September 2018 – Page 36 – Great Bend Post Archive

Barton Ag Instructor Dr. Vic Martin: Insects and Agriculture

Posted on September 16, 2018September 14, 2018

First as usual, a drought update is in order and it reflects the rainfall from the previous weekend. The rains prior to 8 a.m. September 11, significantly improved drought conditions across the state. Essentially the western two-thirds of the state is totally out of soil moisture deficit conditions. The area of extreme and exceptional drought has retreated to the east of Manhattan towards Kansas City. And the additional rains should help ease conditions further. Now, although no one wants to say it too loudly, we need a dry stretch with seasonal temperatures. Much of the corn is ready or almost ready to cut. Soybeans should be able to finish well and much of the milo looks great. The only fly in the ointment would an early frost, especially for the cotton crop to the south of Barton County. Wheat farmers will have to adjust to dealing with wet soils as they prepare ground to plant the 2019 crop. Now for today’s topic.

If you pay any attention to what’s going on in the world of agriculture, it’s hard to miss the concern over insect pollinators, their role in pollinating many of the foods we eat, and the challenges they face on a variety of fronts. These challenges include climate change, loss of habitat, pesticide use and for bees – colony collapse disorder. Pollinators are responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars of fruits and vegetables every year. This isn’t just certain insecticides but also it seems for bees, fungicides. K-State Research and Extension has just released a new publication entitled “Pesticides and Bees.” The publication may be downloaded for free here as am Adobe file and contains valuable information: https://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/Item.aspx?catId=236&pubId=21298. It provides information on minimizing the possible damage to bees through proper pesticide use.

Other problems include loss of specific plants for specific pollinators, for example milkweed species and the Monarch butterfly. Here again, information can and is helping, but not just for Monarch butterflies. To that end, The Kansas Wetlands Education Center hosted a butterfly festival yesterday. And it included a stop on bees. The Kansas State Fair has a new butterfly exhibit and features Monarch butterflies. The Great Bend Zoo also has a butterfly enclosure. Kansas 4-H is actively involved in education regarding pollinators. The list could go on and on. Many state agencies across the country, including the KDWPT, are working to improve pollinator habitat.

You may be wondering why this is featured in an ag column. Simply put, where we produce crops and livestock is an interconnected ecosystem between the managed and natural world. Complicating the problem is a changing climate which is having a significant negative impact on pollinators. We risk much by ignoring one for the other and the unintended consequences of ignoring or eradicating something as simple as a butterfly species can have a cascade of unintended and irreversible consequences.

AP Top 25: LSU jumps to No. 6; Wisconsin tumbles from top 10

Posted on September 16, 2018

By RALPH D. RUSSO , AP College Football Writer

LSU surged to No. 6 in The Associated Press college football poll after its second victory of September against a highly ranked team, and Wisconsin tumbled to No. 18 after becoming the first top-10 team to be upset by an unranked team.

Top-ranked Alabama strengthened its hold on No. 1 on Sunday , receiving a season-high 58 first-place votes from the media panel. Clemson slipped out of the No. 2 spot for the first time this season. Georgia moved up a spot to second behind the Crimson Tide, giving the Southeastern Conference the top two teams in the ranking. Clemson is third with three first-place votes, followed by No. 4 Ohio State and No. 5 Oklahoma.

LSU has now gone from No. 25 to start the season to No. 6 in three weeks.

The Tigers beat Miami, the preseason No. 8, in Week 1 in Arlington, Texas, and then knocked off Auburn on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Auburn slipped from No. 7 to No. 9.

Wisconsin’s loss to BYU was Saturday’s most surprising result. The Badgers were three-touchdown favorites but missed a last-second field goal to tie and lost 24-21 in Madison. The Big Ten had five teams in the top 14 to begin the seasons and three (Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin) have already lost.

BYU’s reward was being ranked No. 25.

AP Top 25
RK TEAM REC PTS TREND
1 Alabama(58) 3-0 1521 —
2 Georgia 3-0 1416 1
3 Clemson(3) 3-0 1405 1
4 Ohio State 3-0 1357 —
5 Oklahoma 3-0 1283 —
6 LSU 3-0 1241 6
7 Stanford 3-0 1055 2
8 Notre Dame 3-0 1034 —
9 Auburn 2-1 958 2
10 Penn State 3-0 947 1
Washington 2-1 947 —
12 West Virginia 2-0 841 2
13 Virginia Tech 2-0 816 —
14 Mississippi State 3-0 790 2
15 Oklahoma State 3-0 587 9
16 UCF 2-0 556 2
17 TCU 2-1 502 2
18 Wisconsin 2-1 486 12
19 Michigan 2-1 448 —
20 Oregon 3-0 399 —
21 Miami 2-1 362 —
22 Texas A&M 2-1 193 NR
23 Boston College 3-0 130 NR
24 Michigan State 1-1 86 1
25 BYU 2-1 75 NR

Others receiving votes: Iowa 64, Boise State 62, Duke 61, Colorado 49, California 40, Kentucky 38, South Florida 14, Texas 12, NC State 10, Arizona State 9, Missouri 8, Utah 6, San Diego State 5, North Texas 4, South Carolina 4, Washington State 2, Syracuse 2

Plan now to avert wheat stem rust threat

Posted on September 16, 2018September 14, 2018

If you’ve attended a K-State Research and Extension wheat plot tour in the last few years, you might remember the K-State Specialist mentioning the dangers of stem rust and the increasing use of susceptible varieties. Although the disease has been well controlled lately, stem rust is a potential threat every year.

The 2018 Kansas Wheat Varieties USDA NASS report shows 30 percent of the wheat acres in western Kansas were planted with susceptible varieties like T158, Byrd, Winterhawk and TAM 114. Just 10 years ago it was rare to find any varieties without the resistance. Although the disease has been out of sight for a number of years, it should not be ‘out of mind.’

During the 1980’s and 1990’s, it was not uncommon to see the disease plaguing fields, and in 1986, wheat farmers saw the most devastating yield loss from stem rust since the early 1960’s. Since then, the control of stem rust has remained fairly consistent due to farmers planting wheat varieties with genetic resistance.

Dr. Robert Bowden, supervisory research plant pathologist with the USDA, said, “Currently, it is uncommon to see stem rust. This is a sign of our success in suppressing stem rust, primarily by using resistant varieties.”

According to Bowden, there are three main risks from planting wheats that are susceptible to stem rust.

“First, stem rust can cause direct yield and quality losses in fields of susceptible varieties. Second, rust spores can spread to other farmers’ fields in the local area and beyond. Third, susceptible varieties allow the pathogen population size to increase dramatically,” Bowden said.

Raising the pathogen population size raises the probability that new races of the fungus will arise by mutation that could overcome existing resistance genes.

“We only have a few good, effective resistance genes and so we can’t afford for them to be defeated by new races,” Bowden said.

Although the impact of stem rust has diminished over the last 20 years, its damaging consequences make it hard to ignore the potential risks it poses. Farmers need to make sure they’re taking the right precautions to limit the chances of possible devastating yield loss from the disease.

“In Kansas, we are currently benefitting from the fact that most Texas wheat farmers are avoiding stem rust-susceptible varieties, and thus not sending us stem rust spore showers every spring on southerly winds. We need to keep up our side of the deal. I would encourage farmers to avoid susceptible varieties unless they have a pre-planned fungicide application lined up,” Bowden said.

Daryl Strouts, Kansas Wheat Alliance CEO, says some easy choices for growers to plant include KWA’s K-State wheat varieties Joe, a hard white winter wheat and Oakley CL, a hard red winter wheat. Both provide resistance to stem rust while also addressing the wheat streak mosaic virus issue present in western Kansas.

“We’ve all seen the damage a disease like Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus can cause,” Strouts said. “Stem rust can be just as damaging and attacks just a few weeks before harvest. There’s so many great wheat varieties to choose from with good stem rust resistance, farmers should avoid those that are susceptible.”

Strouts also notes KWA’s Larry, Tatanka and KanMark would also fit well into operations not willing to risk a stem rust outbreak as they all have resistance.

By planting varieties with resistance, we can lower the concern of an outbreak possibility in Kansas. Do not let the forgotten scourge of wheat gain a foothold by planting susceptible wheat varieties.

To learn more about K-State’s stem rust-resistant varieties, visit KWA’s website at https://kswheatalliance.org/ where you can learn about variety performance and where to buy.

Austin dazzles with bat, glove as Twins beat Royals 9-6

Posted on September 16, 2018

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — There was little for Tyler Austin to be upset about as he headed to the bus on Sunday.

The Twins’ first baseman had hit one of their four home runs in a 9-6 win over the Kansas City Royals. He had escaped unscathed after making a spectacular catch while flipping into the dugout down the first-base line and, perhaps most importantly, he didn’t have to dress up in one of the ridiculous horse-and-jockey costumes that were awaiting his rookie teammates in their locker.

Instead, Austin was able to enjoy all of it — right down to the rookie hazing ritual — after the Twins managed to avoid a four-game sweep and an ignominious start to their final trip this season.

Max Kepler, Johnny Field and Jorge Polanco also went deep for the Twins, who had a season-high 18 hits and got a gritty effort by Kyle Gibson (8-13) to cool off the red-hot Royals.

“You always have something to play for,” said Gibson, who lasted into the seventh to end a four-start losing streak, despite allowing five runs and 11 hits. “When teams start giving up and throwing it in, they’re only doing disrespecting those around you.”

So that’s why Austin was willing to go head-over-heels into an empty dugout, and while the rest of the Twins were there to pick him right back up with a pat on his back.

“I don’t think he cares where fences are,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said. “He kind of caught it as he got there and unfortunately there were no people there. He took a pretty hard fall but he’s OK.”

Jerry Vasto (0-1) allowed one run on three hits to take the loss in relief.

Ryan O’Hearn and Rosell Herrera staked Kansas City to a 2-0 lead with back-to-back run-scoring doubles in the first, but Minnesota slowly chipped away in building a 5-2 lead in the fourth.

Polanco began the comeback with an RBI single, but it was Kepler’s homer off Jakob Junis — on the pitcher’s 26th birthday, no less — and back-to-back shots by Austin and Field that turned the game.

It was the sixth time Minnesota has gone back-to-back this season.

Brian Goodwin answered for Kansas City with an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth, and two-run shot by Adalberto Mondesi in the fifth allowed Kansas City to pull even again. But Polanco’s homer off Brian Flynn leading off the sixth gave Minnesota the lead back for good.

“It was a good homestand. I’m glad we’re playing better for our fans,” said Royals manager Ned Yost, whose club has won five straight series. “We haven’t given them much to cheer for all summer long, yet they still cheer for us. So, to have some success here at the end of the season makes me feel a little bit better.”

RIDER UP

The Twins rookies poured out of the dugout long after the final pitch and proceeded to run around Kauffman Stadium in what Gibson dubbed the Kentucky Derby. They’ll have to don their costumes again to run the Preakness after their final game in Detroit, then do it one more time to run the Belmont Stakes when they conclude their final road series in Oakland next weekend.

EWW, GROSS

Twins pitcher Zack Littell left Saturday’s game after developing blood blister on a finger of his pitching hand. “It’s good,” he said before Sunday’s game. “Came in this morning and let them drain it again. Letting it dry up and then take a day or two off catch, then get back at it.”

EASY WITH EDDIE

Eddie Rosario (hamstring) was the DH on Sunday, and Twins manager Paul Molitor said he’s being cautious with putting him back in the outfield. “I’m hoping he gets there. I don’t think he’s feeling that risk is worthwhile,” Molitor said. “As it’s going, I’m getting him in there most days as DH.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: C Mitch Garver (concussion) was feeling better Sunday, though it’s still unclear when he will be cleared to play. “He’s got more energy,” Molitor said. “There’s signs he’s getting it behind him.” … 3B Miguel Sano (bruised leg) missed his 10th straight game. “He said he’s doing better,” Molitor said. “He told me he wanted to try to play sometime in the Detroit series.”

Royals: 1B/3B Hunter Dozier (back) was out of the lineup against Sunday. He’s been in and out of the lineup for the past week. O’Hearn started at 1B and Alcides Escobar at 3B on Sunday.

UP NEXT

The Twins continue their 10-game trip when they visit Detroit for three games beginning Monday night. The Royals’ final road trip also begins Monday night, when RHP Brad Keller (8-6, 3.04) is on the mound for the first of three games in Pittsburgh.

Mahomes throws 6 TDs, Chiefs hold off Steelers 42-37

Posted on September 16, 2018

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Tyreek Hill turned to face the cameras when the hottest quarterback in the NFL looked up, saw a potential traffic jam and urged his Kansas City Chiefs teammate to conduct his business elsewhere.

“Don’t do that here,” Patrick Mahomes said with a laugh.

Hill responded by shuffling a few steps clear of Mahomes’ stall.

Good idea. There’s little doubt who is calling the shots now in Kansas City. It’s the first-year starter with the big arm.

Mahomes tied a franchise record with six touchdown passes and the Chiefs held off the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 42-37 victory Sunday that showcased why Kansas City traded away veteran Alex Smith in in the spring and put the team in the hands of a 22-year-old with all of one career start under his belt.

“He had a couple good plays you know,” coach Andy Reid said after Mahomes led Kansas City to its first win in Pittsburgh in 32 years.

Maybe more than a couple.

Mahomes, who turns 23 on Monday, finished 23 of 28 for 326 yards. His 10 touchdown passes through two weeksare the most ever by a quarterback through two games in NFL history. Heady stuff for a player who spent almost all of last season on the bench watching Smith guide the Chiefs to a fourth playoff berth in five years.

“You never expect to have 10 touchdowns at this point in the season,” Mahomes said. “But I knew with this offense and the weapons that we have and the scheme coach Reid has drawn up that we had a chance to be really, really good and the possibilities are endless.”

It sure looked that way while Mahomes spread the ball to seven different teammates, five of whom reached the end zone. Travis Kelce caught seven passes for 109 yards and two scores. Tyreek Hill, Chris Conley, Kareem Hunt and Demarcus Robinson also hauled in touchdown passes as the Chiefs (2-0) recovered in the second half after blowing an early 21-pont lead.

“I see Pat doing this all season long,” Kelce said. “He’s got the confidence. As long as we give him time and get open as wide outs and tight ends and running backs, he’s going to be able to get the best out of everyone.”

Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger shook off an achy right elbow that limited him in practice during the week, completing 39 of 60 passes for 452 yards and three touchdowns. The 36-year-old also leapt into the end zonefor a 3-yard score with 1:59 to go that got the Steelers (0-1-1) within five.

Rather than attempt an onside kick, Pittsburgh sent it deep. Two runs by Hunt gave Kansas City a big first down and Steelers linebacker Tyler Matakevich was flagged for roughing the punter, allowing the Chiefs to run out the clock and put the two-time defending AFC North champions at a crossroads just two weeks into the season.

“It’s not fun, but it’s still early,” Roethlisberger said. “It’s kind of where are we going to go from here. It’s kind of a mirror, gut check, whatever you want to call it. We’ll see how everyone wants to respond.”

STATS AND MORE STATS

The six touchdown passes by Mahomes tied the most ever allowed by the Steelers in franchise history. Buffalo Bills Hall of Famer Jim Kelly threw six against Pittsburgh in 1991. … Pittsburgh tight end Jesse James set a career-high with 138 yards receiving. … Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown caught nine passes for 67 yards, becoming the fastest player in NFL history to cross the 750-career reception total (117 games). … Roethlisberger moved past John Elway and into seventh for career passing yards. … The Chiefs scored six touchdowns and had just 27:49 time of possession. Their longest scoring drive lasted just 3:57. … Mahomes’ six scores tied Len Dawson’s franchise mark set in 1964 against Denver when the Chiefs played in the American Football League.

INJURIES

Chiefs: Get well Eric Berry. The veteran safety remains out with a sore heel and Kansas City’s defensive backfield hasn’t exactly stepped up in his absence. The Chiefs have allowed 870 yards in the air through two games. Part of the blame — if that’s the word — can be placed on opponents playing catch-up after getting buried early by Mahomes and company.

Steelers: Pittsburgh’s secondary badly missed cornerback Joe Haden, who sat out with a strained right hamstring. There appeared to be communication issues all over the place early on, particularly when it came to finding a way to guard Kelce.

UP NEXT

Chiefs: Welcome San Francisco to Arrowhead Stadium in their 2018 home opener next Sunday.

Steelers: Head to Tampa Bay for a Monday night meeting with the Buccaneers on Sept. 24.

Monday Weather

Posted on September 16, 2018

Monday

Sunny, with a high near 92. South wind 8 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Monday Night

Clear, with a low around 69. South wind around 10 mph.

Tuesday

Sunny, with a high near 93. South wind 8 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph.

Tuesday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 71. South southeast wind around 11 mph.

Wednesday

Sunny, with a high near 92. Breezy.

Wednesday Night

Mostly clear, with a low around 72. Breezy.

Thursday

A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. Breezy.

Thursday Night

A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62.

Friday

A slight chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 75. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Friday Night

A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61.

Saturday

A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 76.

Saturday Night

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60.

Sunday

A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 77.

Kansas felon gave police fake name during traffic stop

Posted on September 16, 2018September 16, 2018

SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on theft and weapons violation.

Just before 10:30 p.m. Saturday, officers conducted a traffic stop in the 1300 block of SW Buchanan in Topeka, according to Lt. Manuel Munoz.

During the investigation, officers determined that the driver was giving them a false identity. Officers were able to positively identify the subject as 39-year-old Robbie McBurney.

During the course of the investigation, McBurney was also found to be in possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and stolen property.

He was transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections under suspicion of crimes related to this incident.

McBurney has previous convictions for Aggravated Battery, Forgery and Drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

Early-bird signup for youth and adult sports at GBRC

Posted on September 16, 2018September 14, 2018

BUSINESS NEWS

Great Bend Recreation Commission is offering early bird sign up for both youth and adult sports. Starting September 17 and ending September 28 Great Bend Rec will be accepting registration for kids and adults of all ages for Youth and Adult Basketball, Adult Volleyball, and Youth and Adult Indoor Soccer.

Take advantage of a two week long early bird registration to live, play and explore at “the Rec”.

For more information, contact the GBRC office at 793-3755, website www.greatbendrec.com or Facebook page @Great Bend Rec.

Kansas man dies after run over early Sunday

Posted on September 16, 2018September 16, 2018

MORRIS COUNTY — One person died in an accident early Sunday in Morris County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a vehicle was eastbound on U.S. Highway 56 ten miles east of Herrington.

The vehicle ran over Shawn Irons, 56, Herrington, who was lying in the middle of the road and then departed the scene.

The KHP reported the accident occurred between1:21and 01:44 a.m. Sunday. Irons was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Zeiner Funeral Home.

Authorities released no additional details.

Different county policies could impact Kansas voting

Posted on September 16, 2018September 16, 2018

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The chances of a Kansas voter’s ballot being counted might depend on which county he or she lives in — especially if they vote by mail.

The issue of counties having different standards for determining whether a ballot should be counted came up last week (Monday) during a meeting of the State Objections Board, where Davis Hammet of Topeka objected to Republican Kris Kobach’s victory in the Aug. 7 GOP primary for governor. Hammet’s objections involved how the election was administered and whether the varying standards could have influenced the outcome of a race that Kobach won over Gov. Jeff Colyer by less than 350 votes.

Hammet noted Johnson County rejected 153 mail-in ballots because the signature on the envelope used to mail the ballot back to the county did not match the voter’s signature on file in the county election office.

In contrast, Shawnee and Douglas counties’ election officials didn’t reject any ballots because of mismatched signatures.

“This means either Johnson County erroneously rejected these ballots, or there is massive voter fraud in Johnson County,” Hammet told the board. “If the board rules that my objection is wrong and that Johnson County’s rejection is correct, then, given the discrepancy between Johnson County and Shawnee County, it can reasonably be presumed that Shawnee County and other counties improperly allowed fraudulent votes.”

Hammet also noted Kansas doesn’t require county officials to verify signatures when voters mail back their ballots. They are required to do so only when the voter fills out a form requesting an advance ballot by mail.

The Objections Board rejected the argument that county officials should not verify ballot signatures. Deputy Secretary of State Eric Rucker said that while the law does not require verifying signatures on advance ballot envelopes, it does say election officers have a duty to challenge ballots when there is reason to believe the people casting them are not who they say they are, and a mismatched signature can be evidence of that.

Shawnee County Election Commissioner Andrew Howell said his office didn’t reject any ballots in August because of mismatched signatures, but he said he typically sees at least a few mismatched signatures in each election. Deciding whether to count a ballot is often a judgment call that is left to local officials, he said.

“Anytime the law leaves it open for interpretation, everybody does the best they can,” Howell said. “We’re always left with the challenge of trying to make a reasonable determination.”

Howell said Shawnee County also spends a lot of time calling, writing or mailing voters if there is a problem with a ballot before deciding to reject it.

Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew said the county also didn’t reject any ballots because of mismatched signatures. His office often sends “runners” to voters’ homes to clear up any problems with their ballots.

“There’s nothing in the statute that says we have to reach out to the voter. That’s a decision we make,” Shew said.

Attorney Brant Lauenn said Hammet raised issues that the Legislature should resolve. But Rep. Vic Miller, D-Topeka, an attorney who often frequently handles election contests for Democratic candidates, said he thinks the secretary of state’s office should decide what he called administrative issues.

Howell also said he wasn’t sure whether imposing uniform standards on all counties would be helpful.

“It’s kind of a double-edged sword,” he said. “Too much subscription takes away from judgment calls, and a lot of times you need to make judgment calls. On the other hand, it would be helpful to be super clear what to count and not to count.”

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