The recent release of additional 2020 Census numbers is a treasure trove of fascinating data about Kansas. While redistricting and the urbanization of Kansas have dominated the political chatter about these data, they also tell an interesting story about our state’s growing Hispanic population.&nbsp;

Let’s clarify some concepts.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Census measures “Hispanic” as an ethnicity that crosses racial lines. However, studies on racial identity show that most Americans, including most self-identified Hispanics, perceive Hispanic as a race itself.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Further, Gallup and Pew surveys find that about 60 percent of self-identified Hispanics in America prefer the term “Hispanic” when asked to label themselves, about a third prefer “Latino,” and less than 5 percent prefer “Latinx.”&nbsp;

That said, let’s talk numbers.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Both the country and Kansas grew more racially diverse since 2010 as the White percentage of the population declined. The Hispanic percentage of the American population grew from 16 percent in 2010 to 19 percent in 2020. In Kansas, Hispanics grew from 10.5 percent of the state to 13 percent.&nbsp;

Put differently, Kansas’s Hispanic population grew roughly 25 percent since 2010. In contrast, Kansas’s population overall grew just 3 percent last decade. And Hispanics grew as a share of the population in all but 9 Kansas counties, even as 80 of 105 counties lost population. So, Hispanics are disproportionately driving Kansas’s modest population growth.&nbsp;

Kansas Hispanics remain concentrated in Southwest Kansas, where Finney, Ford, Seward, and Grant counties are majority Hispanic. Elsewhere, Hispanics are more concentrated in urban communities, especially Wichita, Topeka, Emporia, Salina, Hutchison, Newton, Kansas City, and Olathe.&nbsp;&nbsp;

What are the politics here, especially for Kansas Hispanics to achieve greater political power as they grow?&nbsp;

First, the voting weight of Kansas Hispanics doesn’t reflect their numbers. Take Ford County, for example. In the 2020 Census, 58 percent of residents were Hispanic. However, the Census’s American Community Survey puts the county’s citizen voting age population at 63 percent non-Hispanic White.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Add to that comparatively lower voter registration and turnout rates among Hispanics. The result is that—for now—majority Hispanic Kansas communities have majority White electorates and often no elected Hispanic representation.&nbsp;

Second, most voter mobilization happens through partisan campaign activities, but neither party has strong incentives to target Hispanic Kansas voters. Hispanics skew significantly Democratic and often more liberal than Whites on issues, giving Republicans little reason to engage them. Democrats likely win more votes by focusing their more limited resources on blueing high turnout White suburbanites.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Barriers to voting aside, to effectively mobilize Hispanic voters in Kansas, that push likely has to come from community organizations, perhaps from within the Hispanic community itself, that operate outside of traditional campaigns.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Third, gerrymandering in some communities, especially for local office, limits Hispanic political representation. For example, some Kansas counties drawn county commission lines that divide more concentrated Hispanic neighborhoods across multiple districts, sometimes using questionably legal non-contiguous districts. This prevents Hispanic voters from being concentrated enough in any one district to elect a Hispanic candidate.&nbsp;&nbsp;

As Kansas’s Hispanic population grows, the political power that their growth merits won’t just magically appear. Starting at the local level, it will necessitate promoting engagement within that community, changing the electoral calculus of political establishments, and eliminating institutional barriers to Hispanic representation. It won’t happen overnight, but if demographics are destiny it will happen.&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>The recent release of additional 2020 Census numbers is a treasure trove of fascinating data about Kansas. While redistricting and the urbanization of Kansas have dominated the political chatter about these data, they also tell an interesting story about our state’s growing Hispanic population.&nbsp;Let’s clarify some concepts.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Census measures “Hispanic” as an ethnicity that crosses racial lines. However, studies on racial identity show that most Americans, including most self-identified Hispanics, perceive Hispanic as a race itself.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Further, Gallup and Pew surveys find that about 60 percent of self-identified Hispanics in America prefer the term “Hispanic” when asked to label themselves, about a third prefer “Latino,” and less than 5 percent prefer “Latinx.”&nbsp;That said, let’s talk numbers.&nbsp;&nbsp;Both the country and Kansas grew more racially diverse since 2010 as the White percentage of the population declined. The Hispanic percentage of the American population grew from 16 percent in 2010 to 19 percent in 2020. In Kansas, Hispanics grew from 10.5 percent of the state to 13 percent.&nbsp;Put differently, Kansas’s Hispanic population grew roughly 25 percent since 2010. In contrast, Kansas’s population overall grew just 3 percent last decade. And Hispanics grew as a share of the population in all but 9 Kansas counties, even as 80 of 105 counties lost population. So, Hispanics are disproportionately driving Kansas’s modest population growth.&nbsp;Kansas Hispanics remain concentrated in Southwest Kansas, where Finney, Ford, Seward, and Grant counties are majority Hispanic. Elsewhere, Hispanics are more concentrated in urban communities, especially Wichita, Topeka, Emporia, Salina, Hutchison, Newton, Kansas City, and Olathe.&nbsp;&nbsp;What are the politics here, especially for Kansas Hispanics to achieve greater political power as they grow?&nbsp;First, the voting weight of Kansas Hispanics doesn’t reflect their numbers. Take Ford County, for example. In the 2020 Census, 58 percent of residents were Hispanic. However, the Census’s American Community Survey puts the county’s citizen voting age population at 63 percent non-Hispanic White.&nbsp;&nbsp;Add to that comparatively lower voter registration and turnout rates among Hispanics. The result is that—for now—majority Hispanic Kansas communities have majority White electorates and often no elected Hispanic representation.&nbsp;Second, most voter mobilization happens through partisan campaign activities, but neither party has strong incentives to target Hispanic Kansas voters. Hispanics skew significantly Democratic and often more liberal than Whites on issues, giving Republicans little reason to engage them. Democrats likely win more votes by focusing their more limited resources on blueing high turnout White suburbanites.&nbsp;&nbsp;Barriers to voting aside, to effectively mobilize Hispanic voters in Kansas, that push likely has to come from community organizations, perhaps from within the Hispanic community itself, that operate outside of traditional campaigns.&nbsp;&nbsp;Third, gerrymandering in some communities, especially for local office, limits Hispanic political representation. For example, some Kansas counties drawn county commission lines that divide more concentrated Hispanic neighborhoods across multiple districts, sometimes using questionably legal non-contiguous districts. This prevents Hispanic voters from being concentrated enough in any one district to elect a Hispanic candidate.&nbsp;&nbsp;As Kansas’s Hispanic population grows, the political power that their growth merits won’t just magically appear. Starting at the local level, it will necessitate promoting engagement within that community, changing the electoral calculus of political establishments, and eliminating institutional barriers to Hispanic representation. It won’t happen overnight, but if demographics are destiny it will happen.&nbsp;Patrick R. Miller is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Kansas.&nbsp;

INSIGHT KANSAS: Hispanic population growing, but short on political power 

By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development

Today let’s meet a rural doctor who practices medicine but doesn’t have patients. You may ask, “How can that be?”

The answer is that the people he sees are more than patients – he sees them as friends and neighbors. This type of relationship with those in his care has led to a lifelong career in practicing rural medicine.&nbsp;

Last week we learned about the Community HealthCare System in northeast Kansas where Dr. Tom Walsh practices. He will retire at the end of 2021 after 46 years of practicing medicine in the rural community of Onaga, population 751 people. Now, that’s rural.

Dr. Walsh’s father Eugene was a family doctor in Onaga as well. After medical school, Eugene came to Onaga for one year to help his friend Dr. Fleckenstein – but he liked Onaga so much he never left.&nbsp;

Tom and his brother accompanied their dad on house calls. Tom decided to follow his father into the medical field. “I knew what I was getting into,” Tom said.&nbsp;

“When my folks took me to college (at Notre Dame), it was the first time I had ever been east of Kansas City,” Tom said. After graduation, he went to medical school at KU. He also met and married Marcia.&nbsp;

In 1975, Dr. Tom Walsh and Marcia moved to Onaga to join his father’s practice. Dr. Walsh would later become affiliated with what is now the Community HealthCare System of northeast Kansas. Marcia would rise to become the system’s chief operating officer.&nbsp;

Dr. Tom, as he is affectionately known in the community, has seen lots of changes in his 46 years of practicing medicine. “There have been so many improvements in treatments,” he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;When he began, Onaga didn’t even have ambulance service.&nbsp;

“One time when we needed to transport a patient to Topeka, we used the undertaker’s station wagon,” Dr. Tom said. Fortunately the patient survived, so the undertaker’s other services were not needed.&nbsp;

Dr. Tom has delivered thousands of babies and cared for countless patients. He appreciates how people in the rural communities care for each other.&nbsp;

Dr. Tom remembered one winter night when a man’s wife was in labor and he was trying to drive her to Onaga in a snowstorm. “He came to a huge snowdrift on Highway 16 and couldn’t get through,” Dr. Tom said. While he was stopped, a car came from the other direction carrying four K-State students. When they stopped at the snowdrift, the students learned what was going on, carried the woman around the snowdrift to their car, and drove her to the hospital in Onaga.&nbsp;

“She delivered an hour-and-a-half later and all was well,” Dr. Tom said.&nbsp;

Among Dr. Tom’s friends was a local police officer. “When I’d get in from the hospital at 2 or 3 in the morning, he would pull in my driveway and flash his lights at me just for fun,” Dr. Tom said.&nbsp;

One day, that officer pulled over a driver, got out of his car, stepped on a beer bottle and turned his ankle so badly that he couldn’t walk. The guy he had stopped took the officer into the hospital where he saw Dr. Tom. “I got to call the police department and tell them there was a patrol car left out there,” Dr. Tom said.&nbsp;

The people factor is what has kept him in Onaga and has even drawn others.&nbsp;

“Somebody told me we’d never be able to recruit doctors to a small town,” Dr. Tom said.&nbsp;&nbsp;“But now, we have some of the finest young physicians anywhere.”&nbsp;

Dr. Tom and Marcia have three married children and nine grandchildren. “I have been very blessed,” he said.&nbsp;

For more information about the Community HealthCare System, see&nbsp;<a href="http://www.chcsks.org/">www.chcsks.org</a>.&nbsp;

A doctor without patients?&nbsp;&nbsp;Another friend wrote:&nbsp;Dr. Walsh loves getting to know patients as people rather than just as medical conditions. “I don’t have patients,” Dr. Tom said. “These are neighbors, friends, colleagues, and co-workers.”&nbsp;

We commend Dr. Tom and Marcia Walsh for many years of service to families in the region, and for seeing patients as people. Happy retirement, Doc.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629301074554.png" alt="Dr. Tom Walsh" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Tom Walsh</figcaption>
 </figure>By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural DevelopmentToday let’s meet a rural doctor who practices medicine but doesn’t have patients. You may ask, “How can that be?” The answer is that the people he sees are more than patients – he sees them as friends and neighbors. This type of relationship with those in his care has led to a lifelong career in practicing rural medicine.&nbsp; Last week we learned about the Community HealthCare System in northeast Kansas where Dr. Tom Walsh practices. He will retire at the end of 2021 after 46 years of practicing medicine in the rural community of Onaga, population 751 people. Now, that’s rural. Dr. Walsh’s father Eugene was a family doctor in Onaga as well. After medical school, Eugene came to Onaga for one year to help his friend Dr. Fleckenstein – but he liked Onaga so much he never left.&nbsp; Tom and his brother accompanied their dad on house calls. Tom decided to follow his father into the medical field. “I knew what I was getting into,” Tom said.&nbsp; “When my folks took me to college (at Notre Dame), it was the first time I had ever been east of Kansas City,” Tom said. After graduation, he went to medical school at KU. He also met and married Marcia.&nbsp; In 1975, Dr. Tom Walsh and Marcia moved to Onaga to join his father’s practice. Dr. Walsh would later become affiliated with what is now the Community HealthCare System of northeast Kansas. Marcia would rise to become the system’s chief operating officer.&nbsp; Dr. Tom, as he is affectionately known in the community, has seen lots of changes in his 46 years of practicing medicine. “There have been so many improvements in treatments,” he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;When he began, Onaga didn’t even have ambulance service.&nbsp; “One time when we needed to transport a patient to Topeka, we used the undertaker’s station wagon,” Dr. Tom said. Fortunately the patient survived, so the undertaker’s other services were not needed.&nbsp; Dr. Tom has delivered thousands of babies and cared for countless patients. He appreciates how people in the rural communities care for each other.&nbsp; Dr. Tom remembered one winter night when a man’s wife was in labor and he was trying to drive her to Onaga in a snowstorm. “He came to a huge snowdrift on Highway 16 and couldn’t get through,” Dr. Tom said. While he was stopped, a car came from the other direction carrying four K-State students. When they stopped at the snowdrift, the students learned what was going on, carried the woman around the snowdrift to their car, and drove her to the hospital in Onaga.&nbsp; “She delivered an hour-and-a-half later and all was well,” Dr. Tom said.&nbsp; Among Dr. Tom’s friends was a local police officer. “When I’d get in from the hospital at 2 or 3 in the morning, he would pull in my driveway and flash his lights at me just for fun,” Dr. Tom said.&nbsp; One day, that officer pulled over a driver, got out of his car, stepped on a beer bottle and turned his ankle so badly that he couldn’t walk. The guy he had stopped took the officer into the hospital where he saw Dr. Tom. “I got to call the police department and tell them there was a patrol car left out there,” Dr. Tom said.&nbsp; The people factor is what has kept him in Onaga and has even drawn others.&nbsp;“Somebody told me we’d never be able to recruit doctors to a small town,” Dr. Tom said.&nbsp;&nbsp;“But now, we have some of the finest young physicians anywhere.”&nbsp; Dr. Tom and Marcia have three married children and nine grandchildren. “I have been very blessed,” he said.&nbsp; For more information about the Community HealthCare System, see&nbsp;<a href="http://www.chcsks.org/">www.chcsks.org</a>.&nbsp;A doctor without patients?&nbsp;&nbsp;Another friend wrote:&nbsp;Dr. Walsh loves getting to know patients as people rather than just as medical conditions. “I don’t have patients,” Dr. Tom said. “These are neighbors, friends, colleagues, and co-workers.”&nbsp; We commend Dr. Tom and Marcia Walsh for many years of service to families in the region, and for seeing patients as people. Happy retirement, Doc.&nbsp;

Now That’s Rural: Dr. Tom Walsh 

By GLENN BRUNKOW Pottawatomie County farmer and rancher The past couple of weeks I had the privilege of attending several Farm Bureau events in person — Big Tent Reunions, Summer Summit and Young Farmers and Ranchers Leaders Conference — without masks, and it was awesome. This isn’t a statement about restrictions, masks or vaccinations, it is a statement of how much we all need social interaction and how valuable relationships are. The whole time we were staying at home, I knew I was missing people. I just didn’t realize how much. I don’t know how many times in the last two weeks I commented on the fact I couldn’t remember the last time I saw whomever I was talking to. In many cases it was prior to March 2020. That is a long time to not see friends, and I truly believe that took as much of a toll as the virus itself. Except for a very few of us, we humans are social beings and to not be able to do so really hurts our mental wellbeing. I saw it in conversations I participated in and those I overheard. Often, they would start with the usual topics like “How much rain are you getting?” or “How do the crops look?” and then evolve from there. Many times, what started out as a fairly routine conversation would lead to much deeper topics. It makes sense, for almost a year and a half we have really only talked to our spouses, kids and close family, and they didn’t need to be told because they were there living it like we were. Here we are with 16, 17 months of pent-up joys, disasters, concerns and observations and no one to share them with. Let’s face it, it is one thing to vent to your wife and kids, but it is far more therapeutic to find sympathy and empathy from a peer. I guess that is why it was so good to attend the Big Tent Reunions I did. It was cathartic to see old friends, to share the life happenings and to find out what was going on in their lives, too. I guess I have come to realize that one of the best benefits to Farm Bureau is the friends you develop because of your involvement. I hope everyone else got as much out of the meetings and events we have recently hosted. Don’t get me wrong, the education, advocacy and service are all things our organization is built on and represent the good and important work we do. However, at the end of the day it is the relationships and friendships we gain with fellow farmers and ranchers that make it all worthwhile. I tell young farmers and ranchers on their way to their first YF&amp;R Conference that the most important thing you learn is you are not alone, and there are people going through the same things you are. I believe that to be true and something that does not change with age. The last 18 months may have limited our interactions, but I am grateful for these recent gatherings and looking forward to catching up with everyone again soon. Let’s all do our part to stay safe and ensure we can see each other in person at Kansas Farm Bureau’s annual meeting in December.

"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 County farmer and rancher The past couple of weeks I had the privilege of attending several Farm Bureau events in person — Big Tent Reunions, Summer Summit and Young Farmers and Ranchers Leaders Conference — without masks, and it was awesome. This isn’t a statement about restrictions, masks or vaccinations, it is a statement of how much we all need social interaction and how valuable relationships are. The whole time we were staying at home, I knew I was missing people. I just didn’t realize how much. I don’t know how many times in the last two weeks I commented on the fact I couldn’t remember the last time I saw whomever I was talking to. In many cases it was prior to March 2020. That is a long time to not see friends, and I truly believe that took as much of a toll as the virus itself. Except for a very few of us, we humans are social beings and to not be able to do so really hurts our mental wellbeing. I saw it in conversations I participated in and those I overheard. Often, they would start with the usual topics like “How much rain are you getting?” or “How do the crops look?” and then evolve from there. Many times, what started out as a fairly routine conversation would lead to much deeper topics. It makes sense, for almost a year and a half we have really only talked to our spouses, kids and close family, and they didn’t need to be told because they were there living it like we were. Here we are with 16, 17 months of pent-up joys, disasters, concerns and observations and no one to share them with. Let’s face it, it is one thing to vent to your wife and kids, but it is far more therapeutic to find sympathy and empathy from a peer. I guess that is why it was so good to attend the Big Tent Reunions I did. It was cathartic to see old friends, to share the life happenings and to find out what was going on in their lives, too. I guess I have come to realize that one of the best benefits to Farm Bureau is the friends you develop because of your involvement. I hope everyone else got as much out of the meetings and events we have recently hosted. Don’t get me wrong, the education, advocacy and service are all things our organization is built on and represent the good and important work we do. However, at the end of the day it is the relationships and friendships we gain with fellow farmers and ranchers that make it all worthwhile. I tell young farmers and ranchers on their way to their first YF&amp;R Conference that the most important thing you learn is you are not alone, and there are people going through the same things you are. I believe that to be true and something that does not change with age. The last 18 months may have limited our interactions, but I am grateful for these recent gatherings and looking forward to catching up with everyone again soon. Let’s all do our part to stay safe and ensure we can see each other in person at Kansas Farm Bureau’s annual meeting in December."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: Grateful for gatherings

	The August evening was steamy-hot and humid as I quietly walked across the alfalfa toward a tree line thick with fallen cottonwoods and old rotting hay bales. I followed the tree line until it ended abruptly, then tiptoed through a sea of Poison Ivy to the back door of our pop-up hunting blind. Once inside, I settled into a camp chair and unzipped windows on 3 sides. Approaching storms blew a nice breeze through the blind. In front of me was a narrow strip of alfalfa, hemmed in on the far side by a tilled wheat stubble field, and framed on 2 more sides by the river as it meandered through the countryside.

	My quarries tonight were wild turkeys which I had seen here with some regularity, and I was prepared to shoot as many as possible. The flock I’d been seeing was perhaps a dozen birds, and I was pretty sure I could get them all with 2 shots at most! Three Blue Herons rose from the timber along the river, but were gone before I could shoot. A lone Red Tail Hawk perched high above the river was also giving me a nice shot if I hurried!&nbsp;

	Now before you overload the switchboard at Operation Game Thief to turn me in for hunting turkeys out-of-season, and attempting to shoot blue herons and red tail hawks, allow me to explain. That night my weapon of choice hung by a strap around my neck; its barrel was a lense, and the trigger a small silver button. You guessed it! I was “shooting” photos with a camera.&nbsp;

	In the Kansas Hunter Education Manual, the chapter on Hunter Responsibility lists four stages of a sport hunter. This topic discusses how the standards by which a hunter defines success evolve and change as the hunter develops and matures. Stage 3 is called the “Trophy Stage,” and stage 4 is the “Method Stage.” During these 2 stages in a hunter’s life, he or she matures to the point where a trophy can just as easily be a photograph rather than a mount on the wall.

One frigid and snowy April morning years ago I shared a blind with a young man and his guide during the early youth turkey hunt. That was before cell phones had such fantastic cameras, so I had a digital camera around my wrist, hoping to record some of the hunt in pictures. Among the group of birds that came to our decoys were several hens, and among them was a white-speckled hen. My camera wouldn’t work in the icy morning air, so I didn’t get a photo of her, and now I’m relegated to remembering her only in my mind, (which is quickly fading.) I was more disgusted over the camera malfunction than if I had missed a shot at a long-bearded tom!&nbsp;

	I started deer hunting when I was just a kid, and I wish I had pictures or videos of every awesome, unusual and hilarious event I’ve seen in the woods since. Once, as I sat quietly on a log during deer season, a mother fox and several cubs ran by me so closely I could have reached out and grabbed one. The first red fox I ever caught in Ohio grabbed the toe of my rubber boot and wouldn’t let go. While fishing one evening at McPherson State Fishing Lake, I watched a beaver swim clear across the lake with a huge leafy branch in its mouth. Another time during the early January antlerless-only deer season, a buck with a monstrous rack hanging full of long grass and weeds became curious of my presence, and stood just yards away from me before coming to his senses. He looked like some exotic hanging garden on four legs.

`	I could go on, but my point is that all these things are in my mind’s eye only, and someday will probably be forgotten. If they were documented as photos, at least I could pass them on for others to enjoy as well. High dollar trail cameras are available that transmit photos directly to a computer, so why not a pair of glasses that does the same with images and action seen through their lenses?&nbsp;

	The Kansas Fur Harvesters Assn. has a collection of fur pelts from every furbearing animal in Kansas. Among those pelts is a hat made from three skunk pelts. Whenever I take those pelts to an educational event or help with the booth at the state fair, I have more fun than I deserve to have with that hat. I put it on kids of all ages and senior citizens in wheel chairs and let moms and family members take all the pictures they can. They will all remember that experience for years.

	Now days, I always have my cell phone camera at the ready wherever I go, in the deer blind, checking traps, on fishing trips etc. Not many years ago, if someone had suggested I could be as happy with a picture as with a mounted trophy on my wall, I would have bristled at the thought. Now, however, I feel like that transition will someday be an easy one… Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.

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>	The August evening was steamy-hot and humid as I quietly walked across the alfalfa toward a tree line thick with fallen cottonwoods and old rotting hay bales. I followed the tree line until it ended abruptly, then tiptoed through a sea of Poison Ivy to the back door of our pop-up hunting blind. Once inside, I settled into a camp chair and unzipped windows on 3 sides. Approaching storms blew a nice breeze through the blind. In front of me was a narrow strip of alfalfa, hemmed in on the far side by a tilled wheat stubble field, and framed on 2 more sides by the river as it meandered through the countryside.	My quarries tonight were wild turkeys which I had seen here with some regularity, and I was prepared to shoot as many as possible. The flock I’d been seeing was perhaps a dozen birds, and I was pretty sure I could get them all with 2 shots at most! Three Blue Herons rose from the timber along the river, but were gone before I could shoot. A lone Red Tail Hawk perched high above the river was also giving me a nice shot if I hurried!&nbsp;	Now before you overload the switchboard at Operation Game Thief to turn me in for hunting turkeys out-of-season, and attempting to shoot blue herons and red tail hawks, allow me to explain. That night my weapon of choice hung by a strap around my neck; its barrel was a lense, and the trigger a small silver button. You guessed it! I was “shooting” photos with a camera.&nbsp;	In the Kansas Hunter Education Manual, the chapter on Hunter Responsibility lists four stages of a sport hunter. This topic discusses how the standards by which a hunter defines success evolve and change as the hunter develops and matures. Stage 3 is called the “Trophy Stage,” and stage 4 is the “Method Stage.” During these 2 stages in a hunter’s life, he or she matures to the point where a trophy can just as easily be a photograph rather than a mount on the wall.One frigid and snowy April morning years ago I shared a blind with a young man and his guide during the early youth turkey hunt. That was before cell phones had such fantastic cameras, so I had a digital camera around my wrist, hoping to record some of the hunt in pictures. Among the group of birds that came to our decoys were several hens, and among them was a white-speckled hen. My camera wouldn’t work in the icy morning air, so I didn’t get a photo of her, and now I’m relegated to remembering her only in my mind, (which is quickly fading.) I was more disgusted over the camera malfunction than if I had missed a shot at a long-bearded tom!&nbsp;	I started deer hunting when I was just a kid, and I wish I had pictures or videos of every awesome, unusual and hilarious event I’ve seen in the woods since. Once, as I sat quietly on a log during deer season, a mother fox and several cubs ran by me so closely I could have reached out and grabbed one. The first red fox I ever caught in Ohio grabbed the toe of my rubber boot and wouldn’t let go. While fishing one evening at McPherson State Fishing Lake, I watched a beaver swim clear across the lake with a huge leafy branch in its mouth. Another time during the early January antlerless-only deer season, a buck with a monstrous rack hanging full of long grass and weeds became curious of my presence, and stood just yards away from me before coming to his senses. He looked like some exotic hanging garden on four legs.`	I could go on, but my point is that all these things are in my mind’s eye only, and someday will probably be forgotten. If they were documented as photos, at least I could pass them on for others to enjoy as well. High dollar trail cameras are available that transmit photos directly to a computer, so why not a pair of glasses that does the same with images and action seen through their lenses?&nbsp;	The Kansas Fur Harvesters Assn. has a collection of fur pelts from every furbearing animal in Kansas. Among those pelts is a hat made from three skunk pelts. Whenever I take those pelts to an educational event or help with the booth at the state fair, I have more fun than I deserve to have with that hat. I put it on kids of all ages and senior citizens in wheel chairs and let moms and family members take all the pictures they can. They will all remember that experience for years.	Now days, I always have my cell phone camera at the ready wherever I go, in the deer blind, checking traps, on fishing trips etc. Not many years ago, if someone had suggested I could be as happy with a picture as with a mounted trophy on my wall, I would have bristled at the thought. Now, however, I feel like that transition will someday be an easy one… Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.

Exploring Outdoors Kansas: Photo shoot

That the beliefs which political parties express—like the Republican party and “conservatism” or the Democratic party and “liberalism”—are best understood as packages of ideas, which can be re-packaged and re-arranged as political elites find it useful to do so, is hardly a new idea. Still, the use of “choice” in Kansas politics is a good reminder of this fact.

A year from now the “Value Them Both” amendment will be on the ballot. If it passes, it would invalidate the Kansas supreme court ruling that our state constitution includes a guaranteed right to access abortion services. It is, therefore, a “pro-life” amendment, which generally aims to protect fetal life rather than protect the right of women to make certain medical choices. Those committed to passing this amendment likely don’t care what language is used—but when it comes to winning a statewide election, language matters, and that is where some Kansas voters may find the messages they hear confusing.

Why? Because those who have historically organized to defend the right to abortion—and thus would oppose the passage of the amendment—have tended to emphasize trusting women’s choices. And that “pro-choice” language is pretty similar to that which many prominent Republican supporters of the proposed amendment have relied upon throughout the pandemic.

The words of Senator Ty Masterson, a Republican leader who has consistently opposed various public health restrictions proposed by Governor Laura Kelly, a Democrat, over the past year and a half, is emblematic. As low vaccination rates led to a recent surge in a deadly COVID-variant across Kansas, and Kelly mandated a return to masks for state employees in an attempt to control its spread, Masterson strongly dissented. He stated that when it comes to personal medical decisions, the government needs to trust Kansans’ choices and “stop telling people how to live.”&nbsp;

Such a libertarian insistence upon personal choice and responsibility is perfectly compatible with many well-established arrangements of conservative thought. But it is also arguably in contradiction to the effort to remove a guaranteed right to choose to access abortion services. Thus will a few conservative Kansas voters perhaps find themselves perplexed. If the pandemic taught you to strongly affirm that the government should respect the free choices of the people when it comes to getting vaccinated or wearing a mask, then why would you also affirm that the government should restrict free choices when it comes to abortion?

Of course, the reason I wrote “perhaps” above is because ideas can always be re-packaged. If necessary, conservative leaders in Kansas will surely find ways to insist that the free choice not to get vaccinated and the free choice to obtain an abortion are completely different ideas, and so there is no contradiction in honoring the first while limiting the second. Depending upon the reasoning used, they won’t be wrong. (And remember all of this goes for Democrats as well, who can equally arrange their liberal ideas so as to defend one person’s personal right to choose abortion while also denying another person’s personal right to refuse to wear a mask.)

What’s the upshot of all this? Perhaps simply that the principle of being free to make personal choices in America depends upon how the parties that win elections justify it. The next time you hear a politician insist that their beliefs about what the people should be free to choose are the built upon bedrock ideological principles, remember that in politics, even bedrock can change.

Dr. Russell Arben Fox teaches politics in Wichita.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/3/1583339056495.jpeg" alt="Dr. Russell Arben Fox teaches politics in Wichita." />
 <figcaption>Dr. Russell Arben Fox teaches politics in Wichita.</figcaption>
 </figure>That the beliefs which political parties express—like the Republican party and “conservatism” or the Democratic party and “liberalism”—are best understood as packages of ideas, which can be re-packaged and re-arranged as political elites find it useful to do so, is hardly a new idea. Still, the use of “choice” in Kansas politics is a good reminder of this fact.A year from now the “Value Them Both” amendment will be on the ballot. If it passes, it would invalidate the Kansas supreme court ruling that our state constitution includes a guaranteed right to access abortion services. It is, therefore, a “pro-life” amendment, which generally aims to protect fetal life rather than protect the right of women to make certain medical choices. Those committed to passing this amendment likely don’t care what language is used—but when it comes to winning a statewide election, language matters, and that is where some Kansas voters may find the messages they hear confusing.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Why? Because those who have historically organized to defend the right to abortion—and thus would oppose the passage of the amendment—have tended to emphasize trusting women’s choices. And that “pro-choice” language is pretty similar to that which many prominent Republican supporters of the proposed amendment have relied upon throughout the pandemic.The words of Senator Ty Masterson, a Republican leader who has consistently opposed various public health restrictions proposed by Governor Laura Kelly, a Democrat, over the past year and a half, is emblematic. As low vaccination rates led to a recent surge in a deadly COVID-variant across Kansas, and Kelly mandated a return to masks for state employees in an attempt to control its spread, Masterson strongly dissented. He stated that when it comes to personal medical decisions, the government needs to trust Kansans’ choices and “stop telling people how to live.”&nbsp;Such a libertarian insistence upon personal choice and responsibility is perfectly compatible with many well-established arrangements of conservative thought. But it is also arguably in contradiction to the effort to remove a guaranteed right to choose to access abortion services. Thus will a few conservative Kansas voters perhaps find themselves perplexed. If the pandemic taught you to strongly affirm that the government should respect the free choices of the people when it comes to getting vaccinated or wearing a mask, then why would you also affirm that the government should restrict free choices when it comes to abortion?Of course, the reason I wrote “perhaps” above is because ideas can always be re-packaged. If necessary, conservative leaders in Kansas will surely find ways to insist that the free choice not to get vaccinated and the free choice to obtain an abortion are completely different ideas, and so there is no contradiction in honoring the first while limiting the second. Depending upon the reasoning used, they won’t be wrong. (And remember all of this goes for Democrats as well, who can equally arrange their liberal ideas so as to defend one person’s personal right to choose abortion while also denying another person’s personal right to refuse to wear a mask.)What’s the upshot of all this? Perhaps simply that the principle of being free to make personal choices in America depends upon how the parties that win elections justify it. The next time you hear a politician insist that their beliefs about what the people should be free to choose are the built upon bedrock ideological principles, remember that in politics, even bedrock can change.Dr. Russell Arben Fox teaches politics in Wichita.

INSIGHT KANSAS: The continuing confusion over “choice” in Kan.

A sense of excitement is growing as we are days away from the start of the fall semester and a new academic year. Ripples of hope are flowing throughout the campus as we prepare to initiate welcome back activities like a long-awaited family reunion.

We are ready. We return with a restored sense of confidence following many highly successful summer camps and conferences.&nbsp;

Summer athletic camps brought much joy and hard work for nearly 1,300 youngsters eager to develop their skills in football, women’s soccer, wrestling, volleyball, and men’s and women’s basketball.

For those looking for a bit more of a cerebral experience, our fabulous and highly engaging Science and Mathematics Education Institute (SEMI) hosted summer camps for students in grades 2-8. A variety of camp options allowed these youngsters to learn to build, program, and test LEGO robots using LEGO EV3 software; to expand upon their engineering knowledge by constructing a pully, bridge, raft, and sturdy house; make new friends through team projects and experiments focused on engineering, nanotechnology, and rockets as well as to design, build, and run their own store. We had about 100 kids involved in these wonderful programs.

In June, these SEMI camps were supplemented by a three-day summer community Welcome Back to Campus event that more than 200 people attended. Activities included making bubbles and Oobleck (A substance that mimics the qualities of both a liquid and a solid). It gets its name from the Dr. Seuss book Bartholomew and the Oobleck.) Participants also learned about density, electromagnetism, and Little Bits. &nbsp;

The number one question I received from community members last spring was: “When will Beach /Schmidt Performing Arts Center return to its original performing arts purpose?” To uphold safety standards during COVID last year, we canceled special events and repurposed the center as a classroom.

This summer, the performing arts made a triumphant return to the center. In addition to hosting several dance recitals, the return of the High Plains Music Camp this summer brought a lot of smiles and reassurance that we are “all in” in repopulating our campus.&nbsp;

Speaking of the High Plains Music Camp (HPMC), this great annual event returned to campus in July. More than 130 student musicians came to the camp. Campers came from across Kansas (Kansas City to Goodland, Pittsburg to Garden City, and more) plus Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, &amp; Utah.&nbsp;

HPMC campers are student musicians who travel to campus and train with professional musicians for one week. The camper’s experience culminates in a performance they deliver at the conclusion of camp. Rising sixth and eighth-graders were offered a middle school band experience with the Tiger Band under the direction of Johannah Cox from Lawrence, Kansas. Mrs. Cox said this summer’s group was one of the best Tiger Bands we have hosted in years.&nbsp; This sentiment was expressed over and over in descriptions about the other HPMC ensembles and classes this summer.

HPMC faculty consisted of 46 music professionals and teachers in individual instruments from across the state of Kansas (including professional jazz musicians in Kansas City), as well as Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, and Utah. Camp faculty were supported by 16 counselors; camp librarians who helped prepare the music before and during camp; an equipment team who moved stands, chairs, and percussion equipment before, during, and after camp; and four interns who helped the camp director keep everything moving smoothly during the week.&nbsp;

For many campers, this was their first opportunity to be on a college campus. Besides working closely with the outstanding HPMC faculty and staff, campers enjoyed exploring the FHSU campus during the week.&nbsp; Stops at Starbucks in the Memorial Union were a highlight for many.&nbsp;

In addition to the return to campus summer activities I just covered, our fabulous Kansas Wetlands Education Center in Barton County hosted drop-in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities that offered a great opportunity for folks to walk through a water trailer. This is a mobile trailer that hosts a wealth of information and experiential learning opportunities for the curious, including stormwater issues in watersheds. Other activities included making and then eating an aquifer, discovering how much usable water is on our planet, and developing drone piloting skills while learning about drone use in water quality management and conservation. I especially loved the book launch event for “Ava: A Year of Adventure in the Life of an American Avocet.” An Avocet is a bird found in wetland habitats.&nbsp;

I was thrilled that our Sternberg Museum of Natural History was also able to return some of their summer camps to in-person experiences, including the Colorado Dinosaur experience and the Field Paleontology: Kansas camps. Last year I received the sweetest letter from a mom and dad of a summer camper that read in part, “My family can’t say enough good about the camps and the director, David Levering. I first found Sternberg and Fort Hays State University through a Facebook paleontology group when I was looking for a resident camp for my 12-year-old daughter… Living in rural northern Wisconsin, we knew our daughter would have to travel to get a quality paleontology education. The camp exceeded any expectations – she learned so much. Our daughter even started her own business in order to continue to pay for future camps…The growth and confidence we have seen in her is amazing.”

That letter meant so much to me. It demonstrated our educational reach and commitment to providing quality, engaging educational experiences. We educate the young, the traditionally aged, and adult learners. We inspire dreams, and for the 12-year-old in the letter above, we even kindled her entrepreneurial spirit. We exist to improve lives.&nbsp;

Our summer camps and conferences serve as an extension of our educational mission. This year they also helped create a sense of normalcy, and in a way, served as a “dress rehearsal” for a full return to all on-campus operations. We are excitedly ready and “all in” for the fall of 2021. Welcome home, Tigers.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575302014229.png" alt="Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU president" />
 <figcaption>Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU president</figcaption>
 </figure>A sense of excitement is growing as we are days away from the start of the fall semester and a new academic year. Ripples of hope are flowing throughout the campus as we prepare to initiate welcome back activities like a long-awaited family reunion.We are ready. We return with a restored sense of confidence following many highly successful summer camps and conferences.&nbsp;Summer athletic camps brought much joy and hard work for nearly 1,300 youngsters eager to develop their skills in football, women’s soccer, wrestling, volleyball, and men’s and women’s basketball.For those looking for a bit more of a cerebral experience, our fabulous and highly engaging Science and Mathematics Education Institute (SEMI) hosted summer camps for students in grades 2-8. A variety of camp options allowed these youngsters to learn to build, program, and test LEGO robots using LEGO EV3 software; to expand upon their engineering knowledge by constructing a pully, bridge, raft, and sturdy house; make new friends through team projects and experiments focused on engineering, nanotechnology, and rockets as well as to design, build, and run their own store. We had about 100 kids involved in these wonderful programs.In June, these SEMI camps were supplemented by a three-day summer community Welcome Back to Campus event that more than 200 people attended. Activities included making bubbles and Oobleck (A substance that mimics the qualities of both a liquid and a solid). It gets its name from the Dr. Seuss book Bartholomew and the Oobleck.) Participants also learned about density, electromagnetism, and Little Bits. &nbsp;The number one question I received from community members last spring was: “When will Beach /Schmidt Performing Arts Center return to its original performing arts purpose?” To uphold safety standards during COVID last year, we canceled special events and repurposed the center as a classroom.This summer, the performing arts made a triumphant return to the center. In addition to hosting several dance recitals, the return of the High Plains Music Camp this summer brought a lot of smiles and reassurance that we are “all in” in repopulating our campus.&nbsp;Speaking of the High Plains Music Camp (HPMC), this great annual event returned to campus in July. More than 130 student musicians came to the camp. Campers came from across Kansas (Kansas City to Goodland, Pittsburg to Garden City, and more) plus Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, &amp; Utah.&nbsp;HPMC campers are student musicians who travel to campus and train with professional musicians for one week. The camper’s experience culminates in a performance they deliver at the conclusion of camp. Rising sixth and eighth-graders were offered a middle school band experience with the Tiger Band under the direction of Johannah Cox from Lawrence, Kansas. Mrs. Cox said this summer’s group was one of the best Tiger Bands we have hosted in years.&nbsp; This sentiment was expressed over and over in descriptions about the other HPMC ensembles and classes this summer.HPMC faculty consisted of 46 music professionals and teachers in individual instruments from across the state of Kansas (including professional jazz musicians in Kansas City), as well as Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, and Utah. Camp faculty were supported by 16 counselors; camp librarians who helped prepare the music before and during camp; an equipment team who moved stands, chairs, and percussion equipment before, during, and after camp; and four interns who helped the camp director keep everything moving smoothly during the week.&nbsp;For many campers, this was their first opportunity to be on a college campus. Besides working closely with the outstanding HPMC faculty and staff, campers enjoyed exploring the FHSU campus during the week.&nbsp; Stops at Starbucks in the Memorial Union were a highlight for many.&nbsp;In addition to the return to campus summer activities I just covered, our fabulous Kansas Wetlands Education Center in Barton County hosted drop-in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities that offered a great opportunity for folks to walk through a water trailer. This is a mobile trailer that hosts a wealth of information and experiential learning opportunities for the curious, including stormwater issues in watersheds. Other activities included making and then eating an aquifer, discovering how much usable water is on our planet, and developing drone piloting skills while learning about drone use in water quality management and conservation. I especially loved the book launch event for “Ava: A Year of Adventure in the Life of an American Avocet.” An Avocet is a bird found in wetland habitats.&nbsp;I was thrilled that our Sternberg Museum of Natural History was also able to return some of their summer camps to in-person experiences, including the Colorado Dinosaur experience and the Field Paleontology: Kansas camps. Last year I received the sweetest letter from a mom and dad of a summer camper that read in part, “My family can’t say enough good about the camps and the director, David Levering. I first found Sternberg and Fort Hays State University through a Facebook paleontology group when I was looking for a resident camp for my 12-year-old daughter… Living in rural northern Wisconsin, we knew our daughter would have to travel to get a quality paleontology education. The camp exceeded any expectations – she learned so much. Our daughter even started her own business in order to continue to pay for future camps…The growth and confidence we have seen in her is amazing.”That letter meant so much to me. It demonstrated our educational reach and commitment to providing quality, engaging educational experiences. We educate the young, the traditionally aged, and adult learners. We inspire dreams, and for the 12-year-old in the letter above, we even kindled her entrepreneurial spirit. We exist to improve lives.&nbsp;Our summer camps and conferences serve as an extension of our educational mission. This year they also helped create a sense of normalcy, and in a way, served as a “dress rehearsal” for a full return to all on-campus operations. We are excitedly ready and “all in” for the fall of 2021. Welcome home, Tigers.

MASON: Extending our educational mission through summer programming

By JACKIE MUNDT Pratt County farmer and rancher Customer reviews are a staple in the digital world. If you cannot see a product in person, the next best thing is reading about another person’s experience. The trust we instinctively place in each other’s opinions and observations are not limited to product reviews. Our everyday conversations leave impressions we probably never think about. Years ago, I took friends home to visit my family in Wisconsin.&nbsp; I was completely unaware of my friends’ apprehensions created by the colorful stories shared of my childhood home and adventures. I was slightly embarrassed to learn how relieved they were when we pulled into the yard of a perfectly normal country home instead of the “two double-wide trailers stacked on top of each other” they were expecting. Some self-reflection helped me to realize I was sharing only entertaining stories about the quirky habits of my family, mischievous adventures my siblings and I undertook, and my dad’s impressive levels of inventiveness and ingenuity. I never really talked about more objectively normal things. It can be so easy to forget that during everyday interactions with people we often unintentionally become the expert for what others have not experienced. Someone who has never visited your town, will likely believe whatever you say about it and may remember what you said if ever asked about it in the future. Since taking my friends home, I have become a much better advocate for my home community, and I am much more conscious of whom I choose to share the quirky but funny stories about my home. The power and obligation to influence others opinions about our community has been on my mind lately because of a conversation I had at a recent networking event. While visiting with the manager of a facility that employs several people locally, I quickly realized he was a kindred spirit. Instead of nodding politely with a blank stare when I extolled the virtues of my community, he lit-up, sharing that he had been moved here from the East and fallen in love with Kansas because of the affordable housing, high quality of life and the truly “Midwest nice” people. In fact, many of his family members had followed him here because of his praise for the area. What he told me next has been replaying in my mind ever since. He has been working to change culture within his facility; to get his employees to stop griping or saying uncomplimentary things about the area because he does not want corporate to move the facility because no one wants to live there. Many of the people at his corporate office have never been here; they rely on the opinions of local workers often gleaned from casual conversation to form an opinion of the community. If they ever have to consider closing a facility, he wants to make sure they know how wonderful his community is and how much employees are thriving so they will want to continue doing business here. Just like with the product reviews, the opinions and observations of people living in a place are likely to be the deciding factor for someone to visit, move to or start a business there. The simple act of restraining from complaints or comparisons to other towns shows positivity. Sharing about your great community assets or the ways you and others are working to make it better creates images of a thriving community. Most outsiders aren’t going to seek out community officials to learn about your town. They are going to listen to the experts. What will you tell them?

<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 Customer reviews are a staple in the digital world. If you cannot see a product in person, the next best thing is reading about another person’s experience. The trust we instinctively place in each other’s opinions and observations are not limited to product reviews. Our everyday conversations leave impressions we probably never think about. Years ago, I took friends home to visit my family in Wisconsin.&nbsp; I was completely unaware of my friends’ apprehensions created by the colorful stories shared of my childhood home and adventures. I was slightly embarrassed to learn how relieved they were when we pulled into the yard of a perfectly normal country home instead of the “two double-wide trailers stacked on top of each other” they were expecting. Some self-reflection helped me to realize I was sharing only entertaining stories about the quirky habits of my family, mischievous adventures my siblings and I undertook, and my dad’s impressive levels of inventiveness and ingenuity. I never really talked about more objectively normal things. It can be so easy to forget that during everyday interactions with people we often unintentionally become the expert for what others have not experienced. Someone who has never visited your town, will likely believe whatever you say about it and may remember what you said if ever asked about it in the future. Since taking my friends home, I have become a much better advocate for my home community, and I am much more conscious of whom I choose to share the quirky but funny stories about my home. The power and obligation to influence others opinions about our community has been on my mind lately because of a conversation I had at a recent networking event. While visiting with the manager of a facility that employs several people locally, I quickly realized he was a kindred spirit. Instead of nodding politely with a blank stare when I extolled the virtues of my community, he lit-up, sharing that he had been moved here from the East and fallen in love with Kansas because of the affordable housing, high quality of life and the truly “Midwest nice” people. In fact, many of his family members had followed him here because of his praise for the area. What he told me next has been replaying in my mind ever since. He has been working to change culture within his facility; to get his employees to stop griping or saying uncomplimentary things about the area because he does not want corporate to move the facility because no one wants to live there. Many of the people at his corporate office have never been here; they rely on the opinions of local workers often gleaned from casual conversation to form an opinion of the community. If they ever have to consider closing a facility, he wants to make sure they know how wonderful his community is and how much employees are thriving so they will want to continue doing business here. Just like with the product reviews, the opinions and observations of people living in a place are likely to be the deciding factor for someone to visit, move to or start a business there. The simple act of restraining from complaints or comparisons to other towns shows positivity. Sharing about your great community assets or the ways you and others are working to make it better creates images of a thriving community. Most outsiders aren’t going to seek out community officials to learn about your town. They are going to listen to the experts. What will you tell them?"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: Hometown reviews

“There is a madness afoot here, and only government can make a difference.” New York state senator from district with low vaccination rate and high Covid death levels.

Madness afoot, indeed. And our governmental, non-profit, and private sectors must all respond.

Whether it’s KU, McDonalds, school districts or Via Christi, our largest and most powerful institutions, public and private, simply must mandate that their staff and students get vaccinated as a condition of employment or educational status. No ifs, ands, or buts.&nbsp;

As the Delta variant wreaks havoc, unnecessarily, with our lives, it is past time for Kansas institutions to require vaccinations. Across the country, cities, universities, and large employers have done this. Now it’s time for Kansas to follow suit, even if that means challenging current legal restrictions on vaccine requirements.

In April, the Legislature inserted a budget proviso prohibiting state entities from requiring proof of vaccination. But that was then, and this is now. Indeed, a policy that seemed reasonable in the spring is now clearly counterproductive.&nbsp;

We know exactly what we need to do to stop the Delta variant surge; we need to vaccinate the large numbers of Kansans who have not yet stepped up. We have a remarkable, near-miraculous remedy, and we have institutions that can effectively enforce a vaccination requirement.&nbsp; Across the country universities, large employers, and health care systems have embraced mandates, with an immediate increase in vaccination levels.

How to accomplish this in Kansas?&nbsp; For private firms, large and small, it’s simple: require vaccinations as a condition of employment, with appropriate religious and health exceptions. Many restaurants, bars, and gyms could go further, requiring proof of vaccination for service. Many patrons would rejoice.

Nonprofits could do the same.&nbsp; Hospitals, libraries, recreation centers could require vaccinations for staff at a minimum, but in many instances, clients could be included.

For Kansas, governmental requirements might seem out of reach, given the April budget provision and the Legislature’s limitations on the governor’s power.&nbsp; But a recent court decision has apparently provided the governor with a much fuller range of power, and a Legislative Coordinating Council decision (or a one-day special session) could reverse the limit on mandates.

Every member of the Board of Regents and all the university and community college leaders should immediately lobby the Legislature to change its policy, if only for six months or a year. Why should we fight the Covid variant with bringing the full weight of institutions to bear?

More than two dozen higher education organizations have called on states to allow universities to mandate vaccinations, and in a landmark Indiana University case, an appellate&nbsp; court, including two Trump appointees, upheld the university’s right to do this, citing a 1905 Supreme Court decision.

To be a bit more palatable, mandates could include exceptions for those tested twice a week and wearing masks. But most of the unvaccinated would choose to get a jab.

We have tried pleas to reason, we have used incentives, we have appealed to a sense of community. Now we must push the unvaccinated hard to do the right thing.&nbsp; Vaccine mandates have been in place more than a century. Like requiring the use of seatbelts, they are a tool in societal efforts to rein in a widespread problem.

For the sake of our fellow Kansans, we should all work to make vaccination mandates happen. Today.

Burdett Loomis is an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Kansas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574348610067.jpeg" alt="Burdett Loomis is an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Kansas." />
 <figcaption>Burdett Loomis is an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Kansas.</figcaption>
 </figure>“There is a madness afoot here, and only government can make a difference.” New York state senator from district with low vaccination rate and high Covid death levels.Madness afoot, indeed. And our governmental, non-profit, and private sectors must all respond.Whether it’s KU, McDonalds, school districts or Via Christi, our largest and most powerful institutions, public and private, simply must mandate that their staff and students get vaccinated as a condition of employment or educational status. No ifs, ands, or buts.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>As the Delta variant wreaks havoc, unnecessarily, with our lives, it is past time for Kansas institutions to require vaccinations. Across the country, cities, universities, and large employers have done this. Now it’s time for Kansas to follow suit, even if that means challenging current legal restrictions on vaccine requirements.In April, the Legislature inserted a budget proviso prohibiting state entities from requiring proof of vaccination. But that was then, and this is now. Indeed, a policy that seemed reasonable in the spring is now clearly counterproductive.&nbsp;We know exactly what we need to do to stop the Delta variant surge; we need to vaccinate the large numbers of Kansans who have not yet stepped up. We have a remarkable, near-miraculous remedy, and we have institutions that can effectively enforce a vaccination requirement.&nbsp; Across the country universities, large employers, and health care systems have embraced mandates, with an immediate increase in vaccination levels.How to accomplish this in Kansas?&nbsp; For private firms, large and small, it’s simple: require vaccinations as a condition of employment, with appropriate religious and health exceptions. Many restaurants, bars, and gyms could go further, requiring proof of vaccination for service. Many patrons would rejoice.Nonprofits could do the same.&nbsp; Hospitals, libraries, recreation centers could require vaccinations for staff at a minimum, but in many instances, clients could be included.For Kansas, governmental requirements might seem out of reach, given the April budget provision and the Legislature’s limitations on the governor’s power.&nbsp; But a recent court decision has apparently provided the governor with a much fuller range of power, and a Legislative Coordinating Council decision (or a one-day special session) could reverse the limit on mandates.Every member of the Board of Regents and all the university and community college leaders should immediately lobby the Legislature to change its policy, if only for six months or a year. Why should we fight the Covid variant with bringing the full weight of institutions to bear?More than two dozen higher education organizations have called on states to allow universities to mandate vaccinations, and in a landmark Indiana University case, an appellate&nbsp; court, including two Trump appointees, upheld the university’s right to do this, citing a 1905 Supreme Court decision.To be a bit more palatable, mandates could include exceptions for those tested twice a week and wearing masks. But most of the unvaccinated would choose to get a jab.We have tried pleas to reason, we have used incentives, we have appealed to a sense of community. Now we must push the unvaccinated hard to do the right thing.&nbsp; Vaccine mandates have been in place more than a century. Like requiring the use of seatbelts, they are a tool in societal efforts to rein in a widespread problem.For the sake of our fellow Kansans, we should all work to make vaccination mandates happen. Today.Burdett Loomis is an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Kansas.

INSIGHT KANSAS: Stopping the Delta variant — mandates and institutions

By DALE YOUNKER Natural Resources Conservation Service

Soil aggregates are groups of individual soil particles that bind to each other more strongly than adjacent particles. Aggregates that don’t fall apart and revert to individual soil particles, when are subject to disruptive forces like tillage, erosion, or even a rainfall event, are considered stable.

Aggregate stability is highly dependent on the biological activity in the soil. Certain fungal groups and other organisms, like bacteria and earthworms, secrete glue like substances that help hold soil particles together in aggregate sizes. These organisms rely on living plants, along with decomposing organic substances, for their food source. This is basically carbon, that plants take from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. During long fallow periods, where there are few, if any, growing plants, this carbon source can run low, and the soil biology begins to die off. Thus, not providing those organic glues need to form soil aggregates.

Stable soil aggregates provide the pore spaces needed for water to enter the soil when a rainfall event happens. On soils with poor aggregate stability the individual soil particles of sand, silt and clay break away from each other when water enters an aggregate. These soil particles then fill pore spaces and can form a crust on the soil surface. When the pore spaces are plugged with individual soil particles water will have difficulty infiltrating into the soil. When the next rainfall event occurs much of the water will run off, taking soil particles with it. At that point it really doesn’t matter how much rain we get since very little is getting into the soil. In dryland cropping systems this is a big deal because every drop of moisture counts. The more we can capture and store in the soil profile the better chance we have a growing a good, productive crop.

Good aggregate stability also helps in root development, which helps the plant take up more water and nutrients. The soil is more resistant to wind and water erosion and allows for easier movement of air, water, nutrients and biota within the soil.

So how do we improve our soil aggregate stability? The simple answer is to reduce tillage and keep plants growing in the soil for as long as possible. Tillage physically breaks down soil aggregates and disturbs the soil biology that secrete glues that hold soil particles together. Increasing the cropping intensity, with additional cash or cover crops, will provide the carbon source needed to keep the soil organisms alive and in turn providing the organic glues that are needed to form and maintain stable soil aggregates.

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/2021/8/1628093985082.jpeg" alt="Dale Younker" />
 <figcaption>Dale Younker</figcaption>
 </figure>By DALE YOUNKER Natural Resources Conservation ServiceSoil aggregates are groups of individual soil particles that bind to each other more strongly than adjacent particles. Aggregates that don’t fall apart and revert to individual soil particles, when are subject to disruptive forces like tillage, erosion, or even a rainfall event, are considered stable.Aggregate stability is highly dependent on the biological activity in the soil. Certain fungal groups and other organisms, like bacteria and earthworms, secrete glue like substances that help hold soil particles together in aggregate sizes. These organisms rely on living plants, along with decomposing organic substances, for their food source. This is basically carbon, that plants take from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. During long fallow periods, where there are few, if any, growing plants, this carbon source can run low, and the soil biology begins to die off. Thus, not providing those organic glues need to form soil aggregates.Stable soil aggregates provide the pore spaces needed for water to enter the soil when a rainfall event happens. On soils with poor aggregate stability the individual soil particles of sand, silt and clay break away from each other when water enters an aggregate. These soil particles then fill pore spaces and can form a crust on the soil surface. When the pore spaces are plugged with individual soil particles water will have difficulty infiltrating into the soil. When the next rainfall event occurs much of the water will run off, taking soil particles with it. At that point it really doesn’t matter how much rain we get since very little is getting into the soil. In dryland cropping systems this is a big deal because every drop of moisture counts. The more we can capture and store in the soil profile the better chance we have a growing a good, productive crop.Good aggregate stability also helps in root development, which helps the plant take up more water and nutrients. The soil is more resistant to wind and water erosion and allows for easier movement of air, water, nutrients and biota within the soil.So how do we improve our soil aggregate stability? The simple answer is to reduce tillage and keep plants growing in the soil for as long as possible. Tillage physically breaks down soil aggregates and disturbs the soil biology that secrete glues that hold soil particles together. Increasing the cropping intensity, with additional cash or cover crops, will provide the carbon source needed to keep the soil organisms alive and in turn providing the organic glues that are needed to form and maintain stable soil aggregates.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: The importance of soil aggregate stability

Reno County Commissioner&nbsp;Daniel Friesen penned an opinion column in support of being vaccinated against COVID-19. The column sparked a response (below) from State Sen. Mark Steffen. Courtesy <a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch Post</a>.

OPINION: Reno County commissioner makes case for the vaccine

By DANIEL P. FRIESEN Reno County Commissioner

If you look closely, I just got my first dose Wednesday of last week.
 Prior to my vaccination, like many, I had reservations about the 
vaccine - nothing specific, it just didn't seem worth it. I had Covid-19
 last year and generally felt my risk was low. Those are similar reasons
 I’ve heard from other people that have chosen not to get the vaccine.

However,
 I felt compelled to get the vaccine if as a county commissioner, I’m 
going to support our health department and local medical community’s 
plea for you to get it too. While I certainly have strong convictions on
 personal freedom and choice, I am also a very analytical person that 
seeks facts and information and have never found my decisions on 
Covid-19 policy to be driven politically.

The latest information I
 have from our local hospital is that resources are again tight (related
 to many factors including a shortage of nurses), and hospitalized covid
 patients are increasing again. The situation is significant enough that
 many Kansas hospitals are again full and deferring patients elsewhere. 
This was a surprise to me and a large factor in this open letter to our 
community.

I believe our local health professionals when they say 
people are showing up at the hospital with life threatening covid 
symptoms who didn’t even know they were at risk. They also say they are 
now actively seeing younger covid patients as the virus naturally moves 
towards a population that is less vaccinated.

It seems quite 
possible that the Covid virus is here for a long time to come, and most 
every person will encounter it at some point. It is also quite evident 
that the virus and its impact is wildly unpredictable. These factors all
 look like risks to me, especially to those most vulnerable. You should 
weigh those risks with the Reno County commission’s current position on 
mandates.

I would not expect Reno County to require masks, limit 
gatherings, or close businesses or schools through this next wave. We 
have the right tools at our disposal to individually handle this threat 
and weather the storm the best we can. Most every adult and adolescent 
has an opportunity to get a potentially life-saving vaccine, stay home 
when they are sick or vulnerable to sickness, and do other common sense 
measures like listening to their family physician.

Yet, my fear is
 that people in our community are going to die because they did not get 
the vaccine or our medical resources become overwhelmed. I continue to 
respect the decision of those who choose not to get it, but I recently 
have come to respectfully disagree with those who argue the potential 
risk of the vaccine outweighs the value.

There seems to be good 
local evidence that vaccinated individuals currently have a hugely 
better likelihood of surviving contracting covid. Specifically, greater 
than 99% of all hospitalizations and deaths related to Covid-19 in Reno 
County are unvaccinated and we have yet to lose one person who was 
vaccinated. Consider that when you consider your risks.

You can 
choose to believe me or not, parse my words, or find information that 
supports an argument against what I have laid out above. It really does 
not matter because at the end of the day, those decisions are your own 
to make, and I am simply hopeful you consider the risk to yourself, your
 loved ones and your community in whatever you decide.

Finally, two important specific notes. One, vaccines are <a href="https://www.vaccines.gov/search/">widely available to you today</a>.
 Two, if you are a registered nurse who has time, please consider 
offering your skills to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center - Kayla 
Orellana (620) 665-2227. They are in increasing need for your help as 
Covid patient counts continue to rise.

Commissioner Daniel 
Friesen is vice-chair of the Reno County Commission. He was elected last
 November and took office in early January of this year. Friesen was 
previously a third-term mayor of the City of Buhler, holding that 
position for 11 years before joining the Commission.

OPINION: State senator responds to county commissioner's column

By MARK STEFFEN Kansas State Senator

It was about the second, maybe third, day of the Covid virus debacle 
that I realized the politics behind the response. And, it continues. The
 Biden Administration is at war with Florida and Texas where Republican 
Governors place individual rights and a fact based understanding of the 
covid virus before inflated fear campaigns. A wide open southern border 
betrays the Democrat’s desire to fill the country with their kind of 
voters of which many are contagious with the Covid-19 virus. While Cuban
 refugees who are passionate for democracy remain ignored. More liberals
 spread throughout our nation are more important than containing the 
spread of their dreaded virus. Pure politics!

At the very core is 
the shot. It’s not a vaccine. It’s a medical procedure. The liberals 
brag and brag as to its efficacy. Yet, not a peep as to its pitfalls and
 they are plentiful. The CDC has a system to report vaccine 
complications. Its acronym is VAERS. Its on the CDC website. Do not fall
 for the liberal mainstream talking points. More deaths and 
complications are associated with this current shot than all other 
vaccinations in the several decade history of VAERS. Do the research!

A
 recent study by the renowned Cleveland Clinic of 50,000 people proved 
the robust nature of natural immunity. The shot just adds risks for 
complications. It is an affront to science to deny the worth of 
naturally acquired immunity. Do the research!

Recent studies out 
of the United Kingdom and Israel show a much different rate of infection
 after vaccination versus that reported by our overly enthusiastic 
Health Department. They to are guilty of fanning the flames of fear 
rather than talking to us in an adult manner. Fanning flames with 
misleading data points goes beyond enthusiasm and becomes blatantly off 
putting. Do the research!

Injecting our children with this mRNA 
shot is beyond bizarre. A report on the CDC website outlining their 
thought processes on recommending the shot clearly defines that 
vaccinated children experienced “more severe complications” than 
unvaccinated children. Never in the history of mankind has a society 
knowingly sacrificed children for the alleged benefit of adults. Please 
do your research!

It’s quite clear that the India (delta) variant 
is more contagious and correspondingly less deadly than the original 
Covid-19 virus. Early treatment remains key. Ivermectin and 
hydroxychloroquine are proven in multiple studies to be effective in 
preventing hospitalization and death. Yet, liberal academic medicine 
continues to shut down their use while promoting a brand new, unproven, 
hospital based IV infusion that is expensive and in short supply. This, 
to a medical doctor such as myself, is unforgiveable if not criminal. I 
won’t forgive my colleagues for this. Do the research.

I will 
leave the idiocy of masks for another time. And, if you want the shot, 
then by all means please get it. Just don’t be so condescending as to 
tell me what to do. Remember this, elected officials that feel a 
stronger need to “go along to get along” rather than advance the truth, 
are not leaders. They are politicians. My respect they do not gain.

For those of you intrigued enough to continue down this road of edification, look no further than <a href="https://rccft.org/">RCCFT.org</a> for all the studies referred to above.

Reno County Commissioner&nbsp;Daniel Friesen penned an opinion column in support of being vaccinated against COVID-19. The column sparked a response (below) from State Sen. Mark Steffen. Courtesy <a href="https://hutchpost.com">Hutch Post</a>.<h2>OPINION: Reno County commissioner makes case for the vaccine</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628158712566.jpeg" alt="Daniel Friesen" />
 <figcaption>Daniel Friesen</figcaption>
 </figure>By DANIEL P. FRIESEN Reno County CommissionerBelow is my vaccination card.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628158688655.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>If you look closely, I just got my first dose Wednesday of last week.
 Prior to my vaccination, like many, I had reservations about the 
vaccine - nothing specific, it just didn't seem worth it. I had Covid-19
 last year and generally felt my risk was low. Those are similar reasons
 I’ve heard from other people that have chosen not to get the vaccine.However,
 I felt compelled to get the vaccine if as a county commissioner, I’m 
going to support our health department and local medical community’s 
plea for you to get it too. While I certainly have strong convictions on
 personal freedom and choice, I am also a very analytical person that 
seeks facts and information and have never found my decisions on 
Covid-19 policy to be driven politically.The latest information I
 have from our local hospital is that resources are again tight (related
 to many factors including a shortage of nurses), and hospitalized covid
 patients are increasing again. The situation is significant enough that
 many Kansas hospitals are again full and deferring patients elsewhere. 
This was a surprise to me and a large factor in this open letter to our 
community.I believe our local health professionals when they say 
people are showing up at the hospital with life threatening covid 
symptoms who didn’t even know they were at risk. They also say they are 
now actively seeing younger covid patients as the virus naturally moves 
towards a population that is less vaccinated.It seems quite 
possible that the Covid virus is here for a long time to come, and most 
every person will encounter it at some point. It is also quite evident 
that the virus and its impact is wildly unpredictable. These factors all
 look like risks to me, especially to those most vulnerable. You should 
weigh those risks with the Reno County commission’s current position on 
mandates.I would not expect Reno County to require masks, limit 
gatherings, or close businesses or schools through this next wave. We 
have the right tools at our disposal to individually handle this threat 
and weather the storm the best we can. Most every adult and adolescent 
has an opportunity to get a potentially life-saving vaccine, stay home 
when they are sick or vulnerable to sickness, and do other common sense 
measures like listening to their family physician.Yet, my fear is
 that people in our community are going to die because they did not get 
the vaccine or our medical resources become overwhelmed. I continue to 
respect the decision of those who choose not to get it, but I recently 
have come to respectfully disagree with those who argue the potential 
risk of the vaccine outweighs the value.There seems to be good 
local evidence that vaccinated individuals currently have a hugely 
better likelihood of surviving contracting covid. Specifically, greater 
than 99% of all hospitalizations and deaths related to Covid-19 in Reno 
County are unvaccinated and we have yet to lose one person who was 
vaccinated. Consider that when you consider your risks.You can 
choose to believe me or not, parse my words, or find information that 
supports an argument against what I have laid out above. It really does 
not matter because at the end of the day, those decisions are your own 
to make, and I am simply hopeful you consider the risk to yourself, your
 loved ones and your community in whatever you decide.Finally, two important specific notes. One, vaccines are <a href="https://www.vaccines.gov/search/">widely available to you today</a>.
 Two, if you are a registered nurse who has time, please consider 
offering your skills to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center - Kayla 
Orellana (620) 665-2227. They are in increasing need for your help as 
Covid patient counts continue to rise.Commissioner Daniel 
Friesen is vice-chair of the Reno County Commission. He was elected last
 November and took office in early January of this year. Friesen was 
previously a third-term mayor of the City of Buhler, holding that 
position for 11 years before joining the Commission.-----------------<h2>OPINION: State senator responds to county commissioner's column</h2><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/1/1611761226060.jpeg" alt="State Sen. Mark Steffen&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>State Sen. Mark Steffen&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>By MARK STEFFEN Kansas State SenatorIt was about the second, maybe third, day of the Covid virus debacle 
that I realized the politics behind the response. And, it continues. The
 Biden Administration is at war with Florida and Texas where Republican 
Governors place individual rights and a fact based understanding of the 
covid virus before inflated fear campaigns. A wide open southern border 
betrays the Democrat’s desire to fill the country with their kind of 
voters of which many are contagious with the Covid-19 virus. While Cuban
 refugees who are passionate for democracy remain ignored. More liberals
 spread throughout our nation are more important than containing the 
spread of their dreaded virus. Pure politics!At the very core is 
the shot. It’s not a vaccine. It’s a medical procedure. The liberals 
brag and brag as to its efficacy. Yet, not a peep as to its pitfalls and
 they are plentiful. The CDC has a system to report vaccine 
complications. Its acronym is VAERS. Its on the CDC website. Do not fall
 for the liberal mainstream talking points. More deaths and 
complications are associated with this current shot than all other 
vaccinations in the several decade history of VAERS. Do the research!A
 recent study by the renowned Cleveland Clinic of 50,000 people proved 
the robust nature of natural immunity. The shot just adds risks for 
complications. It is an affront to science to deny the worth of 
naturally acquired immunity. Do the research!Recent studies out 
of the United Kingdom and Israel show a much different rate of infection
 after vaccination versus that reported by our overly enthusiastic 
Health Department. They to are guilty of fanning the flames of fear 
rather than talking to us in an adult manner. Fanning flames with 
misleading data points goes beyond enthusiasm and becomes blatantly off 
putting. Do the research!Injecting our children with this mRNA 
shot is beyond bizarre. A report on the CDC website outlining their 
thought processes on recommending the shot clearly defines that 
vaccinated children experienced “more severe complications” than 
unvaccinated children. Never in the history of mankind has a society 
knowingly sacrificed children for the alleged benefit of adults. Please 
do your research!It’s quite clear that the India (delta) variant 
is more contagious and correspondingly less deadly than the original 
Covid-19 virus. Early treatment remains key. Ivermectin and 
hydroxychloroquine are proven in multiple studies to be effective in 
preventing hospitalization and death. Yet, liberal academic medicine 
continues to shut down their use while promoting a brand new, unproven, 
hospital based IV infusion that is expensive and in short supply. This, 
to a medical doctor such as myself, is unforgiveable if not criminal. I 
won’t forgive my colleagues for this. Do the research.I will 
leave the idiocy of masks for another time. And, if you want the shot, 
then by all means please get it. Just don’t be so condescending as to 
tell me what to do. Remember this, elected officials that feel a 
stronger need to “go along to get along” rather than advance the truth, 
are not leaders. They are politicians. My respect they do not gain.For those of you intrigued enough to continue down this road of edification, look no further than <a href="https://rccft.org/">RCCFT.org</a> for all the studies referred to above.

Dueling opinions on COVID-19 vaccine in Reno County

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

Growing food and growing people. Those two are not the same, but they both have to do with positive development for the future – and they are the two motivating priorities that inspire one young Kansas leader daily. They have helped propel her to not one, but two national agriculture awards.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Jackie Mundt is communications and marketing manager for Kanza Cooperative Association and a two-time winner of national awards from the American Farm Bureau Federation. She and Marc Rundell live on Marc’s family farm in Pratt County.&nbsp;

Jackie grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. She was active in FFA and was elected national FFA president in 2004. Her duties involved traveling to FFA chapters, schools, and other meetings across the United States and beyond. One of those meetings was the state FFA convention in Fresno, California.&nbsp;

“I fell in love with the people and the campus there,” Jackie said. She ultimately enrolled at Fresno State University and earned a degree in agricultural communications. Along the way she met Kansas farmboy Marc Rundell.&nbsp;

After college, Jackie took a position with Dow AgroSciences and was assigned territories in Oklahoma and Kansas so she moved to Marc’s hometown of Pratt. She moved up to Dow’s corporate headquarters back east and then came back to Kansas where she took her current position with the Kanza Co-op and moved to the farm. The Rundell family farm is located near the community of Preston, population 158 people. Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;

Jackie also participates in the Kansas Agriculture and Rural Leadership program while working on a master’s degree in ag communications from Kansas State University. “My passions are youth development, agriculture advocacy, and community vitality,” Jackie said.&nbsp;

While in FFA, Jackie became acquainted with the Farm Bureau organization and has been active in the organization ever since. “Farm Bureau has been so important in helping me connect with people in the ag world,” she said. While in California, Jackie won the state-level collegiate discussion-meet competition sponsored by Farm Bureau.&nbsp;

The discussion meet is not a public speaking contest but is an agricultural issues dialogue in which the most effective communicator is selected as the winner.&nbsp;

In Kansas, she became involved in her local and state Farm Bureau organizations as well – particularly the Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Rancher program, which is for members ages 18 to 35. Jackie participated in the Young Farmers and Ranchers discussion-meet competition and won the Kansas contest. That earned her the right to compete at nationals. In 2019, she won the national title.&nbsp;

In addition to the discussion meet, the Young Farmer and Rancher program offers two other awards: One for a full-time ag producer, and a second for people who are agriculture supporters but whose income derives mostly from the farm. Jackie qualified in the latter category, called Excellence in Agriculture. This involved an extensive application and a verbal presentation. “I practiced hardcore,” Jackie said.&nbsp;

In January 2021, Jackie claimed the national Excellence in Agriculture award. To our knowledge, she is the only person to have won both the discussion meet and the Excellence in Agriculture awards.&nbsp;

To Jackie, the awards are less important than the priorities which enabled her to win them. “I’m passionate about people and about food,” Jackie said. “Being raised on a farm, I know ag and food are important to everyone,” she said. “I feel strongly about serving people and making the world around us better,” she said.&nbsp;

Jackie is advisor to the collegiate Farm Bureau chapter at Pratt Community College and is actively involved in promoting FFA and 4-H in her region. She works hard to empower and encourage youth, and also works to enhance her community. “Rural life is important to us. I want this to be a really great community,” she said.&nbsp;

Growing food and growing people. Those are the goals of young rural leader Jackie Mundt. We commend Jackie and other young farmers and ranchers for being part of a new generation of agricultural producers. Whether the result is better food supplies or better people, Jackie Mundt is helping them to grow.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1626878279873.png" alt="Jackie Mundt" />
 <figcaption>Jackie Mundt</figcaption>
 </figure>By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development&nbsp;Growing food and growing people. Those two are not the same, but they both have to do with positive development for the future – and they are the two motivating priorities that inspire one young Kansas leader daily. They have helped propel her to not one, but two national agriculture awards.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jackie Mundt is communications and marketing manager for Kanza Cooperative Association and a two-time winner of national awards from the American Farm Bureau Federation. She and Marc Rundell live on Marc’s family farm in Pratt County.&nbsp;Jackie grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. She was active in FFA and was elected national FFA president in 2004. Her duties involved traveling to FFA chapters, schools, and other meetings across the United States and beyond. One of those meetings was the state FFA convention in Fresno, California.&nbsp;“I fell in love with the people and the campus there,” Jackie said. She ultimately enrolled at Fresno State University and earned a degree in agricultural communications. Along the way she met Kansas farmboy Marc Rundell.&nbsp;After college, Jackie took a position with Dow AgroSciences and was assigned territories in Oklahoma and Kansas so she moved to Marc’s hometown of Pratt. She moved up to Dow’s corporate headquarters back east and then came back to Kansas where she took her current position with the Kanza Co-op and moved to the farm. The Rundell family farm is located near the community of Preston, population 158 people. Now, that’s rural.&nbsp;Jackie also participates in the Kansas Agriculture and Rural Leadership program while working on a master’s degree in ag communications from Kansas State University. “My passions are youth development, agriculture advocacy, and community vitality,” Jackie said.&nbsp;While in FFA, Jackie became acquainted with the Farm Bureau organization and has been active in the organization ever since. “Farm Bureau has been so important in helping me connect with people in the ag world,” she said. While in California, Jackie won the state-level collegiate discussion-meet competition sponsored by Farm Bureau.&nbsp;The discussion meet is not a public speaking contest but is an agricultural issues dialogue in which the most effective communicator is selected as the winner.&nbsp;In Kansas, she became involved in her local and state Farm Bureau organizations as well – particularly the Farm Bureau Young Farmer and Rancher program, which is for members ages 18 to 35. Jackie participated in the Young Farmers and Ranchers discussion-meet competition and won the Kansas contest. That earned her the right to compete at nationals. In 2019, she won the national title.&nbsp;In addition to the discussion meet, the Young Farmer and Rancher program offers two other awards: One for a full-time ag producer, and a second for people who are agriculture supporters but whose income derives mostly from the farm. Jackie qualified in the latter category, called Excellence in Agriculture. This involved an extensive application and a verbal presentation. “I practiced hardcore,” Jackie said.&nbsp;In January 2021, Jackie claimed the national Excellence in Agriculture award. To our knowledge, she is the only person to have won both the discussion meet and the Excellence in Agriculture awards.&nbsp;To Jackie, the awards are less important than the priorities which enabled her to win them. “I’m passionate about people and about food,” Jackie said. “Being raised on a farm, I know ag and food are important to everyone,” she said. “I feel strongly about serving people and making the world around us better,” she said.&nbsp;Jackie is advisor to the collegiate Farm Bureau chapter at Pratt Community College and is actively involved in promoting FFA and 4-H in her region. She works hard to empower and encourage youth, and also works to enhance her community. “Rural life is important to us. I want this to be a really great community,” she said.&nbsp;Growing food and growing people. Those are the goals of young rural leader Jackie Mundt. We commend Jackie and other young farmers and ranchers for being part of a new generation of agricultural producers. Whether the result is better food supplies or better people, Jackie Mundt is helping them to grow.&nbsp;

Now That’s Rural: Jackie Mundt, ag advocate 

By GREG DOERING Kansas Farm Bureau My wife and I have had a busy summer of traveling to places both old and new, near and far. Some of the routes were committed to memory long ago while the new ones required some navigational assistance from modern mapping software. Plugging an address into your phone and setting off on the highway is a far cry from the navigating done on family trips during my childhood. Instead of turn-by-turn directions, finding your way often included turn-back instructions, as in “We should have turned back there.” Early August is the prime season for similar family vacations. Summer activities like sports and 4-H projects are winding down, leaving a brief gap before school starts again. Fall crops aren’t quite ripe and cattle not headed to market still have plenty of grass. It’s as perfect of time as any to get away, especially if you don’t like the heat and humidity in Kansas this time of year. There are certainly advantages to having GPS-enabled gadgets at the ready when setting off on a new adventure, but they also come with some handicaps as anyone who’s ever been directed down a minimum-maintenance road can attest. It’s a good reminder that maps are not the terrain. While there are a variety of options to get you where you’re going today, as a child I know of only one ruler of the road — the Rand McNally Road Atlas. The tattered copy stuffed in a pocket of the station wagon often served as entertainment on family trips. Thumbing through the collection of charts wasn’t as passive as watching the latest Disney cartoon on a screen, but it broke up long stretches of boredom and likely prevented multiple fights with my brother. At the front of the atlas was a map of the Interstate Highway System, an enduring legacy of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It offered both clarity and distortion. In the center of it all was Kansas with New York just a few inches to our right and the Pacific Ocean a few inches to the left. The broad perspective of the nationwide map narrowed as the pages progressed. State maps included interstates in dark bold coloring denoting their importance. Other federal highways were slightly lighter followed by state highways. At the back, cities of a sufficient size received their own detailed charts allowing me to explore the granular details of places like Chicago, New York and Miami. Maps are fantastic tools for charting a course in the future, they’re also excellent for telling you where you are and where you’ve been. One appeal of maps is how they allow us to orient ourselves in this grand world while also taking all the complexity present in our three dimensions and simplify time, distance and terrain onto a flat surface. This simplification allows us to recall the past, chart the future or center ourselves in the present. With modern technology, we’re always just a few clicks away from looking up the neighborhoods we grew up in or finding the perfect beach for that next vacation. But these replicas aren’t reality. There’s no nostalgia for places you’ve never been, and the lure of daydreams is the possibility of seeing and hearing and feeling something new. For all that maps allow us to see, you’ll miss the adventure if all you do is connect dots on a page.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574694551876.png" alt="Greg Doering&nbsp;" />
 <figcaption>Greg Doering&nbsp;</figcaption>
 </figure>By GREG DOERING Kansas Farm Bureau My wife and I have had a busy summer of traveling to places both old and new, near and far. Some of the routes were committed to memory long ago while the new ones required some navigational assistance from modern mapping software. Plugging an address into your phone and setting off on the highway is a far cry from the navigating done on family trips during my childhood. Instead of turn-by-turn directions, finding your way often included turn-back instructions, as in “We should have turned back there.” Early August is the prime season for similar family vacations. Summer activities like sports and 4-H projects are winding down, leaving a brief gap before school starts again. Fall crops aren’t quite ripe and cattle not headed to market still have plenty of grass. It’s as perfect of time as any to get away, especially if you don’t like the heat and humidity in Kansas this time of year. There are certainly advantages to having GPS-enabled gadgets at the ready when setting off on a new adventure, but they also come with some handicaps as anyone who’s ever been directed down a minimum-maintenance road can attest. It’s a good reminder that maps are not the terrain. While there are a variety of options to get you where you’re going today, as a child I know of only one ruler of the road — the Rand McNally Road Atlas. The tattered copy stuffed in a pocket of the station wagon often served as entertainment on family trips. Thumbing through the collection of charts wasn’t as passive as watching the latest Disney cartoon on a screen, but it broke up long stretches of boredom and likely prevented multiple fights with my brother. At the front of the atlas was a map of the Interstate Highway System, an enduring legacy of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It offered both clarity and distortion. In the center of it all was Kansas with New York just a few inches to our right and the Pacific Ocean a few inches to the left. The broad perspective of the nationwide map narrowed as the pages progressed. State maps included interstates in dark bold coloring denoting their importance. Other federal highways were slightly lighter followed by state highways. At the back, cities of a sufficient size received their own detailed charts allowing me to explore the granular details of places like Chicago, New York and Miami. Maps are fantastic tools for charting a course in the future, they’re also excellent for telling you where you are and where you’ve been. One appeal of maps is how they allow us to orient ourselves in this grand world while also taking all the complexity present in our three dimensions and simplify time, distance and terrain onto a flat surface. This simplification allows us to recall the past, chart the future or center ourselves in the present. With modern technology, we’re always just a few clicks away from looking up the neighborhoods we grew up in or finding the perfect beach for that next vacation. But these replicas aren’t reality. There’s no nostalgia for places you’ve never been, and the lure of daydreams is the possibility of seeing and hearing and feeling something new. For all that maps allow us to see, you’ll miss the adventure if all you do is connect dots on a page."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: Map dots and beyond

I met Bev Hilbish at a recent youth event called Exploring the Great Outdoors, EGO for short, at the Flint Hills Mall in Emporia. Joyce and I represented the Kansas Fur Harvesters Assn. with a display of Kansas fur pelts and trapping information. EGO was hosted by Twin Rivers Junior Shooting Sports from Emporia.&nbsp;

If anyone ever had a reason to take a stand against guns, it would be Bev Hilbish. When she was 18, she was in church with her dad and two sisters, when a man burst through the side door of the church with a gun and began indiscriminately shooting, wounding her and killing her dad. She told reporters back then, “I don’t think it’s the guns that kill, it’s the people behind em,’ the evil, the hatred and the anger of those people.”&nbsp; Today, Bev, her husband John and daughters Jessica and Megan are staunch advocates for teaching youth safe and responsible use of guns, and for shooting sports.

Both Hilbish girls were very involved with shooting sports in 4H, which also included junior leadership training, teaching them skills to become leaders in life. Megan is a decorated shooter who has won Kansas Junior Olympic championships 6 times. Both are avid hunters too, as their dad strapped them to a backpack and took them hunting with him when they were very little.

The Hilbish family was aware of an arm of the Friends of the NRA that supported and helped finance junior shooting sports programs through annual banquets and fundraisers. It frustrated them, however, that money raised was distributed beyond local clubs and programs, and that a percentage of funds raised always went toward administration at the national level. Eager to see locally-raised funds used to support only local shooting sports programs, and to be free of national guidelines, including administration costs, Twin Rivers Junior Shooting Sports was formed in 2011 by a group belonging to Lyon County 4H shooting sports, including the Hilbish family. &nbsp;

Twin Rivers Junior Shooting Sports supports any youth organizations in Emporia and the surrounding area that offer archery and firearms programs for youth. They first tried fundraiser banquets, but now obtain funds mainly through gun raffles and direct donations.&nbsp;

EGO was their first attempt at that kind of event. It included displays from the Fire, Police and Sheriff’s departments of Emporia and Lyon Co., a martial arts group, representatives from Kansas Dept of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) Fish Kansas, Boy and Girl Scouts, people from KS Bow Hunters, KS Muzzleloaders and KS Fur Harvesters, and the National Wild Turkey Federation. Both an archery and an air rifle range were also set up and run by Twin Rivers. Each kid was given a card listing all the above, and as they visited each booth and display, their card was checked, allowing them to be entered for prize drawings. Also, kudos to Clarence Frye, manager of the Flint Hills Mall for allowing the group to have the event there and to set up the archery and air rifle ranges. Frye got involved with the Kansas Hunting and Fishing Expo that was held there at the mall some years ago, and told me “I absolutely believe all kids should know how to hunt and fish.”&nbsp;

The keys to keeping our rights to own and to use guns for hunting, for protection and for sport shooting, are keeping guns out of the hands of those that should not have them, and teaching our youth responsible gun use and gun safety. 4H shooting sports programs are an excellent way to do all of that, and Kansas should be proud to be the home of organizations like Twin Rivers Junior Shooting Sports that work hard to help those programs thrive. Check out their website <a href="http://www.twinriversshootingsports.com">www.twinriversshootingsports.com</a>, and their Facebook page…

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574696211722.png" alt="Steve&nbsp;Gilliland" />
 <figcaption>Steve&nbsp;Gilliland</figcaption>
 </figure>I met Bev Hilbish at a recent youth event called Exploring the Great Outdoors, EGO for short, at the Flint Hills Mall in Emporia. Joyce and I represented the Kansas Fur Harvesters Assn. with a display of Kansas fur pelts and trapping information. EGO was hosted by Twin Rivers Junior Shooting Sports from Emporia.&nbsp;If anyone ever had a reason to take a stand against guns, it would be Bev Hilbish. When she was 18, she was in church with her dad and two sisters, when a man burst through the side door of the church with a gun and began indiscriminately shooting, wounding her and killing her dad. She told reporters back then, “I don’t think it’s the guns that kill, it’s the people behind em,’ the evil, the hatred and the anger of those people.”&nbsp; Today, Bev, her husband John and daughters Jessica and Megan are staunch advocates for teaching youth safe and responsible use of guns, and for shooting sports.Both Hilbish girls were very involved with shooting sports in 4H, which also included junior leadership training, teaching them skills to become leaders in life. Megan is a decorated shooter who has won Kansas Junior Olympic championships 6 times. Both are avid hunters too, as their dad strapped them to a backpack and took them hunting with him when they were very little.The Hilbish family was aware of an arm of the Friends of the NRA that supported and helped finance junior shooting sports programs through annual banquets and fundraisers. It frustrated them, however, that money raised was distributed beyond local clubs and programs, and that a percentage of funds raised always went toward administration at the national level. Eager to see locally-raised funds used to support only local shooting sports programs, and to be free of national guidelines, including administration costs, Twin Rivers Junior Shooting Sports was formed in 2011 by a group belonging to Lyon County 4H shooting sports, including the Hilbish family. &nbsp;Twin Rivers Junior Shooting Sports supports any youth organizations in Emporia and the surrounding area that offer archery and firearms programs for youth. They first tried fundraiser banquets, but now obtain funds mainly through gun raffles and direct donations.&nbsp;EGO was their first attempt at that kind of event. It included displays from the Fire, Police and Sheriff’s departments of Emporia and Lyon Co., a martial arts group, representatives from Kansas Dept of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) Fish Kansas, Boy and Girl Scouts, people from KS Bow Hunters, KS Muzzleloaders and KS Fur Harvesters, and the National Wild Turkey Federation. Both an archery and an air rifle range were also set up and run by Twin Rivers. Each kid was given a card listing all the above, and as they visited each booth and display, their card was checked, allowing them to be entered for prize drawings. Also, kudos to Clarence Frye, manager of the Flint Hills Mall for allowing the group to have the event there and to set up the archery and air rifle ranges. Frye got involved with the Kansas Hunting and Fishing Expo that was held there at the mall some years ago, and told me “I absolutely believe all kids should know how to hunt and fish.”&nbsp;The keys to keeping our rights to own and to use guns for hunting, for protection and for sport shooting, are keeping guns out of the hands of those that should not have them, and teaching our youth responsible gun use and gun safety. 4H shooting sports programs are an excellent way to do all of that, and Kansas should be proud to be the home of organizations like Twin Rivers Junior Shooting Sports that work hard to help those programs thrive. Check out their website <a href="http://www.twinriversshootingsports.com">www.twinriversshootingsports.com</a>, and their Facebook page…Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.

Exploring Outdoors Kansas: Twin Rivers Junior Shooting Sports

It was just a few weeks back when I enthusiastically shared the good news that Whitney Randall, a senior women’s basketball student-athlete, was selected as the <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/23346eb4-dc5e-4555-b599-ad744681194f">2021 MIAA Women’s Winter Student-Athlete of the Year.</a> I absolutely loved sharing her moment in the spotlight with Whitney, her parents, coach Hobson, athletic director Curtis Hammeke, and senior woman administrator Dixie Balman. I am still smiling!

Now, weeks later, Ryan Stanley, a junior on the track and field team, has been selected as the <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/3bd053f0-e89b-437f-bf54-5ab922ad41ea">2021 MIAA Men’s Spring Student-Athlete of the Year.</a> Incredible.&nbsp;

This award is the MIAA’s highest honor for student-athletes. It is based on the athletic, academic, and campus/community service accomplishments of individuals who are juniors or seniors in athletic eligibility and have a grade point average of at least 3.25. This also means that Fort Hays State has two of the four MIAA student-athletes of the year, as well as finalists for the awards for seven consecutive years!

Ryan is our first-ever male recipient of this prestigious award. He is a talented young man, an accomplished student-athlete, and a highly engaged student leader.

Ryan has been near perfect in the classroom these past three years, earning a 3.97 GPA as a management major. He has received many athletic and academic accolades, and most importantly, he has been a friend to many Tigers and an effective campus leader.

Ryan has been a member of our student government association and will serve as the student body vice president this next year. He has been an active leadership team member of Christian Challenge and has participated in multiple community service projects. He was even part of the four-member student team who designed “MeHe,” a mobile phone app centered on maintaining positive mental health, that won the 2020 Kansas Startup competition.

This summer, Ryan&nbsp;was on staff with&nbsp;Project Apprentice, a Rock Hill Church-based program that works to develop future Christian leaders. He also&nbsp;helped raise proceeds for&nbsp;Operation Breakthrough in Kansas City, where he&nbsp;coordinated fundraising&nbsp;events and volunteered&nbsp;to help the organization&nbsp;provide a safe, loving, and educational environment for children in poverty. Children in the program are mentored in&nbsp;the arts, sports, or STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). With such remarkable experiences under his belt, I have no doubt Ryan is becoming an amazing mentor. He has the heart, the smarts, and the discipline to help these young students thrive.

Ryan grew up in Bennington, a small town in north-central Kansas, the son of former college athletes and the middle sibling in a family of five. Ryan described growing up as a constant competition with his two older brothers, who he followed to Fort Hays State. Ryan decided to major in business and try his luck at competing in the pole vault at the college level.

The summer between high school and college, Ryan attended a pole vault camp at FHSU, catching the attention of our pole-vaulting coach, Randy Stanley.

“I watched him and thought, ‘Oh, my goodness, this guy has some talent,” Coach Stanley said. “He’s got really good speed and is so aggressive and has so much potential. I thought that once he got to college and could focus on one sport, who knows how much he could improve?”

And improve, he did. Earlier in the year, Ryan claimed the NCAA Division II National Championship in the pole vault, setting FHSU’s outdoor record mark of 17 feet, 2.75 inches. That’s more than three times my height! Ryan also set the indoor record earlier in the year at 16 feet, 11.5 inches. He went on to be named the MIAA Men’s Spring Student-Athlete of the Year this past June.

Ryan will return to campus in the fall to serve as the student body vice president, take on new challenges as a student-athlete, and earn two bachelor’s degrees – one in business administration and management with a concentration in human resources (HR) and one in Spanish. He then plans to begin work on a master’s in professional studies in HR management.

Brazilian soccer player Pele’ said, “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.”&nbsp;

A great quote that I think really captures the essence of Ryan Stanley, an incredible young man for whom I am so grateful for choosing to call Tiger Nation home and for leading our campus with integrity, resilience, and strong character.

<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>It was just a few weeks back when I enthusiastically shared the good news that Whitney Randall, a senior women’s basketball student-athlete, was selected as the <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/23346eb4-dc5e-4555-b599-ad744681194f">2021 MIAA Women’s Winter Student-Athlete of the Year.</a> I absolutely loved sharing her moment in the spotlight with Whitney, her parents, coach Hobson, athletic director Curtis Hammeke, and senior woman administrator Dixie Balman. I am still smiling!Now, weeks later, Ryan Stanley, a junior on the track and field team, has been selected as the <a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/3bd053f0-e89b-437f-bf54-5ab922ad41ea">2021 MIAA Men’s Spring Student-Athlete of the Year.</a> Incredible.&nbsp;This award is the MIAA’s highest honor for student-athletes. It is based on the athletic, academic, and campus/community service accomplishments of individuals who are juniors or seniors in athletic eligibility and have a grade point average of at least 3.25. This also means that Fort Hays State has two of the four MIAA student-athletes of the year, as well as finalists for the awards for seven consecutive years!Ryan is our first-ever male recipient of this prestigious award. He is a talented young man, an accomplished student-athlete, and a highly engaged student leader.Ryan has been near perfect in the classroom these past three years, earning a 3.97 GPA as a management major. He has received many athletic and academic accolades, and most importantly, he has been a friend to many Tigers and an effective campus leader.Ryan has been a member of our student government association and will serve as the student body vice president this next year. He has been an active leadership team member of Christian Challenge and has participated in multiple community service projects. He was even part of the four-member student team who designed “MeHe,” a mobile phone app centered on maintaining positive mental health, that won the 2020 Kansas Startup competition.This summer, Ryan&nbsp;was on staff with&nbsp;Project Apprentice, a Rock Hill Church-based program that works to develop future Christian leaders. He also&nbsp;helped raise proceeds for&nbsp;Operation Breakthrough in Kansas City, where he&nbsp;coordinated fundraising&nbsp;events and volunteered&nbsp;to help the organization&nbsp;provide a safe, loving, and educational environment for children in poverty. Children in the program are mentored in&nbsp;the arts, sports, or STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). With such remarkable experiences under his belt, I have no doubt Ryan is becoming an amazing mentor. He has the heart, the smarts, and the discipline to help these young students thrive.Ryan grew up in Bennington, a small town in north-central Kansas, the son of former college athletes and the middle sibling in a family of five. Ryan described growing up as a constant competition with his two older brothers, who he followed to Fort Hays State. Ryan decided to major in business and try his luck at competing in the pole vault at the college level.The summer between high school and college, Ryan attended a pole vault camp at FHSU, catching the attention of our pole-vaulting coach, Randy Stanley.“I watched him and thought, ‘Oh, my goodness, this guy has some talent,” Coach Stanley said. “He’s got really good speed and is so aggressive and has so much potential. I thought that once he got to college and could focus on one sport, who knows how much he could improve?”And improve, he did. Earlier in the year, Ryan claimed the NCAA Division II National Championship in the pole vault, setting FHSU’s outdoor record mark of 17 feet, 2.75 inches. That’s more than three times my height! Ryan also set the indoor record earlier in the year at 16 feet, 11.5 inches. He went on to be named the MIAA Men’s Spring Student-Athlete of the Year this past June.Ryan will return to campus in the fall to serve as the student body vice president, take on new challenges as a student-athlete, and earn two bachelor’s degrees – one in business administration and management with a concentration in human resources (HR) and one in Spanish. He then plans to begin work on a master’s in professional studies in HR management.Brazilian soccer player Pele’ said, “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.”&nbsp;A great quote that I think really captures the essence of Ryan Stanley, an incredible young man for whom I am so grateful for choosing to call Tiger Nation home and for leading our campus with integrity, resilience, and strong character.

MASON: Heart of a Tiger

BY KIM BALDWIN McPherson&nbsp;County farmer A friend of mine recently asked when my family truly begins to enjoy summer. She asked this well-meaning question to help her figure out when we get to enjoy some rest and relaxation during the summer months. She has observed my family for many years and has recognized that while many others enjoy vacations during this time of the year, it seems as if my family does not get the “traditional” summer experience so many others do. &nbsp; Before I met and eventually married my husband, I lived in a town where I taught. As soon as I had wrapped up my lessons for the year, cleaned my classroom and submitted my final grades, my summer break began. My summer breaks consisted of a lot of cookouts with friends and family, a lot of time in a swimming pool, and a lot of travel. I had a lot of things to do during my breaks, and I generally kept a pretty busy schedule to ensure I’d soak up all of what summer offered. Many nights I’d usually fall asleep exhausted from a busy summer day and get a good, hard sleep before rising with the sun the next morning. &nbsp; When I look at what summers were like for me as a single teacher living in a small town compared to what my summers look like now on the farm, I can’t help but recognize that some things remain the same yet appear different. During wheat harvest, I still experience meals with friends and family — although what is generally grilled at home is then packaged up and hauled out to hungry people in a wheat field somewhere. I still enjoy meals with others while sitting in our lawn chairs, albeit the scenery and timeframes may look a little different. &nbsp; My time relaxing at the pool with friends has transitioned to water time with my kids. Pool time is now generally centered around our stock tank pool that sits in our front yard. It’s quite convenient for early morning or evening dips, and you don’t have to deal with crowds or admission fees. Sometimes the kids and I enjoy a trip to a local splash pad or enjoy time at our town’s public pool. In either of these scenarios, we all enjoy a little refreshing break from the summer heat. &nbsp; I also still get to travel during the summer months. Some days include unplanned short trips to a business in a nearby town to pick up irrigation or machine parts my husband needs. Unless the items are needed immediately, I usually have the kids put on their swimsuits under their clothes and pack some towels in the event we find a new community splash pad to enjoy. If we strike out with the splash pad on our parts runs, we’ll look for community parks or interesting things like murals to explore in these other communities. Sometimes, the kids and I can also sneak away for multiple days if schedules allow. &nbsp; As the summer continues and hectic, timely tasks on the farm like wheat harvest and planting have transitioned more into an autopilot mode of things like managing irrigation. We still take advantage of the daylight hours and generally still collapse into our beds nightly well after the lightening bugs fill the air. &nbsp; As summer continues, my family can begin to stray a bit further from the farm. We can enjoy a swimming pool at a hotel or a relaxing evening cookout together at home. We, no doubt, will still collapse into bed at night after exhausting days trying to take full advantage of all that the summer days allow us to absorb. And we will begin talking about what fun family trip we can plan for and enjoy some rest and relaxation — somewhere perhaps warm and sunny — in either January or February.

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1573617414005.jpeg" alt="Kim Baldwin" />
 <figcaption>Kim Baldwin</figcaption>
 </figure>BY KIM BALDWIN McPherson&nbsp;County farmer A friend of mine recently asked when my family truly begins to enjoy summer. She asked this well-meaning question to help her figure out when we get to enjoy some rest and relaxation during the summer months. She has observed my family for many years and has recognized that while many others enjoy vacations during this time of the year, it seems as if my family does not get the “traditional” summer experience so many others do. &nbsp; Before I met and eventually married my husband, I lived in a town where I taught. As soon as I had wrapped up my lessons for the year, cleaned my classroom and submitted my final grades, my summer break began. My summer breaks consisted of a lot of cookouts with friends and family, a lot of time in a swimming pool, and a lot of travel. I had a lot of things to do during my breaks, and I generally kept a pretty busy schedule to ensure I’d soak up all of what summer offered. Many nights I’d usually fall asleep exhausted from a busy summer day and get a good, hard sleep before rising with the sun the next morning. &nbsp; When I look at what summers were like for me as a single teacher living in a small town compared to what my summers look like now on the farm, I can’t help but recognize that some things remain the same yet appear different. During wheat harvest, I still experience meals with friends and family — although what is generally grilled at home is then packaged up and hauled out to hungry people in a wheat field somewhere. I still enjoy meals with others while sitting in our lawn chairs, albeit the scenery and timeframes may look a little different. &nbsp; My time relaxing at the pool with friends has transitioned to water time with my kids. Pool time is now generally centered around our stock tank pool that sits in our front yard. It’s quite convenient for early morning or evening dips, and you don’t have to deal with crowds or admission fees. Sometimes the kids and I enjoy a trip to a local splash pad or enjoy time at our town’s public pool. In either of these scenarios, we all enjoy a little refreshing break from the summer heat. &nbsp; I also still get to travel during the summer months. Some days include unplanned short trips to a business in a nearby town to pick up irrigation or machine parts my husband needs. Unless the items are needed immediately, I usually have the kids put on their swimsuits under their clothes and pack some towels in the event we find a new community splash pad to enjoy. If we strike out with the splash pad on our parts runs, we’ll look for community parks or interesting things like murals to explore in these other communities. Sometimes, the kids and I can also sneak away for multiple days if schedules allow. &nbsp; As the summer continues and hectic, timely tasks on the farm like wheat harvest and planting have transitioned more into an autopilot mode of things like managing irrigation. We still take advantage of the daylight hours and generally still collapse into our beds nightly well after the lightening bugs fill the air. &nbsp; As summer continues, my family can begin to stray a bit further from the farm. We can enjoy a swimming pool at a hotel or a relaxing evening cookout together at home. We, no doubt, will still collapse into bed at night after exhausting days trying to take full advantage of all that the summer days allow us to absorb. And we will begin talking about what fun family trip we can plan for and enjoy some rest and relaxation — somewhere perhaps warm and sunny — in either January or February."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: Summer schedules

Michele McNulty with the US Fish and Wildlife Service office in Manhattan, Kansas told me they have been banding and studying bald eagles here in Kansas, mostly young fledglings, since 1989 when the first Kansas bald eagle nest was recorded at Clinton Lake, on the southwestern edge of Lawrence, KS. The first two eaglets banded from that nest were known as birds “A” and “B,” both thought to be males, and two years later, the mature male from that nest was trapped and banded as bird “E.” McNulty says that since then, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has banded just under 300 Kansas bald eagles.

In early 2019, the Kansas Dept. of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) got a call from their Oklahoma counterpart asking whether they had by chance spotted a bald eagle that had “flown the coup” so to speak from an eagle research study being done there in Oklahoma. The KDWPT had never undertaken an official bald eagle research study of its own, so with that phone call still ringing in his mind, Chris Berens, Chief of the Ecological Section with KDWPT got the ball rolling, and with various energy developers and other partners, began discussing an official research study. The study moved forward, and the first eaglets were banded in May of 2021.&nbsp;

Berens, along with Zac Eddy, Terrestrial Ecologist with KDWPT, told me part of there responsibilities is to review how energy development projects in the state effect Kansas ecology and wildlife. This eagle banding project is a three-year study that will help them better understand how Kansas bald eagles make use of the airspace in their individual nesting ranges, thus helping them and their partners in the project make good scientific decisions as to how future energy projects effect bald eagles here.&nbsp;

Climbers or bucket trucks were used to gain access to eagle nests, and young birds, usually seven to nine weeks old, were lowered to the ground in bags and fitted with GPS transmitters and identifying numbered leg tags. The GPS units are very accurate and transmit flight direction, altitude and speed every three to five seconds, and transmit their location every 15 minutes when birds are roosted. Small solar packs affixed to the eaglet’s backs keep the lithium batteries in the GPS units charged, allowing them to last several years. Thirteen eaglets from both rural and urban areas in five counties were banded in this first year of the study. Berens and Eddy both agreed that given suitable space and habitat, there is a very good chance eaglets fledged here in Kansas will return to, or remain in Kansas to nest. US Fish and Wildlife data shows that males generally return to establish nesting territories within 100 miles of where they fledge.&nbsp;

The transmitter from the Oklahoma eagle was found somewhere in Barton County, minus its owner. This year’s count showed 188 confirmed active bald eagle nests here in Kansas, and two eaglets per nest is typical. Eagle “E,” that first mature male bald eagle banded by the US Fish and Wildlife Service at Clinton Lake in 1989, remained there producing offspring until 2018, when he disappeared and was replaced by an untagged male. Eagle “A” from that first Clinton nest was confirmed at Perry Reservoir in 1993 and is thought to be there still, having accounted for about 24 offspring as of 2018. Eagle “B” was confirmed at Hillsdale Reservoir in 1993 and is also thought to still be there, having accounted for about 44 offspring as of 2018. Using the US Fish and Wildlife Services estimate that 60 to 70 percent of first year eaglet chicks will not survive, that still makes bald eagles a success story here in Kansas as far as I’m concerned.&nbsp;

I knew our Kansas lakes, rivers and reservoirs were havens for wintering bald eagles, and I also knew we had a few nesting pairs, but who knew we had so many bald eagles that call our state home. After the last year-and-a-half, I’d say we could all use something to celebrate. And given the amount of animosity shown of-late toward our country’s flag and national anthem, I can think of nothing I’d rather celebrate than the success of our countries national bird, the bald eagle. Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors!

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

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574696211722.png" alt="Steve&nbsp;Gilliland" />
 <figcaption>Steve&nbsp;Gilliland</figcaption>
 </figure>Michele McNulty with the US Fish and Wildlife Service office in Manhattan, Kansas told me they have been banding and studying bald eagles here in Kansas, mostly young fledglings, since 1989 when the first Kansas bald eagle nest was recorded at Clinton Lake, on the southwestern edge of Lawrence, KS. The first two eaglets banded from that nest were known as birds “A” and “B,” both thought to be males, and two years later, the mature male from that nest was trapped and banded as bird “E.” McNulty says that since then, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has banded just under 300 Kansas bald eagles.In early 2019, the Kansas Dept. of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) got a call from their Oklahoma counterpart asking whether they had by chance spotted a bald eagle that had “flown the coup” so to speak from an eagle research study being done there in Oklahoma. The KDWPT had never undertaken an official bald eagle research study of its own, so with that phone call still ringing in his mind, Chris Berens, Chief of the Ecological Section with KDWPT got the ball rolling, and with various energy developers and other partners, began discussing an official research study. The study moved forward, and the first eaglets were banded in May of 2021.&nbsp;Berens, along with Zac Eddy, Terrestrial Ecologist with KDWPT, told me part of there responsibilities is to review how energy development projects in the state effect Kansas ecology and wildlife. This eagle banding project is a three-year study that will help them better understand how Kansas bald eagles make use of the airspace in their individual nesting ranges, thus helping them and their partners in the project make good scientific decisions as to how future energy projects effect bald eagles here.&nbsp;Climbers or bucket trucks were used to gain access to eagle nests, and young birds, usually seven to nine weeks old, were lowered to the ground in bags and fitted with GPS transmitters and identifying numbered leg tags. The GPS units are very accurate and transmit flight direction, altitude and speed every three to five seconds, and transmit their location every 15 minutes when birds are roosted. Small solar packs affixed to the eaglet’s backs keep the lithium batteries in the GPS units charged, allowing them to last several years. Thirteen eaglets from both rural and urban areas in five counties were banded in this first year of the study. Berens and Eddy both agreed that given suitable space and habitat, there is a very good chance eaglets fledged here in Kansas will return to, or remain in Kansas to nest. US Fish and Wildlife data shows that males generally return to establish nesting territories within 100 miles of where they fledge.&nbsp;The transmitter from the Oklahoma eagle was found somewhere in Barton County, minus its owner. This year’s count showed 188 confirmed active bald eagle nests here in Kansas, and two eaglets per nest is typical. Eagle “E,” that first mature male bald eagle banded by the US Fish and Wildlife Service at Clinton Lake in 1989, remained there producing offspring until 2018, when he disappeared and was replaced by an untagged male. Eagle “A” from that first Clinton nest was confirmed at Perry Reservoir in 1993 and is thought to be there still, having accounted for about 24 offspring as of 2018. Eagle “B” was confirmed at Hillsdale Reservoir in 1993 and is also thought to still be there, having accounted for about 44 offspring as of 2018. Using the US Fish and Wildlife Services estimate that 60 to 70 percent of first year eaglet chicks will not survive, that still makes bald eagles a success story here in Kansas as far as I’m concerned.&nbsp;I knew our Kansas lakes, rivers and reservoirs were havens for wintering bald eagles, and I also knew we had a few nesting pairs, but who knew we had so many bald eagles that call our state home. After the last year-and-a-half, I’d say we could all use something to celebrate. And given the amount of animosity shown of-late toward our country’s flag and national anthem, I can think of nothing I’d rather celebrate than the success of our countries national bird, the bald eagle. Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors!Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at stevergilliland@gmail.com.

Exploring Outdoors Kansas: On eagles' wings

Even though COVID-19 is not fully behind us, it’s time to review where schools stand on the road to recovery.

Kansas has been fortunate to receive a healthy share of federal COVID-19 relief funds.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Higher education and schools will receive more than $1 billion in one-time federal COVID-19 aid spread over four years.&nbsp; Most public school distribution will be to individual districts which are required to spend at least 20 percent to address learning loss.&nbsp; In Kansas the focus is to advance student reading skills, largely through for K-3 teacher development.&nbsp; Funds also are set aside for summer session and after-school programs.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/7/1593719779701.jpeg" alt="Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education." />
 <figcaption>Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education.</figcaption>
 </figure>Even though COVID-19 is not fully behind us, it’s time to review where schools stand on the road to recovery.Kansas has been fortunate to receive a healthy share of federal COVID-19 relief funds.&nbsp;&nbsp;Higher education and schools will receive more than $1 billion in one-time federal COVID-19 aid spread over four years.&nbsp; Most public school distribution will be to individual districts which are required to spend at least 20 percent to address learning loss.&nbsp; In Kansas the focus is to advance student reading skills, largely through for K-3 teacher development.&nbsp; Funds also are set aside for summer session and after-school programs.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
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 </figure>Since 2019, $145 million has been directed toward broadband access to help Kansas farmers and businesses plus close the gap for students without reliable home internet connection.&nbsp;If the infrastructure agreement now being considered in Washington passes, the $65 billion deal will include money for electric school buses, replacing lead pipes to ensure students have clean drinking water and expansion of broadband access.&nbsp;Moreover, the Kansas Legislature has approved funding for the final two years of&nbsp;the Gannon&nbsp;school finance plan that will boost general operating budgets by about $900 million over six years.&nbsp;This is where the good news ends.&nbsp;&nbsp;Kansas schools may never return to past health and safety practices and certainly not to past social and technological environments. Students are encountering emotional difficulty, trouble making up for learning hampered by school disruptions and infections may rise again.The challenges are great, but Kansans also met great difficulty during the 1930s when high school graduation rates dropped to 60 percent.&nbsp; What happened then was remarkable.&nbsp;A great structural transformation moved “dust-bowl” learning to more rigorous academics and a curriculum that included typing, shorthand, advanced farming techniques and other courses to prepare students for a manufacturing workforce.&nbsp;&nbsp;By 2019, the Kansas high school graduation rate was 87 percent, although&nbsp;students from low-income families, some minority groups and students with disabilities lag about 10 percentage points behind in graduation rates compared to their peers.&nbsp;&nbsp;Vo-Tech learning has evolved from typing and shorthand to electronic communication for post-industrial skills.&nbsp;The lessons of the 1930s—go big and take a fundamentally different direction—are needed post-COVID-19.&nbsp; The opportunity is here through a&nbsp;KSDE appointed&nbsp;Task Force to study what&nbsp;should&nbsp;be&nbsp;required&nbsp;for students to graduate from high school.&nbsp;The Task Force is significant because ultimately, though often not obvious, all schooling ties into the fulfillment of graduation requirements.&nbsp; Committee members will study whether the state should continue to use the current course-completion system (local districts may add requirements) or explore different ways&nbsp;to&nbsp;determine whether students have&nbsp;met&nbsp;state-level graduation requirements.&nbsp;Here are questions the committee should expect:&nbsp; How can we achieve higher graduation rates for all students?&nbsp;How can we prepare students to enter post high school skills or university preparation because good 21st&nbsp;Century jobs require more than a high school diploma?&nbsp;How can we ensure each student has home access to an electronic device and internet connection?&nbsp;&nbsp;How can we address calls for increased early childhood education, personal finance study, the teaching of civics/citizenship and adding a community engagement/service requirement?&nbsp;&nbsp;COVID-19 impact can’t be eliminated but it can be managed, even turned to advantage.&nbsp; Restructuring worked in the 1930s.&nbsp; Bold changes can again lead Kansas schools to a better future.&nbsp;Sharon Hartin Iorio is Dean Emerita Wichita State University College of Education.

Opinion