Bill Meyer, Fort Scott, was selected to finish a Fort Scott Community College Trustee open position, following the recent death of his wife, Liz.
“Bill was selected due to his expressed interest in fulfilling the commitment his wife Liz made to provide the best opportunities possible for students, FSCC employees, and the community,” Alysia Johnston, FSCC president said. “There are three years left on a four-year term.”
He was sworn in at the Dec. 16 Board of Trustees meeting at the college.
“I wanted to continue the work that Liz was doing on the board,” Meyer said. “I have a fairly long history with the college and wanted to help move the college forward.”
In the recent past, both the Meyers worked at FSCC.
“Liz was the director of the nursing program, I was the college registrar,” he said. “We both retired from employment in 2007.”
Some of the challenges the college faces are maintaining an adequate funding stream, meeting the academic and technical needs of students in the future, and maintaining and improving the support for the college by Fort Scott and Bourbon County, Meyer said.
Meyer has three daughters: Kay Meyer, Elizabeth Paulson and Sarah Ettore.
Christopher Petty, M.S. Extension Agent, Livestock Production and Forage Management K-State Research and Extension Southwind Extension District, 210 S. National Fort Scott, KS 66701 (620) 223-3720 Work (620)224-6031 Cell [email protected]
The amount of grain left in the field for cattle to eat after harvest has been reduced considerably in recent years through modern farming improvements. However, weather conditions can result in significant ear drop or plant lodging. Before turning cattle out for grazing, scout fields to look for piles of grain on the ground and determine if there is over 8-10 bushels of grain on the ground. If so, management should be taken to remove these piles prior to turning out cattle on the residue. Be sure that cattle have had access to plenty of hay before turning them out into cornfields, to keep hungry cows from gorging in grain.
Any grain available, in the field after harvest, would have the highest protein content followed by the leaves. The cob has the lowest protein and energy value. The stalk and husks have similar crude protein content, but more energy is available from the husks than the stalks due to the lower lignin content. In general, leaves from milo sorghum residue have higher protein content than corn leaves. The stalks of corn and sorghum are similar in protein, but digestibility is somewhat higher in sorghum than corn.
To ensure adequate residue to protect soil remains on the field after grazing, we can use animal weight and grain yield to determine the amount of grazing available. Cattle will readily remove approximately 15% of the residue (leaves and husk), but can be forced to remove more if desired. The goal should be to leave at least ½ of the total amount of residue on the field.
If corn yield is 180 bu/acre, a rule of thumb is to divide by 3.5 to get grazing days for a 1200-pound cow. In this case, 180 bu/acre corn residue should provide approximately 51 days of grazing (180/3.5 = 51) for a 1200 lb cow. The harvest index is similar for both corn and grain sorghum, so an 85 bus/acre dryland sorghum divided by 3.5, would provide approximately 24 days of grazing (85/3.5 = 24). A lactating cow or a heavier cow will consume more dry matter and the days of grazing would be adjusted downward. And of course, a smaller animal could graze longer.
Cattle will selectively graze the crop residue, eating the highest quality portions first, grain then leaves and husks. Depending on the stocking rate, amount of grain available, and nutrient demands of the cows, no energy or protein supplementation may be needed early in the grazing period for dry cows with a body condition score of 5 or more. Contact your local extension office for more information about body Condition Scoring. Southwind Extension District Agent Christopher Petty is available for farm visits to explain this process using your cow herd. Weathering and trampling will decrease quality over time and this loss is greater with moisture and high humidity.
Cattle will cause soil compaction in paths leading to and around a water source. These compacted areas will only be surface compaction in the top 2-inches of soil. These compacted areas can be remedied by shallow tillage or spreading manure on the trafficked area if no-till is used. Results on soil compaction from grazing have shown mixed results. A study near Bushland, TX found surface compaction in a no-till system reduced crop yield after several years of grazing. While grazing studies from Nebraska found no increase in compaction and increased crop yield. Studies from western Kansas found compaction to only occur in the top two inches when grazing occurred on wet soils and shallow tillage removed any compaction. Compaction will be less on frozen, dry, sandy soils. It is best to remove cattle from the field to a nearby perennial pasture if the field stays wet and not frozen. Also, the farmer should be open to using light tillage should compaction occur.
Nutrient removal from grazing – Another common concern about grazing residue is nutrient removal. Nutrient removal will vary by the type of animal, with a growing calf requiring more nitrogen than a mature dry cow. Dry cows will typically be used to graze residue, which will remove between 1 and 2 lbs of nitrogen per acre (depending on crop yield) and few other nutrients. Crop residue is low in phosphorus; thus, farmers will likely supply a free-choice mineral, resulting in an increase in the amount of phosphorus and calcium left in the field.
When used properly, harvested corn and milo fields can work effectively to decrease the amount of hay needed to feed hay throughout the winter months. Unfortunately, soybean stubble is of little to no value, and cannot be used in the same manner. For more information about grazing grain stubble, contact your local extension office.
The City of Fort Scott Administrative offices will be closed on Wednesday, January 1st, 2020 in observance of the New Year’s Day Holiday. The regular offices will reopen on Thursday, January 2nd, 2020.
Sarah Jane Tribble, a writer for Kaiser Health News, posted another of her series of features on the closing of Mercy Hospital Fort Scott one year ago.
The following is an excerpt:
“A year ago, after Mercy gave a 90-day notice that it would close, City Manager Dave Martin said the betrayal felt by city leaders led to lawyers and calls with other health care systems about taking over the facility. Now, Martin has realized ‘we will not have ― or do we need ― a hospital.'”
Laura Abbott, 36, started at Fort Scott National Historic Site on September 20, 2019.
Her hometown is Lake Crystal, MN.
Abbott began her career because it was an opportunity to showcase history.
“When I finished college, with a degree in history, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life,” she said. “I randomly came across an opportunity to intern for the National Park Service in California, and because I had nothing else to do, I took it. As someone who hadn’t visited parks growing up, I wasn’t very familiar with the NPS, but once I realized that I would be able to use my love of history every day, I was hooked. It’s been such an incredible privilege to work for the NPS and share my passion with visitors.”
“My title is park ranger,” she said. ” My responsibilities include conducting interpretive programs and historic weapons demonstrations at the fort and working as the volunteer coordinator.”
Abbott’s first job with the National Park Service was in 2008 when she worked as an unpaid military history intern in San Francisco.
“In 2010, when I moved to Washington, D.C. to attend graduate school, I got a job as a park guide on the National Mall and have worked for the NPS ever since,” she said.
” I have worked at Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco, Mount Rainier National Park in Washington, and the National Mall and Memorial Parks in Washington, D.C.,” she said.
Fort Scott National Historic Site is unique, Abbott believes.
“I think what’s most unique about the park is that the story it tells really can’t be found anywhere else in the NPS,” she said. ” It’s a story that is not very familiar to many people. The Mexican War and Bleeding Kansas are usually footnotes in history, so to have a park where these events actually occurred is pretty special.”
FSNHS park visitor center, park store, and historic structures will be open daily from 8:30 am–4:30 pm through March 31, 2020, it’s winter hours.
Fort Scott native Dr. Grant Hartman has joined the staff of Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas in Pittsburg and will be seeing patients starting in January.
He will see patients in Pittsburg on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and Wednesdays in CHC/SEK’s Fort Scott clinic at 401 Woodland Hills Blvd.
Appointments can be scheduled by calling 620.240.5679.
Dr. Hartman is a graduate of Pittsburg State University with a BS in biology, and Logan College of Chiropractic in Chesterfield, MO.
He has owned and operated Hartman Spine & Joint in Fort Scott since August 2015.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the team at CHC/SEK,” Dr. Hartman said in a press release. “I’m inspired by their mission to provide care to all, and their total, holistic approach to health care. Chiropractic medicine provides extensive pain management solutions equipping patients to achieve better health through wellness and it’s very exciting to see CHC/SEK recognize that medications are not always the answer to a patient’s pain. Working in conjunction with the primary care doctors to treat patients with acute and chronic pain will be one of my focuses there.”
The Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas Clinic, 401 Woodland Hills, just off Hwy. 69 south of Fort Scott.
He will be working within CHC/SEK’s Wellness Department, which also employs a full-time physical therapist, wellness coordinator, and a wellness services assistant, according to the press release. Personalized treatment and exercise programs are designed around each patient’s physical deficiencies or needs, and patients are encouraged to develop goals based on their unique personal requirements.
