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2024 Election Report The 2024 election was full of surprises. Below is an initial overview. Mail in ballots will continue to be counted until Friday, meaning a couple of close races may still change. The final votes will be certified sometime next week. All unofficial election results can be found on the Kansas Secretary of State’s website. President of the United States Former president Donald Trump won 57 percent of the vote in Kansas, roughly the same as in 2016 and 2020. United States Congress District 1: Incumbent Republican Tracey Mann won reelection in the...

Last year, Kansas Grain and Feed Association (KGFA) worked with the Property Valuation Division (PVD) of the Kansas Dept. of Revenue to make certain changes to PVD’s grain elevator valuation guide. The updated guide for 2025 will be released by the end of the year. Below are some of the notable updates, which include a few important items that were requested by KGFA and our industry partners: 2025 Grain Elevator Guide: The 2025 guide will include new sales data and updated cost tables from Marshall and Swift. Going forward, these cost tables will be...

Harold L. “Duff” Deardoff, 90, of Hutchinson, peacefully passed away Friday, October 4, 2024, surrounded by his family. He was born November 13, 1933, in Omaha, NE, to Loyal Kenneth and Ester Katherine (Jensen) Deardoff.  In 1951, Harold graduated from high school in Omaha, NE, and attended Hastings College, Hastings, NE. On May 17, 1953, he married Sharon McCormick, who passed away July 30, 1968, after a short illness. Harold married Dorothy (Klein) Krehbiel, in 1973, and they celebrated 51 years of marriage. He has three sons, one stepdaughter, four grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. Harold retired...

Kansas Grain and Feed Association joined a coalition of agribusiness organizations in sending a letter to President Joe Biden regarding imminent supply chain and shipping disruptions. The letter pointed to rail embargoes impacting trade with Mexico, potential labor strikes at East Coast ports and historically low water levels on the Mississippi River and requested the Biden Administration take action to mitigate the upcoming challenges. "The agriculture industry relies on a three-legged stool to get products to market: trucking, rail, and water, including barges and ocean-going vessels," the letter said. "A balanced and efficient operation of all three is...

Kansas Grain and Feed Association (KGFA) joined nearly 200 organizations in sending a letter to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requesting the agency engage with stakeholders to discuss improvements to its Endangered Species Act risk assessment process for pesticides. The letter highlights why EPA has both a responsibility and would benefit from using more refined risk assessment processes, identifies potential improvements that could be used, and calls on the agency to expeditiously engage with stakeholders to improve its ESA risk assessment processes. Under the ESA, all federal agencies, including EPA,...

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today announced the publication of a heat standard proposal that would require employers to develop an injury and illness prevention plan to control heat hazards in workplaces affected by excessive heat. “The nation’s first-ever federal safety standard addressing excessive heat in the workplace,” would apply to all employers conducting outdoor and indoor work in all general industry, construction, maritime, and agriculture sectors where OSHA has jurisdiction. Excluded from the rule would be short-duration employee exposures to heat, emergency response activities, work at indoor sites kept below 80°F,...

Kansas Grain and Feed Association (KGFA) joined more than 150 national, state and regional organizations in urging United States House of Representatives leaders to pass a bipartisan Farm Bill this congress before the legislative process begins anew in the 119th Congress. The letter explains the need of millions of Americans who rely daily on the provisions of the Farm Bill to produce food, fiber and fuel. The aforementioned organizations who signed the letter expressed the need for the Farm Bill's updated policies, provisions, initiatives and critical funding supporting the...

On June 18, in response to an action by Governor Laura Kelly, the Kansas legislature convened a one-day Special Session where two matters were debated. The first was a comprehensive tax relief bill. The second item was approval of a Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) bonding package intended to incentivize the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals sports franchises to come to Kansas City, Kan. Both bills were passed, and the governor has indicated she will sign the bills into law. COMPREHENSIVE TAX RELIEF - Senate Bill 1: The House and Senate voted overwhelmingly...

To assist in combatting the rising cost of higher education, Kansas Grain and Feed Association’s (KGFA) scholarship program awarded nearly $30,000 in total to 19 of the state’s graduating high school seniors for the 2024-25 academic year.  The scholarship committee, comprised of KGFA’s membership, received more than 250 applications and granted the 19 awards based on merit and equitable geographic locations throughout the state. “Our board of directors and scholarship committee understand the importance of introducing the next generation to our industry and association as early as possible,” KGFA’s president and CEO Ron Seeber said. “We are proud to support the...

The Kansas Water Office (KWO) plans to hold meetings aimed at generating broad, and continued, legislative interest in fully funding the state water plan. Similar to the regional planning sessions Kansas Dept. of Transportation held when putting together the Kansas Highway Plan, the state's vision is to put conduct similar regional/consult listening meetings across the state to receive feedback on funding priorities for the new state water plan funds. June 17 | 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. | Colby June 18 | 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Dodge City June 20 |...

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