Tuesday, January 27, 2026
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What’s in Your Hopper?

By
Steve Gilliland
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A few years back we embarked on an adventure to build a simple and inexpensive deer feeder. A friend had an old unused fuel tank stand made from angle iron – the kind that once held a three-hundred-gallon drum on its side. I bought it for a song, and then came the challenge of what to use for a hopper to hold the corn. I’m not sure my wife has ever thought INSIDE the box, and she came up with the idea of using a poly cart like the ones that hold our weekly trash. I called the local solid waste utility company, found an old one with a broken axle and bought it for another song. We wanted to use a “flinger” style mechanism to dispense the corn, and since the bottom of poly carts are flat, that required somehow making the inside of the poly cart funnel shaped to funnel the corn down to the mechanism. That problem was solved by cutting two pieces of scrap plywood to fit inside the hopper, making the inside wedge-shaped.

We purchased the dispensing mechanism which consists of a small wheel mounted above a motor that’s driven by a square six-volt battery. It’s all controlled by a timer which turns the dispenser on and off at programed times, spinning the wheel and flinging corn around onto the ground. A thick plastic funnel comes with the dispenser and bolts around a hole cut into the bottom of the hopper. That funnel is specially designed so that when it’s positioned the right height above the flinger, it allows corn to run out of the hopper onto the flinger wheel, but causes it to “bridge-up” and stop until the wheel spins. In other words, if the funnel was wider or placed too far above the wheel, the corn would not “bridge-up” and stop running when it hit the motionless wheel, but instead would just pour constantly onto the ground until it had all run out.

Fast forward to spring a couple years later, when we were using the feeder to feed corn to turkeys prior to spring turkey season. I remember going there one evening to check the amount of corn in the hopper and was surprised to find it empty with lots of corn on the ground. I backed the pickup up to the feeder and climbed up onto it with a bucket of corn like I had done numerous times before, but when I dumped the bucket into the hopper, the corn all ran straight through onto the ground. Upon inspection, I found that the plastic funnel had been chewed off by some critter making it much shorter and allowing the corn to just pour through the hole. The feeder was now useless until a new funnel of some sort was put onto the bottom of the hopper.

A couple weeks later we headed out to pick up our then-useless deer feeder for repairs. It dawned on me that the hopper was made to be easily removed and that’s all we needed anyway, so we began removing the bolts that held it to the frame. As we worked, it seemed like I could hear an occasional rustling sound inside the hopper. I felt like Clark Griswald from the movie “Christmas Vacation,” trying to find the squeaking noise coming from the Christmas tree. But each time I stopped to listen, the rustling noise stopped too, so I dismissed it to my imagination. When the hopper was finally loose, we toppled it over into the bed of the pickup, and Joyce began hearing my “imaginary” rustling noise also. Supposing a no-good packrat was inside, I pulled the hopper to the back of the pickup and started to open the lid. My plan was to stand to the side and let the open lid dangle over the back of the tailgate in hopes that our freeloader would jump out the back and be gone without incident. While rolling the hopper around, the rustling inside turned to scratching and clawing and with the hole in the hopper facing away from us,

I prepared to open the lid and confront the intruder. I unsnapped the tarp strap that held the lid closed, but before I could fling it open, a squirrel bailed out the hole in front, clearing the side of the pickup in one bound like Rocky the Flying Squirrel. Joyce and I starred at each other in disbelief; I think her only words were” I didn’t see that comin’!” The critter had actually chewed a hole through the half-inch plywood inside and had quite the cozy little nest built within; we pulled grass and leaves out of there for ten minutes.

The most amazing thing about the whole squirrel-nest-inside-the-deer-feeder-hopper thing is that the only way into it was up through the hole in the plastic funnel on the bottom. I know squirrels can squeeze their bodies into some impossible places, but I’d loved to have watched it leap from the frame of the feeder onto the motor, then stuff itself up through the gnawed-out plastic funnel and into the poly cart. This gives a whole new meaning to the term “squirrel corn.” So, as you continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors, if something seems squirrely, it probably is!

Steve can be contacted by email at [email protected]

KU News: Physicians reveal outlooks and concerns about use of artificial intelligence in medical care

By
Guest Columnist
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0

From the Office of Public Affairs | http://www.news.ku.edu

Headlines

Physicians reveal outlooks and concerns about use of artificial intelligence in medical care

LAWRENCE — New research from University of Kansas philosophy and medical researchers analyzes physician and physician assistants’ views about the use of artificial intelligence in the medical profession, including its potential future applications. Published in JAMIA Open, the findings are based on responses from more than 500 members of the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts, the state’s medical licensing and regulatory board.

Meagan Patterson named associate vice provost in Faculty Affairs

LAWRENCE — Meagan Patterson, professor of educational psychology, has been named associate vice provost for faculty policy and recognition at the University of Kansas. Her appointment became effective Jan. 1. This new position will take a leadership role in developing policy, reviewing policy processes and developing educational programming related to faculty policy. Additionally, this role will develop and promote faculty recognition initiatives and coordinate university-level faculty award committees in the Office of Faculty Affairs.

Full stories below.

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Contact: Jon Niccum, KU News Service, 785-864-7633, [email protected]

Physicians reveal outlooks and concerns about use of artificial intelligence in medical care

LAWRENCE — Whether it’s the Emergency Medical Hologram in “Star Trek” or the “MedPod” in the “Alien” films, the creators of science fiction have long considered the healing possibilities of artificial intelligence. Now physicians are also pondering the modern reality of such futuristic concepts.

“It’s easy to speculate about how medicine will change with the emergence of AI. But for this research, we were concerned with assessing how medical professionals are actually thinking about it in the present,” said John Symons, professor of philosophy at the University of Kansas.

His new paper “Perceptions and attitudes toward artificial intelligence among frontline physicians and physicians’ assistants in Kansas: a cross-sectional survey” suggests that perceptions of benefits, trust, risks, communication barriers, regulation and liability issues influence health care professionals’ intention to use AI, regardless of their technological familiarity.

The research appears in JAMIA Open.

Co-written by Robert Badgett and Rosey Zackula of the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita, Rajeev Seecheran of the University of New Mexico and Tanner Dean with Intermountain Health, Salt Lake City, the research found that the top concerns medical professionals have are liability-related and responsibility-related. But the respondents also shared a concern about how the practice of medicine and the satisfaction of interacting with patients might be reduced or eliminated.

“Let’s say I’m a physician in Kansas, and I have 1,000 avatars of me out there on people’s phones. These reflect my expertise, my bedside manner, etc.,” Symons said.

“People would interact with these avatars during their day. They’d say, ‘OK, doctor, I’ve got this ailment. What do you think?’ Obviously, the amount of time people can spend with these devices far exceeds the availability of a doctor. But how is my responsibility going to be distributed across 1,000 instances of me … or at least of my presence, of my image?”

As alluded to in the title of the paper, both physicians and physician assistants’ responses were nearly identical. While that proved somewhat predictable, what really surprised Symons were responses involving AI fluency.

“We would expect that people who are more familiar with the technology would have more refined or different kinds of concerns,” Symons said. “But, typically, all the concerns echo an interest in the more social consequences of AI. That is broadly consonant with the kinds of research we’re doing at the Center for Cyber-Social Dynamics, where we’re seeing social transformation as becoming a more pressing concern than traditional concerns about privacy or security.”

To obtain a comprehensive sample of participants, an email invitation was sent to all 12,290 actively licensed physicians and physician assistants of the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts (KBHA). The KBHA is the state’s medical licensing and regulatory board for 16 different health professions. Of these active members, 532 responses were received.

Currently, physicians are already using AI in limited capacities.

“There are research applications of AI that are extremely prominent in the biomedical fields. There are office levels of paperwork applications of AI we can point to. You can also find many examples in imaging and diagnostics. But so far, day-to-day clinical use of AI isn’t part of your normal internal medicine practice,” Symons said.

What are some ways it might be used by physicians in the near future?

“Likely applications of AI will involve avatars for doctors,” he said.

“Your doctor will be present as an AI on your phone or computer. It’s very likely that — assuming we can tackle the legislative problems, liability issues and the economics of such things — we will have broadened access to high-quality medical advice when we want it. And it would also be great if these artifacts were somehow attached to the authority and competence of a practicing doctor so they could write prescriptions and review the interaction you had with the AI.”

A native of Cork, Ireland, Symons has been at KU since 2012. An expert in metaphysics and epistemology of science and philosophy of technology, he has written or edited a dozen books, including “The History and Philosophy of Materialism” (2024), “Formal Reasoning: A Guide to Critical Thinking” (2017) and “The Architecture of Cognition: Rethinking Fodor and Pylyshyn’s Systematicity Challenge” (2014). He is the director of the Center for Cyber-Social Dynamics.

“The use of AI will dramatically alter the way we value labor and expertise in the medical professions,” Symons said.

“All of this is provisional, of course, on the kinds of institutional frameworks that insurance companies and large medical groups impose on us. While it’s difficult to foresee how the economics of medicine will change in the United States, it’s clear that something has to change. We’re all dissatisfied with the current model of medical care, and this will be an opportunity for new economic models for health care to emerge.”

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Don’t miss new episodes of “When Experts Attack!,”

a KU News Service podcast hosted by Kansas Public Radio.

https://kansaspublicradio.org/podcast/when-experts-attack

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Contact: Elizabeth Barton, Office of Faculty Affairs, [email protected]

Meagan Patterson named associate vice provost in Faculty Affairs

 

LAWRENCE — Meagan Patterson, professor of educational psychology, has been named associate vice provost for faculty policy and recognition at the University of Kansas. Her appointment became effective Jan. 1.

This new position will take a leadership role in developing policy, reviewing policy processes and developing educational programming related to faculty policy. Additionally, this role will develop and promote faculty recognition initiatives and coordinate university-level faculty award committees in the Office of Faculty Affairs.

Amy Mendenhall, vice provost for faculty affairs, said the new associate vice provost position will allow Faculty Affairs to expand already established relationships across KU and further support the mission of the office.

“This position will enable the Office of Faculty Affairs to grow our efforts to support faculty and faculty leaders in developing and implementing clear, equitable and aligned policies that relate to the faculty role and promote and recognize the valuable work and contributions of KU faculty,” Mendenhall said. “I am excited for Meagan to bring her experience in policy development and implementation, as well as existing partnerships with units across campus on academic initiatives, to this role.”

Patterson recently served the Office of Faculty Affairs as a provost fellow. In this position, she laid the groundwork for some of the initiatives that will be further developed in her new role as associate vice provost. As a faculty fellow, Patterson reviewed faculty-related policies and led initiatives such as updating outdated policies, creating supplemental policy resource documents and communicating with units across campus to clarify and provide guidance.

Patterson has been with the Department of Educational Psychology in the School of Education & Human Sciences since 2007. Previously, Patterson has served as a program coordinator within the Department of Educational Psychology, a faculty fellow with the Center for Teaching Excellence, a member of faculty senate and a research mentor for the McNair Scholars program.

“I am excited to join the team at the Office of Faculty Affairs and look forward to working with groups across campus to recognize the great work being done within their units and create policies that reflect their goals, priorities and values,” Patterson said.

Patterson’s research focuses on children’s knowledge and attitudes about gender, race and politics and how adults talk with children about these topics. She has taught courses on child development, the psychology of learning, social psychology and college teaching and serves as the director of KU’s graduate certificate program in postsecondary teaching. She has received multiple teaching awards, including the Budig Teaching Professorship in Education.

Before coming to KU, Patterson received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and linguistics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her master’s and doctorate in developmental psychology from the University of Texas at Austin.

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KU News Service

1450 Jayhawk Blvd.

Lawrence KS 66045

[email protected]

http://www.news.ku.edu

 

Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]

 

Today’s News is a free service from the Office of Public Affairs

 

Wheat Scoop: Gather with fellow farmers and ag leaders for the Kansas Commodity Classic

By
Guest Columnist
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0
Kansas Wheat

For audio version, visit kswheat.com.

The Kansas Commodity Classic returns on Friday, January 31, 2025, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Salina, bringing together Kansas farmers and industry leaders for a day of valuable information and networking.

 

The Kansas Commodity Classic is the annual convention of the Kansas corn, grain sorghum, soybean and wheat associations. The event is free to attend and includes a complimentary breakfast and lunch, but pre-registration is requested.

 

Emceed by Greg Akagi, agriculture director for WIBW Radio and Kansas Agriculture Network, the event will include perspectives on long-term weather forecasts, market insights, investment in rural communities, the Kansas State Fair, conservation and legislative developments.

 

“We have a really interesting lineup of speakers this year,” said Shayna DeGroot, Kansas Wheat director of membership and government affairs. “We’re excited to get these speakers and panelists in front of our farmer members and learn from these experts.”

 

Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. with speakers kicking off at 8:30 a.m. with remarks from Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Mike Beam, followed by meteorologist Chip Redmond, Weather Data Library and Kansas Mesonet manager at Kansas State University, who will share his outlook on the weather for the 2025 growing season.

 

Ben Brown, an agricultural markets and policy specialist with the University of Missouri’s Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute, will discuss markets and share his insights into what to expect as the 2025 growing season begins amid changing markets.

 

Marshall Stewart, executive vice president for external engagement and chief of staff at Kansas State University, and Ernie Minton dean of the College of Agriculture, will brief attendees on K-State’s efforts to bring value to farmers in all 105 Kansas counties.

 

Justin Cobb, with Kansans for Conservation, will provide an update on their efforts to advocate for legislation supporting conservation funding. Bryan Schulz, general manager at the Kansas State Fair, will deliver a presentation on the fair’s strategic vision, future initiatives and long-term goals.

 

Members of the Kansas Congressional Delegation have been invited and are expected to address key policy issues affecting Kansas farmers, along with legislative developments in Washington, D.C., and their implications for the agricultural sector.

 

The day will conclude with an agricultural exports panel, featuring Verity Ulibarri, chairwoman of the U.S. Grains Council; Mike Spier, vice president of overseas operations at U.S. Wheat Associates; and Lance Rezac, chairman of the U.S. Soybean Export Council. Panelists will discuss exports within their respective commodities and answer questions from attendees.

 

In addition to the main one-day conference, the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers will conduct its annual meeting along with other commodity-specific meetings the day before.

 

“Join us at the Kansas Commodity Classic to gain valuable insights into the ever-shifting agricultural landscape,” DeGroot said. “From policy updates to in-depth market analysis, weather forecasts and more, come explore how Kansas grain producers can navigate the challenges ahead and capitalize on opportunities.”

 

The Kansas Commodity Classic is hosted by the Kansas Association of Wheat Growers, Kansas Soybean Association, Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association and Kansas Corn Growers Association.

 

The event is supported by premier sponsor — the Kansas Ag Bankers Association — as well as the Farm Credit Associations of Kansas, the Kansas Department of Agriculture, Pinion, Ag Risk Solutions, BNSF, Syngenta and the Catholic Diocese of Salina.

 

The Kansas Commodity Classic is free to attend, but pre-registration is requested. Find the full agenda and register at kansascommodityclassic.com.

 

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Written by Julia Debes for Kansas Wheat

Blizzard of 2025

By
Milo Yield
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0
Thayne Cozart
Milo Yield

As I write this column, I’m happy to announce that so far ol’ Nevah and I have survived the Great Blizzard of 2025. The blizzard blew in starting on Saturday. It grew in velocity and ferocity through the night and through the entire day on Sunday.

Winds were so strong from the north that the poor songbirds eating at my bird feeder could not fly north despite their best efforts. They had to fly south. I’d guess the wind speeds were close to 40 mph. The combination of snow and blow cut visibility down to about 100 yards. The temperatures plunged, too, down to well below zero.

When the blizzard blew itself out on Monday, officials said it left 17-inches of snow. I have no idea how to measure the average amount of snow when looking outdoors it ranges in depth from zero to drifts 5-feet high. But, 17-inches is official.

For snow removal, we were lucky. Our son-in-law, ol’ Harley Ryder, commandeered a big skid steer to ride. He cleared our driveways and garage pads in short order, then went into Riley to help with snow removal there.

Now, I’ve resumed writing on Wednesday. We’ve still had no mail delivery and the reason is the mail trucks from the regional mail center in Kansas City haven’t made local deliveries yet.

At coffee this morning, guys in the country reported that the north/south roads have been plowed, but not the east/west roads. There are still unclaimed cars in the ditches in places.

Nevah and I left Iowa more than 20 years ago in hopes that we’d escape such nasty winter weather. Well, it took a while, but that plan blew up in our faces.

This blizzard reminded me of those we had regularly when I wuz a kid. I recall many times when the Yield family wuz snowed in for days. I remember my dad, Czar E. Yield, just sitting 10-gallon metal milk cans in snow drifts to keep the milk cold until the milk hauler could beat the drifts and come get our milk.

I can remember making tunnels under the snow drifts in the road ditches as a kid. I have no idea why the tunnels didn’t cave in on me and smother me, but they didn’t. I also remember we kids attending the one-room school were excited when it snowed because it gave us an opportunity to play the game Fox-And-Geese in the snow.

It’s still cold, but it seems the worst of the Great Blizzard of ’25 is in our rear view mirror. Who knows? Maybe global warming is reversed.

***

I sadly report that one of my best near-lifetime friends has checked into the eternal news room of the sky. Larry Perrine, one of the co-founders of FARM TALK, died last week in Texas, close to Leander, Tex., near his son . He wuz a friend for more than 60 years. I’ve referred to him in my columns by his Milo Yield nickname, ol’ Elpee Peavine.

It would take a book to chronicle all the good times and experiences Elpee and I had, but I will hit just a few high spots of our friendship history. Elpee and I met in college journalism classes at Bea Wilder U II in Stillwater, Okla., and worked in the same office after we graduated. We were both newlyweds. Our first children were born during those years.

After a few years, we both ended up moving and working in university communications at Bea Wilder U I in Manhattan, Kan. After three years there, I moved to Pullman, Wash., to work at Wazzou University. We stayed in touch and managed to work out a family vacation together in Utah.

About that time, we both began to question if academic work wuz our ultimate career choice. We both had entrepreneurial aspirations. After much long-distance consultation and planning, we hit upon the idea of founding a regional agricultural newspaper covering the four-corners area of Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas. FARM TALK wuz the name we hit upon.

Eventually, we decided upon Parsons, Kan., as home base. We acquired a bank loan that seems ridiculously small by today’s standards. In December of 1973, we both U-Hauled our families to Parsons and hit the ground running the day after Christmas. The first FARM TALK hit the mails on Feb. 4, 1974. This is the truth — we did not take a day off from work until Memorial Day, 1974. Giving credit where it’s due, it wuz Elpee who dubbed me “Milo Yield” and conjured up the “Viewing the Field” name for this column.

Within a few months, FARM TALK had a aggie bizness toe-hold that allowed it to hang on and keep up slow growth through a significant drought and across-the-board commodity price declines that stressed both the paper and its farmer and agribusiness clientele.

Alas, after a lot of the heavy lifting and most of the risk-taking were done, Elpee — a small town kid from Pawnee, Okla. and not a true farm kid — decided there wuz little about aggie journalism that had long-range career appeal for him. So, by mutual and amicable agreement our professional lives parted, but with no lasting effect on our cemented friendship.

As FARM TALK began to thrive, Elpee moved to other journalistic endeavors in he energy sector at Bryan, Tex., Bartlesville, Okla., and eventually permanently to Albuquerque, N.M., where he directed publications for Sandia National Energy Laboratories until retirement.

During all those years, our families managed to share a lot of time together. We vacationed, played 100s of holes of cow pasture pool, did a bit of hunting, caught and ate copious amounts of fish, enjoyed country music shows and dances, laughed until our sides hurt, played nasty practical jokes on each other, played cards and games, and drank plenty of adult beverages and ate like hogs.

Losing Elpee is like losing a brother. But, the neuropathy that pained him so much in his later years, and the pneumonia that ultimately claimed him, are now history. It’s a comfort to know Elpee is in pain free peace. Our memories live on.

Elpee, ol’ buddy, wherever it is you’re casting a lure, teeing it up, or tuning in Merle Haggard, save me a seat.

***

Words of wisdom for the week: “Cherish your friends and savor their friendship. They don’t last forever.” Have a good ‘un.

“The Seven Warning Signs of Cancer”

By
Guest Columnist
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0

Recently I was working with my son’s scout troop to help them achieve the personal fitness merit badge. This merit badge has many requirements including discussions about healthy habits, diet, and exercise. The scouts keep track of their exercise over a 12 week period and log everything they eat over a few days as well. One of the discussions covers the seven warning signs of cancer.

This is a simple list of concerning symptoms to watch out for and reasons to go see a doctor. Indeed, with each of these I am reminded of patients that caught their cancer diagnoses early enough to get the treatments they needed. While having any of these symptoms certainly does not mean someone has cancer, it would be wise to seek medical attention.

One warning sign is a change in bowel or bladder habits. These could be signs of colon or bladder cancer.

A second sign is abnormal bleeding. Blood in the stool and blood in the urine are symptoms to get checked out soon. Abnormal uterine bleeding, which may include heavy or irregular periods, and bleeding after menopause, deserve more attention as well.

If you experience a sore that does not heal on the skin or in the mouth, or see changes to moles or other skin lesions, then these may be a third sign of cancer that warrant an examination and possibly a biopsy to evaluate for skin cancer.

Abnormal lumps or bumps is a fourth sign. If you experience a breast lump or thickening or change in breast tissue, please get this checked out as it could be a sign of breast cancer. A lump in the testicle could be a sign of testicular cancer. Persistent swollen lymph nodes warrant further attention.

Unintentional weight loss is a fifth reason to see your doctor. While efforts at a healthy diet and exercise are good reasons to lose weight, bad reasons can include thyroid problems, depression, diabetes, and cancer.

Trouble swallowing or ongoing indigestion or heartburn is a sixth sign that could be a sign of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, or stomach.

Finally, a seventh set of symptoms to watch for include a chronic cough or hoarseness that persists for a month or more. These could be a sign of throat or lung cancer, and warrant further evaluation.

This list could be longer and more detailed, and having any of these symptoms can often be caused by benign, common reasons that are nothing to worry about. However, it is important to see your trusted physician or other medical provider if you experience any of the above symptoms. Please, do not delay and wait for a symptom to pass on its own. Your body is giving you a chance to get evaluated and help yourself. Pay attention!

Andrew Ellsworth, MD. is part of The Prairie Doc® team of physicians and currently practices Family Medicine at Avera Medical Group in Brookings, South Dakota. Follow The Prairie Doc® at www.prairiedoc.org, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Threads. Prairie Doc Programming includes On

Call with the Prairie Doc®, a medical Q&A show (most Thursdays at 7pm streaming on Facebook), 2 podcasts, and a Radio program (on SDPB), providing health information based on science, built on trust.

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