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News
Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Grants Program
The USDA Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production has announced the FY24 <a href="https://www.usda.gov/topics/urban/grants">Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Competitive Grants Program</a> Notice of Funding Opportunity. Applications are now being accepted via <a href="https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/352256">Grants.gov</a>


These competitive grants initiate or expand the efforts of farmers, gardeners, citizens, govern
News
Cheyenne Co producers are eligible to receive financial assistance
SALINA, KANSAS, May 31, 2023 ‒ Eric A. Allness, Acting State Conservationist, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), has announced that producers in the South Fork Republican River (SFRR) watershed in Cheyenne county are eligible to receive financial assistance under the Regional Conservationist Partnership Program (RCPP). The project is funded through the USDA Partnership program which is locally led by the Cheyenne County Conservation District a
Spotlight On...
Kansas NRCS Announces Application Deadline for Organic Transition Initiative
Find the original article on the USDA website:
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/conservation-by-state/kansas/news/kansas-nrcs-announces-application-deadline


USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will dedicate financial and technical assistance to a new organic management standard and partner with new organic technical experts to increase staff capacity and expertise.


SALINA, KANSAS, May 17, 2023 ‒ The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced deta
A Review Of...
The Courage of Compassion
A Book Review by Bernadette Mills

"Gosh, I hope I didn't offend you." My friend says to me as he comes through my door. "How So?" I ask. "That post I made on Facebook about how all {people with your political views slur} are imbeciles – You know I didn't mean you, though, right... you’re pretty smart and I would never say that about you or want to hurt you" He stammers awkwardly. People are hard to hate up close when you get to know them. It’s almost imposs
News
Star's Writing Class
I attended Star's Creative Writing Class last Tuesday. Her suggestions for connecting with the wells of memory that have become forgotten or overgrown are ingenious and very effective. I've been swimming in memories, each begging for further exploration. If you want to bring those fleeting jewels to the light of day definitely consider taking Star's class. We all have beautiful thoughts and memories that deserve to be shared and it is easier than you may think. Remember, Tuesday at 10:45 at the
Events
Tuesday Writing - Creative Writing Class
Become a more powerful writer

Got something to say?

Stuck with your writing and want to take it to the next level?

Tuesday Writing is an opportunity for new and experienced writers to take a fresh look at writing fact, fiction, poetry, and prose.

When?
Classes begin April 25th
-and then-
Weekly, Tuesdays, 10:45 - 11:45

Where?
St. Francis Library

Who?
All writers - All levels

How much?
$10 per class, cash or check

What else?
Drop-in / begin any time

Class instruc
Spotlight On...
Managing Native Grazing Lands
By Fred Wedel,
retired NRCS District Conservationist

Grazing management is matching available forage to the stocking rate of the animals to be grazing the native range resource. The goal of grazing management is to market a valuable resource at a profit while maintaining and improving the range resource. The stocking rate has a huge impact on animal performance and the available range of forage resources.

The stocking rate is defined as the land area allocated to each grazing animal for
Spotlight On...
Herbs
By Fred Wedel,
retired NRCS District Conservationist

To a Botanist, a herb is a leafy plant that doesn't grow a woody stem and usually dies back at the end of each growing season. Both grasses and forbs are herbs. To a chef, a herb is any of a vast number of aromatic or savory plants used to add flavor and character to foods. To a gardener, an herb is a delightful, easy-to-grow addition to the landscape, perennial border, or terrace urn. To anyone who uses plants medicinally, an herb is
Spotlight On...
Conservation on Farmland & Rangeland since the 1980’s
By Fred Wedel,
retired NRCS District Conservationist

Have you heard of the "Dust Bowl" of the 1930s? Because of extreme drought and farming methods, a huge dust cloud made it to Washington D.C. Franklin D. Roosevelt was newly elected President. The United States was recovering from the Great Depression. The drought in the great plains caused the Dust Bowl and was made worse by the tillage methods used then.

Hugh Hammond Bennett was on Presidents Roosevelt"s staff. He
News
February Farmers' Market to be held on the 18th
On Saturday, February 18th, there will be a Farmers' Market at 218 W Washington St., from 10 till 2.

This market is one of the monthly Farmers' Markets held through the off-season (Oct-May). These monthly Markets will be held every third Saturday.

Vendors are lined up for the market, and there is a plan for food to be served, for donation.

If you are a vendor and would like to participate, please let the coordinator know at: [email protected]

Or if you are a customer,
News
Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Grants Program
The USDA Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production has announced the FY24 <a href="https://www.usda.gov/topics/urban/grants">Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Competitive Grants Program</a> Notice of Funding Opportunity. Applications are now being accepted via <a href="https://grants.gov/search-results-detail/352256">Grants.gov</a>


These competitive grants initiate or expand the efforts of farmers, gardeners, citizens, govern
Cheyenne Co producers are eligible to receive financial assistance
SALINA, KANSAS, May 31, 2023 ‒ Eric A. Allness, Acting State Conservationist, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), has announced that producers in the South Fork Republican River (SFRR) watershed in Cheyenne county are eligible to receive financial assistance under the Regional Conservationist Partnership Program (RCPP). The project is funded through the USDA Partnership program which is locally led by the Cheyenne County Conservation District a
Star's Writing Class
I attended Star's Creative Writing Class last Tuesday. Her suggestions for connecting with the wells of memory that have become forgotten or overgrown are ingenious and very effective. I've been swimming in memories, each begging for further exploration. If you want to bring those fleeting jewels to the light of day definitely consider taking Star's class. We all have beautiful thoughts and memories that deserve to be shared and it is easier than you may think. Remember, Tuesday at 10:45 at the
February Farmers' Market to be held on the 18th
On Saturday, February 18th, there will be a Farmers' Market at 218 W Washington St., from 10 till 2.

This market is one of the monthly Farmers' Markets held through the off-season (Oct-May). These monthly Markets will be held every third Saturday.

Vendors are lined up for the market, and there is a plan for food to be served, for donation.

If you are a vendor and would like to participate, please let the coordinator know at: [email protected]

Or if you are a customer,
Spotlight On...
Kansas NRCS Announces Application Deadline for Organic Transition Initiative
Find the original article on the USDA website:
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/conservation-by-state/kansas/news/kansas-nrcs-announces-application-deadline


USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will dedicate financial and technical assistance to a new organic management standard and partner with new organic technical experts to increase staff capacity and expertise.


SALINA, KANSAS, May 17, 2023 ‒ The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced deta
Managing Native Grazing Lands
By Fred Wedel,
retired NRCS District Conservationist

Grazing management is matching available forage to the stocking rate of the animals to be grazing the native range resource. The goal of grazing management is to market a valuable resource at a profit while maintaining and improving the range resource. The stocking rate has a huge impact on animal performance and the available range of forage resources.

The stocking rate is defined as the land area allocated to each grazing animal for
Conservation on Farmland & Rangeland since the 1980’s
By Fred Wedel,
retired NRCS District Conservationist

Have you heard of the "Dust Bowl" of the 1930s? Because of extreme drought and farming methods, a huge dust cloud made it to Washington D.C. Franklin D. Roosevelt was newly elected President. The United States was recovering from the Great Depression. The drought in the great plains caused the Dust Bowl and was made worse by the tillage methods used then.

Hugh Hammond Bennett was on Presidents Roosevelt"s staff. He
Events
Tuesday Writing - Creative Writing Class
Become a more powerful writer

Got something to say?

Stuck with your writing and want to take it to the next level?

Tuesday Writing is an opportunity for new and experienced writers to take a fresh look at writing fact, fiction, poetry, and prose.

When?
Classes begin April 25th
-and then-
Weekly, Tuesdays, 10:45 - 11:45

Where?
St. Francis Library

Who?
All writers - All levels

How much?
$10 per class, cash or check

What else?
Drop-in / begin any time

Class instruc
Conservation District Working Group Meeting
The Goodland Management Unit, Sherman County, Cheyenne County, and Wallace County Conservation Districts will be hosting a Local Working Group (LWG) meeting on Tuesday, February 14th, at 10:00 am Mountain Standard Time /11:00 am Central Standard Time at 210 West 10th (USDA) Service Center in Goodland, KS.

The purpose of this meeting is to make recommendations to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist related to addressing natural resource concerns at a local l
KDA Offers Farmers’ Market and Direct-to-Consumer Virtual Workshop Series
For Immediate Release:
January 3, 2023

Media please contact:
Heather Lansdowne
785-564-6706
[email protected]

MANHATTAN, Kansas — The Kansas Department of Agriculture and K-State Research and Extension (KSRE) will offer virtual workshops February 6-10, 2023, to assist farmers' market vendors and managers, and also for those wanting to sell food products directly to consumers. The workshop series includes five online Lunch and Learn sessions.

"Over the past two years, we've se
The Arts
The Dust Jackets at Fresh 7
Had the pleasure to see and hear the Dustjackets at Union Square in St Francis last Saturday. Had a wonderful time and the music was great! They are a Folk/Americana band that included a little rock and roll, blues, country, bluegrass, even a little jazz. Union Square is fantastic venue, complete with coffee, a variety of liquor beverages (I had saki, yum) munchies and ambiance galore. Lots of people showed up to get down to the music. Union square is a center for good times in our little town.
Local Artist Exhibits This Spring
Re-posted for Margaret Lister

Allison Grice's exhibit of photography and graphic design has opened at Quincy Gallery with a reception on March 2nd.

Ms Grice, a St Francis native, is well known here as an exceptionally talented artist with wide range of interests. Over the years, though, it is photography that has allowed her to share her heart.

Whether it's a rusty old pickup or wheat blowing in the breeze against a sunset, Ms Grice's photography shows her love of nature and history. Sh
A Review Of...
Practical Qabalah Lesson 5 Tree in Yesod 6 - Ego
On the original Tree of Life the sixth sepheroth is Tipheret; Harmony, Beauty, The Higher Self. On the tree in Yesod the sixth sepheroth is Ego. From the perspective of these analyzes, the Self, or Higher Self, is you as a unique aspect of the Whole. All that is, is merely a focused personification of an aspect of the One. From a human to a fly, from an atom to a universe, from A sharp to G. Your Self is the personification of a single aspect of the One. It needs to be cherished and respected. T
Practical Qabalah Lesson 4 Tree in Yesod 7 – Mirror
The underlying premise for these lessons is that the Original One says ‘I Am’, ‘Who am I?’ and ‘I Am That I Am’; meaning: Consciousness, Reflection, and Expansion. The Expansion creates vibrational reality and a means to interact and create and is ruled by the mathematical relationship of the Golden Mean1. Seeking out the Reflection denotes will and duality and is ruled by the square root of 22. And Consciousness is the foundation of reality as we are able to perceive it and is ruled
Practical Qabalah, Lesson 3: The Trickster
Qabalistically speaking, this chapter focuses on Hod in Yesod or the Intellect in the Subconscious. The nature of the intellect is to analyze the mechanics of its environment. This is a very fulfilling enterprise. It gives a sense of purpose, innovation and accomplishment. Over time it produces a nice cozy feeling and eventually, complacency and stagnation. The Trickster is there to make sure that doesn’t happen. He throws a wrench into the works. He reminds the Subconscious that there are m
Tech
Eagle Communications broadband upgrade a go in St. Francis
ST. FRANCIS — Eagle Communications announced this week a major milestone had been reached in the planned broadband upgrades project in the community of St. Francis, a move that will bring high-speed internet access to residents and businesses.

Eagle, working alongside with the St. Francis Internet Committee volunteers, reached 210 early signups, meaning the upgrade will proceed as planned.

"The support of the community of St. Francis has been simply amazing,' said Travis Kohlrus, Ea
Video of an unexplained object, moving in the skies above Cheyenne Co, KS
Posted for Ray Alcott

After seeing the 4-28-17 video of the object moving across the moon, @ http://www.latest-ufo-sightings.net/2017/04/ufo-caught-moving-across-moon-baffles-viewers.html it reminded me of a similar video I had shot on 10-22-14 north of St. Francis, KS at sunset. If it wasn’t for that post I wouldn’t have posted this—however both videos to me look as if they are related somehow???

It was worth a post

Camera Zoom was 20X & the video is 500% of normal speed
Your Eagle Fiber-Optic Internet Questions Answered - 4/11/17 Edition
Since going public with the plans for the Fiber to the Premises project, it has been the goal of the St Francis Internet Committee to get as much information as possible out to the people of St Francis. We have been talking out details with Eagle for a long time, and talking with many of you about those details, trying to get you as excited about fiber-optics as we all are.

A Fiber Internet infrastructure in St Francis will greatly increase your internet speed. And by 'greatly' I mean 8 to 10
Truly high speed internet in St Francis
We in St Francis have an opportunity to have truly high speed internet. To clarify, by high speed I mean speeds that most cities have not achieved, and are currently fighting to get. A physical, hard line, fiber-optic connection to every customer, business and residential. The max bandwidth being offered to any individual customer is 1 gigabyte per second (1000 mb/s), which is honestly more than many of our systems can handle. With bandwidth options starting at 25 mb/s (which is 10x more than I
Recipes
Asparagus
Asparagus (scientific name Asparagus officinalis) is a perennial flowering plant that has been used as a food and medicine since as far back as 3,000 B.C. Many early cultures imbued it with aphrodisiac properties.1 Today, asparagus is recognized as an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, with few calories or sodium. Based on a 2,000-calorie diet, the amount of each vitamin offered in a serving of asparagus as a percentage of reference daily intakes (RDI) break down as follows:
The benifits of Tumeric
Tumeric is a wonderful spice and aids in the control of many problems. Studies show that turmeric may help fight Infections and some Cancers, reduce Inflammation, and treat Digestive problems.
Turmeric has been used in both Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine as an Anti-inflammatory, to treat Digestive and Liver problems, Skin diseases, and Wounds.

Curcumin is also a powerful Antioxidant. Antioxidants scavenge molecules in the body known as free radicals, which damage cell membranes, tamper with
Legal
Amendments to the Kansas amusement ride act which could affect carnival rides at the fair.
House Bill 2389 is scheduled to be heard, I think on Thursday and Friday in Topeka. This may or may not affect the carnival rides at the fair, but looks like it may. I would suggest people contact Representative Adam Smith and maybe e-mail any concerns, so this doesn't have a negative affect on the community.

Here is a link to the information page on the Kansas Legislature site:
http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2017_18/measures/hb2389/

March 23, 2017

The Honorable John Barker, Chairper
Cheyenne County Budget - Detailed
<div>I got the detailed budget to better understand the county budget summary in the paper. It explains the receipts and expenses in detail so I'm passing them on to you. I did not reproduce the detail of line items in the General Fund. The 2014 fiscal paperwork has been has been completed by the auditors and includes another level to the already complex accounting system. The level of ACTUAL, though official for 2014 is not yet official for 2015. So the ACTUAL is still vague for the momen
Notice of Budget Hearing
The governing body of Cheyenne County will meet on August 31, 2016 at 9:00am at Cheyenne Courthouse for the purpose of hearing and answering objections of taxpayers relating to the proposed use of all funds and the amount of ad valorem tax. Detailed budget information is available at County Clerk's Office and will be available at this hearing.

Budget Summary
Proposed budget 2017 Expenditures and Amount of 2016 Ad Valorem Tax establish the maximum limits of the 2017 budget. Estimated tax rate
My Opinion
CCDC and WKREDA needs your input
CCDC (Cheyenne Community Development Corporation) belongs to WKREDA, an Economic Development Organization with membership in 55 counties in Western Kansas. We are having a meeting on July 28th, and have been asked to provide some information from local residents.

Please respond with the area/city you live in and answer the following without regard to money or practicality:
What are the top 3 things your town needs?
1.
2.
3.
Where do you live?

Thank you for your responses.

Please s
THE TIME IS OUT OF JOINT – A FATHER’S DAY MESSAGE
By: Mark Winne

NEWSLETTER FOR 06/15/2020

THE TIME IS OUT OF JOINT – A FATHER’S DAY MESSAGE [3]

<blockquote>Now my dears, said old Mrs. Rabbit one morning, you may go into the fields or down the lane, but don't go into Mr. McGregor's garden: your Father had an accident there; he was put in a pie by Mrs. McGregor.
_The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter</blockquote>

Nature is out of balance, teetering toward an unsavory resolution that may, in fact, be revenge for
Career Cruising
I have just read the article 'Principal Matters' in the 9/22/16 St Francis Herald. There have certainly been career development programs in high school up till now. The difference between this program and preceding programs is that this one is mandatory.

Up till now, if a kid wanted to wait until a year or two after high school to find his or her true calling he/she could. If it turns out he was to be starving poet then our world will have found another midwife of truth. If she was to be a c
Photo Show
Rangeland Fencing
Written By Fred Wedel, retired NRCS District Conservationist
Photos By Cale Rieger, NRCS Natural Resource Specialist

Proper fence is needed for grazing livestock in a rotational grazing system. As mentioned before, a rest-rotation grazing system is essential for properly managing grazing systems in the western Kansas area of short grass and mid-grass prairie.

Many perimeter fences are 3 or 4 strands of barbed wire. Interior cross-fences are usually a single smooth wire. The interior fe
WHAT ARE COVER CROPS?
Written by Fred Wedel, Retired NRCS District Conservationist

What are cover crops? Cover crops are grown for the protection and enrichment of the soil. In Agriculture, cover crops are used to cover and protect the soil rather than to be harvested.

Cover crops are used to manage cropland and reduce soil erosion, improve soil fertility, improve soil quality, improve water storage, reduce pressure from weeds, pests and diseases, and improve biodiversity and wildlife in an agroecosystem.

Future Leadership Training Classes in Cheyenne County
There is a group of leaders in Cheyenne, Rawlins, Sherman and Thomas Counties that held discussions with K State Extension, Hansen Foundation and the Kansas Leadership Center regarding support for establishing sustainable leadership programs in these four counties. The first Community Builders class was held in Cheyenne County in 2007 and the last of four classes was held nine years ago in 2012. Close to 80 county residents participated in these classes. The original eight trainers have eithe