Newsroom

The Kansas Applicator Institute: Where applicators and certified crop advisors discuss tomorrow’s precision application – today. Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association has officially opened registration for its annual Kansas Applicator Institute scheduled for Aug. 5 - 6, 2020 at the state fairgrounds in Hutchinson. The annual institute includes two days of hands-on learning including interactive pest control strategies, networking opportunities and the crowd-favorite ride-and-drive. LEARN MORE...

Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association’s postponed CDL Exam Preparation schools have been rescheduled for Aug. 4, Aug. 27 and Sept. 29, 2020. Attendees are not required to, but will have the opportunity to take the Kansas Commercial Learner’s Permit general knowledge, air brakes and combination exams upon completion of the review program.  The exam(s) will start no later than 2:00PM and those who wish to take the exam(s) will need to bring an additional $13 (cash, check or credit card paid to the Kansas Department of Revenue on site) , their valid...

This afternoon, Governor Kelly announced that she is using her constitutional authority to call the Kansas Legislature back in to a Special Session next week, beginning Wednesday, June 3, 2020. The Governor stated that she intends to veto CCR on Sen Sub for HB 2054, outlined below, which would have restricted the Governor’s authority to issue emergency disaster orders under the Kansas Emergency Management Act. She is directing the legislature to return to Topeka and asking that they pass a bill to extend her current emergency orders under the Act. The Governor’s...

On Thursday, May 21st, the Kansas legislature returned for one final day of business in 2020. Through 24 straight hours of debate and deliberation, conference committees met and assembled multiple bill packages. The Legislature was initially scheduled to return for a full veto session in April. That date was postponed, however, in response to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the truncated timeframe with which the legislature had to conduct its final business, Leadership limited action to only those bills which were arguably related to the pandemic. The weighty issue of...

Governor Laura Kelly's Executive Order 20-33, maintaining the 10 percent weight waiver up to 90,000 lbs for trucks hauling essential goods and supplies expires on June 14, 2020. For our members’ clarification of the Executive Order, we requested clarification from the Kansas Highway Patrol if the waiver applies to the following: transport of agricultural crop inputs (seed/pesticide/fertilizer/diesel) from import/manufacturer to the end user/farmer transport of grain from farm to elevator transport of grain from commercial elevator to end user (i.e., feed yards, feed mills, biofuel plants, export market, etc.) transport of...

The Kansas legislature will return for one final day of business on Thursday, May 21st. Multiple committee met this week to consider various bills – all of which will all compete for limited action next Thursday. Large items, such as Medicaid expansion, might still be open for discussion, as will certain tax bills and COVID-related items. The Legislature was initially scheduled to return a few weeks ago in April for a full veto session. That date was postponed, however, in response to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to adjourning in...

Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association's (KARA) scholarship committee met in late-April and awarded nearly $10,000 in scholarships to Kansas high school graduating seniors and current college students for the 2019-20 academic year. The scholarship committee, comprised of KARA's membership, received more than 100 applications and awarded six students scholarships to assist in advancing their academic endeavors. “KARA has a long and proud history of providing scholarships to worthy students,” KARA’s president and CEO Ron Seeber said. “We congratulate this year’s recipients and wish them the best with their studies and their future contributions...

Recently, the USDA has announced their new Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive (HBIIP) program to increase higher ethanol blend availability. Projects may include costs related to upgrading fuel dispensers, retrofitting equipment, underground storage tank system components, and other installation costs required to offer ethanol blends greater than 10 percent or fuel containing biodiesel blends greater than 5 percent. HBIIP covers up to 50% of the eligible project costs, for a maximum of $5 million per applicant each. Along with USDA dollars, the Kansas Corn Commission will be contributing additional matching funds for...

The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today published a final rule modernizing hours of service (HOS) rules to improve safety and flexibility for commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers and the American public. The final rule brings a key reform to the short-haul exemption by extending it to 150 air miles and increasing the maximum on-duty period from 12 to 14 hours. ARA sent comments to FMCSA on Oct. 21, 2019, requesting regulatory reform to HOS rules including an expansion of the short-haul exception and maximum on-duty period. Read...

This afternoon, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed Executive Order 20-31, which establishes a new phase to the “Ad Astra: Plan to Reopen Kansas.” The new “1.5” Phase, effective May 18, 2020, continues reopening efforts while preserving some data-driven restrictions necessary to prevent community transmission of COVID-19. “The good news is that hospitalizations and COVID-related deaths continue to decline, enabling us to move forward with our efforts to safely reopen Kansas,” said Kelly. “Unfortunately, the daily rate of disease spread has not shown the downward trajectory necessary to move fully into Phase...

X
X