Animal Agriculture Summit

Governor Brownback recently announced that he's scheduled a summit meeting on the economy and animal agriculture, September 28th in Garden City. Part of a series of summits held around the state on improving the Kansas economy this meeting will focus on the retention and expansion of farms, ranches and agribusiness in the state as well as ways to encourage new agricultural entities to enter the state. Featured speaker at the summit will be Dr. Giovanni Gasperoni of Novus International.

Specific topics to be covered in the gathering will include growing animal agriculture including workforce, Kansas’ advantages and disadvantages for business, food safety, animal health and animal welfare.

Provided below are some links to resources on animal agriculture, animal health, food safety and the Summit:

Governor's Economic Summit on Animal Agriculture
http://ksagriculture.kda.ks.gov/Pages/Default.aspx
(September 28, 2011, St. Dominic Catholic School, Garden City)
-- Agenda
-- Registration Form
-- Location and Lodging
-- Background Information
-- Contact
-- Dr. Giovanni Gasperoni biography

"Brownback To Host Animal Ag Summit"
http://www.hutchnews.com/Latestlocalnews/Brownback-to-host-animal-ag-summit
(Hutchinson News, August 30, 2011)

ANIMAL AGRICULTURE
Kansas Department of Agriculture
--Meat and Poultry
--Dairy
--Statistics

National Institute for Animal Agriculture
http://www.animalagriculture.org/

Animal Production (US Department of Agriculture)
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=ANIMAL_PRODUCTION&navtype=RT&parentnav=PRODUCERS

AGRIBUSINESS
Kansas Department of Agriculture
--Marketing
--Statistics

Kansas Agri Business Expo
http://www.ksabe.org/mx/hm.asp?id=Home

Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture
http://www.kansassustainableag.org/valueadded.htm

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service
http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/

FOOD SAFETY
Kansas Department of Agriculture
http://www.ksda.gov/food_safety/

Food Safety (US Government)
http://www.foodsafety.gov/

ANIMAL HEALTH
Kansas Animal Health Department
http://www.kansas.gov/kahd/index.shtml

Kansas Department of Agriculture Animal Health
http://www.ksda.gov/animal/

Kansas City Animal Health Corridor
http://www.kcanimalhealth.com/
("KC area companies account for nearly 32% of total sales in the $19 billion global animal health market")

USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/

ANIMAL WELFARE

Farm Animals: Animal Welfare Information Center
http://awic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?tax_level=1&info_center=3&tax_subject=170

ASSOCIATIONS, COUNCILS
(An incomplete list of organizations involved with different aspects of animal agriculture in Kansas)
Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association
Kansas Ag.org
Kansas Beef Council
Kansas Livestock Association
Kansas Cattlemen's Association
National Cattlemen's Beef Association
Kansas Dairy Association
Kansas Sheep Association
Kansas Pork Association
Kansas Meat Goat Association
Kansas Honey Producers Association
Northeastern Kansas Beekeepers' Association
Kansas Emu Association
Midwest Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association
Kansas Agricultural Aviation Association
Kansas Graziers Association
Kansas Poultry Association
Dr. R. Scott Beyer
Department of AS&I, 130 City Hall
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS 66506-1600

RESEARCH, GENERAL INFORMATION
Kansas State University Animal Science and Industry
http://www.asi.ksu.edu/p.aspx

Kansas Bioscience Authority
http://www.kansasbioauthority.org/
("Created by the Kansas Economic Growth Act of 2004 with the sole purpose of advancing Kansas’ leadership in bioscience")

Kansas Farm Bureau
http://www.kfb.org/

Article contact: Bill Sowers
(Check out recent additions to our collection)

Small Business works in Kansas

The U.S. Department of Treasury announced last week they are providing funds to two banks in Kansas via their Small Business Lending Fund. This fund was created as part of the 2010 Jobs Act to help banks lend to new small businesses. This fund is just one of many resources available to entrepreneurs. Find more resources for new business start-ups below.

Small Business Lending Fund (U.S. Treasury)

http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sb-programs/Pages/Small-Business-Lending-Fund.aspx

Kansas Business Center (Kansas Department of Commerce)

http://www.kansas.gov/businesscenter/

Network Kansas (Non-profit)
http://www.networkkansas.com/

Kansas Small Business Development Center (Partnership between Kansas Department of Commerce and US Small Business Administration)
http://ksbdc.kansas.gov/Pages/default.aspx

Minority and Women Business Development (Kansas Department of Commerce)
http://ks-kdoc.civicplus.com/index.aspx?NID=231

Federal and State business grants (Network Kansas)
http://www.networkkansas.com/entrepreneurs/funding-options/business-grants

Federal grants (Small Business Administration)
http://www.sba.gov/category/navigation-structure/loans-grants

Business incentives to locate in Kansas
http://ks-kdoc.civicplus.com/index.aspx?nid=93

Small Business Workshops (Kansas Department of Revenue)
http://www.ksrevenue.org/smbusworkshops.html

Advantage Loan Initiatives (Small Business Administration)
http://www.sba.gov/advantage

Financing for small business and non-profits
http://www.self-help.org/business-and-nonprofit-loans

New markets venture capital (Small Business Administration)
http://www.sba.gov/content/new-markets-venture-capital-companies

Article contact: Kim Harp

Presidential Election 2012

And so it begins... Another race to the White House is underway. Below are some basic sources on U.S. presidential elections, campaigners, campaign finance, the Electoral College and other resources available from government and non-government sites.

Federal Election Commission
http://www.fec.gov/

2012 Presidential Form 2 Filers
http://www.fec.gov/press/press2011/presidential_form2nm.shtml
(All individuals who have filed a Statement of Candidacy (FEC Form 2) with the FEC to register as a 2012 presidential candidate)

2012 Presidential Campaign Finance
http://www.fec.gov/disclosurep/pnational.do
(Summarizes financial information disclosed by each Presidential candidate who has reported at least $100,000 in contributions from individuals other than the candidate)

2012 Presidential Primaries, Caucuses, and Conventions Alphabetically by State
http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P12/events.phtml

2012 Presidential Primaries, Caucuses, and Conventions Chronologically by State
http://www.thegreenpapers.com/P12/events.phtml?s=c

What is the Electoral College
http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/about.html

Electoral College FAQs
http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/faq.html

Distribution of 2008 Electoral Votes
http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/2008/allocation.html

2008 Voting and Registration (U.S. Census Bureau)
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/socdemo/voting/publications/p20/2008/index.html
(Information on reported voting and registration by various demographic and socioeconomic characteristics is collected for the nation in November of Congressional and Presidential election years in the Current Population Survey)

American Presidential Elections
http://amview.japan.usembassy.gov/e/amview-e20080123-02.html
(Document by Allan J. Lichtman issued online by the American Embassy in Japan explaining how Americans elect their president)

Election of the President for Kids
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/election/president.html

Political Party Information
http://www.votesmart.org/party_info.php

Open Directory Project
U.S. Presidential Elections
http://www.dmoz.org/Regional/North_America/United_States/Government/Elections/President/
2012 Presidential Election
http://www.dmoz.org/Regional/North_America/United_States/Society_and_Culture/Politics/Candidates_and_Campaigns/President/

Gallup Pole: Election 2012
http://www.gallup.com/poll/election.aspx
(Presidential polling questions, results, reports and comparisons over the campaign cycle)


United States Presidental Election 2012 (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2012
Includes Links to Official Candidate Websites

MEDIA SITES
ABC News (click Vote 2012)
CBS News Elections
CNN Election Center
FOXNews
MSNBC Politics
PBS Online NewsHour

Back to School!

It's hard to think of fall and returning to school when it's been so hot. The calendar has turned another month, making parents check school supply lists and trying to squeeze in a few last-minute summer activities. Listed below are some resources available from government and private organizations to help orient your mind to school days.

Assistance in getting school supplies

Operation School Bell (Wichita area)- provides back-to-school clothes, uniforms and hygiene items to students in need
http://assistanceleaguewichita.org/programs/

Communities in Schools (statewide)- provides a variety of assistance to keep kids in school
http://ciskansas.org/about-us/services-programs/

Salvation Army- provides school supply, children’s programmng, tutoring, preschools
http://www.usc.salvationarmy.org/usc/www_usc_kan.nsf/vw-sublinks/796AE67B170E332D86257558007142FA?openDocument

For your back-to-school vaccination and health needs:

Laws that require vaccinations and the statutory exceptions:
http://www.kdheks.gov/immunize/download/Kansas_Statutes_Related_to_School_Immunizations.pdf

Form to verify your child’s vaccinations:
http://www.kdheks.gov/immunize/download/KCI_Form.pdf

Kansas physical forms for participating in high school sports:
http://www.kshsaa.org/Public/PDF/FORM-PPE.pdf

School Lunch

School nutrition programs as provided by the Kansas Department of Education:
http://www.kn-eat.org/SNP/SNP_Menus/SNP_Home.htm

National school lunch program:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/lunch/

Play Hard, Stay Healthy from the USDA
http://www.fns.usda.gov/eatsmartplayhardhealthylifestyle/

Childcare

How to pick the perfect before or after school childcare:
http://www.childcare.gov/

ERC Resource & Referral provides customized child care referrals, professional development and resources for early childhood professionals, and referrals to community resources:
www.ercrefer.org

United Way 2-1-1:
www.211kansas.org/

Parent Resources

PTA:
http://www.ptacentral.org/kansas.htm

Kansas Parent Information Resource Center:
http://www.kpirc.org/

Article contact: Kim Harp

It's so hot!

Off to the lake to beat this heat this weekend? Before you go, make sure that your local lake or reservoir does not have any current algae bloom warnings. Algae blooms are known to cause illness in humans and pets and can cause a fish die-off or “dead-zone” if they grow too large. Algae blooms occur more frequently in warm weather though no one is quite sure what triggers an algae bloom to become intense. Fertilizer runoff and other man-made chemicals seeping into waters have been thought to be one cause, heat and other natural causes such as slow moving water can be another.

To keep you and yours safe as you head to the lake, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment posts warnings of algal blooms and what to look for if you suspect the water may be a cause of a recent illness.

What is an algae bloom?
http://www.kdheks.gov/algae-illness/index.htm

Check here! Current warnings for Kansas waters:
http://www.kdheks.gov/algae-illness/algae_advisories.htm

Signs that will be posted if waters have an advisory warning:
http://www.kdheks.gov/algae-illness/download/BGA_Signs.pdf

Examples of what blue-green algae blooms look like:
http://www.kdheks.gov/algae-illness/download/BG_Algae_Examples.pdf

Illnesses you could get if you are exposed to algae blooms:
http://www.cdc.gov/hab/cyanobacteria/facts.htm

The Response Plan from KDHE for algal blooms:
http://www.kdheks.gov/algae-illness/download/BGA_Response_Plan.pdf

When algae go wild, macro-algal bloom on the Yellow Sea:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/07/pictures/110725-algae-china-beaches-qingdao-swimming-science-environment-world/

Article contact: Kim Harp

The U.S. National Debt

The United States public debt is a measure of the obligations of the United States federal government and is presented by the United States Treasury in two components and one total:

--Debt Held by the Public, representing all federal[1] securities held by institutions or individuals outside the United States Government;
--Intragovernmental Holdings, representing U.S. Treasury securities held in accounts which are administered by the United States Government, such as the OASI Trust fund administered by the Social Security Administration; and
--Total Public Debt Outstanding, which is the sum of the above components.[2]
[Wikipedia]

Below are some basic links to information on the United States National Debt:

An Overview of the United States National Debt
http://www.csub.edu/kej/documents/weekly_updates/2011-06-13.pdf
(2011 document by Abbas P. Grammy, CSU-Bakersfield)

Frequently Asked Questions About the National Debt
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/resources/faq/faq_publicdebt.htm
(From the U.S. Dept of the Treasury)

Federal Debt: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04485sp.pdf
http://www.gao.gov/special.pubs/longterm/debt/
(U.S. Government Accountability Office. Both a website and a pdf document)

Budget of the United States Government: 2012
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/

Citizen's Guide to the 2010 Financial Report of the United States Government
http://www.fms.treas.gov/fr/10frusg/10guide.pdf
(U.S. Dept of the Treasury)

Debt and Deficits, by David Rosen
http://ecedweb.unomaha.edu/ve/library/debt.pdf
(A dated work, 1994, but a good resource for basic information on the National Debt. Examines the national debt and deficits, looks at their size and impact, and discusses various policy measures for bringing them under control)

Ten Trillion and Counting
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tentrillion/
(Public Broadcasting System)

U.S. Bureau of the Public Debt
http://www.publicdebt.ustreas.gov/
(Borrows the money needed to operate the federal government and to account for the resulting debt. See the National Debt to the penny. The Bureau also provides a Twitter page for the Debt.)
The Debt to the Penny and Who Holds It
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np

Budget Deficit and National Debt Reduction
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/DeficitandN
(C-Span Video Library. A panel of former Congressional Budget Office directors talked about federal budget deficits and the national debt)

The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/105193.pdf
(by D. Andrew Austin, 2008, Congressional Research Service)

U.S. Dept of the Treasury Page For Kids
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/kids/kids.htm
(Includes information on the National Debt at a level understandable for children, teens and those of us adults who have problems balancing our own checking accounts!)

Article contact: Bill Sowers
(Check out recent additions to our collection)

Mental Health in Kansas

One of the many tasks of the state agency, Social and Rehabilitation Services, is to "support persons with mental illness in their recovery and in living safe, healthy, successful, self-determined lives in their home and community. Services are provided at a community-based level and include medication management, out-patient therapy, case management, mental health rehabilitation, personal support, and crisis services." SRS partners with Community Mental Health Centers to provide a safety net of service to ensure that all of Kansas is covered.

Under Kansas Statutes Annotated (KSA) 19-4001 et. seq., and KSA 65-211 et. seq., 27 licensed Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) currently operate in the state. The primary goal of CMHCs is to provide quality care, treatment and rehabilitation to individuals with mental health problems in the least restrictive environment. These Centers have a combined staff of over 4,000 providing mental health services in every county of the state in over 120 locations. Together they form an integral part of the total mental health system in Kansas.

According to the Association for Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas, the independent, locally owned centers are dedicated to fostering a quality, free standing system of services and programs for the benefit of citizens needing mental health care and treatment. The primary goal of CMHCs is to provide quality care, treatment and rehabilitation to individuals with mental health problems in the least restrictive environment. The Centers provide services to all those needing it, regardless of economic level, age or type of illness. In Kansas, more than 97 percent of all citizens seeking public mental health care are seen at CMHCs. The remaining 3% are served through psychiatric residential treatment facilities, state hospitals, nursing or other residential care facilities, or private organizations or services.

Kansas Community mental health center directory:
http://www.acmhck.org/BusinessDirectoryII.aspx

Find your local community mental health center by map:
http://www.srs.ks.gov/services/Pages/MapCMHC.aspx

SRS provides support for peer-to-peer assistance programs called Consumer-Run Organizations in which adults support each other in the community:
http://www.srs.ks.gov/agency/mh/Pages/Services/GrantsandContracts/CROs.aspx

Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities (PRTF) in Kansas:
http://www.srs.ks.gov/agency/mh/Pages/Policies/Licensing/PRTFs/PRTFClassII.aspx

Alternatives to PRTF’s from Kansas Health Solutions:
https://www.kansashealthsolutions.org/members/download.php?id=145&filename=PRTF%20Waiver%2001.11.10.pdf

Nursing facilities and residential care facilities are other pieces of the mental health conglomerate of SRS-supported organizations:
http://www.srs.ks.gov/agency/mh/Pages/Services/NFsMH.aspx

Manual for Parents of children with Severe Emotional Disturbance (SED) and the SED Waiver:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBwQFjAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kmap-state-ks.us%2FDocuments%2FContent%2FProvider%2520Manuals%2FPD%2520SED%25201-04.pdf&ei=ggcWTtFvh9zRAcrnpV8&usg=AFQjCNEg9RC_pxtzcMF1OFH3EzJa2SFD5Q

Family Guide to Systems of Care for Children with Mental Health Needs (From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services):
https://www.kansashealthsolutions.org/members/download.php?id=44&filename=family%20guide.pdf

Article contact: Kim Harp