Hello from Topeka!  What a difference a week makes, as we have seen a temperature shift of nearly 70 degrees. This is not only hard on us humans, but for our pets and especially outdoor livestock and those that are amid calving seasons. We wish you good luck. One of the things that last week brought out was the possibility of higher energy prices in your next bill. Our providers have been working hard to keep costs down and we are continuing to seek answers on where we go from here. This will become one of the top issues we will be dealing with the rest of the session.

Senate Highlights

This week marked the sixth week of session with the first half of the legislative session almost behind us. As we approach “turn-around” the Senate held floor debate on Tuesday and Thursday and worked bills which were sent out of committees to the full Senate. The bills voted on by the full Senate now cross over to the House of Representatives where the process starts over.

The extremely cold temperatures observed in Kansas in mid-February 2021 have the potential to cause winterkill to the winter wheat crop. However, several factors determine whether winter wheat will actually survive the winter. The most important factors from the crop’s perspective include proper cold hardening and root system development, as well as the overall crop status in terms of damage from pests. From an environmental perspective, important factors include air temperature and the consequent soil temperature at the crown level, as well as snow cover and soil moisture content.

Our first beef calves of the season arrived a few days into February. Each day into calving season temperatures grew colder, and our lives transitioned from normal routines to the highly vigilant survival mode required to weather the arctic storm.

My quiet moments during this bitterly cold stretch have been filled with reflections on the farming and ranching lifestyle. Calving through a storm is hard work that takes a kind of deep, character-refining strength.