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The
Rural Papers
The
Kansas Rural Center publishes a newsletter, Rural Papers,
five to six times a year. Contributors to KRC receive the newsletter at
no cost. Subscriptions are available for $25/year. The newsletter
offers practical information on sustainable agricultural practices
and profiles of Kansas farmers. It includes timely coverage of
farm policy and environmental issues from a state and a national
perspective. The newsletter also offers analysis and commentary
on developments in industrial agriculture, such as biotechnology
and genetic engineering, corporate concentration, and factory
livestock production. The editor is Mary Fund. Contact the KRC
office for a complimentary copy or a subscription by email at
ksrc@rainbowtel.net
or call 785/873-3431.
The Rural Papers became
available online in pdf format beginning Fall 2006.
Highlights from the current issue are below.
Back issues may be found here.
March - May 2013
Rural Papers Highlights
1)
Farm Bill Debate Begins
Anew
by Mary Fund
2) Budget and Tax
Reforms Remain Center Stage
by Mary Fund & Paul Johnson
3) Final Status of
Kansas Ag, Food and Energy Bills
by Mary Fund and Paul Johnson
4) Small Farmer
Commentary: On Looming Snakes, Frogs,
and Spring—and Why it Matters
by Mary Fund
5) Riders to Continuing
Resolution Serve Big Meat and Big
Seed Interests
6) Graziers Share,
Learn Drought Strategies at Pasture Walks
by Julie Mettenburg
7) Co-ops: Doing
Together What Can’t Be Done Alone
by Cole Cottin
8) KDA Food Regulations
Run into Resistance
by Cole Cottin
9) Hope Springs
Eternal: Springs, Drought and the Water
Cycle
by Dale Kirkham
10) Niche Marketing
Guide Now Available in Print
11)
Kansas Rural Center
Seats New Directors to Board, Names Executive Leadership for 2013
Click on the image to
download a pdf copy of this issue!
***********************************
1) Farm Bill Debate
Begins Anew
by Mary Fund
In late April, Congressional House and Senate agricultural leaders
announced plans to start the five-year farm bill process anew in
May. The farm bill has been stalled since the first of the year
following the great compromise around the “fiscal cliff’. At that
time, along with deals on expiring tax breaks and spending cuts,
Congress passed a nine-month extension of the old farm bill. That
extension was flawed in that it extended wasteful commodity
spending while leaving out support for new or beginning farmers,
rural development, organic and specialty crop programs, and even
disaster assistance.
But now the new Congress is ready to start over, and with that
comes hope for a full five-year bill before the extension expires
September 30. Leaders say they hope for debate by Memorial Day or
early June.
However, the farm bill will still be crafted within the overall
context of the larger national budget debate. Thus far, after
several rounds of budget cuts to agricultural programs, Congress
still appears to supports unlimited subsidies to the largest farms
over those programs that make critical investments in rural
America, the next generation of farmers, conservation, and our
food future.
Also, statements from leaders indicate the House and Senate
agricultural draft budgets still contain significant differences
in how savings or cuts will be made. The Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (food stamps) and conservation programs appear
to be in the crosshairs.
As the full debate begins, pieces of the farm bill and other
“marker’ bills dealing with the farm bill are being introduced. In
early April, the Local Food, Farms and Jobs Act was reintroduced
in both House and Senate, as was a Beginning Farmer and Rancher
Opportunity Act.
The Local Farms, Food and Jobs Act addresses production,
aggregation, processing, marketing, and distribution barriers that
limit growth in local and regional food markets. The bill also
makes targeted investments in pro-grams that create jobs and spur
economic growth through food and farms.
According to the National Sustain-able Agriculture Coalition, the
bill includes several sustainable agriculture programs that were
left stranded and without funding by the farm bill extension
passed earlier this year. These include the Farmers Market
Promotion Program, National Organic Certification Cost Share
Program, and Value-Added Producer Grants.
“For an investment of just over $100 million a year, the Local
Farms, Food, and Jobs Act can help a growing sector of the food
system flourish,” said Hoefner. “This investment is tiny in
overall farm bill terms – roughly one-tenth of one percent of
total farm bill spending – but big in its power to deliver real,
lasting, and market-based benefits to farmers, consumers, and
communities.”
Specific proposals include:
Whole farm revenue insurance: USDA’s Risk Management Agency
would be instructed to develop an insurance product that would
protect diversified operations including specialty crop, organic,
mixed grain and livestock operations, and contract producers.
School meals. The bill will improve institutional access to
local and regional foods through a series of provisions regarding
school meal procurement.
Rural Development. The bill restores funding to the
Value-Added Producer Grant Program to $20 million a year and
improves its delivery, with an emphasis on regional market and
supply chains.
Farmers Markets and Local Food. The legislation will
establish $20 million a year in mandatory farm bill direct funding
for the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program. The
expanded program will support direct farmer-to-consumer marketing
but also will provide grants to scale up local and regional food
enterprises.
Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. The bill would expand
the purpose of the Specialty Crop Block Grant program to include
the consumption and availability of local/regional specialty
crops, the profitability and ecological sustainability of
specialty crops, and the affordability of specialty crops for
low-income consumers.
National Organic Certification Cost Share Program. The
legislation would renew funding for national organic certification
cost share to help organic producer with the costs of
certification.
The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act of 2013 was also
introduced in both houses in late April. The bill will reduce
barriers, such as credit and land access issues, that new
agriculture entrepreneurs face, and invest in successful
new-farmer training programs and grants to help farmers capture
more of the retail food dollar through value-added enterprises.
Specifics include:
Expanded Credit. It includes a microloan program A
microloan program for young, beginning or veteran farmers seeking
start-up capital, and would establish greater flexibility for
beginning farmers to meet FSA loan eligibility to buy farmland.
Access to farmland. The bill would help new farmers access
land to start or expand their farming operations by continuing and
improving the successful Down Payment Loan Program.
New Farmer Training Programs. The bill would renew funding
for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, which
provides grants to organizations and institutions to establish new
farmer training programs. This is the only federal initiative that
is exclusively dedicated to training the next generation of
farmers and ranchers.
Value-Added Enterprises. The bill would invest in the
popular Value-Added Producer Grants program, which provides grants
to farmers to scale up their businesses and add value to their
products in order to meet surging consumer demand for high
quality, farm-based, value-added food products. Value-added
enterprises have proven to be an especially useful business model
for new farmers seeking to capture as much profit as possible in
order to build a stable farm business.
As the farm debate continues, pieces of the Local Farms, Food and
Jobs Act and Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act will
hopefully make their way into the 2013 Farm Bill, and we will see
an investment in this growing area of agriculture.
(With help from the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
Check out their website at:
www.sustainableagriculturecoalition.org)
Return to this issue's
Index
2) Budget and Tax Reforms
Remain Center Stage
by Mary Fund & Paul Johnson
The Kansas tax and budget experiment is getting its share of
national and state attention these days. The magazine Governing
recently found that two tax policy analysts from conservative and
liberal nonprofit think tanks cited Kansas as having the worst tax
reform in the country.
Joe Henchman from the conservative Tax Foundation said the bill
signed into law last year that eliminates state income taxes on
small businesses known as “pass through” entities and lowers
individual income taxes “encourages tax avoidance and probably
won’t do much for the economy,” and creates “an incentive to game
the tax system”.
At the state level, editorial pages are also questioning the
direction the state is heading. Following Gov. Brownback’s early
April honor of delivering the Republican weekly address following
President Obama’s weekly address, the Wichita Eagle asked the
question: “Which Kansas is that?” claiming that Brownback
delivered an unrecognizable rose colored picture of the state – as
he left out the impact on education and social services, and the
raids to the state’s transportation plan and higher education to
fund his tax cuts.
And the fun ain’t over yet. Round Two is about to start. The
Kansas Legislature will return May 8 for the veto session to
address the unfinished business of finalizing the 2014 state
budget and passing additional tax reform laws.
2014 state budget and tax reform.
March state revenues were $56 million under the estimates.
Everyone held their breath until the consensus revenue estimators
met April 19 to develop new 18-month revenue projections, fearing
big drops, which would make the legislature’s budget deliberations
even harder.
While significant reductions in revenues that would shake up the
continued budget negotiations were not projected, it was clear
that the individual income tax reductions passed last year are
beginning to have an impact. The projections showed a tax revenue
decline from $6.2 Billion in 2013 to $5.45 Billion in 2014.
The $755 million revenue reduction between 2013 and 2014 comes
primarily from changes in individual income taxes and the sales
tax. For individual income taxes, the revised number for 2013 is
$2.850 Billion while for 2014 it drops to $2.400 Billion – a loss
of $450 million. (There is also some uncertainty over the exact
cost of eliminating income taxes from the non-wage income of sole
proprietorships, subchapter S corporations and limited liability
corporations.)
The current state sales tax is due to decrease from 6.3% to 5.7%
on July 1. Based on this, the revenue from the sales tax will
decline from $2.190 Billion in 2013 to $1.920 Billion in 2014 – a
decline of $270 million. The severance tax from expanding oil and
gas development increases from $100 million in 2013 to $132
million in 2014, but it cannot compensate for the lost sales and
income taxes.
So far in their budget debates, the Senate has insisted on keeping
the 6.3% state sales tax and passing a 5-year plan to lower
individual income taxes. The House has insisted that the state
sales tax must be dropped back to 5.7% as promised three years ago
when it was initiated. The Governor’s budget assumed the extension
of the 6.3% sales tax, so the resolution of this issue is critical
to state budget decisions over the next few weeks.
The Senate also wants to cut in half the State’s Earned Income Tax
Credit (EITC) to 200,000 low income families and use the $42
million saved to increase the Homestead Property Relief Tax Relief
for lower income elderly and disabled—a sort of rob Poor Peter to
pay Poor Paul act. The Senate wants to cut the state’s
universities budgets by 2% and the House by 4%. And the Governor
has already tapped the State Highway fund to help pay for tax
cuts.
The Governor’s plan is to eliminate the individual income tax by
2018. The tax debate in the veto session will be over the options
and process to eliminate the income tax. For several decades,
Kansas government was funded with balanced revenue sources of
property, sales and income taxes.
The experiment with the Kansas state budget is on to eliminate
income taxes and pray that significant, increased economic growth
will fill in the gap while state funding for education, health
care and social services will be frozen or further reduced. Our
taxes will become far more regressive as the dependence on the
sales and property taxes increases and our Kansas ‘quality of
life’ decreases.
According to the above tax analysts and the Administration’s
critics, Kansas may be in for a hard ride if projections do not
materialize let alone if there are significant drops in revenue.
But if you lean more toward the Governor’s view, “the tax plan is
working the way it’s supposed to,” i.e. already creating new jobs
and growth, although we are only four months into the new tax
laws.
Return to this issue's
Index
3) Final Status of Kansas Ag, Food and Energy
Bills
by Mary Fund and Paul Johnson
Last December, the Kansas Department of Agriculture and
agribusiness interests laid out their plans for growing animal
agriculture in Kansas by opening the state to the highest bidders.
Repealing the corporate farm law to allow entities like Seaboard
or Tyson- style corporations to come in and set up mega swine,
poultry and dairy facilities was the centerpiece. But there was a
package of bills aimed at recruiting confined animal feeding
operations to the state by loosening facility siting laws, easing
threats from potential nuisance suits, and offering tax breaks to
certain agricultural entities.
SB 191 and HB 2404 - identical bills - to repeal restrictions on
corporate farming were derailed at the last minute, and redirected
to an interim study for summer and fall. Current corporate farming
restrictions apply only to the Seaboard and Tyson type
corporations, not to family farm corporations. Under existing law,
a Seaboard-type corporation must have a county commission
resolution or a positive vote of residents to be allowed to build
a swine operation in a county.
Since this provision was added to the law in 1994, there have been
some 20 counties in Kansas that voted against these swine
operations. There have not been any county votes to block
corporate dairies. Greeley County reversed course two years ago
and re-voted on their restriction. Seaboard is currently building
a facility to house 100,000 to 132,000 hogs there.
Currently western Kansas is home to 21 large, corporate owned or
licensed hog feeding complexes holding 20,000 to 80,000 mature
hogs in counties that chose not to keep them out. Only separation
distances to the nearest residence regulate odors from hog CAFOs.
The required separation distance is only 5000 feet no matter if
the operation holds 9400 hogs or 132,000.
SB 191 essentially would have repealed the right of counties to
vote on these corporate swine facilities. Corporations of any kind
would be welcome in any county along with the potential pollution
and low wage employment. It was opposition to repealing the local
control option at the county level that finally slowed the bills
down.
The Kansas Department of Agriculture, the Kansas Farm Bureau, the
Kansas Livestock Association, and Kansas Pork Association
supported the repeal. KRC, Kansas Farmers Union, and Kansas Sierra
Club testified in opposition to the bill, raising questions about
the environmental impact, the economic benefits, and the loss of
local control.
However, other bills in the package to grow animal agriculture in
Kansas sailed through. SB 168 expands the ‘right to farm’ in
Kansas, amending the law relating to the protection of farmland
and agricultural activities from certain nuisance actions. It
amends the law so a farmer or rancher can plan on ‘reasonable’
expansion and not be bothered by non-agricultural claims, as long
as all applicable local, state, and federal environmental codes,
resolutions, laws and regulations are complied with. It puts a cap
on the damages that may be claimed, limiting damages to the
reduction in the fair market value of the claimant’s property
caused by such nuisance. This expanded right can be sold or be
inherited. No numbers were offered on the extent of nuisance
lawsuits in Kansas.
Substitute for HB 2207 tightens a loophole in the siting of CAFOs.
The bill continues the requirement that any confined animal
feeding operation (CAFO) with an animal unit capacity of 300 or
more must register with the Kansas Department of Health and
Environment. The registration will lock in the tract of land where
the construction will occur and the separation distances from
neighboring residences. It essentially locks down the separation
distances so neighbors cannot begin construction in order to
interfere or stop the CAFO or expansion. The assumption is that
the CAFO will be constructed within 18 months but an additional 18
months can be granted.
The effort to repeal the corporate farm law is far from over. The
opposition from within their ranks surprised supporters, but they
will be active in the Interim Study this summer and fall ensuring
that they get the expert testimony they need and pushing for a
different outcome next year.
Kansas Farmers Market Promotion Act SB 120 Passes
This bill establishes a central registration of farmers’ markets
in Kansas through a voluntary registration with the Kansas
Department of Agriculture (KDA). It will be used to encourage and
promote farmers’ markets across the state. There will be no charge
for registration and the law requires the Kansas Secretary of
Agriculture to maintain a list of all registered entities for
dissemination to the public. This change will also allow KDA to
apply for any federal, state, local, private grants or funding
opportunities that will assist in the creation or promotion of
farmers’ markets in Kansas. The bill also provides limited
liability for farmers’ markets.
Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards Protected
On Tuesday March 19, the House Energy and Environment committee
voted to table HB 2241 which sought to roll back provisions of the
renewable portfolio standard (RPS). The RPS basically established
percentages of energy to come from renewable sources by certain
deadlines. A diverse group of opponents to the bill underscored
that the wind industry has become an important economic force.
The wind industry is responsible for over 13,000 jobs, and
landowners receive over $13 million in annual lease payments. Time
and again, the committee heard or received testimony telling them
that changing or abolishing the RPS would jeopardize future
investment dollars and job growth. They listened this session, but
next year may be another battle to support renewable energy
against oil and gas supporters.
Return to this issue's
Index
4) Small Farmer Commentary: On Looming Snakes,
Frogs, and Spring - and Why it Matters
by Mary Fund
“Spring Snake Count Looms!” I never fail to smile when I get these
announcements in my e-mail inbox. “Frogging By Ear” was another
recent favorite.
I am on the e-mail list for the Center for North American
Herpetology. The looming snake count was the notification of the
annual spring count of amphibians, reptiles, and turtles in
Southeast Kansas on April 27 by the Kansas Herpetological Society.
Anyone who knows me can tell you, I am NOT a snake, amphibian, or
any kind of creepy crawly lover. So why don’t I hit “unsubscribe”?
Because some part of me loves it that there are grown adults who
track these critters, take time to turn over rocks, explore creeks
and ponds, and make it their hobby or their life’s work to study
these creatures.
Thus, I keep my “subscription” to these notices... so I can get my
regular reminder that there are people in the world keeping score,
like those who do the Christmas bird count or spring bird breeding
count. In an increasingly fragile and changing world, these things
matter.
But what do they have to do with agriculture and the food system,
or the issues KRC cares about? Frogs, scientists tell us, are good
indicator species. So go the frogs, so goes the ecosystem.
Today, unfortunately, frogs are in decline around the world. About
one-third of the world’s amphibians face a litany of threats.
These include habitat loss, pesticides and other pollutants,
invasive species, disease, and climate change.
Herbicides such as atrazine have been found to cause gender
abnormalities in frogs, raising red flags over this commonly used
pesticide as an endocrine-system disruptor. Recent studies also
indicate that Round-up, the most commonly used herbicide today, is
also contributing to the decline in frogs, and that it is not as
benign as once claimed.
Habitat destruction is another threat. Draining wetlands or
removing riparian areas whether for urban development, or for more
acres of soybeans and corn, disrupts cycles and populations. Yet,
how many of us farmers-- or non-farmers-- think about these
impacts as we charge ahead into field work or spring planting, our
eyes focused on the day’s or season’s work.
At KRC, we know it matters beyond the individual farmer’s profits
when we take out wildlife habitat to grow more soybeans and corn.
It matters when we blast the environment with pesticides. It
matters when we can’t get objective public policy to review or
test products. Above all it matters that we are steadily erasing
biodiversity in our agricultural fields and borders and in wild
places.
In the following pages you will find the story of how the
biotechnology industry lobbied Congress to pass a federal law
placing GMO’s beyond the courts, allowing the continued
homogenization of our fields with applications of the same
herbicide year after year, and the introduction of new GMO’s
without proper review. Another story on federal farm policy warns
of more cuts to conservation programs. You will read about state
actions to increase mega-swine and livestock operations at the
expense of communities and quality of life.
But you will also read about prairie management that stresses
maintaining cover on the land to increase its moisture holding
capacity. You will find a story of ranchers gathering to become
better observers of their grassland. (A more thorough inventory
would add frogs, wildlife, birds, and insects to observations.)
Another story tells about people building co-ops, doing together
what they cannot do alone. You will find information to help you
talk to our legislative leaders and Congressmen/women as they work
on the farm bill or state agricultural policy. You will find
resources to help you launch new food or farm related businesses.
Yes, I want those folks who do the annual spring frog and snake
counts to keep doing that job. And I want an agriculture and food
system that protects the environment for all creatures great and
small-- including us.
We can all strive to be better observers of the world around us.
We hope KRC helps you do that.
Return to this issue's
Index
5) Riders to Continuing Resolution Serve Big
Meat and Big Seed Interests
The Continuing Resolution (CR) passed in mid-March did far more
than fund the federal government beyond March 31. Playing on the
urgency for a deal to keep government rolling, the CR gave Big Ag
special interests in meat processing and seed production a license
to overlook the rights of farmers, consumers and the environment.
As columnist Alan Guebert described it, “with blinding speed and
no discussion,” two riders were passed along with the CR. One
threw out the hard won law to protect contract poultry farmers.
The other removed court authority over genetically modified crops
giving the biotechnology industry unprecedented freedom to avoid
government regulation and laws.
Both riders came in quietly and quickly, no discussion was
allowed, and many Congressmen claimed they did not know they were
voting for them.
Contract Poultry Growers’ Protection Rescinded.
The Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Act (GIPSA) rider
rescinded rules that were years in the making that would have
provided contract poultry growers more power to negotiate
contracts with the handful of poultry processors who control the
industry.
The “GIPSA Rider” language also makes it more difficult to get
future protections for hog and cattle growers. USDA’s Grain
Inspection and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) was established
to implement basic fairness protections for producers and growers.
Unlike the biotech rider, the rider language on GIPSA actually
rescinds existing regulation, which means its impact goes well
beyond the 6-month duration of the CR bill.
Monsanto Protection Act Puts Corporation Above Law.
The biotechnology rider allows genetically modified crops (GMO’s)
to continue to be planted even when a court of law has found they
were approved illegally. The rider has been dubbed the “Monsanto
Protection Act” because the company controls much of the GMO seed
market (93% of the nation’s soybeans and 86% of the corn), and
thus is a primary beneficiary.
According to Food and Water Watch, the rider goes back to the 2010
court ruling when a federal judge blocked Monsanto’s use of
genetically modified sugar beets after finding that USDA “had not
adequately assessed the environmental consequences before
approving them for commercial cultivation. “
The rider only lasts for the duration of the Continuing Resolution
(September 30), and it is unclear what happens after that. But for
now, it removes federal power to restrict the planting and sale of
GMO seeds putting biotechnology corporations above federal law,
and allowing GM crops to be planted under a temporary permit while
reviews are being conducted. It sets a dangerous precedent for the
introduction of future technological solutions.
Public outrage to the biotech rider has been fast and furious.
250,000 people have signed a petition from Food Democracy Now.
Conservative think tanks have also condemned the action saying
that corporations should “play by the rules of the free market
like everyone else, instead of hiring insider lobbyists to rewrite
the rules for them.”
Return to this issue's
Index
6) Graziers Share, Learn Drought Strategies at
Pasture Walks
by Julie Mettenburg
Some 120 Kansas graziers shared tips and learned about pasture
health, plant communities and cattle manage-mint strategies in
preparation for a potential third year of drought, at a series of
Kansas Rural Center–led Pasture Walks held April 1 through 4.
Although recent rains have dampened drought talk, we are still a
long way from replenishing groundwater, ponds and streams.
As KRC Field organizer Dale Kirkham stresses, “well managed
pastures will capture more moisture and help springs and streams
keep producing water through the dry times.” The walks, hosted by
landowners in four different regions of Kansas, were planned by
Kirkham with the help of USDA NRCS rangeland specialists.
A grey sky and the threat of snow did not keep 20 attendees away
from the pasture of Roger Koehn, Lindsborg, for the Wednesday
April 3 walk, which featured Kirkham and NRCS range management
specialists David Kraft and Doug Spencer, along with Koehn and his
sons Clay, Jesse and Jake.
The walk featured a 320-acre quarter-section of native pasture
that the Koehns graze rotationally, moving cattle through 4
paddocks of about 80 acres each. They typically stock about 40
cow-calf pairs in the pasture, for 5 to 7 days per paddock,
allowing for about 3 weeks’ rest for each paddock. Koehn said this
rotational management scheme has made a difference: “We have
increased the grass a lot.”
Koehn has worked with KRC’s Kirkham for about seven years. “He has
opened our eyes to a lot of things,” said Koehn after the event,
“such as rotational pasture management and low-stress cattle
handling. It all works together.”
A number of questions were addressed during the walk, including:
What are your what-if scenarios, and what kind of reductions
are you prepared for?
Moisture reported by the date of the workshop measured only 70 to
80 per-cent of average, with the past two years’ deficits not yet
recovered. Koehn said he had already reduced numbers for this
year.
Kirkham said this was a key question and that across the state,
graziers may have to cut further as we head into what may be a
third season of drought. In South Central Kansas, he has seen herd
reductions as high as 50 percent. “You may need to reduce even
again,” he said. “I’ve culled hard already, but I have a list of
the first to go, because we’re not done yet.”
Have you had this discussion with any tenants?
Kraft emphasized that if you are leasing land to someone else, you
should address the stocking rates by head and by acre in the lease
contract. “Ultimately, this will pass on to your children, so you
ask, ‘In what kind of condition do I want to pass this on?’
Thinking five, ten or twenty years down the road, what you have in
that contract is vital.” Added Spencer, “If you haven’t already,
at least be sure to start the discussion.”
What are your key decision dates?
Kraft recommended assessing your moisture and grass situation on
key benchmark dates, such as April, July and November 1, and
changing your stocking rates or management plan if needed is
important
Spencer added that since 75 percent of warm-season grass growth
occurs by mid-July, moisture received March to July is an
important factor. “You can make some decisions then,” he said.
“Last year we did some weaning early, pulled calves off and they
got good gain. Or you can go to cover crops, and allow the cows to
stay on the grass to get into good condition for winter.”
Being prepared can also help you make
culling decisions around cattle market prices.
How can you use weaning strategies to reduce stress on your
pastures?
Kraft said calves could be weaned at 90 days, or even earlier,
potentially boosting stocking rate by as much as 30 percent. Added
Kirkham, “Sixty days would be about the smallest I’ve heard.”
A long-term planning strategy is to select cattle for efficiency
on grass, which can be determined by the weight of calves at
weaning as a percentage of cow weight. Kirkham said he liked for
that ratio to be at least 50 percent. “If you had one who weaned
75 percent of her weight and another weaned 39 percent, which
would you get rid of?”
How can cover crops be used for drought management?
One grazier said he had been very pleased with mixes of cover
crops, such as hairy vetch and turnips, in extending his grazing
season. By getting two or more pounds of gain a day, he said he
can come out financially ahead of planting wheat, and “everything
goes right back into the soil. That farm ground is the best tool
you have, as long as it’s not a KOA where they camp out,” to avoid
compaction.
Spencer added that planting millet in wheat stubble can provide
good grazing for cows and calves together, while pastures rest
after early season grazing. Or, wean calves early and put them on
summer cover crops that can grow even if rainfall is low.
How is burning best used as a range management strategy?
Timing is critical, to ensure soil is exposed as little as
possible. Forage litter helps retain moisture, as do plants that
can capture snow, such as yellow broom-weed. Burning when
bluestems are about two inches high is optimum for rapid re-growth
afterward. If plants have a lot of woody stock, burning can
improve cattle performance. “Think about it: If you’re trying to
eat a steak, you don’t like to be jabbed in the face,” Spencer
said.
In the plant community, look for prevalence of what Spencer called
the “ice cream plants,” or those the cattle love -- big and little
bluestems, switchgrass, blue grama, sideoats grama. Pressure from
stocking rates or fire can increase the amount of these desirable
plants.
Should we spray weeds or use fertilizers to improve the range?
“Adding fertility treatment to the range can be like getting a
tattoo. You can do it, but you might regret it later,” Kraft said.
“If you take off across here with fertilizer, you could mess
things up that take a long time to fix.”
In a healthy system, fungi underground break down and release
minerals, a relationship that can be disrupted by the addition of
fertilizers. In addition, fertilizers can encourage cool-season
grasses, increasing competition with warm-season natives.
Regarding whether to spray weeds like non-noxious thistles or
ragweed, Kraft explained that managing through grazing would yield
better results, in providing for a variety of forbs and legumes.
He pointed out that cattle choose for what they desire, which is
not necessarily what we see as desirable, so maintaining variety
in the native forage is important.
Other long-term management tips included:
- Take an inventory of your pastures’ soil
type, moisture profile and plant community, to aide with
management decisions. “There is not an average pasture out
there,” Spencer said. “They are all different.”
- Check out the “SoilWeb” online soil
survey as a good resource.
- Take a photo from the same point each
year, as a way of assessing long-term change.
- Give your old windmills a second look. If
a well has water, can you utilize a solar pump to create a new
water source, increasing your flexibility in managing your
pastures?
- Utilize times of drought to fence and
clean out ponds; cost share money may be available.
The other Pasture Walk hosts were Dennis
Schwant, Blaine, in Pottawatomie County; Norman and Cindy Roth,
Reno County; and David and Jan Kraft, Gridley, in Coffey County.
Return to this issue's
Index
7) Co-ops: Doing Together What Can’t Be Done
Alone
by Cole Cottin
“Opportunities belong to the bold, persistent, and cooperative
minded,” asserts Bob Mailander, Director of Rocky Mountain Farmers
Union’s Cooperative Development Center. Mailander is one of a
number of guest speakers who engaged participants in Kansas
Farmers Union’s daylong workshop “Establishing an Online Food
Cooperative.”
The event, which took place on April 6 at Highland Community
College’s Klinefelder Center near Hiawatha, Kansas, introduced
participants to the concept of food cooperatives and provided a
step-by-step process and expert advice on how to develop a
farmer-managed cooperative business to market and distribute
source-identified farm products locally and regionally.
Local food consumption is growing, by an average of 5.3 percent
per-year per-household, according to K-State Agricultural
Economics professor Dr. Vincent Amanor-Boadu, who also presented
at the workshop. He and Mailander attribute the trend to
increasing consumer knowledge about the link between farm
practices, food, and health.
“I think the story of “my farmer” will get more and more important
in the pursuit of personal health and security,” forecasted
Mailander.
Dan Nagengast, former Executive Director of the Kansas Rural
Center and currently owner of the seed company, “Seeds from
Italy”, called the growth in consumption of local foods
“remarkable.” He continued, “In the past, you couldn’t sell it –
there were too many hurdles to jump through. There has been a lot
of progress in making these things happen. I expect that movement
to continue.”
Cooperatives across the nation have been a key part of that
progress, mobilizing to respond to and sustain growth in consumer
demand for source-identified, local foods while strengthening
small farms. How? By allowing members to do together what cannot
be accomplished alone.
Marketing cooperatives, the focus of the KFU event, offer a means
for farms to “stay small but act big,” explained Mailander. They
give farmers an opportunity to reach a broader market-base and
increase sales (act big), while retaining a larger share of the
food dollar and reducing their overhead (so they can stay small
and still be profitable).
Co-ops can reduce marketing and distribution labor and expenses
for farm members, while also minimizing insurance expenses through
shared risk agreements.
Cooperatives are no free ride, however. They require members to
take on the work of the “middle man” themselves. The success of a
co-op depends largely on the involvement of its members.
Fortunately, as co-owners, members inherently have a shared
interest in their cooperative’s success.
Throughout KFU’s workshop, speakers offered valuable gems of
advice for starting and sustaining a cooperative business. “No
margin, no mission,” was perhaps their most repeated mantra. Dr.
Amanor-Boadu explained, “Consumers like local food, because it’s
fresher, tastes better, and they’d rather support small farmers –
but they must pay fairly for those products… At the same time,
people who can pay top dollar may be asking more than you can or
want to give.”
Like farms, cooperative businesses must be realistic about what
their target customer-base is and is not. “Once you pinpoint who
your target customers are, you must do whatever it takes to ensure
fierce customer loyalty,” Amanor-Boadu emphasized.
Other advice included the importance of starting small, as in
pilot-project small. “Begin by hand-picking a trusted group of
producers who share your values, design a simple business with low
overhead and form relationships with potential funders, Maintain
producer control and independence, be flexible, have an exit
strategy, work hard and have fun,” Mailander advised.
Who starts cooperatives? Communities of people start cooperatives.
Ideas are the seed, while conversations, focus, and discipline are
the nourishment for a co-op’s creation and longevity.
Representatives from the High Plains Food Co-op, centered in
northwest Kansas, and a former member of the Oklahoma Food Co-op
shared with participants true-to-life stories of how their
cooperatives formed – stories that revealed the importance of
creating a business model that can meet consumer demand and
generates income without straining the capacity of the business
itself.
Return to this issue's
Index
8) KDA Food Regulations Run into Resistance
by Cole Cottin
Earlier this year, the Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA)
proposed a series of four regulations impacting food businesses
and food sales. The first three proposed regulations received
little resistance, but the fourth generated a flood of calls and
letters from concerned farmers market managers, farmers, food
businesses, and consumers across the state. That regulation (K.A.R.
4-28-35) would adopt requirements for exempt food sold directly to
the end consumer; in other words, direct sales to consumers from
farmers market type settings.
The flood of concerns moved KDA to announce that it will table the
fourth regulation (K.A.R. 4-28-35) in order to fully address the
public comments received. As this goes to press, KDA’s scheduled
public hearing for all four of the proposed regulations will go on
as planned on April 23 for the other three regulations, but they
have stated they will not pass the fourth regulation at this time.
They anticipate proposing a revised version of it in the near
future.
But why all the worry? K.A.R. 4-28-35 proposed to “clarify what
foods could be sold by exempt food establishments directly to the
end consumer at farmer market type settings.” What foods are
those? The proposal states, “Exempt foods may include: cookies,
breads, cakes, cinnamon rolls, and fruit pies; cereals and
granola; popcorn and popcorn balls; cotton candy; roasted coffee
beans; candy; whole fresh or dried fruits and vegetables; herbs;
nuts; honey; dried mixes from a licensed processor that are
repackaged; jams, jellies, and fruit butters; and bottled flavored
vinegars.” That list includes many but not all types of food that
farmers and food businesses currently sell to end consumers across
Kansas. But that is not where the concern lies.
According to several farmers market vendors, it is K.A.R.
4-28-35’s attempted governance of how those exempt foods should be
sold that has generated the most resistance. The draft regulation
reads: “Exempt food shall be sold only in a package or wrapping
that protects the food from contamination and shall not be sold
from a bulk container. Each package or wrapped item of exempt food
shall be labeled with the following information in a color that
contrasts the background and in at least eight-point font…”
Upon reading this language, Lawrence produce and grain farmer,
Jill Elmers, threw her hands into the air and declared, “Well,
that would be the end of my career selling at farmers markets!”
Farmers and food entrepreneurs are concerned about more than the
logistical challenges of marketing 100% packaged and labeled foods
to the end consumer. Tamara Werth, a baker from Lawrence,
submitted the following laundry list of negative impacts K.A.R.
4-28-35 could have: “increased environmental waste, increased
expense to vendors, increased cost to consumers, hindrance of
small businesses development, damaged product quality, compromised
spirit of farmers markets…”
Werth adds that the proposed requirement for unlicensed food
vendors to display a sign reading “the home kitchen or facility
where the exempt food is prepared is not subject to routine
inspection by the Kansas Department of Agriculture,” is fear
based. She sees no evidence of food safety risks posed by
unpackaged foods sold at market.
Did the proposed regulations really intend to transform “farmer
market type settings” across Kansas into seas of plastic or other
labeled packaging, covering everything from tomatoes and basil to
cotton candy and local chestnuts? Did KDA envision an end to
vendors’ cascades of abundant zucchini, onions, potatoes, or other
items typically sold from bulk bins?
“No,” commented Rick Scheufler, a KDA staff attorney interviewed
for this article. “It was never the intent for KDA to require the
bagging of every sweet potato or squash.” Scheufler conceded that
the deluge of public comments revealed a flaw in either the
drafting of the regulation or in the method of disseminating
information to the people this proposal would affect, or both.
“That is why we will not move forward with adopting 4-28-35.”
Proposed regulations may be found at
http://www.ksda.gov/statutes/id/249
Return to this issue's
Index
9) Hope Springs Eternal: Springs, Drought and
the Water Cycle
by Dale Kirkham
Hope springs eternal. While uncertain about the origin of this
phrase, it holds true where farmers and ranchers gather to talks
about prospects for the coming year, following two and a half
years of drought in the southern Flint Hills and many other parts
of Kansas. Worries and concerns about stocking rates and stock
water flow like a Flint Hills creek during a spring flood. Often
referred to as eternal optimists, ranchers are always looking
forward to a better year.
Recent rains have improved conditions in some areas but it is many
weeks until the end of the grazing season and water supplies are
still very uncertain.
During a conversation last November with Dr. Bill Browning who
ranches west of Madison in Green-wood County, he expressed strong
concerns about the ongoing drought that had lasted over two years.
He pointed out that Big Spring in the headwaters of the Verdigris
River had diminished to a mere trickle. In most years, this spring
is known to flow tens of gallons per minute.
At one time it was a major water source for oil camps located in
the surrounding area as well as livestock. Dr. Browning also
recalled that his grandfather said that several cattlemen drove
their herds to Big Spring daily for water and took turns allowing
their cattle to drink during the drought of the 1930s.
Is the current drought worse than that of the “dirty thirties” or
have other factors like management of the grasslands changed
enough to cause Big Spring to virtually dry up?
Since direct comparison of the two time periods would be
impossible, any conclusions are purely speculative. Consideration
of changes in land management would also be mostly speculation but
following are some thoughts to ponder.
Water reaching the soil surface during precipitation events has
three basic fates: runoff, infiltration and evaporation. In order
for water to emerge as a spring, it must first filter down through
the soil profile until it generally reaches an impervious layer
like clay or shale and then move laterally until it reaches a
surface somewhere down slope. This movement is often thought to be
a slow process but actually depends on the layers of rock, soil,
sand and/or gravel through which the movement occurs.
The rates of runoff and infiltration are influenced by soil
conditions such as texture, structure, slope, and cover. Texture
and slope remain relatively constant. Structure (density,
porosity, aggregation) can be improved gradually by increasing
organic matter, activity of microbes and invertebrates, and
porosity. Management practices that maintain a mulch layer on the
soil surface along with a dense sod of grasses and forbs is the
foremost way that ranchers can increase infiltration.
Clint Huntington, longtime rancher near Eureka, stated that
springs don’t produce like they did during his youth in the 1930s.
He feels that invasive trees waste soil moisture that might
otherwise reach the groundwater layers but also agreed that
extensive burning reduces the mulch layer on the soil surface that
is needed to slow runoff and increase infiltration.
When asked how cattle were watered before the construction of
large ponds beginning in the 1950s, he cited an example of one
rancher who trailed cattle every day to an area spring in a
neighbor’s pasture as a water source.
During a recent trip in March to Big Spring with Dr. Browning, we
found the spring flowing well again at a rate that he considered
to be near normal.
This is the result of about five inches of precipitation, both
rain and snow, early in 2013. This points to the fact that
recharge has occurred rather quickly in this Flint Hills setting,
likely due to the abundance of coarse cherty gravel near the soil
surface which allows for rapid water infiltration and movement.
Another factor may be that these rains have been gentle rather
than torrential and that gradual snowmelt has time to filter down
into the soil.
Multiple owners and management patterns are found in the hills
that slope down to Big Spring. That portion of the land owned and
managed by the Browning family is stocked conservatively for
grazing and burned only at three to five year intervals to
maintain plant health and leave cover of wildlife, especially
prairie chickens.
A part of this range has been managed with the patch burn-patch
graze scheme for several years. Dr. Browning will continue this
program in 2013 in areas where it has been in place but leave all
other pastures unburned because of the ongoing drought conditions.
Three pastures will also be left ungrazed to allow recovery from
use during the drought.
Mike Holder, KSU Research and Extension agent in nearby Chase
County, recently indicated that many pastures will stand empty
this year because of ponds that have gone dry. Others will be
stocked at 20 to 50 percent of the normal rate to allow recovery
of the plant community.
Some Flint Hills ranchers are making plans to haul water to
cattle. Holder fears that the effect of the drought on pastures
and ponds will cause a major economic hit to the area in 2013.
Some ranchers like Dr. Browning have realized that the health of
the native prairie involves many aspects such as soil conditions,
water infiltration, mulch layers, wildlife habitats and more.
While rainfall during the 2013 growing season may be uncertain,
they can be certain that pastures managed to maintain healthy
plants and mulch on the soil surface will capture more moisture in
the coming months. And this management should also keep springs
and streams producing water longer throughout the coming summer
and reflect the hydrologic health of the surrounding landscape.
Return to this issue's
Index
10) Niche Marketing Guide Now Available in
Print
“Finding Your Niche: A Marketing Guide for
Kansas Farms” has rolled off the press and a limited number of
hard copies are now available. An online pdf version will be
available by June 1 on KRC’s website.
Packed with more than 150 pages of information, tips, resources,
links and profiles, the Guide will provide information for farms
producing a wide range of products-- from specialty crops to
livestock products, hone, aquaculture and more.
Topics include how to set process, develop a wholesale business
with restaurants and institutions, set up online marketing and
more. The Guide also includes a special section for beginning
farmers.
Funding for the project was provided by USDA’s Specialty Crop
Block Grant through the Kansas Department of Agriculture and by a
grant from the USDA Risk Management Agency.
To order a print copy e-mail send your full contact information --
mailing address and phone number-- to Diane Dysart at
ddysart@rainbowtel.net
or call 785-873-3431. KRC is asking for a $25 donation to cover
shipping and handling for the Guide. A free online version will be
posted by June 1 on KRC’s new website.
Return to this issue's
Index
11) Kansas Rural Center Seats New Directors to
Board, Names Executive Leadership for 2013
The Kansas Rural Center named five new members to its Board of
Directors at its Annual Board Meeting, held at Red Rock Ranch near
Soldier, KS on March 2. The Board also elected its 2013 Executive
Committee, for one-year terms.
Joining the KRC Board for 3-year terms, 2013-2016, are:
- Barry Barber, Winfield, grazier
and Cowley County NRCS staff;
- Neilson Meriwether, Onaga hospital
physician and owner-operator of a small farm at Columbus;
- Stu Shafer, Oskaloosa,
owner-operator of Sand Heron farm and director of the
sustainable agriculture program at Johnson County Community
College;
- Maria Stewart and Rick Boller,
Lebanon, owner-operators of Promised Land Farm, an organic
produce farm (Stewart and Boller will be sharing one board
member position.);
- Lucinda Stuenkel, Palmer,
owner-operator of Stuenkel Farms, a grazing operation.
Named to the KRC Executive Committee,
which oversees the management of the organization, are:
- President Paul Ingle, Topeka, a
water specialist with Flint Hills RC&D;
- Vice President Laura Fortmeyer,
Fairview, who operates Jubilee Farm with her family, raising and
direct-marketing lamb.
- Treasurer Wayne White, Oskaloosa,
a rural sociologist and book author who raises and
direct-markets grass-fed beef from Creekridge Farm.
Members-at-large on the Executive
committee are:
Marjorie Van Buren, Topeka, food activist; Ben Champion,
Manhattan, director of sustainability at Kansas State University;
and Bob and Joy Lominska, Lawrence, owner-operators of
Hoyland Farm and Manager of the Rolling Prairie Farmer Alliance
fruits and vegetables CSA.
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Back Issues
January - February 2013
Rural Papers Highlights
1) Hope for the Best, Plan
for the Worst: Graziers Focus on Drought Management
by Jamie Dysart
2) Challenges for the 2013 State Legislative
Session: Kansas as Austerity Experiment?
By Paul Johnson and Mary Fund
3) Small Farmer Commentary: Defending Sustainable
Farming and the Future
by Mary Fund
4) Repeal of Corporate Farm Law Introduced
5) Senate Budget Plan Proposes to Fix Flawed Farm
Bill Extension
6) Farm Program Integrity Act Introduced: Limits
Payments and Closes Loopholes
7) Water Worries 2013 and Beyond
by Dale Kirkham
8) Initiative to Address Challenges to Rural
Grocery Stores and Community FEAST Events Planned for Spring
by Julie Mettenburg
9) Dialogue Brings Rural Grocery Player Together
by Julie Mettenburg
10) Ogallala Aquifer Sees Record Decline
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November - December 2012
Rural Papers Highlights
1) Conference Focuses on
Multiple Issues Impacting Food, Farming and Health
by Tracey Graham
2) From the Executive Director: Why KRC is Needed Now
More than Ever
by Julie Mettenburg
3) “Plowed Under” Report Documents Loss of Habitat
and Grassland
4) Keep Up With the State Legislature and More in
2013
5) Kansas Graziers Association Winter Conference Set
for January 19, 2013
6) Kansas Rural Center Transfers Local Food Program
to Kansas Department of Agriculture
7) Niche Marketing Guide Available for Kansas Farms
8) Organic Farming Opportunities and Benefits
Highlighted at Forum
9) Local Food Connections Workshop Draws Farms, Food
Businesses, Locavores
by Natalie Fullerton
10) Rural Brainstorm Sparks Discussion in NE Kansas
by Jamie Dysart
11) Small Farmer Commentary: Drought Year Ponderings
by Mary Fund
12) Report on Coexistence of GMO’s and Organic
Sharply Criticized
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September - October 2012
Rural Papers Highlights
1) Organic Farming Forum Set
for November 13, 2012, Salina, Ks.
2) Agriculture and Health Summit Planned for November
16
3) Small Farmer Commentary: Consideration of the Wild
Cards
by Mary Fund
4) Farm Bill Future Uncertain
By Mary Fund
5) Workshop Focuses on Water and Fencing as
Drought Intensifies
by Tom Parker
6) Marketing Workshop Draws Enthusiastic Crowd
by Tracey Graham
7) Community Organizes Around Healthy Food: Brown
County Hosts FEAST Event
by Chhaya Kolavilli & Cole Cottin
8) School Covers MIG Benefits to Livestock, Plant
and soil Health and Bottomline
by Jason Schmidt
9) Briefs:
- More Weed Resistance, More Pesticides Used
- Crop Insurance May Cost Taxpayers
- Stanford Organic Study Criticized by Scientists
- Study Finds GM Organic Corn and Roundup Cause Tumors and
Organ Damage
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June - August 2012
Rural Papers Highlights
1) Gerrish Grazing
Workshops Set for Topeka and Hays
2) Small Farmer Commentary: Drought and
Cultivating
Resilience
by Mary Fund
3) GMO Myths and Truths Report Released
4) House Ag Committee Voted a New Farm Bill; Waiting
on
Full House Action
by Mary Fund
5) Beware of Blue Green Algae Threat for Farm
Ponds
by Mary Fund
6) Eastern Ks. September 12=13 Grazing School
Taking
Registrations
7) Niche Marketing in Kansas Guide and Workshop Due
This
Fall
by Joanna Voight
8) Savor the Season Helps Promote Specialty Crops
by Tracey Graham
9) Mobile Food Prep Unit Helps Garnett Farmers
Market
Promote Products
by Tom King
10) Clean Water Project Wraps Up Its Work; KRC
to Explore Emerging Resource Issues
11) Future of the State Budget: The Big Gamble
Begins
by Paul Johnson
12) Does Your Cover Fit?
by Lyle Kohlmeier
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***********************************
April - May 2012
Rural Papers Highlights
1) High Tunnel Workshops
Showcase Opportunities in NE Kansas
by Joanna Voigt
2) Small Farmer
Commentary: Women, Farming and Conservation: A Mother’s Day Salute
to A Differing Viewpoint
by Mary Fund
3) KRC News: Thanks
to Outgoing Board Members and Welcome to New; Thanks and Best
Wishes to Mercedes Taylor-Puckett
4) Senate
Agriculture Committee Marks Up 2012 Farm Bill
by Mary Fund
5) State Veto
Session Begins
by Paul Johnson
6) Women Caring for
The Land: Education Program Launched for Women Landowners
by Mary Fund
7) Meet Brandi
Swiler: New Southeast OLF Chapter Coordinator
8) Savor the Season
Cost-Shares and Mini-Grants Announced
9) Our Local Food New
Website Breaks Ground
10)The Circle of
Farming: Cover Crops a Good Step Toward Soil Health
by Tom Parker
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***********************************
January-February 2012
Rural Papers Highlights
1) State Legislature:
Multiple Issues to Impact Rural Communities,
Family
Farms and the Environment
by Paul Johnson and Mary Fund
2) Planning Can
Mitigate Drought Effect
by Mark Parker
3) “Rural
Brainstorm” Taps Energy and Talents for Building
Communities
4) Small Farmer
Commentary:
Lessons form the
Statehouse and Beyond
by Julie Mettenburg
5) White House
Budget Disappointing for Natural Resources and
Small Farmers
6) Meet Cole Cottin-
New OLF Kaw River Valley Coordinator
7) 2012 Savor the
Season Launched
8) Women Caring for
the Land Meetings Underway
9) High Tunnel
Workshop and Farm Tour Set for
March 13 in
Lawrence
10) High Tunnel
Construction Workshop Scheduled for March 24
11) Livestock
Producer Management Practices Workshops Planned for April 2
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December 2011
Rural Papers Highlights
1) Meet KRC’s New Executive
Director: Why I’m Working for the Kansas Rural Center
By Julie Mettenburg, Executive Director
2) Managing Drought Risk on the Ranch-- KGA 2012
Conference Set for January 21
3) Rethinking Food Production with an Eye to the
Future
by Mark Parker
4) Small Farmer Commentary: The Fundamental
Questions Don’t Change
by Mary Fund
5) Farm Bill Rebooted
by Mary Fund
6) SE Chapter Hosts Farmers Market Workshop
7) Conference Panel Takes Aim at the Food System
by Mark Parker
8) Conservation is An On-going Effort: Stuenkel
Tour Highlights Multiple Practices and Projects
by Tom Parker
9) Great Plains Growers Conference Set for January
5-7 in St. Joseph, MO
10) NRCS Ranking Dates Announced for Organic and
Seasonal High Tunnel Initiatives
11) KRC Legislative Weekly E-Updates Available
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***********************************
September-November 2011
Rural Papers Highlights
1) KRC 2011 Sustainable
Agriculture Conference Set for Nov. 19
2) KRC Receives Two New Regional Food System Grants
3) Small Farmer Commentary: A Different Kind of
Harvest
4) News Bulletin: KRC Hires New Executive Director
5) Fast Farm Bill for a Fast Food Nation
6) Grazing Cattle Best for Pastures, Water Quality
and Calf Health
7) “Manhattan Project” Demonstrates Power of
Grassroots in Local Food
8) KRC Hosts 2011 NRCS Organic Farming Trainings
9) SC Chapter Studies Economic Impact of Farmers
Markets
10) Douglas County Food System Report Released
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June-August 2011
Rural Papers Highlights
1) Nagengast Steps Down as
KRC Director
2) Small Farm Commentary: Of Goodbyes and Meeting
New Challenges
3) In Memory: Robert Mulch May 22, 1941-June 24, 2011
4) Cuts to Conservation Programs Protested
5) Seminar at KDA Highlights Local Foods and the
Kansas Economy
6) Our Local Food Chapters Spark Local Production and
Marketing Networks
7) Met Julie Mettenburg- Kaw Valley Our Local Food
Coordinator
8) Farmers markets Accepting Food Stamps Expand
9) A New Kind of Barn-Raising- Hooophouse 101
10) Jim Gerrish to Speak at Series of Workshops
Across Kansas In August
11) Eastern Ks. Grazing School Set for September 7-8
in Holton
12) Cows, Creek and Cold Cash- $100,00 in Tuttle
Creek WRAPS Cost-Share Available
13) KRC Notes
Schmidt Leaves KRC to Return to Farm
Lyle Kohlmeier Joins KRC Staff
KRC Elects New Officers and Welcomes New Members
14) Farm Aid Comes to Kansas City, Kansas August 13!
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January-March 2011
Rural Papers Highlights
1) GE Alfalfa Deregulation
Defies Common Sense
by Mary Fund
2) Small Farmer
Commentary: Building Resilience at the Grassroots
by Mary Fund
3) Congressional
Budget Cuts Target Farm Programs
4) Improving Winter
Management Can Improve Herd and Calf Health Clean Calving
Environment Directly Linked to Calf Health
by Mary Howell
5) Open Letter to
the New Governor of Kansas: Looking for
Economic
Opportunities
by Paul Johnson
6) Research
Shows Problems Emerging with Roundup
7) Our Local Food
Program to Expand In Kansas
by Mercedes Taylor-Puckett
8) Meet Natalie
Fullerton, S.C. Chapter OLF Coordinator
9) Meet Tracey Graham,
Twin Rivers OLF Coordinator
10) Energy
Opportunities Offered in Kansas
by Dan Nagengast
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November-December 2010
Rural Papers Highlights
1) Season’s Greetings!
...and Thanks to Our Supporters!
2) Small Farmer
Commentary: A Tale of Two Christmas’s
by Mary Fund
3) Sign Up for KRC’s
Legislative and Policy Alerts
4) Cover Crop
Workshop Draws Lively Discussion
by Jason Schmidt
5) KGA winter
Conference Scheduled for January 15, 2011
6) Rejuvenating
Landscapes Through Managing Livestock
Behavior; Animal Behavior Specialist Provides Tips
by Jason Schmidt
7) Back to the
Drawing Board for Omnibus Bill; Food Safety Bill
Passes
8) Adapting to
Climate Change Important for Kansas Farmers and
Ranchers
by Mark Parker
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September-October 2010
Rural Papers Highlights
1) “Connecting Cows,
Carrots and Carbon: Making Sense of Our
Food Future” Conference
Set for November 20
by Mary Fund
2) Small Farmer
Commentary: Food Movement is a Farmer
Movement, Too
by Mary Fund
3) Farm To School
Lunch Prompts Excitement Among the Kids
Introduction by Dan Nagengast
Cordley Elementary Farm-to-School Lunch:
A Learning Experience
by Linda Cottin
4) KRC Receives
Specialty Crop Grants
5) Governor Elevates
State Food Security Task Force
6) Delaware Watershed
Tour Showcases Practices to Protect
Water Quality
by Connie Pantle
7) Exodus of Rural
Youth Puts Communities in Jeopardy
by Mark Parker
8) Organic Training
for USDA NRCS Held in September
by Mary Fund
9) Nature Provides
Pasture Strategy Worth Copying
by Mark Parker
10) Grazing School
Delivers Profit-enhancing Lessons
by Mark Parker
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April-June 2010
Rural Papers Highlights
1) So You Want to Put Up a
Hoophouse?
by Harriet Behar and Angie Sullivan, Reprint from Midwest
Organic and Sustainable Education Services (MOSES).
2) Graziers Organize to Share Information
3) Relationships Important to Direct Marketing
by Connie Pantle
4) Small Farmer Commentary: Sustaining the Food
System: What Will It Take?
by Mary Fund
5) Rural Grocery Initiative at KSU Wins Award
6) Battling World Hunger by Increasing Global
Production”?
by Darryl Ray, University of Tennessee, Director of UT’s
Agricultural Policy Analysis Center (APAC). - Reprint.
7) Farmers Urged to Talk Over Options for Expiring
CRP Ground
by Connie Pantle and Mary Fund
8) Proper Management of Riparian Areas Provides
Multiple Functions
by Jason Schmidt
9) Increasing Herd Performance and Health Helps
Bottom Line and Environment
by Connie Pantle
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January-March 2010
Rural Papers Highlights
1) USDA EQIP Organic
Initiative: Funds Available for Kansas Farmers for Organic
Transition Practices
by Mary Fund
2) KGA 2010 Conference: Pharo Steers Graziers Away
from Sacred Cows
by Mark Parker
3) Small Farmer Commentary: Working Upside Down
With Water Concerns
by Dale Kirkham
4) First DOJ Hearing on Competition Set for Iowa
5) Protecting Water Has Livestock Benefits
by Mark Parker
6) CWFP Profile: Improving Pasture and Watering
Sites Make the Difference for South Central Rancher
by Connie Pantle
7) Farmers Markets Offer A Growing Opportunity
by Mark Parker
8) Improving Livestock Production Workshop Set for
April 13 in Frankfort
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October-December 2009
Rural Papers Highlights
1) N.C. Kansas Farm Tour
Showcases Diversity & Business Options
by Mary Howell and Mary Fund
2) KGA Winter Conference Set for January 23, 2010
3) Small Farmer Commentary: Of Rickety Ladders,
Fear, and the Spirit of Christmas
by Mary Fund
4) In Memory- Jan Garton 1949-2009
by Mary Fund
5) Delaware Watershed Tour Highlights Practices &
Projects
by Connie Pantle
6) KRC Receives KDA Specialty Crop Grant
7) Munsch Featured Speaker at Jan. 9 Growing Your
Profits Workshop
8) Commentary: Agriculture and Energy- Say Goodbye
to Business as Usual
by Dan Nagengast
9) Senate Passes Food Safety Act
10) NRCS Hoop House Initiative Coming Soon
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August-September 2009
Rural Papers Highlights
1) Intensive Management
Techniques Can Benefit Livestock Operations
by Connie Pantle
2) New CSP Launched
by Mary Fund
3) Small Farmer Commentary: Rural America Needs
Health Care Reform
by Mary Fund
4) Management and Alternative Marketing Options
Bus Tour Set for Oct. 8
5) No Till Whirlwind Expo Showcases Cover Crops
by Connie Pantle
6) “Coop-etition” and Working With Others Is Key
to Success on Bauman Farm
by Connie Pantle
7) KRC News: NRCS Training on Organic Farming; and
NSAC Visits Kansas for Summer Meeting
8) Study Predicts Greatest Climate Change in Kansas
9) Journal Criticizes Biotech Companies for Blocking
Research
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June-July 2009
Rural Papers Highlights
1) EQIP Initiative Offers
Opportunities For Organic Farming
by Mary Fund
2) Kansas Farmers’ Markets Go High Tech
by Mercedes Taylor-Puckett
3) Small Farmer Commentary: Health Care Lessons
by Mary Fund
4) rBGH Bill Vetoed in Kansas
5) Eagle Creek WRAPS Tour Highlights Riparian
Protection
by Jason Schmidt
6) Grazing Workshop with Jim Gerrish Set for
August 15
7) On-farm Demonstrations Approved in Six
Watersheds
by Mary Fund
8) Schools Selected for Wind Energy Project
by Dan Nagengast
9) Nagengast and Miller Receive Wind Energy Award
10) Logan County Students Find There is No Place
Like Home
by Connie Pantle
11) Commentary: Global Partners for Local
Organic Food- First Exchanges
by Dan Nagengast
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March-April 2009
Rural Papers Highlights
1) Focus on the Fourth “F”:
Feed, Fuel, Fertilizer... and Forages
by Dale Kirkham
2) Small Farmer Commentary:
Panic on the Internet; Small Farmers Fears Unfounded
by Mary Fund
3) Battle Over rBGH Awaits Governor’s Decision;
But Questions Will Remain
4) Overbrook Grazing Workshop Encourages Optimizing
Grazing Systems
by Jason Schmidt
5) CWFP Profile: Love of Place Drives Landowner’s
Conservation Work
by Connie Pantle
6) KS Farmers Market Website to Launch in May
by Mercedes Taylor-Puckett
7) Global Partners for Local Organic Foods Website
is On-Line
8) KRC Announces 2009 Market Farmer Educators
9) Market Managers and Board Members Attend Training
Workshops
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January-February 2009
Rural Papers Highlights
1) Sustainable Grazing
Systems Benefit Environment and Producer Profits
by Mark Parker
2) New EQIP Includes Organic Transition
by Mary Fund
3) Small Farmer Commentary: “Are We Going to Have
to Raise a Garden?”
by Mary Fund
4) Dairy Labeling Hearing Scheduled
5) Food Security Task Force Issues Recommendations
6) Optimizing 4-Legged Harvesters Covered at Alta
Vista Workshop
7) Protected Pond Offers Multiple Benefits
by Connie Pantle
8) Rescue Package for your Pond
by Dale Kirkham
9) KRC Joins Blue Green Alliance of Farm,
Environmental and Labor Groups
10) KRC Receives Energy Funds
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December
2008 Rural Papers Highlights:
1) KRC Sustainable
Agriculture Conference: Fundamental Shift from Industrial to
Ecological Economy Needed to Meet Future Challenges
by Mary Fund
2) Small Farmer Commentary: Carve Out Time to
Think
by Mary Fund
3) Dairy Labeling Law Criticized at Hearing
4) Grazing Management Benefits Resources and
Bottom-Line
by Mark Parker
5) KRC Welcomes New Staff Member
6) Kansas Grazers Association Winter Conference
Set for January 17
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October/November
2008 Rural Papers Highlights:
1) KRC Sustainable
Agriculture Conference: Meeting Agriculture's Challenges in A
Rapidly Changing World
by Mary Fund
2) Small Farmer Commentary: Making Sense of It
All
by Mary Fund
3) Organic Practices Offer Conservation and
Economic Benefits
by Mary Fund
4) CWFP Profile: Non-Confined Backgrounding
Operation Featured on Tour
by Connie Pantle
5) Tours Help Producers Make Decisions
by Connie Pantle
6) KRC Welcomes New Staff Member
7) 2008 Wind for Schools Selected
by Dan Nagengast
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July/August/September 2008 Rural Papers Highlights
1) Wind Energy Added to KRC
Website
2) Cropping Systems Workshop and Farm Tour Set for
October 2
3) Small Farmer Commentary: Who is Chilling Whom?
by Dan Nagengast
4) No NBAF in Kansas Group Organizes
5) Lawsuits Filed Over rBGH Rules in Ohio
6) Improved Grazing Management is a Natural Response
to High Priced Grain
by Jerry Jost
7) Cheney Lake WRAPS Field Day Scheduled Sept. 16
8) CWFP Profile: Butler County Rancher Says
Conservation a Necessity
by Connie Pantle
9) Clean Water Farm-River Friendly Farm Project
Secures Funding
by Mary Fund
10) Monsanto Sells Artificial Hormone Business
11) Assessments Serve Vital Role in WRAPS Process
by Connie Pantle
12) Leave Critical Areas of Expired CRP in Grass
by Troy Schroeder
13) O'Brien Tour to Feature "Calm Cattle, Cow
Chips, and Clean Water"
14) KRC News: An Ending and a Beginning
by Jerry Jost
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April/May/June 2008 Rural Papers Highlights
1) Local Food Future
Discussed
by Mary Fund
2) Final Farm Bill Holds Wins and Losses for
Sustainable Agriculture
by Mary Fund
3) rBGH Issue in Hands of KSDA
by Mary Fund
4) Wallace Genetics Foundation Funds Business
Planning Project
by Jerry Jost
5) Grazing Management Education Funded
by Jerry Jost
6) CWFP Profile: She Always Wanted to be A Cowgirl
by Connie Pantle
7) CWFP Profile "There's Always Somebody
Downstream"
by Connie Pantle
8) What is a Green TAg (REC) and How Can It
Contribute to Renewable Energy in Kansas?
by Sarah Hill-Nelson
9) Wind Turbines Going Up at Schools
10) Wind Summits Draw Crowds in Western Ks.
11) CRP-How Much Will Survive $5 and Up Corn?
by Troy Schroeder
12) "Farming in the Dark'" Book Available
13) Small Farmer Commentary: Signs of Hope
by Mary Fund
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January/February/March
2008 Rural Papers Highlights:
1) Energy Bills Drop
Renewable Pretenses: More Coal Plants
by Dan Nagengast
2) State Labeling Bill Threatens Consumers and
Producers
by Mary Fund
3) The Small Farmer Commentary: “Sound Science”
or Whose Science?
by Mary Fund
4) Extending the Grazing Season Featured at
Conference
by Jerry Jost
5) CWFP Profile: Removing Abandoned Waste Tanks
Protects Water Quality
by Connie Pantle
6) Dealing with Dissolved Oxygen
by Dale Kirkham
7) Wind for Schools Announces Deadline for
Applications
8) Schools Selected for Wind Energy Project First
Round
9) Peace Corps: Volunteering is Not Just for Kids
by Harry Bennett
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December 2007 Rural Papers Highlights:
1) Pharma Crops:
Agricultural Salvation or Pandora's Box?
by Mary Fund
2) KGA Conference Set for January 19
3) Small Farm Commentary: Time Out of Time, or The
2007 Ice Storm
by Mary Fund
4) Senate Passes A Farm Bill; Big Gains, Big
Losses
5) Winter Feeding-- Routine or Requirement
by Dale Kirkham
6) CWFP Profile: Water Quality Improved in All
Directions on This Farm
by Connie Pantle
7) Ken Meter to be Featured at Regional Food
System Workshop
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October/November 2007 Rural Papers Highlights:
1) Passion for the Prairie
Drives Flint Hills Ranchers
by Jim French
2) Small Farmer Commentary: The Big Lacuna: How
Did CO2 Regulation Surprise the Coal Industry?
by Dan Nagengast
3) Farmers Study Lessons from Konza Prairie
by Jerry Jost
4) CWFP Profile" Letting the Cattle Do the Work-
Forages and Management Make the Difference
by Connie Pantle
5) Twin Lakes Water Festival Elevates Kids' Water
Awareness
by Connie Pantle
6) In Memory Careful With Words and Land: Jim
Scharplaz 1951-2007
by Scott Bontz
7) Bus Tour Looks at Value-Added Farms
by Jerry Jost
8) Farmers' Market Project Wraps Up
by Jerry Jost
9) KRC Receives Energy Award
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August/September 2007 Rural Papers Highlights:
1) Rain Can't Dampen Enthusiasm for Grazing Tour
by Connie Pantle
2) Farm Bill Debate Enters Final Final Push
by Mary Fund
3) Small Farmer Commentary: Wind Energy in
Kansas-Asking the Right Questions
by Mary Fund
4) Organic Farming Beats No-Till
5) Grazing Tour Features Sedgwick County Farms
by Jerry Jost
6) Love for Grassland Drives Farmer's Practices
by Connie Pantle
7) Farmers' Market Opens Avenue for Entrepreneur
8) Board Profile: Meet Mark Nightengale
by Connie Pantle
9) Greenhouse Gas Policy Will Not Go to The Kansas
Legislature
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June/July 2007 Rural Papers Highlights
1) Farm Bill Draft Misses Opportunity
by Mary Fund
2) Tapping Into the Energy of the Flint Hills: One
Ranch's Answer
by Jim French
3) The Small Farmer Commentary: A Farm Bill for
Everyone
by Dan Nagengast
4) KGA and CWFP Summer Farm Tours Announced
5) CWFP Profile: Whole Farm Planning Sparks Changes
on Dickinson County Farm
by Connie Pantle
6) Commentary: A 2007 Farm Bill for Dighton and
Djidian
by Jim French
7) KRC Announces Wind Turbines for Schools
Initiative
8) Tour Highlights WRAPS Related Projects
by Connie Pantle
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March/April/May 2007 Rural Papers Highlights
1) Drugs in Rice Not Approved by FDA; Food
Contamination Likely
2) Small Farmer Commentary: Rice With Human
Genetics Comes to Kansas: The Questions We Should Be Asking
by Dan Nagengast
3) Teleconference Calls Bridge Farmers' Markets
by Mercedes Taylor-Puckett
4) CWFP Profile: Addressing Farm Priorities One
Step at a Time
by Connie Pantle
5) Report Says CSP Drives Conservation
6) 2007 Farm Bill: Hearings, Budgets, and Reports
Update
by Mary Fund
7) KRC Launches New Policy Webpage
8) Extension Agents Partner to Offer Farm Planning
Workshops
by Connie Pantle
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January/February 2007 Rural Papers Highlights
1) Seeking Balance in U.S.
Farm and Food Policy
2) The Small Farmer Commentary: "He Always Wanted A
John Deere"
by Mary Fund
3) Low Stress Cattle Handling Explained At
Grazing Conference
by Jerry Jost
4) Homemade "Bud Box" Saves Money And Reduces
Cattle Stress
by Dale Kirkham
5) CWFP Profile: Small Changes Protect Water
Quality
by Connie Pantle
6) New Priorities Ahead for Farm Bill
by Mary Fund
7) Managing With Less Energy
by Fred Kirschenmann (Reprinted with permission)
8) Cows, Creeks, and Clean Water; Simple
Management Changes Matter
by Dale Kirkham
9) CWFP Announces March 31 Cost-Share Deadline
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November/December 2006
Rural Papers Highlights
1) Coalition Calls for
Reform in 2007 Farm Bill
2) Sustainable Agriculture Conference Tackles
Rural Well-being
3) Alternative Voices Relay Potential for
Agriculture's Future to Moran
by Mary Fund
4) KGA Announces Winter Grazing Conference
5) Long on Philosophy, But High on Profits
by Connie Pantle
6) Douglas County Ranch Tour Features Multiple Ranch Goals
by Connie Pantle
7) Community Wind Advocate Ask "Why Not Kansas?"
by Dan Nagengast
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August-October 2006 Rural
Papers Highlights
1) Community Wind Energy
Spotlight of October 31 Workshop
2) KRC Distributes Energy
"Quiz"
3) The Small Farmer
Commentary: Ag Subsidies Carry Global Harm
by Charlie Melander
4) Bus Tour Showcases
Alternative Enterprises
by Jerry Jost
5) CWFP Farmer Profile
Preservation and Conservation Lie at the Heart of Farm
Enterprises
by Connie Pantle
6) Environmental
Assessment Prompts Changes Even Without Cost-Share
by Connie Pantle
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