To FEAST or not to FEAST

The Kansas Rural Center is a community-based organization that works directly with Kansas farmers, communities, and leaders to understand their needs, design strategic responses, and connect them with information and resources needed to advance a sustainable farm and food future. This presentation covers the FEAST program, which will enable competitors to view each other in a non-threatening manner and lead to mutually beneficial partnerships, start communication between local small crop producers and the community, make the community aware of how a food hub can function and improve community health, and create unusual and needed partnerships

E-Report #18

Weekly update on the activities of the Kansas Legislature

Fiscal Crisis in Federal Reserve Districts 9 and 10 “Plains States”

The states in these two districts include all of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska and Oklahoma, and parts of Wisconsin, Michigan (Upper Peninsula), New Mexico and Missouri. The region is generally more rural and lower in population density than the nation. Economically, the area is more reliant on agriculture, and in some areas, energy and mining. It is less reliant than the nation on manufacturing, financial services and tourism. Cities in this region are generally smaller than national averages. In their fiscal structure, no personal income tax is imposed in Montana and South Dakota. All these states impose a sales tax. There is substantial variation in municipal revenue sources

Refugee farmer development at Juniper Gardens Training Farm

The Juniper Gardens Training Farm is a partnership between Cultivate KC, Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas and the Kansas City, KS Housing Authority. The farm is in northeast Kansas City, KS in the middle of Kansas’ oldest and largest public housing project. In 2020 the 9-acre site was home to a dozen community gardeners, 15 farm families in training, and three program graduates who lease plots and farm infrastructure for the growing season. The four-year farm incubation program (New Roots for Refugees), started in 2008, assists re-settled refugees in starting independent farm businesses on ¼ acre plots and provides four years of production, marketing, and business management skills through farm classes and one-on-one training from trained staff. As of 2019 we have graduated 32 farm families from the program, and over 80% of them are still growing and selling in the Kansas City Metro. Farmers in the program come from extremely different backgrounds, with varying levels of education, language and farming skills; thus, program training must remain dynamic to meet both farmer needs and the ever-changing agricultural environment they are growing in. We will present on our educational model, which has been developed to suit our refugee farmers, but can also be adapted to other non-English speakers and audiences with different educational levels. Training at Juniper Gardens starts in the winter with English classes, transitions into the spring with production planning and farm classes, and continues throughout the growing season with one-on-one field walks. Program funding is scaffolded in that trainees receive more financial assistance in the first year and this slowly decreases during their time in the program, so that by the fourth year they are prepared to incur these expenses once they are on their own. In the past year, more efforts have been made to scaffold the educational components of the program as well. English classes are offered at different levels based on skill level, frequency of field walks is based on years in the program and farmer preference, and farm classes vary in content based on skill and years in the program. One of the largest challenges is synchronizing all of the materials and data collection across different teaching methods (i.e., field walks, English classes, and farm classes). Throughout the years, our teaching methods have been altered and adapted, this presentation will focus on current best practices, but will also reflect on challenges and adaptation needs

Women in American Energy: De-feminizing Poverty in the Oil and Gas Industries

Women have historically been excluded from work in the male-dominated American oil and gas industry due to unfavorable working conditions and industry hiring biases. However, due to recent developments in on-land drilling techniques and increased overall production, this gender discrimination is slowly beginning to change as more women are being hired for energy industry jobs. In the short term, this means a greater distribution of wealth in what can be a lucrative field. Greater access to employment with security and room for advancement could also mean a long-term structural change in industry hiring norms, granting women greater access to energy employment in the future

Why Small Towns are a Big Deal: Evaluating the Lasting Impacts of Greensburg, Kansas’ Resilience Plan and its Role as a Model for Small Towns in the face of Climate Change

Small towns and rural communities face particular geographic and demographic obstacles in responding to and preparing for climate change events, particularly in their capacity to build and maintain resilient and green infrastructure. Physical isolation, lack of investment, high poverty rates, and an aging population increase the vulnerability of these communities. Small towns face particular obstacles as the severity of destructive weather events– like tornadoes, floods, and hurricanes– are exacerbated by climate change. When faced with a disaster, the aforementioned obstacles are only intensified as they face rebuilding. If small towns are to adequately respond to climate change, they will need to assess their risks and vulnerabilities and take stock of the resources available to them. Using the example of Greensburg, Kansas and its infamous 2007 Tornado as a case study, this paper, through analysis of its master plans and interviews with leaders, will investigate the lasting effects of the town’s sustainable rebuilding 17 years later, and its internal and external experience in the impact it has had on towns looking to bolster sustainability and climate resilience

Rebuilding a green town

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2009.Includes bibliographical references (p. 98-104).The tornado that hit Greensburg, Kansas, in May 2007, traveled down the center of Main Street at two hundred and five miles per hour and destroyed ninety-five percent of the town's built environment. The extensive damage was devastating to a town that was already struggling with job loss, depopulation, and economic decline. When Greensburg unexpectedly announced it would rebuild green, the town captured national attention as a symbol of a sustainable revitalization strategy. This thesis examines Greensburg's recovery with the hope of identifying how other cities can learn from its example. For Greensburg, rebuilding green means creating a healthy future for the next generation. Greensburg interprets green to not only signify environmental conservation, but also, if not more importantly, a strategy for community development and economic stability. Greensburg is fortunate to have visionary leadership and outside financial assistance, but these factors alone would not have been enough to resurrect the town. Greensburg is rebuilding green for its community's future, but in order to rebuild at all, Greensburg first needed the support of its community. Before the storm, the greater Greensburg community was not especially involved in civic affairs or environmental issues. The community became invested in its future and committed to green as a result of three key factors, all of which can be implemented elsewhere.(cont.) The combination of the extensive environmental education efforts, the growing excitement for reversing the town's decline and the term 'green's ability to resonate with a wide range of interests, encouraged Greensburg residents and business owners to return to the town and inspired them to rebuild green. Greensburg's strategic application of green planning is relevant not only to other small, rural towns, but also to any city that is considering revitalizing a neighborhood. Greensburg integrated green elements into almost every aspect of its recovery. By building weather-resistant, energy efficient buildings and renewable energy infrastructure, instituting new green building policies and pursuing green manufacturing businesses to provide employment opportunities, among many initiatives, Greensburg is using green to create a long-term plan for the town, in order to serve both its natural resources and its community.by Anna Bromberg.M.C.P

Accounting for productive time lost in dairy cattle: disease adjusted lactation

Includes bibliographical references.2016 Summer.Dairy cow mortality, morbidity, and poor welfare have been of increased concern over the past several decades. Traditionally, dairy farm management has focused on singular costs associated with pathologies without thoroughly quantifying losses tied to disease and consequent death or culling. Within human epidemiology, the economic burden of time lost due to ill-health or early death is measured through the World Health Organization's disability adjusted life years (DALY). This project utilized the DALY concept to estimate time lost during a lactation due to disease and subsequent early removal of dairy cows. This was accomplished through the development of the disease adjusted lactation (DALact) metric. The DALact is calculated by combining days lost due to illness or injury (DLI) and days lost due to early death or removal (DLRD). The DLI reflects the number of cases during a certain period, multiplied by a disability weight and specific disease duration. The DLRD is comprised of two components: days lost due to death, and days lost due to culling from a given disease. Disability weights for 13 common dairy cow diseases were derived from an international expert opinion survey of dairy producers, managers and veterinarians. The selected disease states included: calving trauma, diarrhea, ketosis, lameness, left displaced abomasum, mastitis, metritis, milk fever, musculoskeletal injury, pneumonia, right displaced abomasum, and retained placenta. Survey participants were asked to estimate the impact of each disease on overall health and milk production. Diseases were classified from 0 (no adverse effects) to 10 (terminal). Validity and scope of participants' responses were assessed using a modified beta-Pert distribution and median points were used to provide disability weights for the DALact calculation. To support development of the DALact, collection of disease and removal data from three Kansas dairy farms representing 9,000 Holstein cows began January 1, 2014 and ended on May 26, 2015. A total of 7,233 cows were enrolled in the study across the three dairies. DALact measures were calculated using disease, culling and death data for each disease state while combining the disability weights, duration, and average days in milk at time of removal. Mastitis accounted for the largest category on all three dairies representing 29,779, 23,917, and 36,183 days lost for Dairies 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Conversely, prevalence of mastitis was largest on only Dairy 1 (33%). Lameness was the second largest DALact category for Dairies 2 (9,934) and 3 (29,912) but not for Dairy 1 (pneumonia, 13,571). Prevalence for lameness was largest (35%) for Dairies 2 and 3. The DALact method confirmed that mastitis and lameness are areas of focus, but also highlighted that pneumonia is a primary concern on Dairy 1. The DALact aims to provide an assessment of the complete impact of mortality and morbidity on time lost in dairy cattle. The end result will be to validate the effectiveness of dairy health oversight and to determine where to focus management to reduce the number and economic impact of preventable removals and diseases while increasing animal welfare

Digitizing The Warranty of Habitability

The warranty of habitability was touted fifty years ago as a gamechanger in rebalancing power between tenants and landlords. Under the warranty, a residential tenant’s duty to pay rent is conditioned on a landlord’s obligation to make repairs. Scholars who have studied the warranty of habitability have focused on its defensive use, primarily when a tenant is already in eviction proceedings. Consensus has emerged that the warranty as a defensive shield has failed to deliver meaningful benefits to tenants living in poor housing conditions. This Article explores whether an affirmative use of the warranty, coupled with a new technology and community organizing approach, can improve tenant outcomes. Specifically, the authors designed, built, and implemented a novel tool available for tenants to bring pro se actions for money damages in small claims courts for breaches of the warranty of habitability. The Warranty of Habitability Abatement of Rent Mathematical Calculator (“H.A.R.M. Calculator”) is an efficiency application that allows law students and attorney volunteers to assist tenants in preparing small claims court pleadings. Tenants then file their complaints and, when successful, obtain judgments for money damages against their current or former landlords. This Article contributes to the poverty law, housing law, and legal technology literatures by focusing on the warranty of habitability in a new way. An affirmative, tenant-centered remedy has the possibility of shifting power dynamics between tenants and landlords. Through initial data collected, the authors have developed working hypotheses that the tool will test through future research