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Deceased Man Is Presumed to Be Derrick Johnson
Yesterday, 6/16/22, the body of a deceased male individual was located in the northern end of Gunn Park, near the Marmaton River. The deceased is now presumed to be 40 year old, Derrick Wayne Johnson of Fort Scott.
Confirmation of identity as well as cause of death will be determined by an impending autopsy, which is scheduled for Sunday, June 19th, 2022.
This investigation is on-going. Official updates will be released as we are able.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Johnson family.
Sergeant Bill Downey
Public Information Officer
Dairy’s Future: Less and Bigger Farms AND More Technology
June is National Dairy Month and fortscott.biz interviewed David and Lynda Foster, whose family operates Foster Dairy Farm southwest of Fort Scott on Hwy. 39 to get their perspective on the current state and the future of the dairy industry.
David and his wife, Addi, are in partnership with his mom and dad, Lynda and Gary Foster.
Lynda’s grandfather, Ed Davis began the farm in the 1940s, she said.
Now the fifth generation, David and Addi’s oldest daughters, Ansley, 15, and Mayla, 13 are helping on the farm.
The following is an interview with David and Lynda.
Tell about the state of dairy farms in Kansas.
“Currently there are 209 dairy farms in Kansas and while we may have lost numbers of dairy farming operations, we are growing in cow numbers with Kansas currently having about 142,000 mature milking cows,” Lynda Foster said. “Kansas is ranked 15th in the nation.”
“There is a new Hillmar Cheese plant in construction expected to come online in about 2.5 years from now, where we also expect to see an additional 100,000 cows to be added to the state,” she said.
The Hillmar Cheese Processing Plant will be a state-of-the-art facility in Dodge City, in western Kansas.
How did the pandemic effect your farm?
“We experienced primarily supply chain disruptions,” David Foster said. “It didn’t change the work that needed to be done daily. We still traveled to get supplies like alfalfa, and feed and mineral. It canceled annual meetings in organizations that we are a part of. Like everyone, there were certain precautions that were to be made if someone got sick.”
What is happening now in the industry?
“Exports are still up, and expected to be higher this year, 1 in 6 semi tanker loads of milk gets exported” Lynda said.
“Milk prices are on the rise and setting records in some areas, so are a lot of our inputs, especially feeds, fertilizers, fuels – all of these input costs are outpacing the increased milk price,” she said. “Some of the most notable current events in the dairy industry was, of course, the baby formula shortage.”
What is on the horizon for the dairy industry from your perspective?
“I believe that we will continue to see consolidation, dairy farms getting larger, smaller farms disappearing,” David said. “I believe that the days of families deriving their sole income from the dairy are gone. Today, a farmer on a smaller dairy, less than 300 cows, needs a spouse off-farm to make it and provide for their families additional income as well as health insurance.”
“Automated Milking Systems will continue to grow in use and will allow farms to alleviate the woes associated with a depleted/barely existent labor market,” he said. “Recent reports showed that for every person that doesn’t have a job, there are 2 jobs available. This means that farming operations struggle to compete in wages against other industries and also struggle to entice labor due to the traditional physical demands and long hours of a farming operation.”
Automatic, or robotic,milking systems usually operate without someone being present to supervise the milking process and have been in use for the past decade on commercial farms, according to sciencedirect.com
“I believe that you will see dairy farms continue to diversify operations to include other agricultural ventures that complement milking and farming, such as trucking or custom harvest, and hay operations,” he said.
“Technologies such as methane digestors will allow a value-added return from cow manure and allow dairies to derive additional profits,” David said. “Dairies will utilize solar and wind to reduce peak energy costs.”
“I am always probing and putting efforts into exploring options for emerging technologies that would make our operation more efficient,” David said. “The goal of sustainability is always to do more with less. We are the only dairy left in Bourbon County and one of a few left in all of southeast Kansas. There may be interest in adding on-farm processing in the future to serve the needs of this 4-state area with a local, quality, nutritional product.”
“I believe with food shortages touted and supply disruptions experienced, we will continue to feel an increasing demand for consumers to want to source local,” he said. “We saw this ramp up significantly in the beef industry as consumers wanted to buy direct from the farmer. We see this in farmer’s markets. Other areas have supported their local operations, and we may not be far from considering, but to expand our operations to include processing, or other technologies, we have to expand our team of people that can share our vision and hopes for a better future.”
“Some of the biggest obstacles I see for dairy and maybe shared by all businesses, will be labor, inflation, which is then tied to interest and increased taxes, and supply prices and availability,” David said.
A Death In Gunn Park is Still Under Investigation
On June 16, 2022 at approximately 10:45 a.m., members of the Fort Scott Fire Department, Fort Scott Police Department, Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office, and EMS responded to a report of a possible deceased individual in the woods at Gunn Park in the west part of the city, according to the FSPD Facebook page.
A deceased individual was subsequently located in the northern end of the park, near the river. The cause of death is currently under investigation. The name of the deceased individual is being withheld until the next of kin can be notified.
“We are currently waiting on the autopsy results to make a positive identification on this person,” said Sergeant Bill Downey FSPD Public Information Officer.
Leaving Mexico by Patty LaRoche
Four stops in ten minutes. Unheard of. Dave and I had driven the Mazatlán-Kansas route for eleven years, and rarely were we asked to stop our car for an inspection. Even at the border, the agents would see an elderly couple (us!) driving a mini-van and wave us through. No checking for contraband. We look, I guess, innocent.
But this time, in a ten-minute span, four Mexican check points were there to make sure no one tried to bring as much as a tomato into the U.S.
I knew that this vegetable/fruit issue was risky business. Years before, while flying into Mazatlán, an airport security officer asked if I had any such item on me. My confident “No, Señor,” was met with an overactive dog who sniffed “something” in my carry-on, the “something” being the partially-eaten apple I had stuffed into my bag that morning. I might as well have been a serial killer, the way I was scolded.
On this trip, three out of the four traffic stops were uneventful. What were we doing in Mexico? Where were we headed? Where had we been? Usual questions with kind, smiling responses, waving us through. We were impressed, however, when one such detainer held a long-handled mirror which he used to look under our car. But this detaining duo seemed different.
I, the driver, was asked to raise the hood so one of the men could search under it. His partner walked to the back. Dave got out of the passenger seat and joined him as he searched the rear of our mini-van. He opened my backpack and looked through each zippered compartment.
The guy in front was another story. After he checked the engine, he knelt in the driver’s seat and proceeded to smack the back of each seat as well as the padded roof. This pair was clearly intent on finding something illegal. Everyone else had recognized innocence when they saw it, so why not this pair?
Unless, of course, they weren’t legitimate. We had heard of a checkpoint where the searchers distracted the driver of the car while a third man dislodged and stole the spare tire.
We didn’t consider that option, however, until we were told we could leave and were miles down the road. The point is, we had nothing about which to be concerned. We were hiding no drugs, no people seeking asylum in the U.S. and no certainly no apple or cucumber that would cause alarm. They could look all they wanted; there was nothing that would incriminate us. We were taking no risks. It was a wonderful feeling to be completely innocent.
Oh, if only I could say the same for my heart. If God could search it and find nothing of which I would be guilty! If I could confidently stand before Him and know that I was holy and innocent and loved everyone and never judged/complained/worried and never told Dave that he was getting on my nerves.
In Psalm 139:23-24, King David prays to God: Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.
Now, that’s a risky prayer.
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports June 17
Obituary of Don Miller
Norman “Don” Miller, age 79, resident of Ft. Scott, KS, died Thursday, June 16, 2022, at Nevada Regional Medical Center in Nevada, MO.
He was born July 26, 1942, in Ft. Scott, the son of Roy and Leora Heitz Miller. He graduated from Fort Scott High School with the class of 1960 where he played sports and was a self-proclaimed terrible student. He attended Fort Scott Community College in prior to entering service in the U. S. Army.
Following the Army, Don graduated from Pittsburg State University with a master’s in education. He married Shauneen Bond on August 29, 1964, in Ft. Scott. She preceded him in death on January 25, 2007.
He began his teaching and coaching career in Coffeyville, KS. After moving back to Ft. Scott, Don taught at the Junior High School and Ft. Scott JUCO. His teaching and coaching career garnered many awards including Master Teacher Award 1981, and the Kansas Teacher Hall of Fame 2001. He established the middle school Pride Program as well as Washington Workshop. He was a member of KNEA, served as HPA board President and was a member of Community Christian Church.
Don’s sense of humor never failed when reminiscing with former students and athletes.
Survivors include two daughters, Tanya Miller, Ft. Scott, and Erin Ponte and husband Brian, Fresno, CA; a sister, Diane Yager, Smithville, MO; a granddaughter, Madison Ponte as well as Tanner, Brityn, Beckham, and Jordy Fox; and nieces and nephews Kim Boham, David Bond, Lindsay Schossow, Morgan Boham, Elise Yager, Kristy Yager, Tony Yager, Justin Parks, Stacey Snodgrass, and Laurie Short.
Besides his wife, he was preceded in death by two sisters, Connie Miller Parks, and Sharon Short; and his parents.
Rev. Dusty Drake will conduct funeral services at 10:30 AM Tuesday, June 21st, at the Community Christian Church.
Burial will follow in the Evergreen Cemetery.
A memorial gathering will take place at 6:30 PM Monday June 20th, at the Ft. Scott Middle School, with casual “Tiger” gear encouraged.
Memorials are suggested to either HPA or the Don Miller Scholarship Fund and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main St., Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
Bo Co Jail Inmates Moved to Other Counties
Bourbon County Jail inmates are being sent to other counties, according to the Bourbon County Law Enforcement Center Administrator.
“The Bourbon County Jail will be farming out most, if not all, of their inmates to other counties in southeast Kansas,” said Major Bobby Reed in an email with the daily reports sent to news entities. “The facility is doing this because of staffing shortages.”
“Approximately 56 inmates out of 65 are being housed elsewhere,” Reed noted to fortscott.biz.”The cost (to the county) is $40 per day per inmate.”
That amounts to $2,240 per day in payments to other counties, by Bourbon County.
Yesterday six inmates were transferred to another county, according to today’s Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office report.
Inmate’s families are not being notified ahead of the transfers, due to security reasons, Reed said.
Staffing is at a critical point.
“I have 16 positions when fully staffed,” he said. “I have not been fully staffed in a long time. Twelve employees is the minimum to operate the jail 24/7. That is 3 per shift. Next Tuesday I will be down to 8 employees.”
Low wages are what seems to be making the employee retention critical.
“Starting Correctional officer’s make $12.50 per hour,” Reed said. “(Bourbon County) Correctional Officers can get pay increases through the rank structure and a sargent makes $13.80 per hour. I can not retain employees because of the low pay. Then the employees that I have are getting worked all the time and are getting burnt out then they are resigning.”
People making $12.50 per hour, 40 hours a week make $500 a week. $500 times 52 weeks in a year is $26,000.
“Money wise, that is a commissioner and finance question,” Reed said.
He said the county offers standard benefits of eye, health, dental , major medical, sick time and vacation.
“I can not make people apply and I can not make people work,” Reed said.
“In my opinion the solution is to increase the pay,” he said. “But to what, I don’t know. Agencies that start out at $15/hour are having issues retaining and hiring and agencies that start out at $17 are having the same issues.”
“Jails are being short staffed through out the nation…I know it is in Kansas,” Reed said. “I think we are the first county in Kansas that has had to drastically reduce our numbers of inmates because of staffing issues.”
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports June 16
Bo Co Republicans Meet June 16
The Bourbon County Republican Committee will meet THURSDAY, JUNE 16, 2022 AT 6PM , THE EMPRESS EVENT CENTER, 7 N MAIN, FT SCOTT
Submitted by Deb Martin, Correspondence Secretary
Respond to Employee and Resident Survey: To View Future Employment Needs
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FSHS All Classes Reunion June 24-26
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