The Barton County Health Department (BCHD), Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Kansas Department of Agriculture are investigating an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness associated with a meal delivered to a private business in Great Bend, Kansas on Friday, November 9, 2018. This is more than likely an isolated instance.

Preliminary results indicate Staphylococcus aureus was the cause of this outbreak. Staph food poisoning is a gastrointestinal illness caused by eating foods contaminated with toxins produced by the Staph bacteria. Through this investigation, it was determined some of the food served may have been held at an unsafe temperature.

The best way to avoid food poisoning by Staph is to prevent food from being held at an unsafe temperature (between 40°F and 140°F) for more than two hours.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, KDHE, and BCHD recommend the following food safety tips.
 Use a food thermometer and cook food to their safe minimum internal temperature.
 Keep hot foods hot (140°F or hotter) and cold foods cold (40°F or colder).
 Store cooked food in wide, shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours (or 1 hour if it’s hotter than 90°F outside).
 Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and water before, during, and after preparing food, and before eating.

More information on Staph food poisoning can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/diseases/staphylococcal.html.

Barton County is required to have all 370 bridges within the county inspected every two years. The last inspections done by Kirkham Michael were done in the spring of 2017. Barton County Engineer Barry McManaman went before the County Commissioners to inform them it is time to get the next wave of inspections started.

The Commission approved the bid from Kirkham Michael to conduct the inspections again, but Commission Chair Jennifer Schartz did ask McManaman if other bids were solicited. McManaman said no because it was hard to compete with Kirkham Michael’s location in Ellsworth and their price.

Barry McManaman Audio

Counties are federally mandated to inspect their bridges. Kirkham Michael charged $87 per bridge in 2017 and are charging $89 in 2019 for a total cost of $32,930.

Starting January 1, 2019 the City of Great Bend will change how they attempt to collect late utility payments. Currently, city staff will go to houses that are late on their utility bill and knock on doors in hopes of collecting a payment. City Clerk Shawna Schafer says that will come to an end in January.

The city is trying to eliminate the time spent by city staff running around town and the liability of handling cash.

Shawna Schafer Audio

Two weeks ago, the City started notifying customers on their bills of the late notice changes. City Administrator Kendal Francis said the City will also make use of social media to remind citizens of the change.

So beginning in 2019, if you are late on your bill, your utility service will be cut off without a face-to-face reminder.

Barton County Health Director Shelly Schneider and Community Corrections Director Amy Boxberger attended the 2018 Kansas Opiod Conference Nov. 15 in Topeka. The conference was aimed at educating attendees of the crisis and to prevent further escalation in Kansas.

Schneider says even if law enforcement could commit all their resources to fighting the problem it would have little impact on the amount of opioids that are readily available. Part of the reason for that is the proximity to Mexico, and not just geographically.

Shelly Schneider Audio

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment invited local health departments to apply for funding, not to exceed $75,000 per county, to support projects that address the opioid overdose crisis in Kansas.

Talking with Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir on what the county could use the money for, the Sheriff encouraged opioid education and awareness training. Schneider also wants to be looking ahead to what the next crisis will be in Barton County.

Shelly Schneider Audio

The grant request was due this week and the county will find out if they received any funding by November 30. If the county does receive funding, the money has to be spent by June 30, 2019.

BOOKED: Derek Nease of Claflin on Barton County District Court warrant for contempt of court, no bond.

BOOKED: Jacqueline Goodwin on a Barton County District Court warrant for criminal threat, bond was set at $5,000 C/S.

BOOKED: Michael Moore of Great Bend on Reno County District Court warrant for failure to appear, bond set at $10,000 C/S. Barton County District Court case for possession of methamphetamine and felony interference with LEO and possession of drug paraphernalia with a bond set at $10,000 C/S.

BOOKED: Miguel Gonzalez Jr. of Great Bend on BTDC case for driving while suspended, bond set at $1,000 C/S.

BOOKED: Christopher Hughes of Great Bend on GBMC warrant for contempt of charge, bond set at $801 cash only or 85 days jail.

RELEASED: Miguel Gonzalez Jr. of Great Bend on BTDC case for driving while suspended, posted bond amount of $1,000 through Ace Bail Bonding.

BUSINESS NEWS

Anyone interested in surprising loved ones, coworkers or friends with some holiday cheer, or adding some festive flair to their event, can hire a quartet to perform traditional religious or secular holiday music selections.

Barton vocal music students have formed a handful of quartets for hire to offer caroling services any time between December 2-21. Performances will be 15 minutes long and can be purchased for a  donation of $100 or more. The music can be as background or foreground.

All performers are members of the newly formed Barton Community College student chapter of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). Proceeds will be used to pay for the students’ admission to the ACDA national professional development convention.

To book a quartet, contact Sara Oberle, at (620) 792-9395 or oberles@bartonccc.edu.

Farm Bill 2018 Timeline Ticking
Congress has entered the lame duck session with a host of issues awaiting congressional action. The congressional to-do list, topped by government funding, includes several major legislative items. To avoid a government shutdown, Congress must pass the remaining seven FY2019 appropriations bills, which includes USDA program funding, before Dec. 7. Both Agriculture Committee chairmen and ranking members continue to hold closed door discussions. As leadership continues to reach compromises and move forward with the bill, National Sorghum Producers remains optimistic that a bill will get done in the next month.

Republicans Name Upcoming Leadership 
Republicans have announced the new leaders for the upcoming 116th congress. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will remain the head of conference. The Majority whip will be Senator John Thune (R-SD) and Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) will be the conference chair. Other Senate leadership nominees include: Roy Blunt (R-Mo) as Policy Committee chair, Joni Ernst (R-IA) as Conference vice chair and Todd Young (R-IN) as National Republican Senatorial Committee chair.

The House minority leadership will consist of: Minority leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Minority whip Steve Scalise (R-LA), Conference chair Liz Cheney (R-WY), Conference vice chair Mark Walker (R-NC), Conference secretary Jason Smith (R-MO), Policy Committee chair Gary Palmer (R-AL) and National Republican Congressional Committee chair Tom Emmer (R-MN). House Democrats will hold their leadership elections on Nov. 28.

Senate Ag Committee Announces Hearing for USDA Food Safety and Research Nominees
Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) have announced a hearing to consider three USDA nominations: Mindy Brashears, of Texas, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food Safety, Scott Hutchins, of Indiana, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Research, Education, and Economics, and Naomi C. Earp, of Maryland, to be an Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Civil Rights.

Thanksgiving Dinner Cost Down for Third Straight Year
The American Farm Bureau Federation’s 33rd annual survey of classic items found on the Thanksgiving Day dinner table indicates the average cost of this year’s feast for 10 is $48.90, or less than $5.00 per person. This is a 22-cent decrease from last year’s average of $49.12. The AFBF Thanksgiving dinner survey was first conducted in 1986. While Farm Bureau does not make any scientific claims about the data, it is an informal gauge of price trends around the nation. Farm Bureau’s survey menu has remained unchanged since 1986 to allow for consistent price comparisons.

NSP November Board Meeting Continues
The National Sorghum Producers board of directors met this week in Lubbock, Texas. Board members entertained a host of questions and ideas to help generate action plans for the upcoming year. National board members were joined by industry professionals and state leaders.

Enter the 2018 NSP Yield Contest 
Time is running out to enter the sorghum yield contest. The yield contest gives NSP the opportunity to recognize growers for their yield achievements and highlight crop quality across the nation. Winners will have the opportunity to travel to Commodity Classic in Orlando, Florida, and will be recognized at the annual NSP yield contest awards dinner. Enter online at SorghumGrowers.com where more information about the contest and this year’s rule changes can be found.

Commodity Classic Registration Opens
Registration for America’s largest farmer-led, farmer-focused agricultural and educational experience officially opens at 10:00 a.m. Central on Wednesday, Nov. 14. Early bird discounts on registration end Jan. 10, 2019. The 2019 Commodity Classic will be held Thursday, Feb. 28 through Saturday, March 2 in Orlando, Florida. Commodity Classic is presented annually the American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Sorghum Producers and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. This experience includes a robust schedule of educational sessions, a huge trade show featuring the latest technology, equipment and innovation, top-notch entertainment, inspiring speakers and the opportunity to network with thousands of farmers from across the nation. To register, reserve hotel rooms, sign up for email updates or see a full schedule of events, visit CommodityClassic.

Apply for the National Sorghum Foundation and BASF Scholarship
The National Sorghum Foundation and BASF are again partnering to provide a joint scholarship program for the 2018-2019 school year. Two scholarships will be given and include a $2,500 award for tuition, as well as cover expenses for the recipients’ participation in the 2019 Commodity Classic in Orlando, Florida, set for Feb. 28 – March 2, 2019.

Attending the Commodity Classic will allow scholarship awardees to experience the nation’s largest gathering of farmers and learn about top issues and opportunities in agriculture today. The Commodity Classic Trade Show offers scholarship recipients the opportunity to network with leading agribusiness companies and learn about their newest technologies. The deadline to apply is Dec.1.

Crop Update 
Producers had harvested 73 percent of the nation’s sorghum acreage by Nov. 11, eight percentage points behind last year and 11 points behind the five-year average. Harvest progress advanced 12 percentage points or more from the previous week in Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota.