August 08 2024

1 Gov. Laura Kelly to Chair Democratic Governors Association

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly will move up to chair the national Democratic Governors Association with the current chair moving on to run for vice president on a presidential ticket with Democrat Kamala Harris. Kelly, now the vice chair of the DGA, fills the position that had been held by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was named Harris' running mate on Tuesday.

Article Source: Sunflower State Journal

2 Farmland Values Rise as Crop Prices Decline

Average farmland values increase by 31% in counties with significant producer declines, driven by population growth, renewable energy, and financial speculation.

From 2017 to 2022, the average value per acre of all American farmland grew from $4,368 to $5,354, an increase of nearly 23%, according to USDA data on the market value of farmland and its buildings. But in the 409 counties across the country that saw a producer decline of 15% or greater over the past five years, average farmland values increased by 31%, according to Investigate Midwest’s analysis of USDA reports, land value records and other property data. In reviewing property records and speaking with more than a dozen officials who closely track farmland values, Investigate Midwest found there are multiple causes for the decline in producers in counties that saw the most significant increase in value:
* Population growth expanding into rural communities has increased prices and reduced farmland as 11 million acres of agricultural land were converted into residential properties from 2001 to 2016, according to the American Farmland Trust.
* The push towards wind and solar energy, often backed by government subsidies, has also raised land rents much higher than for traditional agricultural use.
* Large investment firms, such as Farmland Partners, PGIM and Gladstone Land, are paying top dollar for land and reselling some property at amounts as much as five times higher than the regional average.
* The move towards industrial farms has also meant more corporate land buyers who can pay cash and beat many local offers.

Article Source: MO Independant

3 Kelly Ortberg to Lead Boeing Amid Company Challenges

Former Rockwell Collins CEO Kelly Ortberg takes over as Boeing's CEO, aiming to revamp the troubled aerospace giant with a hands-on approach.

Robert “Kelly” Ortberg was well known on Wall Street for striking big deals as the leader of Rockwell Collins. But back in Iowa, the aerospace executive was known for paying attention to issues that rarely made headlines, like the VIP spots in the company parking lot. With little fanfare, Ortberg removed the assigned spaces for higher-ranking employees at the headquarters of Rockwell Collins. Brad Neilly, an employee, recalled how one Friday night he walked out of the building at the same time as Ortberg. The chief executive had parked even further away from the building, “deep into the parking lot,” Neilly wrote on LinkedIn in 2021. “It was a little thing but had a big impact on me.” Ortberg, 64, who takes over Thursday as the CEO of Boeing  will need both strategic vision and an eye for such details as he tries to revamp an American manufacturing giant that has been hobbled by production delays, factory flubs and quality lapses that have marred its reputation and drained its finances. 

“They clearly need to get back to basics, and Kelly is a person who will do that,” said Don Beall, former CEO of what was then Rockwell International, who worked with Ortberg as he rose through the company. “He’s a very hands-on guy. He’ll get out on the shop floor.”

Alan Mulally, the former head of Boeing’s commercial business who left in 2006 to steer a turnaround at Ford, said that Ortberg while at Rockwell Collins was key in developing the cockpit for the 777 and 787 jetliners—from flight control to vision systems to maps—and that doing so required him to navigate the needs of Boeing, suppliers, pilots, regulators and air traffic officials. Ortberg has the temperament and experience, he said, to create an environment in which employees feel safe flagging problems. “As an engineer, this is the way we grow up,” Mulally said. “The whole idea is that you are creating a skilled, healthy and psychologically safe environment because that type of environment is what allows people to share everything that’s going on.”

Article Source: WSJ

4 Gov. Laura Kelly and GOP Leaders Unseat Key Lawmakers in Primary

Democratic Rep. Marvin Robinson and Republican Sen. Dennis Pyle lose primary elections, potentially impacting future legislative dynamics.

Gov. Laura Kelly and her allies have unseated a fellow Democrat who consistently voted against her in the Kansas Legislature, while GOP voters ousted a lawmaker many Republicans blamed for Kelly's narrow reelection two years ago. Democratic state Rep. Marvin Robinson, of Kansas City, and Republican state Sen. Dennis Pyle, of Hiawatha, lost in Tuesday's primary as their parties picked nominees for congressional and legislative seats and scores of offices in the state's 105 counties.

Robinson's loss could make it easier for Democrats to break the Republicans' supermajorities. There's no GOP candidate in Robinson's district, and had he won, Democrats would have had to pick up an extra House seat to offset his possible votes against Kelly. His break with Kelly and his party's lawmakers became crucial to GOP efforts to enact new abortion restrictions and roll back LGBTQ+ rights over Kelly's vetoes. Republicans and GOP-aligned groups backed Robinson's reelection effort — one GOP-leaning PAC even produced a mailer favorably linking Robinson to former President Barack Obama to boost his primary chances, the Sunflower State Journal reported.

Pyle angered Republican leaders in 2022 when he temporarily left the party to run for governor as an independent against Kelly and the GOP nominee, then-Attorney General Derek Schmidt. Pyle's official total of about 20,000 votes was about 1,800 shy of the margin between Kelly and her Republican foe, but GOP leaders said Pyle changed the cast of the race. He said Republicans fielded a weak nominee.

Article Source: AP

5 Sedgwick County Considers Allowing New Solar Farms

After a yearlong moratorium, Sedgwick County commissioners debate new standards for large-scale solar farms, with a final vote scheduled for August 14.

Industrial solar power is a heated topic in Kansas with some counties wanting them and others saying “no.” As Sedgwick County inches closer to the approval of new regulations that will allow for solar farms, 12 News reporter Branden Stitt spoke with county commissioners about what to expect with the new plans. In 2019, Sedgwick County blocked wind farms, but unlike other counties in Kansas that did the same, Sedgwick County left the door open for solar. New rules could soon allow for large-scale solar farms to take off after nearly a yearlong moratorium for them. At Wednesday’s Sedgwick County Commission meeting, the topic of large-scale solar farms attracted a large crowd and plenty of feedback. Last year, the moratorium suspended any large-scale solar projects in the county. The reason, according to Commissioner David Dennis, is that rules for these types of projects were never addressed.

County commissioners now have a set of standards that if approved, will allow solar, but not impact growth, Dennis said. Instead, the Sedgwick County Commission tabled the vote and will take up the issue again next Wednesday, August 14.

Article Source: KWCH

Sports

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Tonight
Royals begin series v Cardinals

Sources

1. https://sunflowerstatejournal.com/new-kelly-moves-up-to-chair-democratic-governors-association/

2. https://missouriindependent.com/2024/08/06/as-investors-pay-top-dollar-for-land-farmers-are-often-priced-out/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202024-08-07%20Agriculture%20Dive%20%5Bissue:64666%5D&utm_term=Agriculture%20Dive

3. https://www.wsj.com/business/airlines/kelly-ortberg-boeing-ceo-profile-dde57e07?mod=hp_lead_pos8

4. https://www.kake.com/home/the-gop-and-kansas-democratic-governor-ousted-targeted-lawmakers-in-the-states-primary/article_8892b292-5586-11ef-b680-bf0017476ae7.html

5. https://www.kwch.com/2024/08/08/new-rules-could-pave-way-solar-farms-take-off-sedgwick-county-reactions-mixed/