HUTCHINSON, Kan. — There is still some cutting to do, but for the most part the wheat harvest is quickly winding down in the area.

According to Tim Leslie with the COOP in Haven, a few fields are still uncut but most of the wheat is in the bin.

Leslie says weights have averaged about 58-60 pounds per bushel; with yields varying widely. Most areas reported about 60-70 bushels per acre although flooded areas were far lower.

The National Ag Statistics Service reports that based on July 1 conditions, Kansas’ winter wheat production is forecast at 330 million bushels, up 19 percent from last year. Average yield is forecast at 50 bushels per acre, up 12 bushels from 2018.

Area to be harvested for grain is estimated at 6.60 million acres, down 10 percent from a year ago.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson City Council took time to go over the general fund during a special budget meeting Thursday morning. The city is looking to eliminate a potential one mill increase.

The budget is further compressed by a 6/10ths of one percent drop in the city’s valuation, which is a loss of $90,000 to the general fund.

One area that was cut was the long-running Welcome Channel. The programming on cable channel 7 has recently been a target of the budget but has survived. It looks like that will end this year. The channel will still broadcast all city and county meetings and provide some other information, but the promotional material will end. The cut saves the county about $6,500.

As the Council is looking to cut more, they also heard a presentation from the Reno County Entrepreneurship Task Force. The group which was formed in 2017 is asking the city to pony up $30,000 to help fund a position and operation inside the Quest center to help business initiatives in the city and county. If the requests are met, the county will also pony up funds as well as the Hutchinson Community Foundation. The position would be called an Entrepreneurship Navigator and would provide necessary services to help start-up businesses.

The group is asking for a total of $210,000 this year from the three entities and eventually would like a total of $240,000 by the fifth year of operation.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County Public Works has decided to allow bicycle and pedestrian traffic across the 43rd Avenue bridge at Old K-61 Highway.

The small wooden span over the Union Pacific Railroad has been closed to all traffic after it was condemned July 3. Plans are to replace the bridge.

Public Works says the bridge is still closed to all motorists, but pedestrians and cyclists can now cross.

Road and Bridge Superintendent Don Brittain says the bridge project is on schedule, but that still means an 18 month period where the road will be closed to all vehicles.

HAVEN, Kan. — The Haven School Board and the teachers will meet again next week to continue negotiations on a new contract for the 2019-2020 school year.

On Monday, the board went into executive session to discuss the wage gap between the two sides. Teachers originally asked for a base salary increase of $6,014. The district offered $2,014. The faculty is now asking for an increase of $4,014. That would raise base pay for teachers to $40,000.

No counter offer has been made by either side. Superintendent Clark Wedel could not disclose the conversation by the board during the executive session.

The next bargaining session is Friday, July 19.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Reno County Emergency Management is still working to find aid for those affected by the recent flooding.

According to Director Adam Weishaar, efforts to get FEMA aid have fallen short as there was not enough damage to individual properties to qualify. The county will get public assistance dollars to help pay for infrastructure repairs.

Weishaar says he is now working with the Small Business Administration to acquire low interest loans for homes and businesses.

Weishaar says they need to find 25 properties with damage to at least 40% of the home’s value to meet the SBA threshold for funds. While there was plenty of damage to homes and businesses during the flooding, few reached that 40% level.

BUHLER, Kan. — The Buhler School Board took time during Monday’s meeting to discuss what to do about traffic around Prairie Hills Middle School for this year.

Traffic is expected to be more congested around the school since the 43rd Avenue bridge at Old K-61 Highway is closed. The span is being replaced, but won’t be done during the school year.

Superintendent Mike Berblinger says they have come up with an idea to deal with the traffic. “We really discussed traffic flow and I think our primary objective is to prevent stacking out on Lucille,” Berblinger said. “So we’ve got a plan that the administration at Prairie Hills will roll out to parents to let them know how the traffic flow will go.”

The plan is to divert traffic through the parking lot north of the school before routing back to the pick up area. The district hopes the diversion will keep more cars off Lucille. Berblinger says they’re also working with the city to maybe help with some of the traffic issues that will occur at 30th and Lucille with cars trying to get in and out of the area.

Other ideas that have been discussed include staggering release times during the school day to keep the number of cars in the area down.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Things are slowly improving at the Hutchinson Zoo. The zoo reopened on a limited basis July 4 and continues to dry out from more than a month of flooding.

Hutchinson Parks Director Justin Combs says most of the west half of the zoo is open, but anything from the playground area east is still flooded. Combs says the service building is still in about six inches of water so they’ve not assessed the damage there.

Zoo officials were forced to relocate the animals to other areas of the zoo after persistent rainfall forced the pond on the grounds out of its banks. The visitors center also suffered continuous flooding in the basement. No animals were lost in the event and Combs says the water is slowly retreating.

Friends of the Zoo recently raised more than $10,000 to help in the recovery efforts.

HESSTON, Kan. — With all that is going on in farming, it is a wonder many can weather the challenges. But an informational meeting is set for early next month that can provide helpful information.

National Farmers is hosting a “Tariff’s, Weather, and Smart Marketing” state meeting in Hesston on Aug. 9 at Waters Edge Restuarant, 701 S. Main St., Hesston. A grain marketing presentation will start at 5 p.m. followed by a free dinner at 6 p.m.

Ray Kohman, Kansas National Farmers state leader, will be the moderator for the event. Featured will be a Market Forecast presentation by Don Roose, U.S. Commodities, Pete Lorenz, and Teresa Seiler, Grain Marketing specialists, Don Teske, Kansas Farmers Union and an update on the Syngenta lawsuit by attorney Lee Cross.

National Farmers is a non-profit group marketing organization that operates like a cooperative and does business in the region.

RSVPs are requested for the free dinner by Thursday, Aug. 8, by contacting Pete Lorenz at 785-738-2113, Theresa Seiler 316-796-0606, or Harold Walker at 785-554-6432.