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Category Archives: Bourbon County
The Prairie Troubadour: A Catholic Gathering This Weekend
The 6th Annual Prairie Troubadour starts tomorrow Feb. 24 at 6:30 p.m. at the River Room Event Center, 3 W. Oak.
The event is “to bring Catholics together to enjoy things we enjoy culturally,” Michael Pokorny, a house father at St. Martin’s Academy said. “To help our friends and neighbors understand our faith and how we live it with joy.”
The Prairie Troubadour is named in memoriam of poet, songwriter, and man of the Kansas prairie, Gerald Francis Kerr, the father of St. Martin’s Academy founder, Daniel Kerr.
The theme of this year’s event is Feasts, Fasts, and the Seasons.
Tickets to the event must be purchased before the event and can be ordered on the website: Feasts, Fasts and the Seasons: the Art of Living Liturgically Tickets, Fri, Feb 25, 2022, at 6:30 PM | Eventbrite
Tickets start at $85 for the weekend’s events.
The schedule:
Feb. 25 is registration at 6:30 a.m. followed at 7 p.m. by Baylor University Professor Dr. Michael Foley who will be speaking on “How to Drink Like a Saint.”
8 p.m. Dale Alquist, president of The Chesterton Society, will speak on “Feasting and Surprisingly Fasting with G.K. Chesterton.”
9 p.m. There will be an afterglow session.
Saturday, Feb. 26
9:30 a.m. Daniel Kerr, headmaster/founder of St. Martin’s Academy will welcome guests, followed at 9:45 a.m. by Father Joshua Moore, sub-prior at Clear Creek Abbey, Oklahoma, who will speak on “Fasting: Or Why Officers Eat Last.”
10:45 a.m. Brandon Sheard, owner/operator of Farmstead Meatsmith, Tulsa, OK will speak on “The Virtue of Pig Killing.”
At noon, lunch will be on your own, Luther’s Restuarant, directly under the River Room Event Center, is recommended.
At 1:15 p.m. Dr. John Cuddeback, a professor of philosophy at Christendom College, Front Royal, Virginia will speak on “Animating Your Home with Leisure.”
At 2:15 p.m. Dr. William Fahey, president of Thomas Moore College of Liberal Arts, Merrimac, NH, will speak on “My Little Horse Must Think It Queer and Other Musings on the Natural Order of Liturgical Living.”
There will be a break at 3:15 p.m. and a break-out with vendors.
A question and answer session with the speakers will happen at 4:30 p.m. and the symposium closes at 5:30 p.m.
At 7 p.m. there will be a whiskey and cigar soiree with the speakers and musical entertainment by the St. Martin’s Academy students and others. This event is for VIP Pass Holders only.
Price Risk Management for Cow-Calf Producers: Part 1
We at the Southwind Extension District thank Dr. Jennifer Ifft, KSU Ag Economics Specialist, for allowing the use of this 8-part series to help our district’s beef producers. Questions regarding this series can be directed through Chad Guthrie at [email protected], or by contacting your local extension office.
Farmers and ranchers face risk every day. Individual producers have tools to mitigate risk, such vaccination and irrigation, but never have complete control over production outcomes. Price risk is one example of the many types of risk that can influence farm income. “Uncertainty” characterizes a situation where outcomes are unknown, while “risky” characterizes situations where potential outcomes are known or understood, but different outcomes can occur.
For cow-calf producers that are calving now or within the next few months, production (breeding) decisions were made over 9 months ago. However, it will be another 6 months from today, or longer, that most producers receive any income. Predicting market prices at breeding is highly uncertain: it’s difficult to know what markets will be like a year and a half in advance. By calving, market predictions or expected prices for feeder cattle have been established through futures markets:1 this is a risky situation rather than an uncertain situation. While futures prices are not a guarantee of a particular market price, they provide information about likely price outcomes.
Price risk is not about whether expected prices are high or low, but whether market prices are different than expected. What does it mean for a price to be different than expected? Let’s say a producer calves in April and plans to sell in October. Today October feeder futures are around $185/cwt. In other words, $185 is the expected market price for October 2022, or $185/cwt is best estimate we have for average national prices in October, based on currently available information. The price risk faced by the producer is that when October arrives, prices may have dropped below $185/cwt. If prices decrease by October, will the producer still be able to make a profit?
In some years, prices decline or stay the same. The largest decline in recent years was in 2015. In April 2015, October feeder cattle futures were around $214/cwt. By October, prices had declined to around $183/cwt. Some producers might have still made money at $183, but this was substantially less than the expected price in April. Prices were similarly high in April 2014: October feeder futures were over $230/cwt. Actual 2014 October prices were a little higher than this. In 2020 expected and actual prices were also similar, around $140/cwt.
Actual prices can be higher than expected. While this is technically a form of price risk, or “upside risk”, most producers are more worried about price declines, or “downside risk”. In April 2013, the October feeder cattle futures price was around $144/cwt, but the actual price ended up around $160/cwt. Likewise, in 2017, the actual October price was almost $10 higher than expected.
Producers may also face unexpected declines in local prices, that may not be reflected in national or futures markets. This type of risk is often referred to as “basis risk”. Basis risk is defined as the different between the current (or nearby) futures price and local cash prices. For example, prices at the local sale barn may experience a larger decline than futures prices.
To summarize, price risk management is not just about getting a high price; it is about protecting yourself from declines in the expected market price. The next article in this series will discuss different price risk management strategies.
This article is the first in an 8-part series on price risk management for cow-calf producers. The first part of the series will focus on price risk and different management alternatives. The later part of the series will focus on Livestock Risk Protection, an insurance product available to Kansas producers, that pays out when market prices for feeder cattle (or fed cattle or swine) are lower than expected. While LRP has been available for 2 decades, recently policy changes make it more affordable to producers. Funding for this work was provided by the North Central Extension Risk Management Education Center, the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Award Number 2018-70024-28586.
We at the Southwind Extension District thank Dr. Jennifer Ifft, KSU Ag Economics Specialist, for allowing the use of this 8-part series to help our district’s beef producers. Questions regarding this series can be directed through Chad Guthrie at [email protected], or by contacting your local extension office.
For more information about this publication and others, visit AgManager.info.
K-State Agricultural Economics | 342 Waters Hall, Manhattan, KS 66506-4011 | 785.532.1504
Copyright 2022: AgManager.info and K-State Department of Agricultural Economics
1 Contracts to buy or sell commodities at a future date can be purchased in futures markets, such as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange or CME. For more information on futures markets, see https://agmanager.info/hedging-using-livestock-futures or https://agmanager.info/livestock-meat/marketing-extension-bulletins/price-risk/introduction-futures-markets. Information on expected prices may be available from other sources, but within a similar time range as futures markets.
Perry’s Pork Rinds $2 Off
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Fruit Trees Should Be Pruned Now
District Extension Agent, Horticulture
Southwind Extension District
111 S. Butler
Erie, KS 66733
Office: 620-244-3826
Cell: 620-496-8786
Are you itching to get out of the house and do something productive in the landscape? If you have fruit trees, now is the time to prune. A little planning ahead with fruit trees, such as pruning, can mean big rewards later in the growing season.
Are you like many who are “afraid” to prune? Don’t be. When done correctly, pruning is an essential component of growing a healthy, productive fruit tree. Fruit trees should be pruned every year and for several reasons. The first is the development of a strong tree structure. Pruning should begin when the tree is planted and continued each year thereafter. Another reason to prune is the increased penetration of sunlight for the development of fruit buds and for the fruit to mature properly.
Trees can be pruned this early (winter) because they are dormant. This can be done in January, February and even early March. Pruning when trees are dormant makes it easier to see undesirable branches because leaves aren’t present. It is important to do any pruning before dormant sprays are applied, to avoid spraying some of the wood that will later be removed. Total spray coverage of limbs, branches and shoots will be increased after pruning. Do not prune if temperatures are below 20°F because this can cause tissue damage.
Have your fruit trees been neglected for quite some time? If so, pruning can seem like an overwhelming task; where to start, how much wood to remove, etc. But a neglected tree can be revitalized.
The first step in revitalizing a neglected tree is to prune wood around the trunk area and near the ground. Remove all sucker growth around the trunk by cutting as close as possible to the point of origin. Then remove all dead and diseased branches. Next, look for two branches that rub and remove one of the two. Branches that are growing toward the interior of the tree should also be removed. No more than thirty percent of the tree should be removed in a year.
You will want to retain scaffolds that are growing away from the tree center at wide angles with the trunk. Scaffolds are one of the main branches making the basic framework of a tree. They should be positioned on different sides of the tree for good distribution of the fruit crop.
The right tools are needed for proper pruning. Tools always need to be sharp so clean cuts can be made. Cuts that result in bark tears, stubs, or jagged surfaces are slow to heal and may even not completely heal. A scissor type of hand shear is used to prune small size wood, usually ¼ inch in diameter. Long handled loppers should be used to cut ¼ to ½ inch wood. These will need to be used generally by the third year of tree growth. For branches larger than ½ inch, use a fine-toothed pruning saw.
The Extension office has a couple of publications on pruning fruit trees that explain in more detail how to prune depending on the species and age of the tree. These publications can be found on our Southwind website: www.southwind.ksu.edu
If you would like me to evaluate your trees, give me a call and a home visit can be scheduled.
Krista Harding is a K-State Research and Extension Agricultural agent assigned to Southwind District. She may be reached at [email protected] or 620-244-3826.
K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Agenda For Bourbon County Commission Feb. 22
Bourbon County Commission Room
1st Floor, County Courthouse
210 S. National Avenue
Fort Scott, KS 66701
Tuesdays starting at 9:00
Date: February 22, 2022
1st District-Lynne Oharah Minutes: Approved: _______________
2nd District-Jim Harris Corrected: _______________________
3rd District-Clifton Beth Adjourned at: _______________
County Clerk-Ashley Shelton
MEETING HELD IN THE COMMISSION ROOM
Call to Order
• Flag Salute
• Approval of Minutes from previous meeting
• Eric Bailey – Road and Bridge Report
• Cereal Malt Beverage Permit Approval
• Removal of Special Assessment Process
• County Counselor Comment
• Susan Bancroft, Finance Director Comment
o Inclement Weather
o Control Room Request
o Finance Report Update
• Public Comment
• Elected Officials Comment
• Commission Comment
Legislative Update Coffee Tomorrow at the Empress Event Center
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Creative Artists Bring Your Work To Showcase
View Poetic Documentary on Economic Insecurity on Sunday
Local Black History Month Celebration This Sunday
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The Bourbon County Commission Minutes of Jan. 31
These minutes were approved on Feb. 8 by the commission.
January 31, 2022 Monday 8:35 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners and the County Clerk present.
Anne Dare and Jason Silvers were present for some or all of the meeting.
Clifton made a motion to approve the previous meetings minutes. Lynne seconded. All approved.
Eric presented two utility construction permits from Cox Communication. One on 240th north of Limestone for fiber optic. The other is on Kansas west of 230th. Lynne made a motion to approve the two permits. Clifton seconded. All approved.
Ashley Shelton presented a Real Property Relief Application for 1762 255th St, Fort Scott. Lynne made a motion to approve the Real Property Relief Application for 1762 255th St., Fort Scott, KS. Jim Harris seconded. All approved.
Susan presented Approval of Township & Cemetery Board Annual Report. This is a report of all their budget numbers. We are missing about 12. Those turned in are on budget. These reports are sent to the state. Lynne Oharah made a motion to approve the cemetery & township board reports that have reported for year-end budget of 2021. Clifton seconded. All approved.
Susan discussed sick leave. We had our first department head meeting and it went well. The resolution (06-22) being presented is how they feel the sick leave should be handled.
“Whereas all new hires accrue one day per month of sick leave. One day will represent the number of hours a normal workday is for the specific position or department and whereas of February 1, 2022, new hires will be given 12 days of sick leave on the first day of hire. If the employee leaves employment before their one-year anniversary date and sick leave used exceeds the annual accrual rate of one (1) day per month, the sick leave used must be reimbursed back to the county, Ex: Employee works sick (6) months but uses eight (8) days of sick leave and terminates employment. Two (2) days of non-accrued sick leave will be deducted from the employee’s final paycheck, and whereas, the number of months of service divided by two (2) will be allocated on day one of the transfer for any employee who transfers from a salaried position to an hourly position. Ex: An employee who has worked for Bourbon County in a salaried position for sixty (60) months (5 years) will be granted thirty (30) days of sick leave on the first day of the transfer to an hourly position.”
Basically we will frontload the sick leave for any new hire and if they terminate before first year of employment then they will have to pay days back. And for the salaried position we basically stated that this is what they would have accrued and then divided it in half. The department heads felt this was fair. As a resolution it will be added to the handbook until the handbook has been updated. Clifton made a motion to pass resolution 06-22 amending sick leave accrual. Lynne seconded. All approved.
Justin Meeks requested an executive session for attorney client privilege for 7 minutes. Clifton made a motion for executive session KSA 75-4319(b)(2) for consultation with an attorney for the public body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship for 7 minutes returning at 8:53am including 3 commissioners and Justin Meeks. Lynne seconded. All approved. Lynne made a motion to resume normal session at 8:53am. No action. Clifton seconded. All approved.
Justin Meeks asked a motion to allow Chairman Harris to sign any and all legal documents for the possible transfer of the hospital building to Noble Health. Clifton made a motion to allow Chairman Harris to sign any and all legal documents from the county to Noble Health. Lynne seconded. All approved.
Justin Meeks asked for an executive session for proprietary information for 7 minutes including 3 commissioners, Susan Bancroft and myself. Clifton made a motion for executive session KSA 75-4319(b)(4) to discuss data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trust, and individual proprietorships including 3 commissioners, Justin Meeks and Susan Bancroft for 7 minutes returning at 9:02am. Lynne seconded. All approved. Lynne made a motion to resume normal session at 9:02am. Clifton seconded. All approved.
Justin stated that he received an e-mail from a patron concerning some sales tax revenue stuff from back in the day. Obviously, I don’t have the ability to give that legal advice. It doesn’t deal with the county specifically so I will be forwarding that on. If I do need to address that myself I will request permission from the commission prior to that.
Jim Harris announced the commission has been invited to the 76th Annual Bourbon County Conservation District Annual Meeting to be held on February 5th, 5:30pm at Rosie’s Cabin in Uniontown, KS.
Clifton made a motion to allow the three commissioners to attend the Noble Health function. No business will be conducted. Lynne seconded. All approved.
Anne Dare asked about the Township & Cemetery Board Annual Report. She has heard from 2 different treasurers stating that the information they had received was confusing as to what they needed to report for year end. She asked if this has been taken care of. Ashley Shelton stated that the distribution came in high at the end of the year; it shows that they had more money. They need to show whatever was over that they didn’t spend as a cash balance at the beginning of 2022. They are going to receive less money in 2022 but added with that beginning cash balance for what they received over should balance out. Anyone that has reached out to me has been given this information on how to handle it. I would encourage anyone with questions to give me a call. Susan Bancroft made a suggestion that we call in all the treasurers and give them a rundown on how to do this process.
At 9:08am, Lynne made a motion to adjourn. Clifton seconded. All approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Jim Harris, Chairman
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Commissioner
(ss) Clifton Beth, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Ashley Shelton, Bourbon County Clerk
February 8, 2022, Approved Date
Bourbon County Commission Minutes of Feb. 8
These minutes were approved on Feb. 15
February 8, 2022 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners and the County Clerk present.
Clint Walker, Anne Dare, Matt Crystal, Matt Quick and Shane Walker were also present for some or all of the meeting.
Clifton made a motion to approve the previous meetings minutes, Lynne seconded. All approved.
Eric Bailey asked for approval of a culvert extension at 1973 60th St, Bronson, KS. Lynne made a motion to approve. Clifton seconded. All approved.
Eric stated that from Tuesday at midnight they had three trucks running three shifts around the clock through Thursday. He thanked his crew.
Eric stated they have a truck down. The drive shaft is out.
Eric stated that they received the permit to fix the dam at Elm Creek.
Eric discussed a situation where wire got wrapped around the dozer at the landfill while working in C & D. He stated that a shield could be purchased for $18,000 and would be money ahead.
Eric requested a work session for March 15th in the afternoon in the commission room which will be open to the public.
Eric stated that the windmill project is finishing up.
Mowing & Snow Removal bids for the medical building were discussed. Tabled for 30 days.
Clifton made a motion for an executive session KSA 75-4319(b)(6) for the preliminary discussion of the acquisition of real property for 10 minutes including 3 commissioners, Susan Bancroft, Justin Meeks and Rob Harrington returning at 9:26am. Lynne seconded. All approved. Clifton made a motion to return to normal session with action at 9:26am. Lynne seconded. All approved. Lynne made a motion to allow Clifton Beth to negotiate up to $125,000 for acquisition of real property. Jim seconded. All approved.
Clifton made a motion for an executive session KSA 75-4319(b)(1) to discuss personnel matters of individual nonelected personnel to protect their privacy including Dave Bruner, Susan Bancroft, Justin Meeks and 3 commissioners for 15 minutes returning at 9:44am. Lynne seconded. All approved. Clifton made a motion to return to normal session at 9:44am with no action. Lynne seconded. All approved.
Susan Bancroft discussed the lease agreement with Ascension Via Christi for another year. Clifton made a motion to allow Chairman Harris to sign the lease extension with Ascension Via Christi. Lynne seconded. All approved.
Susan also discussed the state setoff agreement. We talked about this late in the year last year about doing something at our landfill that gives us the opportunity that if someone doesn’t pay their bill, to send them to a collection agency. Working with the state, when someone does a tax return and if they are getting anything back, they will take it out of the tax return to pay the county.
Susan also reviewed that we are getting down to the end of 2021 and closing out some of that information. Still working with the Treasurer’s to clean up some accounts there. We would like to request some transfers from some funds. Would like to request $20,000 be moved from the Appraiser’s fund over to their reserve fund. $20,000 from the election fund to the election reserve fund, and $30,000 from noxious weed to noxious weed equipment fund. $20,000 from road & bridge to special road machinery fund and $50,000 from special bridge to road & bridge special improvement. The clerk’s office would like to transfer $8,000 to the election reserve fund. $20,000 from general to computer equipment reserve. Lynne made a motion to approve the transfers as presented. Clifton seconded. All approved.
Susan stated that the overall bottom line budget is ok. However, there are a few departments where we exceeded the budget. The County Commission exceeded their budget by $9,400. The County Coroner by $7,700. The County Attorney by $10,000. And district court exceeded by $43,000. However, in 2022 for the district court we are going to reduce their budget by that amount. Some of this is just not understanding the budget law and cash basis law. In our first department head meeting we discussed this. We are looking to implement a purchase order system to help us at year end. To make sure we are expensing in the correct year. The sheriff’s budget will be exceeding by $5,000. We can show it as a budget violation or you can give me authority to move that expense to the general fund to offset it. With the sheriff’s budget we had projected a cash carryover of $124,000 and they are going to start out the year with a $69,000 deficit. So the actual cash carryover is only going to be about $60,000. They start out with a lot less money than we anticipated. That has to be made up somewhere throughout the year or you are going to continue to compound the problem. I talked with the sheriff in our first department head meeting and we made some corrections at year end so it’s a little bit worse than we had anticipated. Lynne asked if this would be the only violation we will have. Susan stated that we would also have violations from the distribution that happened where there was an overage sent to the taxing entities. There are almost 50 funds that are running in the negative and those will all be violations. There is nothing I can do about it. Clifton made a motion to move the $5,000 from the general fund to the sheriff’s budget and do an adjustment for the overage the following year. Lynne seconded. All approved.
Anne Dare asked about who does the distribution to the taxing entities? Susan stated the treasurer does. Anne asked if we have issues every year. Susan stated no. Anne asked about the other violations that were brought up during the audit. Are those being cleaned up? Susan stated that slowly they are being cleaned up. Anne stated that the meeting at the hospital was awesome. She had hoped for more details. She asked about the county giving $2,000,000 to the hospital. Clifton stated that the $2,000,000 is on top of the $800,000 that was given for the audit. Clifton stated that this information was in the initial cooperative agreement that was signed. Anne asked why the county needs to give the money? Clifton stated that he felt it was to show that the county is as committed as they are. It will be Bourbon County Community Hospital. Where is the money coming from? Clifton stated that his opinion was the Mercy donation and we have ARPA funds which totals 2.3 million. Anne asked when they are expected to pay the funds. Clifton stated we can write them a check or we can make payments.
Clint Walker stated that Allen County subsidizes their hospital $1,000,000 per year. He also stated that the Road & Bridge crew did an outstanding job putting in whistles on 95th Street and Old 54.
Lynne thanked Clifton for all the hard work with Noble Health getting the hospital up and running. Jim agreed with Lynne on all the hours Clifton put in. Clifton stated that Rob Harrington played a big role in this as well. Clifton stated that the feasibility study is not 100% complete, but they are far enough into it to know they can move forward. Anne Dare asked about any more discussion/community meetings. Clifton stated he had no idea of timeline on that.
Jim Harris stated that he’s heard comments on how short the commission meetings are. He stated that we have a very good agenda and we move forward and get things done. He welcomes the public getting involved in the meetings. We represent the citizens of Bourbon County. Justin and Susan suggested maybe having a commission meeting in one of the outlying towns in the county every 4 months or so. Jim stated he was open to that. Clifton stated that the meetings do not have to be broadcast. It is done as a courtesy. If we have a meeting out in the county it will not be broadcast. Anne stated that she appreciates the momentum that this commission has brought. I think that has caused everyone else step up to the plate. Eric is doing a phenomenal job, Ashley, bringing Susan on and the sheriff. When I attend a meeting and only have to be here for 45 minutes I feel good about the rest of my day. Jim stated that we have a good group of commissioners, Susan on board, Justin and Eric is doing a fantastic job along with our elected officials and Rob Harrington is a team member. We have a lot of good things going forward. Susan stated that she is getting great cooperation. We’ve got to change the way we are doing some things.
Jim thanked Rob Harrington and others for their work on the hospital project.
Lora Holdridge would like to get blinds for the south windows due to glare on computers. She is going to get bids for blinds. Jim said she could pay out of general fund.
At 10:16am, Clifton made a motion to adjourn. Lynne seconded. All approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Jim Harris, Chairman
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Commissioner
(ss) Clifton Beth, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Ashley Shelton, Bourbon County Clerk
February 15, 2022, Approved Date