not to be true. Yes, the environmental movement has infiltrated even the most sacred space of the church. I am not trying to turn anyone against the church but rather I am saying as Farm Bureau members and as farmers and ranchers we must get involved to tell our story and let our fellow church members know what we are doing. We know we do not overuse “harsh” chemicals, and we do our best to retain and improve the soil. We all know we do our best to protect God’s creation, and now it is time to help educate our fellow church members. It is also time for us to get involved in the leadership of our churches at the regional and national levels so factual and correct information can be shared. If we do not tell our story others will tell it for us and we cannot let that happen. If it can happen in our churches it will happen in all other areas too. For that matter this charge should go for every other organization in our lives whether it be the Lions or Rotary and even the Chamber in our local towns and cities. We know as farmers and ranchers we are the best caretakers of all God has entrusted us with. We work hard to care for the water, soil and air we all rely on, we know that, but the challenge is to make sure our urban neighbors know the truth. I know I am preaching to the choir so maybe we all need to start preaching to the congregation.

"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/2019/12/1576508626397.png" alt="Glenn Brunkow" />
 <figcaption>Glenn Brunkow</figcaption>
 </figure>By GLENN BRUNKOW Pottawatomie&nbsp;County farmer and rancher Last Sunday I was in church minding my own business when my occupation came under fire. Our church is without a pastor right now, and we rely on pulpit supply, so the preacher was a guest fill-in. The prayer he had prepared was one promoting environmental justice and in it we prayed to save our world from the overuse of harsh chemicals and the erosion of the soils brought on by agriculture. As you can imagine, that caught my attention. The pastor called on our church to take up the mantle of environmental justice. That carried with it a list of other issues I will not get into, but it also put a spotlight on global climate change and the effect agriculture has on it. I am Presbyterian, but the environmental justice movement was one promoted by the liturgy shared by many denominations. In our bulletin a small blurb promoted the environmental justice issue and indicated it was supported by several other churches including Catholic and Lutheran organizations. I would guess no matter what your religious affiliation you can find a link to this movement. Upon further research, and it did not take much, I learned one way your church could help save the environment was to limit the amount of red meat consumed because the production of red meat and the correlating grain production produced greenhouse gases. This is a tactic used by environmental activists that we know not to be true. Yes, the environmental movement has infiltrated even the most sacred space of the church. I am not trying to turn anyone against the church but rather I am saying as Farm Bureau members and as farmers and ranchers we must get involved to tell our story and let our fellow church members know what we are doing. We know we do not overuse “harsh” chemicals, and we do our best to retain and improve the soil. We all know we do our best to protect God’s creation, and now it is time to help educate our fellow church members. It is also time for us to get involved in the leadership of our churches at the regional and national levels so factual and correct information can be shared. If we do not tell our story others will tell it for us and we cannot let that happen. If it can happen in our churches it will happen in all other areas too. For that matter this charge should go for every other organization in our lives whether it be the Lions or Rotary and even the Chamber in our local towns and cities. We know as farmers and ranchers we are the best caretakers of all God has entrusted us with. We work hard to care for the water, soil and air we all rely on, we know that, but the challenge is to make sure our urban neighbors know the truth. I know I am preaching to the choir so maybe we all need to start preaching to the congregation."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: Preaching to the congregation

By DREW GANNON Fort Hays State University

On Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, individuals from Hays and surrounding communities gathered at Lewis Field for a 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb and Walk in memory of the events that occurred 20 years ago on Sept. 11, 2001. Over the last several days I have tried to put into words what I experienced at the event.

As we began to plan for the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb and Walk, my hope was that we would remember the events that happened on 9/11, to honor the sacrifices made by so many, and that participants would come together in unity just as this country did in 2001.

As I stood in front of the crowd last Saturday, I fought back emotions as I witnessed the love of a community, gathered for a purpose and uniting behind a cause. The emotions continued as we begin to climb stairs and I followed behind a group of firefighters in full gear, climbing 110 flights of stairs in remembrance of the first responders who answered the call and ran into the Twin Towers to save others.

This year, and each of the past 20, my heart aches for those who lost so much on 9/11 — for those who endured pain, for those who lost loved ones, for those who live every day struggling with the emptiness that day left, and for those that have had to deal with the implications and aftermath of 9/11. My heart hurts also for our divided nation struggling to mend its differences that seemed to not matter right after 9/11 as we stood together as Americans.

Perhaps in the heartache of recalling that fateful day lies our answer to take a step forward. As I looked around Saturday morning, I was filled with hope and a remembrance of my own.

I was reminded that we can stand united despite having different beliefs. At the heart of the matter lies a common need to be loved, understood, and recognized.

I was reminded that conversations are a two-way street, and that listening is more important that talking. It’s in the listening we find commonalities.

I was reminded that this country has by no means ever been perfect, rather that we’re more alike than we are different. It’s acts of love that bring us together.

I was reminded of Sept. 12, 2001, when the sun rose and America’s future shined bright. It’s in the moments after tragedy where we find our resolve.

As I looked around at Lewis Field, I said a prayer for those that have endured so much since 9/11, for this community, for our state, and for the United States of America…

May we begin to listen a little more to one another, even if we have different beliefs. May we seek out hope and chase after the hearts of one another, acting in love and making the extra effort to serve others. May we take time to climb more stairs together, or go for walks, to laugh, cry, and remember. May we find the light in dark moments and stand together as neighbors.

I am exponentially grateful to the many individuals that helped make the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb and Walk possible. Thank you to our friends at Fort Hays State University, the local fire and police departments, our EMS volunteers, and the different groups, organizations and businesses that advertised the event or helped us out. Thank you to those who came together in unity to remember, honor, and fill us with hope.

Drew Gannon is Fort Hays State University's director of the Tiger Fitness Center and a health and human performance instructor.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631738334073.jpeg" alt="Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>By DREW GANNON Fort Hays State UniversityOn Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, individuals from Hays and surrounding communities gathered at Lewis Field for a 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb and Walk in memory of the events that occurred 20 years ago on Sept. 11, 2001. Over the last several days I have tried to put into words what I experienced at the event.As we began to plan for the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb and Walk, my hope was that we would remember the events that happened on 9/11, to honor the sacrifices made by so many, and that participants would come together in unity just as this country did in 2001.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>As I stood in front of the crowd last Saturday, I fought back emotions as I witnessed the love of a community, gathered for a purpose and uniting behind a cause. The emotions continued as we begin to climb stairs and I followed behind a group of firefighters in full gear, climbing 110 flights of stairs in remembrance of the first responders who answered the call and ran into the Twin Towers to save others.This year, and each of the past 20, my heart aches for those who lost so much on 9/11 — for those who endured pain, for those who lost loved ones, for those who live every day struggling with the emptiness that day left, and for those that have had to deal with the implications and aftermath of 9/11. My heart hurts also for our divided nation struggling to mend its differences that seemed to not matter right after 9/11 as we stood together as Americans.Perhaps in the heartache of recalling that fateful day lies our answer to take a step forward. As I looked around Saturday morning, I was filled with hope and a remembrance of my own.I was reminded that we can stand united despite having different beliefs. At the heart of the matter lies a common need to be loved, understood, and recognized.I was reminded that conversations are a two-way street, and that listening is more important that talking. It’s in the listening we find commonalities.I was reminded that this country has by no means ever been perfect, rather that we’re more alike than we are different. It’s acts of love that bring us together.I was reminded of Sept. 12, 2001, when the sun rose and America’s future shined bright. It’s in the moments after tragedy where we find our resolve.As I looked around at Lewis Field, I said a prayer for those that have endured so much since 9/11, for this community, for our state, and for the United States of America…May we begin to listen a little more to one another, even if we have different beliefs. May we seek out hope and chase after the hearts of one another, acting in love and making the extra effort to serve others. May we take time to climb more stairs together, or go for walks, to laugh, cry, and remember. May we find the light in dark moments and stand together as neighbors.I am exponentially grateful to the many individuals that helped make the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb and Walk possible. Thank you to our friends at Fort Hays State University, the local fire and police departments, our EMS volunteers, and the different groups, organizations and businesses that advertised the event or helped us out. Thank you to those who came together in unity to remember, honor, and fill us with hope.Drew Gannon is Fort Hays State University's director of the Tiger Fitness Center and a health and human performance instructor.

LETTER: 9/11 tribute at Fort Hays State powerful

Each year here in Inman, we see one or two hummingbirds in the spring or in the fall, then we’ll hustle to get a feeder up but never see them again. Three weeks ago, the scenario repeated itself, we put up a couple feeders, and three of the little buggers have been regularly slurping sugar water every day since. In researching hummingbird “gurus” here in KS, I was told to contact Chuck Otte, Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent for Geary County.

Chuck told me both his mother and grandmother were avid bird watchers. He says “I was predisposed as early as four years old to be an avid “birder” like them, and now backyard “birding” is my passion.” He says that hummingbirds here in KS “leisurely” begin meandering south in late July; the adult males first, followed by the adult females then this-years young. Otte also says winds and weather fronts &amp; patterns help determine when they leave for their winter digs in southern Mexico or northern Central America. I just assumed they would all go together in one large group, especially so the youngsters could safely follow, but he says that’s not the case. &nbsp;

Here in the Hutchinson area, we are in a transition zone that runs north clear to North Dakota, putting us on the very western edge of the Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds range, but they are still the most likely species we’ll see. West of us, the Rufous, Broad-tailed, Black-chinned and Calliope species are more prevalent, and being this close to the edge of their boundaries, it’s possible to see some of those species around our area too.&nbsp;

When talking hummingbirds, feeding them always enters the discussion, and Otte had lots of advice. He advises feeding hummingbirds straight sugar water, mixed one-part sugar to four parts water; NO red food color, NO honey, NO sugar substitutes or other additives, just straight sugar water. Don’t mix the syrup stronger than that as hummingbirds get most of their water from the syrup they drink. They are attracted to the color red, so it may be helpful if the feeder is red, but avoid yellow on the feeder as yellow attracts bees and wasps. Put the feeders up in mid-April for the hummers’ arrival and take them down in early June. If you continue seeing a couple birds after that, they are possibly nesting nearby and leaving a feeder up will benefit them. Otherwise, put feeders back up around July 20, and leave them up till the little guys leave in early October. Otte says while there is obviously no guarantee the same hummers will visit you next year, Ruby-throated hummingbirds do remember where they feed in the fall. He also debunked the theory that leaving feeders up longer in the fall will coerce hummingbirds to stay too late, putting their migration in peril. Otte says their instinct and drive to migrate and to leave when they need to leave is stronger than anything we humans can do to keep them here.

Natural attracters can also help draw and possibly keep hummingbirds near your garden. Plants with red or bright orange cone-shaped flowers that produce lots of nectar are especially noticed by hummingbirds. Salvia, red Cannas, Hollyhocks and Trumpet vine are all good. Another fact new to me is that hummers’ need to eat small insects for protein, so as they flit amongst your flowers, they are also looking for snacks besides just nectar.

I won’t get into hummingbird trivia here, like how fast their little hearts beat or how fast their tiny delicate wings move, but I challenge you to watch one for any length of time without finding yourself completely in awe of God’s handiwork the day He Created hummingbirds.

Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com. &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574696211722.png" alt="Steve&nbsp;Gilliland" />
 <figcaption>Steve&nbsp;Gilliland</figcaption>
 </figure>Each year here in Inman, we see one or two hummingbirds in the spring or in the fall, then we’ll hustle to get a feeder up but never see them again. Three weeks ago, the scenario repeated itself, we put up a couple feeders, and three of the little buggers have been regularly slurping sugar water every day since. In researching hummingbird “gurus” here in KS, I was told to contact Chuck Otte, Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent for Geary County.Chuck told me both his mother and grandmother were avid bird watchers. He says “I was predisposed as early as four years old to be an avid “birder” like them, and now backyard “birding” is my passion.” He says that hummingbirds here in KS “leisurely” begin meandering south in late July; the adult males first, followed by the adult females then this-years young. Otte also says winds and weather fronts &amp; patterns help determine when they leave for their winter digs in southern Mexico or northern Central America. I just assumed they would all go together in one large group, especially so the youngsters could safely follow, but he says that’s not the case. &nbsp;Here in the Hutchinson area, we are in a transition zone that runs north clear to North Dakota, putting us on the very western edge of the Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds range, but they are still the most likely species we’ll see. West of us, the Rufous, Broad-tailed, Black-chinned and Calliope species are more prevalent, and being this close to the edge of their boundaries, it’s possible to see some of those species around our area too.&nbsp;When talking hummingbirds, feeding them always enters the discussion, and Otte had lots of advice. He advises feeding hummingbirds straight sugar water, mixed one-part sugar to four parts water; NO red food color, NO honey, NO sugar substitutes or other additives, just straight sugar water. Don’t mix the syrup stronger than that as hummingbirds get most of their water from the syrup they drink. They are attracted to the color red, so it may be helpful if the feeder is red, but avoid yellow on the feeder as yellow attracts bees and wasps. Put the feeders up in mid-April for the hummers’ arrival and take them down in early June. If you continue seeing a couple birds after that, they are possibly nesting nearby and leaving a feeder up will benefit them. Otherwise, put feeders back up around July 20, and leave them up till the little guys leave in early October. Otte says while there is obviously no guarantee the same hummers will visit you next year, Ruby-throated hummingbirds do remember where they feed in the fall. He also debunked the theory that leaving feeders up longer in the fall will coerce hummingbirds to stay too late, putting their migration in peril. Otte says their instinct and drive to migrate and to leave when they need to leave is stronger than anything we humans can do to keep them here.Natural attracters can also help draw and possibly keep hummingbirds near your garden. Plants with red or bright orange cone-shaped flowers that produce lots of nectar are especially noticed by hummingbirds. Salvia, red Cannas, Hollyhocks and Trumpet vine are all good. Another fact new to me is that hummers’ need to eat small insects for protein, so as they flit amongst your flowers, they are also looking for snacks besides just nectar.I won’t get into hummingbird trivia here, like how fast their little hearts beat or how fast their tiny delicate wings move, but I challenge you to watch one for any length of time without finding yourself completely in awe of God’s handiwork the day He Created hummingbirds.Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com. &nbsp;

Exploring Outdoors Kansas: Hummingbirds in Kansas

By&nbsp;Fr. GNANASEKAR KULANDAI <a href="https://salinadiocese.org">Salina Diocese</a>

I grew up in a village in India. We lived about ten kilometers from 
the big city. I was the youngest of five children. It was nice being the
 baby of the family! My dad was a farmer. We grew rice, vegetables and 
flowers. We would have to get up early in the mornings and collect 
everything to take to market.&nbsp;

My family are all devout Catholics. I do not know for how many 
generations we are Catholic, but we are Catholic for as far back as I 
can remember. Most of India&nbsp;(80%)&nbsp;is Hindu, only about 2.3% of the 
country is Christian,&nbsp;in which 1.5% is&nbsp;Catholic. My Catholic faith made 
me distinct, but it didn’t harm my friendships or relationships with 
people. My best&nbsp;childhood&nbsp;friend was&nbsp;a&nbsp;Hindu. In our simple home, we 
didn’t worry about differences in faith. There was unity in the 
diversity.&nbsp;

My greatest role models were my parents. They cultivated my faith and
 conscience, but so did the priests and religious sisters at the 
Catholic school I attended. There was one teacher who made a tremendous 
impact on me. He was very quiet and never used corporal punishment. 
Corporal punishment was allowed back in those days. Just his stern look 
would calm us. It inspired me and taught me that we should do our jobs 
with love.&nbsp;

When I was in grade school, and people asked me what I wanted to be 
when I grew up, I said a priest! But then when I was older, sometime 
after the 5th&nbsp;grade, my answer would vary from police officer
 to engineer to doctor to farmer. I had many different desires. There 
were other parts of the world I wanted to explore. I was always 
comfortable with those dreams, but I wasn’t fully satisfied. I was 
aiming for everything, but I felt like I was neglecting the most 
important call.&nbsp;One of my sisters is a religious sister for 
the&nbsp;Sisters&nbsp;of Good News. When I was in 10th&nbsp;grade, she came 
home for a visit. We talked for about 30 minutes and she expressed to me
 her vocation and the way God calls. We talked about the mission of 
priests.&nbsp;I knew then that I was hiding from the priesthood. So, when I 
was 16, I decided to enter the seminary. It was kind of funny, but my 
cousin, who I am very close with, entered seminary at the same time that
 I did. We went through everything together. It was very comforting.&nbsp;

When I told my family about my decision, my mom and siblings&nbsp;were 
extremely happy. My dad was sad. He wanted me to be close to him. He 
knew that I would not be home very often, and that was hard for him. He 
died before I was ordained a priest, but I know that he was proud of 
me.&nbsp;The first four years of seminary were not easy. I was not yet sure 
that the priesthood is where I was being called. I could foresee the 
challenges, like being far from home. I also knew that I would have to 
give up my desires for a family.&nbsp;

At one point, I was upset with one of my formators. I was so 
frustrated and wanted to leave. I remember talking to a friend and she 
said, “Sekar, did you enter the seminary for that priest? Or did you 
enter the seminary for Jesus?” It was a simple thing that motivated me 
to return.&nbsp;

There were always questions, but less with each year. Around year 
five, I knew without any doubt that God wanted me to be a priest. I came
 to realize that God’s will for me is better than my desires. God wants 
what is best for me. Something I like to reflect on that one of my 
formators shared with me is, “The&nbsp;Will&nbsp;of God will not lead you where 
the grace of God cannot keep you.”&nbsp;

I was ordained as a priest for the Heralds of Good News (HGN) on 
February 3, 2009. The HGNs are a clerical missionary society that seek 
to train saintly, hardworking, dedicated missionaries and supply them 
wherever there is a need. I chose them mainly because my sister’s order 
was founded by the same priest. I did not know very much about the 
mission congregation when I joined, but I knew I would be sent out.&nbsp;&nbsp;

After I was ordained, my first assignment was to teach philosophy at 
the seminary. I did that for four years. Near the end of my term, Bishop
 Weisenburger contacted my superiors in need of two priests. My 
superiors came to me and all I could say is, “Yes, I will go.”&nbsp;

I strongly believe that God speaks through the superiors. God sends 
us to the right place. So, he sent me and Father&nbsp;Soosai&nbsp;Rathinam, HGN to
 Salina. We did not know where Kansas was.&nbsp;

I remember flying into Kansas City, and Father Leo Blasi picked us up
 at the airport. He was a seminarian at the time. He drove us to Salina.
 I looked out the car window the whole time and couldn’t believe it. 
There were no people and no honking! India is the second most densely 
populated country in the world, so the space out here was hard to 
believe. We stopped for lunch, and I had no idea what to order! The food
 is very different here.&nbsp;

My first assignment was in Hays. Father Kevin Weber was my mentor. He
 was great and did not grow tired of me. While I had already been a 
priest for four years, I had never served at a parish. Serving at 
Immaculate Heart of Mary in Hays was my first time ministering to the 
people.&nbsp;

One of the hardest things for me when I got here was cooking! In 
India, the women do most of the cooking. It’s the way of the culture. 
So, the only thing I knew how to do was boil water.&nbsp;On my first day in 
Hays,&nbsp;Father Kevin gave me some cash and&nbsp;went to his farm for his day 
off.&nbsp; I went&nbsp;to buy groceries&nbsp;at Dillons. I did not know what to buy! I
 walked up and down the aisles for a long time. Thankfully, a very nice 
woman from the parish saw me and helped me out.&nbsp;

I have loved being in the Salina Diocese. And I love being a priest –
 it is a special call. The best part of being a priest is bringing God’s
 love to people and watching them come alive. Recently, I visited a man 
who had strayed from the faith for most of his life. After hearing his 
Confession, seeing the joy in him was priceless. What else is there?&nbsp;

I am happy here, but I do miss my home and my family. It’s strange, 
but I’ve never&nbsp;been assigned to a place where I could speak and 
celebrate Mass in my mother tongue, Tamil.&nbsp;

I know that God wanted me to be a priest. I remember one time when I 
was young, I was walking&nbsp;in the&nbsp;field, and I heard my name being called.
 I looked all around and ran home, wondering who had called me. No one 
had. Sometimes I wonder if it was God – similar to the&nbsp;way he called 
Samuel. I think everything circles back to how God calls. Once I knew I 
was being called to the priesthood, I never regretted it. God continues 
to keep me safe, happy and joyful.&nbsp;

I am greatly indebted to the&nbsp;Bishop, priests and people 
of&nbsp;the&nbsp;Salina&nbsp;Diocese for&nbsp;the love, friendship&nbsp;and support&nbsp;I receive, 
and&nbsp;to&nbsp;Heralds of Good News&nbsp;for&nbsp;the formation and mission I cherish.&nbsp;

From the <a href="https://salinadiocese.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/WEB-Register-032221.pdf">March 26, 2021</a> issue of The Register

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631559499802.png" alt="Fr. Gnanasekar Kulandai" />
 <figcaption>Fr. Gnanasekar Kulandai</figcaption>
 </figure>By&nbsp;Fr. GNANASEKAR KULANDAI <a href="https://salinadiocese.org">Salina Diocese</a>I grew up in a village in India. We lived about ten kilometers from 
the big city. I was the youngest of five children. It was nice being the
 baby of the family! My dad was a farmer. We grew rice, vegetables and 
flowers. We would have to get up early in the mornings and collect 
everything to take to market.&nbsp;My family are all devout Catholics. I do not know for how many 
generations we are Catholic, but we are Catholic for as far back as I 
can remember. Most of India&nbsp;(80%)&nbsp;is Hindu, only about 2.3% of the 
country is Christian,&nbsp;in which 1.5% is&nbsp;Catholic. My Catholic faith made 
me distinct, but it didn’t harm my friendships or relationships with 
people. My best&nbsp;childhood&nbsp;friend was&nbsp;a&nbsp;Hindu. In our simple home, we 
didn’t worry about differences in faith. There was unity in the 
diversity.&nbsp;My greatest role models were my parents. They cultivated my faith and
 conscience, but so did the priests and religious sisters at the 
Catholic school I attended. There was one teacher who made a tremendous 
impact on me. He was very quiet and never used corporal punishment. 
Corporal punishment was allowed back in those days. Just his stern look 
would calm us. It inspired me and taught me that we should do our jobs 
with love.&nbsp;When I was in grade school, and people asked me what I wanted to be 
when I grew up, I said a priest! But then when I was older, sometime 
after the 5th&nbsp;grade, my answer would vary from police officer
 to engineer to doctor to farmer. I had many different desires. There 
were other parts of the world I wanted to explore. I was always 
comfortable with those dreams, but I wasn’t fully satisfied. I was 
aiming for everything, but I felt like I was neglecting the most 
important call.&nbsp;One of my sisters is a religious sister for 
the&nbsp;Sisters&nbsp;of Good News. When I was in 10th&nbsp;grade, she came 
home for a visit. We talked for about 30 minutes and she expressed to me
 her vocation and the way God calls. We talked about the mission of 
priests.&nbsp;I knew then that I was hiding from the priesthood. So, when I 
was 16, I decided to enter the seminary. It was kind of funny, but my 
cousin, who I am very close with, entered seminary at the same time that
 I did. We went through everything together. It was very comforting.&nbsp;When I told my family about my decision, my mom and siblings&nbsp;were 
extremely happy. My dad was sad. He wanted me to be close to him. He 
knew that I would not be home very often, and that was hard for him. He 
died before I was ordained a priest, but I know that he was proud of 
me.&nbsp;The first four years of seminary were not easy. I was not yet sure 
that the priesthood is where I was being called. I could foresee the 
challenges, like being far from home. I also knew that I would have to 
give up my desires for a family.&nbsp;At one point, I was upset with one of my formators. I was so 
frustrated and wanted to leave. I remember talking to a friend and she 
said, “Sekar, did you enter the seminary for that priest? Or did you 
enter the seminary for Jesus?” It was a simple thing that motivated me 
to return.&nbsp;There were always questions, but less with each year. Around year 
five, I knew without any doubt that God wanted me to be a priest. I came
 to realize that God’s will for me is better than my desires. God wants 
what is best for me. Something I like to reflect on that one of my 
formators shared with me is, “The&nbsp;Will&nbsp;of God will not lead you where 
the grace of God cannot keep you.”&nbsp;I was ordained as a priest for the Heralds of Good News (HGN) on 
February 3, 2009. The HGNs are a clerical missionary society that seek 
to train saintly, hardworking, dedicated missionaries and supply them 
wherever there is a need. I chose them mainly because my sister’s order 
was founded by the same priest. I did not know very much about the 
mission congregation when I joined, but I knew I would be sent out.&nbsp;&nbsp;After I was ordained, my first assignment was to teach philosophy at 
the seminary. I did that for four years. Near the end of my term, Bishop
 Weisenburger contacted my superiors in need of two priests. My 
superiors came to me and all I could say is, “Yes, I will go.”&nbsp;I strongly believe that God speaks through the superiors. God sends 
us to the right place. So, he sent me and Father&nbsp;Soosai&nbsp;Rathinam, HGN to
 Salina. We did not know where Kansas was.&nbsp;I remember flying into Kansas City, and Father Leo Blasi picked us up
 at the airport. He was a seminarian at the time. He drove us to Salina.
 I looked out the car window the whole time and couldn’t believe it. 
There were no people and no honking! India is the second most densely 
populated country in the world, so the space out here was hard to 
believe. We stopped for lunch, and I had no idea what to order! The food
 is very different here.&nbsp;My first assignment was in Hays. Father Kevin Weber was my mentor. He
 was great and did not grow tired of me. While I had already been a 
priest for four years, I had never served at a parish. Serving at 
Immaculate Heart of Mary in Hays was my first time ministering to the 
people.&nbsp;One of the hardest things for me when I got here was cooking! In 
India, the women do most of the cooking. It’s the way of the culture. 
So, the only thing I knew how to do was boil water.&nbsp;On my first day in 
Hays,&nbsp;Father Kevin gave me some cash and&nbsp;went to his farm for his day 
off.&nbsp; I went&nbsp;to buy groceries&nbsp;at Dillons. I did not know what to buy! I
 walked up and down the aisles for a long time. Thankfully, a very nice 
woman from the parish saw me and helped me out.&nbsp;I have loved being in the Salina Diocese. And I love being a priest –
 it is a special call. The best part of being a priest is bringing God’s
 love to people and watching them come alive. Recently, I visited a man 
who had strayed from the faith for most of his life. After hearing his 
Confession, seeing the joy in him was priceless. What else is there?&nbsp;I am happy here, but I do miss my home and my family. It’s strange, 
but I’ve never&nbsp;been assigned to a place where I could speak and 
celebrate Mass in my mother tongue, Tamil.&nbsp;I know that God wanted me to be a priest. I remember one time when I 
was young, I was walking&nbsp;in the&nbsp;field, and I heard my name being called.
 I looked all around and ran home, wondering who had called me. No one 
had. Sometimes I wonder if it was God – similar to the&nbsp;way he called 
Samuel. I think everything circles back to how God calls. Once I knew I 
was being called to the priesthood, I never regretted it. God continues 
to keep me safe, happy and joyful.&nbsp;I am greatly indebted to the&nbsp;Bishop, priests and people 
of&nbsp;the&nbsp;Salina&nbsp;Diocese for&nbsp;the love, friendship&nbsp;and support&nbsp;I receive, 
and&nbsp;to&nbsp;Heralds of Good News&nbsp;for&nbsp;the formation and mission I cherish.&nbsp;From the <a href="https://salinadiocese.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/WEB-Register-032221.pdf">March 26, 2021</a> issue of The Register

Fr. Kulandai: A change in country, but not in my religion

Most large businesses have a CEO – chief executive officer. Some have a COO – chief operating officer – or a CFO – chief financial officer.&nbsp;

Today we’ll meet a person who describes herself as a CRO. That stands for Chief Remover of Obstacles. Her work has successfully removed obstacles for businesses in her rural county of Kansas.&nbsp;

Lea Ann Seiler is Hodgeman County economic development director. She describes herself as CRO – Chief Remover of Obstacles.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Lea Ann grew up near Manhattan, attended Riley County High School and then K-State where she met and married her husband Gary. Gary became the ag teacher in Hodgeman County and she became economic development director in 2008.&nbsp;

Why does she use the term Chief Remover of Obstacles? “At a meeting, someone complained that they ran into a fresh obstacle for every business idea they had suggested in their community,” she said. “First it was zoning and then it was permitting and then it was financing.”&nbsp;

Lea Ann realized that a key part of her role as economic development director was removing obstacles so that her businesses and ruralpreneurs could move forward.&nbsp;

Some obstacles were simple. One person was looking for a building to rent for their business and had been asking around for a year. “We just walked upstairs to the appraiser’s office and requested public records,” Lea Ann said.&nbsp;

In another case, someone wanted to be a vendor at farmer’s market but didn’t know how to get a sales tax id. “We opened up my computer, completed the application, and printed their number out right then,” Lea Ann said.&nbsp;

Other things take longer to address, such as developing a business plan, pricing a product correctly, or mastering technology. “I remember when two of our restaurants didn’t accept credit cards and were losing business because of it,” Lea Ann said. “We held meetings with card machine vendors and helped them connect. Now I provide free square card readers to small businesses and farmers market vendors.”&nbsp;

Hodgeman County has strategically targeted particular development opportunities.&nbsp;These include natural resource tourism, agricultural diversification, area spending capture, retiring boomers, outbound commuters or those working from home, growth-oriented entrepreneurs, and economic diversification through new resident attraction.&nbsp;

“Lots of good things are happening in Hodgeman County,” Lea Ann said. “A new rural communications company has opened in Jetmore.&nbsp;&nbsp;Hanston now has fiber to the premise. The city of Jetmore is passing a Main Street RHID for upper-level housing development. We’re embarking on an infill housing project. The Hanston library just received a wonderful grant for outside amenities and the Jetmore downtown farmers market is a new KDHE farmers market senior voucher location. A new truck stop at (highways) 156 and 283 is under construction and highway 156 will be getting much-needed shoulders.”&nbsp;

Local furniture artisan Zach Schaffer is building a new shop, and another business will be opening in his former building. “We’re partnering with Blue Cross Blue Shield and NXSTG in a super cool new technology for health and vitality project,” Lea Ann said.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

There are two towns in Hodgeman County, Jetmore and Hanston. Lea Ann’s office is at the county seat in Jetmore. “I live in the smaller one which is Hanston, but spend most of my waking hours at the larger one, which is Jetmore,” she said.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jetmore has a population of 867. Hanston is a rural community of 206 people.&nbsp;&nbsp;Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;

Sixteen new kids have moved to Hanston since May. “We are seeing a renewed interest in rural, and additional people moving, or wanting to move, to our community,” Lea Ann said. “There is a renewed sense of urgency in making sure we act on this opportunity,” she said.&nbsp;

For more information, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hodgemancountyks.com/">www.hodgemancountyks.com</a>.&nbsp;

Some organizations have a CEO, CFO, or COO. Hodgeman County is fortunate to have a CRO who serves as a chief remover of obstacles for businesses. We commend Lea Ann Seiler for making a difference with her work, which helps local entrepreneurs move their enterprises forward through the obstacle course of operating a business.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631106343664.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development&nbsp;Most large businesses have a CEO – chief executive officer. Some have a COO – chief operating officer – or a CFO – chief financial officer.&nbsp;Today we’ll meet a person who describes herself as a CRO. That stands for Chief Remover of Obstacles. Her work has successfully removed obstacles for businesses in her rural county of Kansas.&nbsp;Lea Ann Seiler is Hodgeman County economic development director. She describes herself as CRO – Chief Remover of Obstacles.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Lea Ann grew up near Manhattan, attended Riley County High School and then K-State where she met and married her husband Gary. Gary became the ag teacher in Hodgeman County and she became economic development director in 2008.&nbsp;Why does she use the term Chief Remover of Obstacles? “At a meeting, someone complained that they ran into a fresh obstacle for every business idea they had suggested in their community,” she said. “First it was zoning and then it was permitting and then it was financing.”&nbsp;Lea Ann realized that a key part of her role as economic development director was removing obstacles so that her businesses and ruralpreneurs could move forward.&nbsp;Some obstacles were simple. One person was looking for a building to rent for their business and had been asking around for a year. “We just walked upstairs to the appraiser’s office and requested public records,” Lea Ann said.&nbsp;In another case, someone wanted to be a vendor at farmer’s market but didn’t know how to get a sales tax id. “We opened up my computer, completed the application, and printed their number out right then,” Lea Ann said.&nbsp;Other things take longer to address, such as developing a business plan, pricing a product correctly, or mastering technology. “I remember when two of our restaurants didn’t accept credit cards and were losing business because of it,” Lea Ann said. “We held meetings with card machine vendors and helped them connect. Now I provide free square card readers to small businesses and farmers market vendors.”&nbsp;Hodgeman County has strategically targeted particular development opportunities.&nbsp;These include natural resource tourism, agricultural diversification, area spending capture, retiring boomers, outbound commuters or those working from home, growth-oriented entrepreneurs, and economic diversification through new resident attraction.&nbsp;“Lots of good things are happening in Hodgeman County,” Lea Ann said. “A new rural communications company has opened in Jetmore.&nbsp;&nbsp;Hanston now has fiber to the premise. The city of Jetmore is passing a Main Street RHID for upper-level housing development. We’re embarking on an infill housing project. The Hanston library just received a wonderful grant for outside amenities and the Jetmore downtown farmers market is a new KDHE farmers market senior voucher location. A new truck stop at (highways) 156 and 283 is under construction and highway 156 will be getting much-needed shoulders.”&nbsp;Local furniture artisan Zach Schaffer is building a new shop, and another business will be opening in his former building. “We’re partnering with Blue Cross Blue Shield and NXSTG in a super cool new technology for health and vitality project,” Lea Ann said.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;There are two towns in Hodgeman County, Jetmore and Hanston. Lea Ann’s office is at the county seat in Jetmore. “I live in the smaller one which is Hanston, but spend most of my waking hours at the larger one, which is Jetmore,” she said.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jetmore has a population of 867. Hanston is a rural community of 206 people.&nbsp;&nbsp;Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;Sixteen new kids have moved to Hanston since May. “We are seeing a renewed interest in rural, and additional people moving, or wanting to move, to our community,” Lea Ann said. “There is a renewed sense of urgency in making sure we act on this opportunity,” she said.&nbsp;For more information, go to&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hodgemancountyks.com/">www.hodgemancountyks.com</a>.&nbsp;Some organizations have a CEO, CFO, or COO. Hodgeman County is fortunate to have a CRO who serves as a chief remover of obstacles for businesses. We commend Lea Ann Seiler for making a difference with her work, which helps local entrepreneurs move their enterprises forward through the obstacle course of operating a business.&nbsp;

Now That’s Rural: Lea Ann Seiler, Hodgeman County 

Kansas’s urban areas are the only part of the state that is growing in population; the results from the 2020 Census make that clear. Despite its own self-conception as part of the heartland of America, the Sunflower State is, increasingly, a pretty “citified” place.

This dynamic — a slowly growing and diversifying urban population within a state whose political elites still mostly embrace the values of rural conservatism — can explain a lot. It helps explain the persistence of an inferiority complex in many Kansas cities, with the people of Wichita or Kansas City looking south or east, comparing themselves to cities in other states that aren’t as defined by the counties of red which surround them. It may also help explain the push by these cities and their elected representatives to make use of whatever financing they can to change, innovate, and most of all expand. And this is what leads us to STAR bonds.

Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) bonds are a strange financial instrument. Only two other states — Illinois and Nevada — have allowed their creation, and even they haven’t made use of this fiscal&nbsp;sleight of hand for over a decade. In Kansas, however, urban governments have regularly sought permission to sacrifice the sales tax revenue which ought to go to Kansas’s state and municipal programs in order to raise funds for construction which they imagine will bring major corporate attractions to Kansas. The Prairie Fire Entertainment District in Overland Park, the Sports Forum in Wichita, the Heartland Park Racetrack in Topeka—STAR bonds made them all.

But did it make them actually successful? A recent accounting of STAR bond programs concluded that only 3 of the 16 projects which the state has approved, at a cost of nearly $900 million in tax revenue, actually meet the economic requirements of the instrument. The auditors found little evidence of these projects drawing new tourism dollars to Kansas, and even less evidence that using these bonds to finance construction has led to economic development in areas that weren’t good candidates for ordinary capital investment anyway.

Defenders of the STAR program point to, among other things, the increased property tax values of the developed areas (though the unfunded maintenance liabilities which these developments have brought with them usually goes unmentioned). Often, though, the defenders fall back on a plaintive cry unfortunately common in the urban parts of Kansas: business expansion is essential to the “general economic welfare” of the state. If we’re not willing to sacrifice the sales tax revenue normally used to fund voter-approved (and universal, rather than city-centric) government programs for the sake of attracting a new&nbsp;Topgolf&nbsp;franchise to Wichita or building a new speedway in Kansas City, then aren’t we showing a lack of confidence in our future?

These are complicated decisions, to be sure. But still I wonder if urban Kansans sometimes exhibit a “build it and they will come” mentality, in the somewhat desperate hope that they can suddenly change into something other than slow-growth cities on the Great Plains. If that is so, I would simply say: the work of making Kansas’s culture and economy reflect its increasing urban reality will be a long and necessarily local one. Using needed future tax revenue to build a new waterpark may has its merits, but such top-down decisions are unlikely to provide a shortcut.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Dr. Russell&nbsp;Arben&nbsp;Fox teaches politics in Wichita.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1583339056495.jpeg" alt="Dr. Russell&nbsp;Arben&nbsp;Fox teaches politics in Wichita." />
 <figcaption>Dr. Russell&nbsp;Arben&nbsp;Fox teaches politics in Wichita.</figcaption>
 </figure>Kansas’s urban areas are the only part of the state that is growing in population; the results from the 2020 Census make that clear. Despite its own self-conception as part of the heartland of America, the Sunflower State is, increasingly, a pretty “citified” place.This dynamic — a slowly growing and diversifying urban population within a state whose political elites still mostly embrace the values of rural conservatism — can explain a lot. It helps explain the persistence of an inferiority complex in many Kansas cities, with the people of Wichita or Kansas City looking south or east, comparing themselves to cities in other states that aren’t as defined by the counties of red which surround them. It may also help explain the push by these cities and their elected representatives to make use of whatever financing they can to change, innovate, and most of all expand. And this is what leads us to STAR bonds.Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) bonds are a strange financial instrument. Only two other states — Illinois and Nevada — have allowed their creation, and even they haven’t made use of this fiscal&nbsp;sleight of hand for over a decade. In Kansas, however, urban governments have regularly sought permission to sacrifice the sales tax revenue which ought to go to Kansas’s state and municipal programs in order to raise funds for construction which they imagine will bring major corporate attractions to Kansas. The Prairie Fire Entertainment District in Overland Park, the Sports Forum in Wichita, the Heartland Park Racetrack in Topeka—STAR bonds made them all.But did it make them actually successful? A recent accounting of STAR bond programs concluded that only 3 of the 16 projects which the state has approved, at a cost of nearly $900 million in tax revenue, actually meet the economic requirements of the instrument. The auditors found little evidence of these projects drawing new tourism dollars to Kansas, and even less evidence that using these bonds to finance construction has led to economic development in areas that weren’t good candidates for ordinary capital investment anyway.Defenders of the STAR program point to, among other things, the increased property tax values of the developed areas (though the unfunded maintenance liabilities which these developments have brought with them usually goes unmentioned). Often, though, the defenders fall back on a plaintive cry unfortunately common in the urban parts of Kansas: business expansion is essential to the “general economic welfare” of the state. If we’re not willing to sacrifice the sales tax revenue normally used to fund voter-approved (and universal, rather than city-centric) government programs for the sake of attracting a new&nbsp;Topgolf&nbsp;franchise to Wichita or building a new speedway in Kansas City, then aren’t we showing a lack of confidence in our future?These are complicated decisions, to be sure. But still I wonder if urban Kansans sometimes exhibit a “build it and they will come” mentality, in the somewhat desperate hope that they can suddenly change into something other than slow-growth cities on the Great Plains. If that is so, I would simply say: the work of making Kansas’s culture and economy reflect its increasing urban reality will be a long and necessarily local one. Using needed future tax revenue to build a new waterpark may has its merits, but such top-down decisions are unlikely to provide a shortcut.&nbsp;&nbsp;Dr. Russell&nbsp;Arben&nbsp;Fox teaches politics in Wichita.

INSIGHT KANSAS: Cities and their STAR bond hopes

By JACKIE MUNDT Pratt County farmer and rancher As a girl, I dreamed of a future family and farm life in somewhat vague terms. However, one aspect was clear: I would not want to marry a dairy farmer because they never go on vacation. I may have painted dairy farming unfairly. Willingness to travel now seems to me to be less about the kind of farm and more about the individual. Farmers tend to fall into three categories of travel preferences. Homebodies don’t see any reason to leave the county except maybe for a day trip to the state fair or an educational meeting. Interest-based travelers are willing to make a moderate amount of short-term trips to livestock shows, college football games or whatever piques their interest, as long as they can get back quickly if anything goes wrong at home. Adventurers have a desire to see the world and work to make vacations possible. This travel preference would seem to be a learned behavior, but there may be a genetic component. In recent years, researchers have identified a genetic variant called the Wanderlust gene, which effects dopamine levels making a person more risk-tolerant and adventurous. Since farmers deal with risk every day, it would be logical to assume they should all be world travelers. However, it might be the opposite in many cases. Farmers spend their time trying to manage and mitigate risk, they use new genetics to attempt to offset weather risk or market their grain in a way that spreads out the risk of market movement. Their world by nature is full of risk; most do not want to invite more. But I think it would be a mistake to forget the other variable in the equation — reward. Travel has comes with risk but it also offers an important reward: diversity. Diversity has become somewhat politicized over the pasts few years, but at its core it is a simple and vital concept for our ability to grow and learn. In a graduate school, I learned about homophily and heterophily, or the degree to which the person you are communicating with is the same or different from you respectively. These similarities and differences may be factors of physical location, experience, values, language, technical expertise or many other items. We enjoy people we have homophily with because it is easy to be on the same page with them. People who are heterophilious to us are harder to talk to but we learn more from them and often that learning can help us to grow more quickly. For example, if you only work with the same group of people every day you will develop a common language and can work efficiently together. However, when your group is asked to do something different, you may all come up with the same ideas. Having an outsider’s input can give you more ideas or different information to contribute to the conversation. This is why we go to conferences and hire consultants. Diversity is important because different experiences and perspectives can lead to innovation. In rural America, we need that innovation to keep our communities alive and thriving. It is too easy to dismiss diversity, to decide that we don’t want to take unnecessary risks. One of the recent ways that I have chosen to seek out new ideas and perspectives is by participating in the Casten Fellows program, which is a Kansas Farm Bureau leadership program honoring the memory of former staff member Dr. Jill Casten-Downing. Our Casten Fellows cohort recently completed the capstone of this program, a 14-day international experience in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland. This was not a vacation; it was an intense educational experience that took us to farms, agribusinesses, cultural sites and historic places with the goal of understanding culture and agriculture in a part of the world. In the coming weeks, I am excited to share more through this column about our time in the Baltics.&nbsp; I hope that the stories of the people, places and culture we experienced will provide new perspectives to spark conversation and innovation in your community. And hopefully it will create a desire for you to seek out your own adventures.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575406519723.jpeg" alt="Jackie Mundt" />
 <figcaption>Jackie Mundt</figcaption>
 </figure>By JACKIE MUNDT Pratt County farmer and rancher As a girl, I dreamed of a future family and farm life in somewhat vague terms. However, one aspect was clear: I would not want to marry a dairy farmer because they never go on vacation. I may have painted dairy farming unfairly. Willingness to travel now seems to me to be less about the kind of farm and more about the individual. Farmers tend to fall into three categories of travel preferences. Homebodies don’t see any reason to leave the county except maybe for a day trip to the state fair or an educational meeting. Interest-based travelers are willing to make a moderate amount of short-term trips to livestock shows, college football games or whatever piques their interest, as long as they can get back quickly if anything goes wrong at home. Adventurers have a desire to see the world and work to make vacations possible. This travel preference would seem to be a learned behavior, but there may be a genetic component. In recent years, researchers have identified a genetic variant called the Wanderlust gene, which effects dopamine levels making a person more risk-tolerant and adventurous. Since farmers deal with risk every day, it would be logical to assume they should all be world travelers. However, it might be the opposite in many cases. Farmers spend their time trying to manage and mitigate risk, they use new genetics to attempt to offset weather risk or market their grain in a way that spreads out the risk of market movement. Their world by nature is full of risk; most do not want to invite more. But I think it would be a mistake to forget the other variable in the equation — reward. Travel has comes with risk but it also offers an important reward: diversity. Diversity has become somewhat politicized over the pasts few years, but at its core it is a simple and vital concept for our ability to grow and learn. In a graduate school, I learned about homophily and heterophily, or the degree to which the person you are communicating with is the same or different from you respectively. These similarities and differences may be factors of physical location, experience, values, language, technical expertise or many other items. We enjoy people we have homophily with because it is easy to be on the same page with them. People who are heterophilious to us are harder to talk to but we learn more from them and often that learning can help us to grow more quickly. For example, if you only work with the same group of people every day you will develop a common language and can work efficiently together. However, when your group is asked to do something different, you may all come up with the same ideas. Having an outsider’s input can give you more ideas or different information to contribute to the conversation. This is why we go to conferences and hire consultants. Diversity is important because different experiences and perspectives can lead to innovation. In rural America, we need that innovation to keep our communities alive and thriving. It is too easy to dismiss diversity, to decide that we don’t want to take unnecessary risks. One of the recent ways that I have chosen to seek out new ideas and perspectives is by participating in the Casten Fellows program, which is a Kansas Farm Bureau leadership program honoring the memory of former staff member Dr. Jill Casten-Downing. Our Casten Fellows cohort recently completed the capstone of this program, a 14-day international experience in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland. This was not a vacation; it was an intense educational experience that took us to farms, agribusinesses, cultural sites and historic places with the goal of understanding culture and agriculture in a part of the world. In the coming weeks, I am excited to share more through this column about our time in the Baltics.&nbsp; I hope that the stories of the people, places and culture we experienced will provide new perspectives to spark conversation and innovation in your community. And hopefully it will create a desire for you to seek out your own adventures."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: The rewards of adventure

I love the start of a new academic year. Taking time to get to know our newest community members and reunite with those we have not been in daily summer contact is pure joy. I especially enjoy celebrating the success of our community through our accolades video and awards ceremony.

The President’s Award is Fort Hays State University’s highest honor, given by the president for substantial contributions to the university through professional and personal achievements. It is not given often – last presented in 2014. This fall I presented the award to our Teaching Innovation and Learning Technologies (TILT) Department.

In just three short weeks, TILT helped overhaul the entire China program to deliver online learning following the COVID-19 shutdown in early spring 2020. it even created tutorials for the students in Mandarin. Following its efforts in China, the team worked tirelessly to create and update its website to provide faculty with detailed information and helpful links when campus classes transitioned to all online courses.

Noting that online students needed a deeper connection, TILT oversaw the implementation of the Tiger-2-Tiger Student Support Platform. In addition to its pandemic response, TILT continued to meet with faculty to develop new courses for programs and incorporated new ideas from the pandemic into the fall 2021 professional development session. They are always scanning and implementing cutting-edge technologies to improve teaching and learning.

The President's Distinguished Scholar Award was first conferred in 1989. Nominees for this honor are evaluated by the analysis of their performance in the categories of scholarship, service, and instruction.&nbsp; Significant levels of performance must be demonstrated in service and instruction, with the primary focus of this award based on research/creative activities.

Dr. Hendratta Ali received the 2021 President's Distinguished Scholar Award. Hendratta is an accomplished educator and research scholar in the field of geoscience. She has 25 peer-reviewed publications, a book chapter, over 100 refereed abstracts presented, and is recognized nationally and internationally. Recently, she secured grants totaling more than $500,000, including two from the National Science Foundation and Geoscientist Without Borders. Receiving these awards attests to her research skills, technical expertise, and commitment to education and service.

The Faculty Member-of-the-Year Award is selected from the past year’s recipients of faculty awards for teaching, research/scholarly activity, and service. Dr. April Park was selected as the recipient of this award because she defines excellence in scholarly activity. She is passionate about her research and working with students.

One of April’s former students sums up her professor’s commitment with this statement, “Her support and guidance shaped me into the researcher, advisor, and graduate student I am today.” April’s impact on her students continues to enhance their learning experience and reflects her goal to be the best professor, researcher, mentor, and colleague possible. &nbsp;

Brooke Mann received the John Heinrichs Outstanding Research Mentor Award for her commitment to foster undergraduate research. Brooke has shown outstanding mentorship by supporting her students throughout the research process. She is committed to the growth and learning of these individuals by making it a priority to oversee and assist in preparing their materials for presentations and conferences. She is open to student ideas and broadening her research interests to enhance the experience for all of our students. These qualities demonstrate her caring demeanor and how deserving she is to receive this award. One student exemplifies this with the statement, “I feel very fortunate that I was able to work with her throughout my undergraduate years, and I know I am a better researcher because of it.”

Our awards also honored the Department of Computer Science with the Advancing Assessment Award and our Department of Leadership Studies with the Closing the Loop Assessment Award. Both of these departments have made great strides in improving teaching and learning.

Our accolades video highlighted several accomplishments made by our faculty and staff over the summer. Dr. Seth Kastle received the 2020 Veterans Knowledge Community Ally and Advocate Award from the National Association of Student Affairs Personnel Administrators. Dr. Patti Griffin was appointed to the advisory board and professional development committee of NACADA:&nbsp;The Global Community for Academic Advising.&nbsp;Dr. Whitney Whitaker served as a professional representative and program chair for the Southwestern Psychological Association.

Grants received over the summer – totaling more than $190,000 – included two projects funded by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism. One was awarded to Dr. Bill Starks and the other to graduate student Chloe Million. The National Science Foundation provided funds to Dr. Paul Adams and Earl Legleiter, while a gift from the Hays Masonic Lodge was used to purchase software for the FHSU Virtual Literacy Institute. &nbsp;Dr. Jenny Manry received a grant for more than $150,000 from the Kansas Board of Regents Kansas Nursing Initiative Grant program.

Some of our faculty spent their summers publishing textbooks. Dr. Janet Stramel wrote two textbooks: Early Childhood Mathematics Methods and Science and Mathematics Planning:&nbsp; Lessons of Equity Unit. Heather Musil published Cliff Notes of Writing an IEP. Sue Boldra wrote an elementary social studies methods book, while Mandy Kern, a staff member at our Kansas Wetlands Education Center, authored a children’s book, “Ava: A Year of Adventure in the Life of an American Avocet.” Several faculty were also recognized for articles published.

I love starting each new school year celebrating the accomplishments of my colleagues. They truly inspire me. I am proud of the work they are doing and especially the impact they make on our students, professions, community, and the world. Indeed, our lives are improved through their devotion to their work.

<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 love the start of a new academic year. Taking time to get to know our newest community members and reunite with those we have not been in daily summer contact is pure joy. I especially enjoy celebrating the success of our community through our accolades video and awards ceremony.The President’s Award is Fort Hays State University’s highest honor, given by the president for substantial contributions to the university through professional and personal achievements. It is not given often – last presented in 2014. This fall I presented the award to our Teaching Innovation and Learning Technologies (TILT) Department.In just three short weeks, TILT helped overhaul the entire China program to deliver online learning following the COVID-19 shutdown in early spring 2020. it even created tutorials for the students in Mandarin. Following its efforts in China, the team worked tirelessly to create and update its website to provide faculty with detailed information and helpful links when campus classes transitioned to all online courses.Noting that online students needed a deeper connection, TILT oversaw the implementation of the Tiger-2-Tiger Student Support Platform. In addition to its pandemic response, TILT continued to meet with faculty to develop new courses for programs and incorporated new ideas from the pandemic into the fall 2021 professional development session. They are always scanning and implementing cutting-edge technologies to improve teaching and learning.The President's Distinguished Scholar Award was first conferred in 1989. Nominees for this honor are evaluated by the analysis of their performance in the categories of scholarship, service, and instruction.&nbsp; Significant levels of performance must be demonstrated in service and instruction, with the primary focus of this award based on research/creative activities.Dr. Hendratta Ali received the 2021 President's Distinguished Scholar Award. Hendratta is an accomplished educator and research scholar in the field of geoscience. She has 25 peer-reviewed publications, a book chapter, over 100 refereed abstracts presented, and is recognized nationally and internationally. Recently, she secured grants totaling more than $500,000, including two from the National Science Foundation and Geoscientist Without Borders. Receiving these awards attests to her research skills, technical expertise, and commitment to education and service.The Faculty Member-of-the-Year Award is selected from the past year’s recipients of faculty awards for teaching, research/scholarly activity, and service. Dr. April Park was selected as the recipient of this award because she defines excellence in scholarly activity. She is passionate about her research and working with students.One of April’s former students sums up her professor’s commitment with this statement, “Her support and guidance shaped me into the researcher, advisor, and graduate student I am today.” April’s impact on her students continues to enhance their learning experience and reflects her goal to be the best professor, researcher, mentor, and colleague possible. &nbsp;Brooke Mann received the John Heinrichs Outstanding Research Mentor Award for her commitment to foster undergraduate research. Brooke has shown outstanding mentorship by supporting her students throughout the research process. She is committed to the growth and learning of these individuals by making it a priority to oversee and assist in preparing their materials for presentations and conferences. She is open to student ideas and broadening her research interests to enhance the experience for all of our students. These qualities demonstrate her caring demeanor and how deserving she is to receive this award. One student exemplifies this with the statement, “I feel very fortunate that I was able to work with her throughout my undergraduate years, and I know I am a better researcher because of it.”Our awards also honored the Department of Computer Science with the Advancing Assessment Award and our Department of Leadership Studies with the Closing the Loop Assessment Award. Both of these departments have made great strides in improving teaching and learning.Our accolades video highlighted several accomplishments made by our faculty and staff over the summer. Dr. Seth Kastle received the 2020 Veterans Knowledge Community Ally and Advocate Award from the National Association of Student Affairs Personnel Administrators. Dr. Patti Griffin was appointed to the advisory board and professional development committee of NACADA:&nbsp;The Global Community for Academic Advising.&nbsp;Dr. Whitney Whitaker served as a professional representative and program chair for the Southwestern Psychological Association.Grants received over the summer – totaling more than $190,000 – included two projects funded by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism. One was awarded to Dr. Bill Starks and the other to graduate student Chloe Million. The National Science Foundation provided funds to Dr. Paul Adams and Earl Legleiter, while a gift from the Hays Masonic Lodge was used to purchase software for the FHSU Virtual Literacy Institute. &nbsp;Dr. Jenny Manry received a grant for more than $150,000 from the Kansas Board of Regents Kansas Nursing Initiative Grant program.Some of our faculty spent their summers publishing textbooks. Dr. Janet Stramel wrote two textbooks: Early Childhood Mathematics Methods and Science and Mathematics Planning:&nbsp; Lessons of Equity Unit. Heather Musil published Cliff Notes of Writing an IEP. Sue Boldra wrote an elementary social studies methods book, while Mandy Kern, a staff member at our Kansas Wetlands Education Center, authored a children’s book, “Ava: A Year of Adventure in the Life of an American Avocet.” Several faculty were also recognized for articles published.I love starting each new school year celebrating the accomplishments of my colleagues. They truly inspire me. I am proud of the work they are doing and especially the impact they make on our students, professions, community, and the world. Indeed, our lives are improved through their devotion to their work.

MASON: Celebrating success to kick off new school year

By DALE YOUNKER Natural Resources Conservation Service

With fall harvest beginning in many parts of the state now is the time to think about planting a cover crop after your fall crop is harvested.

A cover crop can provide many soil health benefits. This includes building organic matter, improve water infiltration, increase nutrient cycling, and improve soil water holding capacity. A cover crop can also provide excellent weed suppression and a fair amount of livestock forage through the winter and spring if planted timely.

The species you use in the mix will depend on what you are trying to accomplish. If you have some compaction issues deep tap rooted plants like radishes and turnips are a good choice. Winter cereal grains like triticale, barley, wheat, and rye can help build organic matter and increase water holding capacity in the soil.

A combination of deep-rooted and fibrous rooted plants can be used to increase water infiltration. Decaying tap roots provide direct channels for water to infiltrate into the soil. 

Fibrous rooted plants help feed the soil microbes. These bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms produce the organic glues that help bind the individual soil particles of sand, silt and clay into larger soil aggregates. This provides more pore space in the soil where water can enter the soil when it rains.

For grazing you will want to have a mix that is wheat, barley, triticale, or rye. Mixes that are heavy with these species are also good for weed suppression since they cover and shade the ground quickly and compete well with weeds.

It is best to get the cover crop planted as soon as possible after the cash crop is harvested. This will give the cover crop time to get established and get some growth before it gets to cold. If the cover crop can’t be planted prior to November 1st it may be better to delay the planting until the next spring.

Always consider the economics of planting a cover crop. There is no reason to plant a $30.00 - $40.00 mix when one that cost $15.00 will do the job. Wheat may be a good choice since it is readily available and reasonably priced in comparison to other species.

For more information about this or other soil health practices you can contact me at dale.younker@usda.gov or any local NRCS office.

Dale Younker is a soil health specialist with the&nbsp; USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Jetmore.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628525048992.jpeg" alt="Dale Younker&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Dale Younker&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>By DALE YOUNKER Natural Resources Conservation ServiceWith fall harvest beginning in many parts of the state now is the time to think about planting a cover crop after your fall crop is harvested. A cover crop can provide many soil health benefits. This includes building organic matter, improve water infiltration, increase nutrient cycling, and improve soil water holding capacity. A cover crop can also provide excellent weed suppression and a fair amount of livestock forage through the winter and spring if planted timely.The species you use in the mix will depend on what you are trying to accomplish. If you have some compaction issues deep tap rooted plants like radishes and turnips are a good choice. Winter cereal grains like triticale, barley, wheat, and rye can help build organic matter and increase water holding capacity in the soil.A combination of deep-rooted and fibrous rooted plants can be used to increase water infiltration. Decaying tap roots provide direct channels for water to infiltrate into the soil. Fibrous rooted plants help feed the soil microbes. These bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms produce the organic glues that help bind the individual soil particles of sand, silt and clay into larger soil aggregates. This provides more pore space in the soil where water can enter the soil when it rains.For grazing you will want to have a mix that is wheat, barley, triticale, or rye. Mixes that are heavy with these species are also good for weed suppression since they cover and shade the ground quickly and compete well with weeds.It is best to get the cover crop planted as soon as possible after the cash crop is harvested. This will give the cover crop time to get established and get some growth before it gets to cold. If the cover crop can’t be planted prior to November 1st it may be better to delay the planting until the next spring.Always consider the economics of planting a cover crop. There is no reason to plant a $30.00 - $40.00 mix when one that cost $15.00 will do the job. Wheat may be a good choice since it is readily available and reasonably priced in comparison to other species.For more information about this or other soil health practices you can contact me at dale.younker@usda.gov or any local NRCS office.Dale Younker is a soil health specialist with the&nbsp; USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Jetmore.

YOUNKER: Fall cover crop options 

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become less a fan of primitive camping, but I love the rental cabins placed in our Kansas State Parks. Our church men’s fellowship group often utilizes a couple of the cabins at Kanapolis for a spring fishing trip. Currently, I count rental cabins at 20 Kansas State Parks, on the KS State Fairgrounds and on the Mined Land Wildlife Area. Sadly, I just found out the cabin at McPherson State Fishing Lake is no longer available as a rental.&nbsp;

My brother lives in a cabin in the middle of his 200 acres of southeastern Ohio land. Joe bought some of the land 30 years or so ago as a place to hunt deer, and in the package, also got a place to hunt turkeys and wild hogs, which are not just feral pigs, but descendants of the true Russian wild boars. Beavers inhabit the stream that meanders through the property, and wild ginseng also grows there. Both the land and the cabin have been added-to over the years and now he and his wife live there year-round. I will always remember my first visit there for one wonderful night when the cabin was small.

&nbsp;Much of the land in this area was bought up by coal companies decades ago, strip mined, and, or logged. The rutted, gravel, township road simply became the lane some distance off the blacktop, and we continued driving for several hundred yards, going well beyond the sign that read “the middle of nowhere.” A nice Whitetail buck snubbed us and cantered out of a power line clear cut we passed. We arrived at the nice pole building turned get-away cabin, a little before dark. After the usual time of catching up on the front porch, we drew our sleeping spots and prepared for the night. My metal-framed cot broke as soon as I sat on it, so I tried various ways to make it work, all of which failed miserably. (I blame this on the Denver Bronco blanket my sister-in-law gave me to sleep under. I’m a Chiefs fan, and she knows it!)&nbsp; Anyway, there I lay, trying to coax some sleep from the situation. A symphony of tree frogs began at dark and suddenly ended around midnight, as if by the wave of the conductor’s wand. Calling the night quite is an understatement. Even though Inman KS is small town America, I can’t remember the last time I’d experienced that kind of quiet.

I must have slept some, because the next thing I knew, the first rays of morning light filtered through the cabin window. I decided to rise and make the most of the opportunity. I was not quite early enough to see morning awaken, but as I sat there on the marvelous deck that ran the full width of the cabin, morning was still stretching and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Two humming birds entertained me as they buzzed and chased each other from feeder to feeder. I heard the morning songs of more different birds than I knew existed. The scene before me constantly changed and evolved as the morning sun chased the shadows across the timbered stage.

The cabin sets against a steep hill, so the front deck is several feet above the driveway below. Downhill and beyond the drive, a small creek meandered through a flat, broad meadow between hills. The meadow was littered with hulks of standing, dead trees, reminders of a time when the whole meadow was a beaver pond. Since the property was logged years ago, much of the timber was second growth, making the hillsides thick and overgrown. By sticking to an old perimeter road, we were able to hike and see the lay of the land, despite the dense, tangled overgrowth. Upstream we found the current beaver settlement where they had again dammed the creek into a pond, much smaller than the flooded meadow, but no less an engineering wonder. I walked onto the dam and marveled at the structure of gnawed-off branches and mud that I stood on. (Maybe we should hire beavers to do our highway construction; at least they would work all night!) From the dam, I could see the beaver’s house, a craggy lodge in the upper end of the pond, also built of sticks and mud. A steep climb up a hillside thick with small saplings and vines brought us to a looming rock wall, which seemed strangely out of place. Our destination was a spot where a large cave was formed when the wall separated and a large portion fell down and away from the rest. Water trickled somewhere inside as we shone a flashlight down and into the chasm.&nbsp;

Back at the cabin, I stood in the doorway of the stone “springhouse,” built into the hill behind the cabin, a remnant of life decades ago. These were literally built over running springs of water, and used to cool cans of milk and other perishable food. We all sat on the deck and marveled aloud at God’s Creation on display all around us. As we prepared to follow the rocky drive back toward the blacktop, one last glance assured me that many quiet nights would be spent, many deer and turkeys harvested, and many thoughts of God’s goodness sent skyward, here at this cabin in the southern Ohio woods.

Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574696211722.png" alt="Steve&nbsp;Gilliland" />
 <figcaption>Steve&nbsp;Gilliland</figcaption>
 </figure>As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become less a fan of primitive camping, but I love the rental cabins placed in our Kansas State Parks. Our church men’s fellowship group often utilizes a couple of the cabins at Kanapolis for a spring fishing trip. Currently, I count rental cabins at 20 Kansas State Parks, on the KS State Fairgrounds and on the Mined Land Wildlife Area. Sadly, I just found out the cabin at McPherson State Fishing Lake is no longer available as a rental.&nbsp;My brother lives in a cabin in the middle of his 200 acres of southeastern Ohio land. Joe bought some of the land 30 years or so ago as a place to hunt deer, and in the package, also got a place to hunt turkeys and wild hogs, which are not just feral pigs, but descendants of the true Russian wild boars. Beavers inhabit the stream that meanders through the property, and wild ginseng also grows there. Both the land and the cabin have been added-to over the years and now he and his wife live there year-round. I will always remember my first visit there for one wonderful night when the cabin was small.&nbsp;Much of the land in this area was bought up by coal companies decades ago, strip mined, and, or logged. The rutted, gravel, township road simply became the lane some distance off the blacktop, and we continued driving for several hundred yards, going well beyond the sign that read “the middle of nowhere.” A nice Whitetail buck snubbed us and cantered out of a power line clear cut we passed. We arrived at the nice pole building turned get-away cabin, a little before dark. After the usual time of catching up on the front porch, we drew our sleeping spots and prepared for the night. My metal-framed cot broke as soon as I sat on it, so I tried various ways to make it work, all of which failed miserably. (I blame this on the Denver Bronco blanket my sister-in-law gave me to sleep under. I’m a Chiefs fan, and she knows it!)&nbsp; Anyway, there I lay, trying to coax some sleep from the situation. A symphony of tree frogs began at dark and suddenly ended around midnight, as if by the wave of the conductor’s wand. Calling the night quite is an understatement. Even though Inman KS is small town America, I can’t remember the last time I’d experienced that kind of quiet.I must have slept some, because the next thing I knew, the first rays of morning light filtered through the cabin window. I decided to rise and make the most of the opportunity. I was not quite early enough to see morning awaken, but as I sat there on the marvelous deck that ran the full width of the cabin, morning was still stretching and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Two humming birds entertained me as they buzzed and chased each other from feeder to feeder. I heard the morning songs of more different birds than I knew existed. The scene before me constantly changed and evolved as the morning sun chased the shadows across the timbered stage.The cabin sets against a steep hill, so the front deck is several feet above the driveway below. Downhill and beyond the drive, a small creek meandered through a flat, broad meadow between hills. The meadow was littered with hulks of standing, dead trees, reminders of a time when the whole meadow was a beaver pond. Since the property was logged years ago, much of the timber was second growth, making the hillsides thick and overgrown. By sticking to an old perimeter road, we were able to hike and see the lay of the land, despite the dense, tangled overgrowth. Upstream we found the current beaver settlement where they had again dammed the creek into a pond, much smaller than the flooded meadow, but no less an engineering wonder. I walked onto the dam and marveled at the structure of gnawed-off branches and mud that I stood on. (Maybe we should hire beavers to do our highway construction; at least they would work all night!) From the dam, I could see the beaver’s house, a craggy lodge in the upper end of the pond, also built of sticks and mud. A steep climb up a hillside thick with small saplings and vines brought us to a looming rock wall, which seemed strangely out of place. Our destination was a spot where a large cave was formed when the wall separated and a large portion fell down and away from the rest. Water trickled somewhere inside as we shone a flashlight down and into the chasm.&nbsp;Back at the cabin, I stood in the doorway of the stone “springhouse,” built into the hill behind the cabin, a remnant of life decades ago. These were literally built over running springs of water, and used to cool cans of milk and other perishable food. We all sat on the deck and marveled aloud at God’s Creation on display all around us. As we prepared to follow the rocky drive back toward the blacktop, one last glance assured me that many quiet nights would be spent, many deer and turkeys harvested, and many thoughts of God’s goodness sent skyward, here at this cabin in the southern Ohio woods.Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.

Exploring Kansas Outdoors: In praise of cabins

Not all coffees are created equal. Today we’ll meet a couple of artisan coffee roasters who have learned the truth of this statement and applied it to their remarkable coffee business.&nbsp;

Ray Ford and Joel Heath are the makers of this remarkable coffee. They are co-owners of Burr Roasters &amp; Cafe in Leavenworth.&nbsp;

Ray Ford grew up in Kentucky and joined the Army. “I grew up with bad coffee,” Ray said. “Everybody drinks coffee in the field,” he said. “(The coffee is) warm and you’re cold.” Soldiers drank whatever coffee was provided.&nbsp;

Ray took a job in retail which included working in a coffee shop. “I got a knack for it,” Ray said.&nbsp;

He finished his Army career at Fort Leavenworth. An Army friend named Johnny Kasper was also in his church. They talked about opening a coffee shop in Leavenworth after they retired. Together, they opened Burr Roasters, a veteran-owned, small-batch roastery and coffee shop located in historic downtown Leavenworth.&nbsp;

Ray learned that there is a distinct science related to making really good coffee. It became clear that not all coffee is created equal. Part of the key to quality is producing it in small batches, rather than mass production. Another factor is insisting on beans that are fresh. A third is sourcing the right kind of coffee beans. Ray works closely with his suppliers to ensure they acquire the best possible blends. Burr Roasters carefully sources its coffee from selected locations in Brazil, Colombia and Ethiopia.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“Different elevations and different soil contents produce different flavors,” Ray said.&nbsp;&nbsp;“There’s a whole science behind it.” Ray and Johnny experimented with various blends, gave them away to friends, and developed their favorites.&nbsp;

Then they made a fascinating historic discovery which connected them to their Army roots. They learned that, from 1916 to 1956, the U. S. Army employed its own team of master coffee roasters to meet the massive coffee demand from soldiers around the world. There were several Army coffee production facilities across the nation, including the largest at a location called Warehouse 310 in Atlanta. Then, in the interest of efficiency and economy, the Army switched to commercial mass-produced sources of coffee in the 1950s.&nbsp;

Ray and Johnny found a 1956 book titled “Coffee in the Armed Forces” which included various blends and coffee-making tips. After some experimenting, they found the coffee was terrific and they adapted it into their business. Eventually, Johnny’s interest in the business was purchased by fellow Army veteran Joel Heath, who is now the chief roaster.&nbsp;

Today, Burr Roasters &amp; Café serves fresh coffee at their coffee shop, delivers locally and produces roasted coffee blends for sale and shipment. One popular variety is based on the classic Army recipes. It is named Warehouse 310, in honor of what had been the Army’s leading coffee facility. “It’s a fantastic bag of coffee,” Johnny said.&nbsp;&nbsp;“It’s smooth, mild, warm and hazelnutty.”&nbsp;

Burr Roasters &amp; Cafe offers another blend called IV Drip, a highly caffeinated coffee which is popular with first responders and night-shift hospital workers. They also offer an Ethiopian blend called Lion of Judah, plus blends named 0 Dark Thirty, Texas Pecan, Choconut and an espresso called Pony Espresso. Ray’s daughter bakes cookies and scones for the business.&nbsp;

In addition to the local retail trade, Burr Roasters &amp; Cafe serves wholesale customers.&nbsp;&nbsp;One is a coffeehouse in the rural community of Haviland, population 701 people. Now, that’s rural. Burr Roasters also ships its coffee blends coast to coast and as far away as England and Afghanistan.&nbsp;

“We always use fresh beans. People have told us how much of a difference it makes,” Ray said. “My most rewarding element is how happy people can get from having a cup of coffee. We take care of our customers, and they come back.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

For more information, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.burr-roasters.com/">their website</a>.&nbsp;

Not all coffee is created equal. We commend Ray Ford and Joel Heath of Burr Roasters &amp; Café or making a difference with craftsmanship in coffee while connecting with their Army roots. Some say their type of coffee is unequaled.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1627482656256.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development&nbsp;Not all coffees are created equal. Today we’ll meet a couple of artisan coffee roasters who have learned the truth of this statement and applied it to their remarkable coffee business.&nbsp;Ray Ford and Joel Heath are the makers of this remarkable coffee. They are co-owners of Burr Roasters &amp; Cafe in Leavenworth.&nbsp;Ray Ford grew up in Kentucky and joined the Army. “I grew up with bad coffee,” Ray said. “Everybody drinks coffee in the field,” he said. “(The coffee is) warm and you’re cold.” Soldiers drank whatever coffee was provided.&nbsp;Ray took a job in retail which included working in a coffee shop. “I got a knack for it,” Ray said.&nbsp;He finished his Army career at Fort Leavenworth. An Army friend named Johnny Kasper was also in his church. They talked about opening a coffee shop in Leavenworth after they retired. Together, they opened Burr Roasters, a veteran-owned, small-batch roastery and coffee shop located in historic downtown Leavenworth.&nbsp;Ray learned that there is a distinct science related to making really good coffee. It became clear that not all coffee is created equal. Part of the key to quality is producing it in small batches, rather than mass production. Another factor is insisting on beans that are fresh. A third is sourcing the right kind of coffee beans. Ray works closely with his suppliers to ensure they acquire the best possible blends. Burr Roasters carefully sources its coffee from selected locations in Brazil, Colombia and Ethiopia.&nbsp;&nbsp;“Different elevations and different soil contents produce different flavors,” Ray said.&nbsp;&nbsp;“There’s a whole science behind it.” Ray and Johnny experimented with various blends, gave them away to friends, and developed their favorites.&nbsp;Then they made a fascinating historic discovery which connected them to their Army roots. They learned that, from 1916 to 1956, the U. S. Army employed its own team of master coffee roasters to meet the massive coffee demand from soldiers around the world. There were several Army coffee production facilities across the nation, including the largest at a location called Warehouse 310 in Atlanta. Then, in the interest of efficiency and economy, the Army switched to commercial mass-produced sources of coffee in the 1950s.&nbsp;Ray and Johnny found a 1956 book titled “Coffee in the Armed Forces” which included various blends and coffee-making tips. After some experimenting, they found the coffee was terrific and they adapted it into their business. Eventually, Johnny’s interest in the business was purchased by fellow Army veteran Joel Heath, who is now the chief roaster.&nbsp;Today, Burr Roasters &amp; Café serves fresh coffee at their coffee shop, delivers locally and produces roasted coffee blends for sale and shipment. One popular variety is based on the classic Army recipes. It is named Warehouse 310, in honor of what had been the Army’s leading coffee facility. “It’s a fantastic bag of coffee,” Johnny said.&nbsp;&nbsp;“It’s smooth, mild, warm and hazelnutty.”&nbsp;Burr Roasters &amp; Cafe offers another blend called IV Drip, a highly caffeinated coffee which is popular with first responders and night-shift hospital workers. They also offer an Ethiopian blend called Lion of Judah, plus blends named 0 Dark Thirty, Texas Pecan, Choconut and an espresso called Pony Espresso. Ray’s daughter bakes cookies and scones for the business.&nbsp;In addition to the local retail trade, Burr Roasters &amp; Cafe serves wholesale customers.&nbsp;&nbsp;One is a coffeehouse in the rural community of Haviland, population 701 people. Now, that’s rural. Burr Roasters also ships its coffee blends coast to coast and as far away as England and Afghanistan.&nbsp;“We always use fresh beans. People have told us how much of a difference it makes,” Ray said. “My most rewarding element is how happy people can get from having a cup of coffee. We take care of our customers, and they come back.”&nbsp;&nbsp;For more information, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.burr-roasters.com/">their website</a>.&nbsp;Not all coffee is created equal. We commend Ray Ford and Joel Heath of Burr Roasters &amp; Café or making a difference with craftsmanship in coffee while connecting with their Army roots. Some say their type of coffee is unequaled.&nbsp;

Now That’s Rural: Ray Ford and Joel Heath, Burr Roasters 

Every 10 years, districts for Congress, state legislature, state school board, and local offices must be redrawn based on the latest Census.&nbsp;&nbsp;The 2020 Census numbers were recently released and we already know one thing:&nbsp;&nbsp;there will no longer be a KC-area district that incorporates all of Johnson and Wyandotte Counties.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Here in Kansas, the Kansas City-area Third District has once again gained population, while the rural “Big First” has lost people.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Third must shed people and the Big First must gain them, all shuffled through the Second District, which lies in between and has also lost population.&nbsp;&nbsp;All districts to be of nearly equal population, with only 0.5% allowable variation.&nbsp;&nbsp;Removing the small piece of Miami County (Louisburg) currently in the Third will not be enough.&nbsp;&nbsp;All or part of the other two counties must be moved as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;This will not be popular among supporters of Rep. Sharice Davids, who fear a Republican gerrymander to break up that district’s Democratic majority.&nbsp;&nbsp;In fact, former Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle advocates this.

For this column, I drew a number of hypothetical districts using Dave’s Redistricting, an online app that makes it possible for anyone with a computer and some free time to draw their own districts.&nbsp;&nbsp;It&nbsp;&nbsp;is free, but users are encouraged to make voluntary contributions.&nbsp;&nbsp;I have no financial interest in the project. The maps I made can be viewed on my blog:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://moksline.blogspot.com/">moksline.blogspot.com</a>&nbsp;and I also did this for Missouri.

For my own proposed map, I ended up doing what was once considered unthinkable in Kansas politics — I split Johnson County.&nbsp;&nbsp;I tried splitting Wyandotte County, but to rebalance population that way would require me to split the city of Kansas City in half, whereas the people of most communities prefer to remain “whole” within a single district.&nbsp;&nbsp;By splitting Johnson County instead, I was able to keep all cities in the county whole.&nbsp;&nbsp;I moved the outlying, exurban communities of DeSoto, Gardner, Edgerton, and Spring Hill into the 2nd District along with rural, unincorporated parts of the county.&nbsp;&nbsp;The rest of Johnson County I kept together with Kansas City in the Third.&nbsp;

If Kansas Republicans do seek to gerrymander Wyandotte County, they will not put it in the adjoining Second District.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Second already includes Lawrence and Topeka, so adding Kansas City would make that a Democratic-majority district.&nbsp;&nbsp;Instead, a GOP gerrymander would have to bring the Big First all the way to the Missouri line, wrapping around the Second and reaching down to put Kansas City in the same district as rural, western Kansas.&nbsp;&nbsp;The current Third District is not a majority-minority district but it does have plenty of diversity.&nbsp;&nbsp;If it is broken up in this way, court challenges are possible.&nbsp;&nbsp;The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to intervene in cases of partisan gerrymandering but kept open the door to those involving racial gerrymandering — particularly when they dilute votes from people of color.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Keeping several outlying communities in Johnson County whole while moving them into the Second District avoids these difficulties.&nbsp;&nbsp;It also prevents an ungainly, Missouri-to-Colorado Big First.&nbsp;&nbsp;Readers are encouraged not to take my word for it.&nbsp;&nbsp;Try Dave’s for yourself and draw your own, proposed districts. Ultimately, the Kansas Legislature will draw the final maps — unless they deadlock and let the courts resolve it again.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In the meantime, Kansas already has three Republican-majority districts. Can they resist the temptation to get greedy for more?

Michael Smith is a professor at Emporia State University.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579108824567.jpeg" alt="Michael Smith is a professor at Emporia State University." />
 <figcaption>Michael Smith is a professor at Emporia State University.</figcaption>
 </figure>Every 10 years, districts for Congress, state legislature, state school board, and local offices must be redrawn based on the latest Census.&nbsp;&nbsp;The 2020 Census numbers were recently released and we already know one thing:&nbsp;&nbsp;there will no longer be a KC-area district that incorporates all of Johnson and Wyandotte Counties.&nbsp;&nbsp;Here in Kansas, the Kansas City-area Third District has once again gained population, while the rural “Big First” has lost people.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Third must shed people and the Big First must gain them, all shuffled through the Second District, which lies in between and has also lost population.&nbsp;&nbsp;All districts to be of nearly equal population, with only 0.5% allowable variation.&nbsp;&nbsp;Removing the small piece of Miami County (Louisburg) currently in the Third will not be enough.&nbsp;&nbsp;All or part of the other two counties must be moved as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;This will not be popular among supporters of Rep. Sharice Davids, who fear a Republican gerrymander to break up that district’s Democratic majority.&nbsp;&nbsp;In fact, former Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle advocates this.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>For this column, I drew a number of hypothetical districts using Dave’s Redistricting, an online app that makes it possible for anyone with a computer and some free time to draw their own districts.&nbsp;&nbsp;It&nbsp;&nbsp;is free, but users are encouraged to make voluntary contributions.&nbsp;&nbsp;I have no financial interest in the project. The maps I made can be viewed on my blog:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="http://moksline.blogspot.com/">moksline.blogspot.com</a>&nbsp;and I also did this for Missouri.For my own proposed map, I ended up doing what was once considered unthinkable in Kansas politics — I split Johnson County.&nbsp;&nbsp;I tried splitting Wyandotte County, but to rebalance population that way would require me to split the city of Kansas City in half, whereas the people of most communities prefer to remain “whole” within a single district.&nbsp;&nbsp;By splitting Johnson County instead, I was able to keep all cities in the county whole.&nbsp;&nbsp;I moved the outlying, exurban communities of DeSoto, Gardner, Edgerton, and Spring Hill into the 2nd District along with rural, unincorporated parts of the county.&nbsp;&nbsp;The rest of Johnson County I kept together with Kansas City in the Third.&nbsp;If Kansas Republicans do seek to gerrymander Wyandotte County, they will not put it in the adjoining Second District.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Second already includes Lawrence and Topeka, so adding Kansas City would make that a Democratic-majority district.&nbsp;&nbsp;Instead, a GOP gerrymander would have to bring the Big First all the way to the Missouri line, wrapping around the Second and reaching down to put Kansas City in the same district as rural, western Kansas.&nbsp;&nbsp;The current Third District is not a majority-minority district but it does have plenty of diversity.&nbsp;&nbsp;If it is broken up in this way, court challenges are possible.&nbsp;&nbsp;The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to intervene in cases of partisan gerrymandering but kept open the door to those involving racial gerrymandering — particularly when they dilute votes from people of color.&nbsp;&nbsp;Keeping several outlying communities in Johnson County whole while moving them into the Second District avoids these difficulties.&nbsp;&nbsp;It also prevents an ungainly, Missouri-to-Colorado Big First.&nbsp;&nbsp;Readers are encouraged not to take my word for it.&nbsp;&nbsp;Try Dave’s for yourself and draw your own, proposed districts. Ultimately, the Kansas Legislature will draw the final maps — unless they deadlock and let the courts resolve it again.&nbsp;&nbsp;In the meantime, Kansas already has three Republican-majority districts. Can they resist the temptation to get greedy for more?Michael Smith is a professor at Emporia State University.

INSIGHT KANSAS: Redistricting will break taboos — but which ones?

Even though I am a grandpa, I try hard not to look or act like the stereotypical, frumpy, old grandpa who thinks the world should function like it did when I was a kid, but allow me to digress a little in starting this week’s column.

I’m the oldest of five kids, and my nearest sibling in age is six years younger than me, so growing up, I had to learn to amuse myself, a skill sadly missing in many kids today. I’ll come clean here that I love my smart phone. I’m a FOX News junky, and enjoy surfing through FOX news or Facebook on my phone when sitting in front of TV in the evening or when waiting on my wife in a store parking lot, so I understand the draw. But When I was a kid and on-my-own, I learned to build hay forts in the haymow, shoot blackbirds along the creek with mom’s old .410 shotgun, and to catch crawdads under the bridge that crossed the creek in our pasture.&nbsp;

That bridge had metal sides that were three or four feet high and was built like a tank, but the huge, thick wooden planks that were the floor, were not fastened down and just laid in place, so there were big gaps between them. I learned I could lay on the planks looking through at the creek below, and catch crawdads with a long, forked willow stick. The water below was shallow and clear, and the crawdads would lay in the mud there. I’d cut the forked ends of the stick three or four inches long, and when I jabbed the forked end across an unsuspecting crawdad, they would flex enough to trap it between them like a clamp, and I could often raise the captured crawdad up through the planks, where I’d pull it out, toss it back and try again.

In the first chapter of Ecclesiastes 1 in the Bible, verse 9 says “What has been, will be again, what has been done, will be done again, there is nothing new under the sun.” Well guess what, speaking of crawdads, the Kansas Dept. of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) has discovered a new crawdad species in Kansas. The Aquatic Nuisance Species Program and Ecological Services section of the KDWPT recently funded a university project focused on sampling Kansas lakes for invasive “crayfish,” (which is the politically correct name for the little buggers.) This study establishes processes that can be used to monitor both native and invasive crayfish in KS, something that has never been done before, and a process that some questioned the need for. During capturing efforts at McPherson State Fishing Lake, the need for this process was validated early-on, as sampling found multiple Rusty Crayfish, an invasive species never before found in KS. Both males and females of various ages were found, indicating a reproducing population is established in McPherson State Fishing Lake. Rusty Crayfish are large aggressive crayfish known to attack the feet of unsuspecting swimmers, and outcompetes native fish and crayfish for forage that acts as important cover for select prey species.&nbsp;

Since Rusty Crayfish most likely arrived in Kansas as fishing bait, this a perfect place to remind everyone of the KS regulation regarding the use of live fishing bait here in our state. Quoting from the regulations, “Live baitfish, crayfish, leeches, amphibians and mussels, except for bluegill and green sunfish from non-designated aquatic nuisance waters, and baitfish, crayfish, leeches, amphibians and mussels from designated nuisance waters, may be caught and used as live bait only within the common drainage where caught.” In summary and in layman’s terms, this means, use wild bait ONLY where you catch it, DO NOT take it anywhere it couldn’t have gotten to on its own. This will help keep aquatic nuisance species like our “new” friend the Rusty Crayfish, from spreading to other KS waters… Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574696211722.png" alt="Steve&nbsp;Gilliland" />
 <figcaption>Steve&nbsp;Gilliland</figcaption>
 </figure>Even though I am a grandpa, I try hard not to look or act like the stereotypical, frumpy, old grandpa who thinks the world should function like it did when I was a kid, but allow me to digress a little in starting this week’s column.I’m the oldest of five kids, and my nearest sibling in age is six years younger than me, so growing up, I had to learn to amuse myself, a skill sadly missing in many kids today. I’ll come clean here that I love my smart phone. I’m a FOX News junky, and enjoy surfing through FOX news or Facebook on my phone when sitting in front of TV in the evening or when waiting on my wife in a store parking lot, so I understand the draw. But When I was a kid and on-my-own, I learned to build hay forts in the haymow, shoot blackbirds along the creek with mom’s old .410 shotgun, and to catch crawdads under the bridge that crossed the creek in our pasture.&nbsp;That bridge had metal sides that were three or four feet high and was built like a tank, but the huge, thick wooden planks that were the floor, were not fastened down and just laid in place, so there were big gaps between them. I learned I could lay on the planks looking through at the creek below, and catch crawdads with a long, forked willow stick. The water below was shallow and clear, and the crawdads would lay in the mud there. I’d cut the forked ends of the stick three or four inches long, and when I jabbed the forked end across an unsuspecting crawdad, they would flex enough to trap it between them like a clamp, and I could often raise the captured crawdad up through the planks, where I’d pull it out, toss it back and try again.In the first chapter of Ecclesiastes 1 in the Bible, verse 9 says “What has been, will be again, what has been done, will be done again, there is nothing new under the sun.” Well guess what, speaking of crawdads, the Kansas Dept. of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) has discovered a new crawdad species in Kansas. The Aquatic Nuisance Species Program and Ecological Services section of the KDWPT recently funded a university project focused on sampling Kansas lakes for invasive “crayfish,” (which is the politically correct name for the little buggers.) This study establishes processes that can be used to monitor both native and invasive crayfish in KS, something that has never been done before, and a process that some questioned the need for. During capturing efforts at McPherson State Fishing Lake, the need for this process was validated early-on, as sampling found multiple Rusty Crayfish, an invasive species never before found in KS. Both males and females of various ages were found, indicating a reproducing population is established in McPherson State Fishing Lake. Rusty Crayfish are large aggressive crayfish known to attack the feet of unsuspecting swimmers, and outcompetes native fish and crayfish for forage that acts as important cover for select prey species.&nbsp;Since Rusty Crayfish most likely arrived in Kansas as fishing bait, this a perfect place to remind everyone of the KS regulation regarding the use of live fishing bait here in our state. Quoting from the regulations, “Live baitfish, crayfish, leeches, amphibians and mussels, except for bluegill and green sunfish from non-designated aquatic nuisance waters, and baitfish, crayfish, leeches, amphibians and mussels from designated nuisance waters, may be caught and used as live bait only within the common drainage where caught.” In summary and in layman’s terms, this means, use wild bait ONLY where you catch it, DO NOT take it anywhere it couldn’t have gotten to on its own. This will help keep aquatic nuisance species like our “new” friend the Rusty Crayfish, from spreading to other KS waters… Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.

Exploring Outdoors Kansas: Anything new under the sun?

Energy matters – a lot.&nbsp; In the last 200 years, global life expectancy has doubled.&nbsp; Extreme poverty has dropped from 90% of humanity to 10% and falling.&nbsp; The growth in human liberty and the dramatic increase in available energy are likely the two main catalysts for this tremendous progress. &nbsp;

Few doubt that energy has improved lives and enabled human progress.&nbsp; Yet one of the biggest challenges facing the world is the polarized debate over the future of energy.&nbsp; Facts and economics are too often replaced with assertions and emotions.&nbsp; Discussions about fossil fuels and alternative energy sources often degenerate into a battle to delegitimize the other side.&nbsp; This is a recipe for inaction.&nbsp; And it keeps billions of people trapped in energy poverty. &nbsp;

We should avoid energy policies driven by a zero-sum philosophy for energy that says we must have less fossil fuel so we can have more of something else.&nbsp; History has shown that short-sighted energy plans often fail because they start with a preferred resource and work backwards.&nbsp; The Biden Administration’s energy plan promises to repeat the Obama/Biden legacy of failed energy policy, but this time he intends to spend more taxpayer money on what will likely be another failed enterprise.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1584027001010.png" alt="Edward Cross is president of the&nbsp;Kansas Independent Oil &amp; Gas Association." />
 <figcaption>Edward Cross is president of the&nbsp;Kansas Independent Oil &amp; Gas Association.</figcaption>
 </figure>Energy matters – a lot.&nbsp; In the last 200 years, global life expectancy has doubled.&nbsp; Extreme poverty has dropped from 90% of humanity to 10% and falling.&nbsp; The growth in human liberty and the dramatic increase in available energy are likely the two main catalysts for this tremendous progress. &nbsp;Few doubt that energy has improved lives and enabled human progress.&nbsp; Yet one of the biggest challenges facing the world is the polarized debate over the future of energy.&nbsp; Facts and economics are too often replaced with assertions and emotions.&nbsp; Discussions about fossil fuels and alternative energy sources often degenerate into a battle to delegitimize the other side.&nbsp; This is a recipe for inaction.&nbsp; And it keeps billions of people trapped in energy poverty. &nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>We should avoid energy policies driven by a zero-sum philosophy for energy that says we must have less fossil fuel so we can have more of something else.&nbsp; History has shown that short-sighted energy plans often fail because they start with a preferred resource and work backwards.&nbsp; The Biden Administration’s energy plan promises to repeat the Obama/Biden legacy of failed energy policy, but this time he intends to spend more taxpayer money on what will likely be another failed enterprise.&nbsp;According to the U.S. EPA and U.S. EIA, the U.S. decreased energy related CO2 emissions in 2019 more than any other country.&nbsp; Since 2005, U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have fallen by 12%, total CO2 emissions have fallen by 14%, methane emissions have fallen by 4%, and power sector CO2 emissions have fallen by 33%.&nbsp; The EPA’s GHG reporting data show the aggregate share of GHG inventory from oil and natural gas production is just 1.22% of total U.S. GHG emissions.&nbsp; America leads the world in environmental quality. &nbsp;Reality has a way of biting back if you’re not paying attention to it.&nbsp; The Biden Administration’s desire for extensive and unnecessary climate regulations will drive up the cost of energy.&nbsp; Higher energy costs disproportionately harm low-income groups.&nbsp; The Biden Administration’s energy policy is out-of-touch with working people and the economy. &nbsp;It doesn’t make sense to place unnecessary political and legal obstacles in the way of responsible American oil and natural gas production, cancel oil pipelines, discourage investment in fossil fuels, stimulate demand through outlandish spending, and then beg OPEC+ (where oil is produced under much less-strict environmental standards) for more oil to contain inflation.The oil and gas industry has done such a good job of creating abundant, affordable, always-available energy that the world takes it for granted.&nbsp; Energy is so woven into our daily lives that few question whether it will be there, or where it comes from.&nbsp; Because energy is so reliable and available, the public believes they no longer require it.We often encounter this paradox anytime we engage in a conversation about energy and the environment.&nbsp; Some folks assume that we don’t need fossil fuels anymore.&nbsp; A stark example is anyone who wants to end oil and gas production while still benefitting from oil and gas based materials and fuels.The U.S. has a unique opportunity to show the world how energy can be used as a positive force to lift people up – which is different than a zero-emissions philosophy.&nbsp; To rise out of poverty and enjoy health and safety, people need more energy, not less.&nbsp; We should all work together to ensure more people have access to safe, affordable, and reliable energy, no matter which state, nation, or continent they reside.Edward Cross is president of the&nbsp;Kansas Independent Oil &amp; Gas Association.

Opinion