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It makes me happy to say that spring has arrived, on the calendar at least! After a seemingly endless winter, I think everyone is excited to know that spring is near. The frogs have been singing at my house and this is one of my favorite signs of spring! The other, I like to catch a whiff of smoke on the air from the burning that takes place in the spring. I know not everyone is a fan of this, but it is a necessary and useful tool that agricultural producers use.
It won’t be long and the lawn mowers will be pulled out of the garage preparing for the season ahead. As you survey your lawn in the next few weeks, you may be thinking to yourself that it looks a bit ragged. You might even consider buying some seed and throwing it out in the lawn in hopes of thickening it up. Before you do that, I would like to give a little advice….wait!
It is not recommended to seed cool-season grasses such as tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass in the spring. I know this seems strange because it would seem that spring would be the best time for seeding because the entire growing season is available for the grass to grow and establish. But there are a number of reasons why you should wait until fall to seed.
Spring seeding of cool-season grasses can be done, but it is more difficult to pull off than fall seeding. So my advice is to just tough it out this spring and summer if your yard is less than desirable. Come late July and August, get a game plan together for fall seeding. If your lawn needs a complete renovation, late summer is the time to do a complete kill-out of grass and work to get a good seed bed prepared.
If you have questions about lawn fertility, weed control or seeding, please don’t hesitate to contact me. A reminder, I am in Fort Scott every Thursday. Feel free to stop by the office and visit.
Krista Harding is a K-State Research and Extension Agricultural agent assigned to Southwind District. She may be reached at 620-244-3826 or [email protected].
K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Rachel Pruitt, Fort Scott’s Economic Development Director says the city has seen job growth in the last decade.
She provided the above graph to demonstrate that growth.
“The graph represents the job growth Fort Scott has seen since 2010,” she said. “The data is collected by the City and Chamber by contacting each of the employers. The City anticipates the growth to continue given there are over 75 current openings within the community.”
” The City and Chamber do the research by calling the employers,” according to Pruitt.
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce is working to help fill job openings by sponsoring the 2019 Spring Job Fair on Tuesday, April 2 from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. at the Ellis Fine Arts Center on the campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton Street.
“Employers of any size seeking employees are encouraged to reserve a booth,” according to a press release from the Chamber. “The job fair will give business owners the opportunity to recruit both students and community members for seasonal, part-time and full-time positions. This event is also an opportunity for employers to network with each other and to promote their company to the public.”
An employer booth at the job fair is $50 for Chamber members or $90 for non-Chamber members.
Lunch, if desired, is $10 per person.
To register, or for more information, contact the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce at 620-223-3566 or visit fortscott.com.
Job fair informaiton submitted by Monica Walden, Administrative Assistant of the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce which is located at 231 E. Wall Street, Fort Scott, KS 66701.
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Legislative Update By State Senator Caryn Tyson
March 22, 2019
There is a spending problem in government, especially Kansas State government. The Senate passed a budget according to the Chair of Ways and Means that, “is more than the Governor asked for.” Senate Bill (SB) 75 appropriates $17.2 billion all funds and $7.1 billion of State General Funds (SGF). Since 2013, State expenditures have increased over $3 billion – a 19% increase in less than 7 years for all funds. The SGF increased $1 billion in that same time-frame – a 14% increase. This is not sustainable! SB 75 had a few good things, but not enough to justify the out-of-control spending. The vote was 21 Yes to 18 No. I voted No.
The Senate Tax Committee, which I chair, passed SB 91, an attempt to lighten the tax burden for senior citizens, disabled veterans, and Kansas taxpayers. SB 91 would freeze property taxes on a home via a tax credit for people over 65 who make less than $30,000 a year, and for disabled veterans. The bill would also increase the standard deduction for an individual to $3,500, up from $3,000. Married filing jointly would increase to $8,500. After the massive spending increases passed in the budget, cutting taxes is an attempt to reel in government growth.
Rural Opportunity Zone (ROZ): SB 125 would extend the ROZ five more years to 2026. The program is a state income tax credit for people moving into an approved rural county from out of state. The bill passed Yes 29 to No 11. SB 135 would increase the number of counties in the ROZ program by eight: Atchison, Cowley, Crawford, Dickinson, Ford, Franklin, Miami, and Pottawatomie. There are 73 counties in the program. If the bill becomes law, the entire Senate District 12 would be included in the ROZ. SB 135 passed Yes 30 to No 8. I voted Yes on both bills.
Kansas Closed Case Task Force would be established with SB 102. It creates a task force to create and implement a plan for uniform protocols for law enforcement to follow. The process does need to be identified. However, what makes legislators the experts in establishing the protocols and procedures relating to data hits in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). SB 102 would have two legislators co-chairing the task force. It’s just another layer of bureaucracy. The vote was 39 to 1. I voted No.
The Kansas National Guard Educational Assistance Program would be updated by House Bill (HB) 2123, removing a requirement that eligible members of the Kansas National Guard have at least one year remaining on their enlistment contract to qualify for education assistance. HB 2123 would allow Air National Guard members to participate as they can only re-enlist 90 days prior to their end of service. The bill passed the Senate unanimously.
Kansas sales tax statutes name some exemptions for specific groups, like a Rotary club in Wichita, while all other Rotary clubs in Kansas do not enjoy the same sales tax exemption. In an attempt to create a fair tax code, SB 178 sets parameters for non-profit community care organizations so that if an organization qualifies they get the sales tax exemption and do not have to go through the legislature to get their name added to the statutes. During debate on the Senate floor, an amendment was added that would require one sales tax exemption of equal or higher dollar amount to be removed when one is added. Sales tax exemptions total over $3 billion. The bill passed unanimously.
It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your 12th District State Senator.
Caryn
New Technology from the Office of KS State Treasurer Jake LaTurner Speeds Up Unclaimed Property Claims for Hundreds of Kansans
Topeka—Kansas State Treasurer Jake LaTurner launched a new statewide effort making it easier and more convenient to connect Kansans with their unclaimed property and financial assets than ever before. Hundreds of Kansans were sent letters notifying them they have property in the state treasury waiting to be claimed and giving them an easier way to do it. Instructions on the letter allow the person to claim their property simply by entering a code from the letter in to a portal on the state treasurer’s website or by using their smartphone to scan a QR code also printed in the letter.
Treasurer LaTurner wants to make sure Kansans know these letters are a legitimate method for getting back their unclaimed property, and Kansans should feel secure going through the steps in the letter to claim their money.
“This is not a scam. If you received a letter from me with a link to kansascash.ks.gov, it means we have real money that belongs to you just waiting to be claimed,” said LaTurner. “We want to make sure no one throws these letters away by accident. Simply go to our website and enter the code in the letter or scan the QR square and get your money back.”
State Treasurer LaTurner has spent his last year and a half as treasurer using technology and efficient business practices to streamline the process for returning unclaimed property, including adding direct deposit as a way to receive payment. In 2018 a record $26.5-million in unclaimed property was returned to Kansans, and the office is on track to break that record in 2019.
Even without receiving a letter, all Kansans interested in finding out whether any of the $350-million in unclaimed property belongs to them can easily search by first and last name on kansascash.ks.gov.
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The Kansas Department of Transportation’s (KDOT) Division of Aviation will host a webinar, “Drones in Ag: Harvesting Drone Data to Improve Performance,” on Tuesday, March 26, at 10:30 a.m.
The webinar is co-hosted by Kansas Farm Bureau and will feature two presentations – the first from Microsoft FarmBeats hardware researcher Zerina Kapetanovic detailing the FarmBeats system and the artificial intelligence challenges associated with agriculture, and the second from Kansas State University associate professor Ignacio Ciampitti on applications of UAVs in precision agriculture. It will also include a brief overview of the Kansas Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Integration Pilot Program (IPP) from KDOT Director of Aviation Bob Brock.
Individuals or teams interested in participating should RSVP at www.ippkansas.org/events. Space is limited and available on a first come, first serve basis. Participants will receive a link to the webinar upon registration.
The Kansas UAS IPP is led by KDOT Aviation as one of 10 national leaders conducting advanced UAS operations to guide future rule-making that will result in access to new technologies for the nation. IPP will help tackle the most significant challenges to integrating drones into the national airspace and will reduce risks to public safety and security. The Kansas team is focused on efforts in Long Line Linear Infrastructure Inspection (i.e. highways, railroads, energy distribution lines, etc.) and Precision Agriculture.