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Did you get that text about the Chiefs? It’s part of a plan to recruit the team to Kansas

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State lawmakers are expected to consider the plan during an upcoming special session.

Top Republicans in Kansas are officially inviting the Kansas City Chiefs to relocate across state lines.

Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson and House Speaker Dan Hawkins, both Republicans, sent a letter Tuesday evening to the team’s owners, asking them to consider a plan in the state Legislature that would help build a new stadium in Kansas City, Kansas.

“(The plan) represents, in our view, the best economic development partnership the franchise will find in America,” the letter reads. “With our strategic location, a vibrant fan base, robust economic incentives, and the exceptional tools at our disposal, we are poised to make the Kansas City Chiefs even stronger.”

Lawmakers never voted on a bill to bring the Chiefs or another sports team to Kansas before adjourning in May, but they will return to the Statehouse on June 18 for what’s expected to be a brief special session about tax cuts. Hawkins and Masterson say lawmakers also will consider the sports bill then.

The letter coincided with a mass text message inviting people to visit a website describing the plan and asking them to urge their state representatives to support it. The site, paid for by “Scoop and Score, Inc.,” makes a number of claims about the project, including that it would come at no expense to taxpayers.

While the plan would not necessarily require an immediate increase in taxes, it would help finance the stadium through sales tax revenue bonds, or STAR bonds. The state issues those bonds for certain developments and essentially diverts the sales tax revenue those developments generate in future years to pay off the debt.

Proponents say STAR bonds boost economic activity and the diverted sales tax revenue wouldn’t exist without the new projects. But critics say the projects often fall short of economic expectations.

The bill would also require the Chiefs or any other team to contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to a potential stadium project. It would allow the state to recruit up to two professional sports teams.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has previously said she doesn’t believe the state is in the right financial position to attract the team. She says she’s not involved in any efforts to recruit them across state lines but says she wouldn’t “stand in their way,” either.

“Probably over half the people in the stands any given Sunday are Kansans,” she told the Kansas News Service in April. “We claim them as our team – but we recognize that it’s probably in their best interest to stay where they are, so we (the governor and her office) won’t be making any overtures to the Chiefs.”

Kelly called the upcoming special session so lawmakers could pass tax cuts she’s willing to sign, but lawmakers are also allowed to vote on bills related to other subjects.

In a recent interview with KCUR, state Rep. Sean Tarwater, the Republican lawmaker who sponsored the STAR bonds bill, says it’s the one piece of legislation he could see passing during the special session other than tax cuts.

“As you were walking through the Statehouse on the last day of session, … there was a heck of a lot of talk and a lot of excitement over the STAR bond bill that would bring the Royals or the Chiefs or both to town,” he said.

Other officials, like Republican former House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., have pointed at revenue from sports betting as a potential funding source.

When Kansas legalized sports betting in 2022, it designated 80% of the state revenue toward attracting professional sports teams. But that fund is expected to hold $10 million by 2025 – a far cry from the billions it would take to build a new stadium.

Speculation that the Chiefs might relocate to Kansas began after residents in Jackson County, Missouri, voted in April to reject an attempt to renew a 3/8th-cent sales tax that would have funded renovations at Arrowhead Stadium and built a new downtown Kansas City ballpark for the Royals.

That sales tax will now end in 2031, when the leases of both teams are set to expire.

Zane Irwin of the Kansas News Service contributed to this report.

Daniel Caudill reports on the Kansas Statehouse and government for Kansas Public Radio and the Kansas News Service. You can email him at [email protected].

The Kansas News Service is a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio focused on health, the social determinants of health and their connection to public policy.

Drought affected wheat fields call for supplemental equipment

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Guest Columnist
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K-State wheat production specialist says that short wheat plants require novel harvesting tactics

Drought plaguing parts of Kansas created shorter wheat plants and thinner crop stands this year. In turn, Kansas State University wheat production specialist Romulo Lollato advises growers to make adjustments at harvest time.

“This year, the biggest cause for short wheat has been drought stress,” he said. “During springtime, the crop starts to go through a phase called stem elongation. That’s when plant height is determined. In certain areas, there was virtually no moisture, which caused the plants to be short.”

Not all areas of Kansas have experienced this level of drought. Lollato said irregular rain patterns gave rise to significant plant height differences across counties and even in the same fields.

“The Kansas crop is not uniformly short. A very sparse and variable rainfall distribution created these ‘waves’ within areas where tall and short plants occur, simultaneously, in those locations,” he said.

According to Lollato, producers can attach stripper headers to the front of their combines to effectively harvest small wheat plants. Stripper headers separate the grain head from the remaining plant. On the other hand, traditional headers detach plants halfway down their stems.

Lollato said, “Essentially, they have fingers on them. Those fingers pluck the heads out from the stem. The stripper headers feed the combine with only the wheat heads, which means having a cleaner product go into the combine, with increased efficiency.”

Harvesting low-standing wheat plants with a stripper header can help improve soil quality in semi-arid areas.

“They leave more crop residue behind. It will act as a barrier against weeds and shade the fields, which cools soil temperatures and delays weed emergence. Moisture retention is another important advantage. Stripper headers reduce water loss through evaporation, runoff and erosion.”

If a producer uses a stripper header this year, future crops have the potential to benefit as well, according to Lollato.

“There is a lot of value in having more residue left in the fields,” he said. “When growers plant wheat directly into that crop residue after this year’s harvest, they get all of those benefits, like added moisture, weed control, and erosion reduction, which can help return a very good dollar amount the following summer.”

Conventional headers remain as another workable solution for operations not able to invest in additional implements.

“A stripper header is a pricey investment,” Lollato said. “However, there might be more challenges operating with a conventional header – especially on ground with a great slope – but they still work in this case.”

Making alterations to a traditional header may yield better results when harvesting stunted wheat fields with them.

“The most important thing to keep in mind is to maintain the cutting height as high as possible. You can also adjust the reel on the header to get more movement of wheat from the cutter bar to the auger,” Lollato said.

Other combine headers appropriate for harvesting poorer quality wheat stands include draper and flex heads. More information on considerations for harvesting short wheat is available in the May 24 issue of the Agronomy eUpdate, published weekly by the K-State Department of Agronomy.

Central Kansas Local Food Safety & Security Farm Tour Set for June 24 in Salina Area

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Guest Columnist
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Kansas Farmers Union & Kansas Wesleyan University’s Community Resilience Hub invite the public to join us for the Central Kansas Local Food Safety & Security Farm Tour on Monday, June 24 from 9 AM – 4 PM.

Featured farms include Vail Family Farm, a cut flower farm that offers flower subscriptions, direct sales at the Salina Farm and Art Market, plus on-farm and online classes; Farmer Direct Foods, a New Cambria, KS mill that focuses on whole grains and regenerative farming techniques that are sustainable, eco-friendly, and help reverse climate change; and Salt and Light Homestead, which sells produce from their farm as it is seasonally available. While there, attendees will see their gardens, pastured chicken set-up, Highland cows, and friendly milk goat herd.

Lunch will be at The Farm & The Oddfellows in Minneapolis, KS where we’ll learn more about their focus on local food and brews, plus hear the latest from K-State food safety specialists.

This tour is sponsored by National Farmers Union’s Local Food Safety Collaborative a collaboration between National Farmers Union Foundation and the Food and Drug Administration to provide training, education, and outreach to local producers and processors to enhance the fundamental knowledge of food safety, and help these local producers and processors comply with applicable Food Safety Modernization Act regulations.

The tour and lunch are free to attendees, but registration is required at https://www.kansasfarmersunion.org/event-details-registration/central-kansas-local-food-safety-security-farm-tour

For more information or questions, please contact Nick Levendofsky, KFU Executive Director, at [email protected]

Want to stop craving snacks and sweets? A high-protein breakfast could help

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Guest Columnist
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What if I told you there was a magical food that would give you the power to walk by an open box of donuts – or a bag of chips, or a bowl of candy – without batting an eye?

Okay. It might not be that magical. But it’s pretty close.

A solid body of research has shown that eating more protein at breakfast can significantly change how we experience hunger throughout the day.

As a nutrition counselor, I can definitely vouch for this effect. When a client comes in saying they’re hungry all the time, craving sweets and relying heavily on snacks to get through the day, the first thing I look at is their protein intake at breakfast.

Americans generally eat more than the recommended amount of daily protein (although we lean a little too heavily on high fat meats and dairy). But what we don’t do is spread our protein intake out throughout the day. We typically eat most of our protein during dinner.

However, studies have shown that if we eat a high-protein breakfast we can improve our sense of fullness and satiety, which can last through the afternoon.

In turn, this contributes to us making healthier choices all day – like forgoing mindless snacking and being less tempted by unhealthy foods when we feel our stomachs grumbling.

How to eat a high-protein breakfast

The research suggests that eating about 30 grams of protein for breakfast can lead to these benefits.

However, I don’t recommend spending too much time trying to crunch the numbers.

Instead, just give some new foods a shot! Try introducing more protein to your breakfast – and even lunch – and see how it affects the way you feel and your appetite throughout the day.

What other benefits come with a high-protein diet?

A high-protein diet means that your daily protein intake is greater than the minimum recommendation of 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight – or about 56 grams for an adult weighing 150 lbs.

One of the most common reasons people turn to high-protein diets is for weight loss. And the research does show some promise. Protein also takes more energy to digest than carbs or fat, which can give your metabolism a boost.

After the age of 40, adults can lose 4-6 lbs. of muscle every 10 years. High-protein diets have been shown to help prevent muscle loss, especially when paired with exercise.

That said, most Americans are already consuming a high-protein diet, averaging closer to 1.2-1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily – or about 90 grams per day.

Considerations when increasing your protein intake

It’s important to choose your protein sources wisely. Focus on lean meats, fish, beans, lentils, and low-fat dairy products. Avoid processed meats and excessive amounts of red meat.

Also, avoid focusing too narrowly on protein because that can lead to unbalanced dietary patterns. You can’t ignore vegetables, fruits and starches, which provide vitally important vitamins, minerals and fiber.

If you have kidney disease or are at risk of kidney disease (such as having high blood pressure or diabetes), it’s important to talk to your doctor before making a diet change, as increased protein intake can strain the kidneys in certain stages of kidney disease.

June Gardening Tips and Checklist

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Guest Columnist
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To help make your yard and garden the best they can be this year, consider these tips.

  • Discontinue harvesting asparagus spears in early June to allow the fronds to form for the rest of the growing season.
  • Prune tomatoes to open the canopy of the plant.
  • Consider drip irrigation in the garden to conserve water.
  • Consider planting sweet corn in the garden every other week (until early July) to extend the harvest.
  • Prune spring flowering shrubs (those that bloom before June) after they have bloomed to encourage new flower buds for next season.
  • Deadhead (cut off) spent blossoms of perennial and annual flowers.
  • Thin the fruit of apples, peaches, and apricots to approximately one fruit every 5-6 inches.
  • Apply a second application of pre-emergent herbicides in late May to early June to control annual weeds in the lawn such as crabgrass and spurge.
  • Remember that turfgrass only needs 1 to 1 ½ inches of irrigation per week. See irrigation needs in your area.

Pests and Problems:

  • Monitor vegetables and herbs for earwig damage.
  • Protect ash trees with a registered chemical to prevent lilac/ash borer damage.
  • Use control measures in apples and pears to reduce wormy fruit. For specific timing see the Utah Pests Advisories.
  • Treat for powdery mildew on apples beginning when leaves are emerging (at 1/2 inch green) until June.
  • Watch for insect pests in raspberries from mid-May thru early June.
  • Control the Western cherry fruit fly when fruit changes color from straw color to pink to avoid maggots in cherries.
  • Control the peach twig borer in peaches, nectarines, and apricot trees.
  • Monitor for damaging turfgrass insects. In areas previously damaged, consider a preventative (systemic) insecticide.
  • Consider taking an online gardening course. Courses cover everything from container vegetable gardening and creating the perfect soil to planting trees and controlling pests. They are geared to both beginning and professional gardeners. Use the code SAVE25 for 25% off a course when you spend $10. Expires June 30, 2024.
  • Explore more gardening tips on Extension’s yard and garden website.
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