Marisa Morgan Dallman

Kansas officials are launching an energy efficiency loan program financed with federal stimulus dollars.

The program will use $34 million in federal funds to make low-cost loans to homeowners and small businesses. The loans are to be used to make energy efficiency improvements.

Gov. Mark Parkinson will visit a Topeka home to demonstrate ways to cut energy use.

More information can be found at the website

http://www.efficiencykansas.com/

The USDA Cooperating with the Kansas Department of Agriculture released its October All Farm Products Index of Prices Received by Kansas farmers today. Most prices are all up but still down from last year.

Wheat prices in mid-October, at $4.28 per bushel, are up 25 cents from September but $1.64 below last October.

All hay prices averaged $99 per ton in mid-October, up $1 from September but $12 lower than last year.

For more specific information and additional crop stats on corn, sorghum, and livestock please visit

www.nass.usda.gov/ks

It is that time of year again when deer start popping up on the side of the road especially here in Kansas. The expression... Deer in the Headlights... really made sense to me a few weeks ago. I was traveling down Highway 4 in Kansas just past dusk when I saw movement in the ditch and I slowed to about 20 mph. I saw two deer but they turned to go away from the road into the pasture and I thought I was in the clear and so I started to speed back up but at the last moment they bolted right into the road. I slammed on the brakes and I screamed "MOVE" (which now as an afterthought sounds ridiculous because I'm sure they didn't hear me) but the poor thing just stood there with the Deer in the Headlights look and frozen in time. I couldn't stop fast enough and then...there it was... I heard the dreaded sound....K-Thud.

After a second when I felt my heart restart I quickly turned on my flashers and jumped out to survey the scene. As I begin to search around I realized my truck was fine and no deer in sight. I must have clipped it. At this point I was beginning to wonder if I had dreamed the whole thing. I was in a hilly area on narrow roads so I had to get going before someone came over the hill and clipped me. Later when I reached my Dad's farm and told him the story I realized it sounded outrageous since there was no damage and other than the fact that I was still trying to catch my breath there was no evidence of the K-Thud incident where Deer had met Truck. Then my Dad reached up on my truck headline and pulled the deer hairs off. I have to admit I felt relief knowing there was evidence of my near miss.

In 2008, 9,371 deer-vehicle collisions were reported to the Kansas Department of Transportation and deer-vehicle collisions were reported in every county in the state. More details, including a map showing all accidents and deer accidents by county, may be found at the KDOT website, www.ksdot.org/burtransplan/prodinfo/2008factsbook/Deer.pdf

The statistics show that this time of year is when the most accidents occur. So be vigilant and watch the side ditches especially at dawn and dusk. Flashing your brights may help if you see them but remember they don't travel alone so watch for others even if you think you are in the clear. And I hope none of you hear the K-Thud.

Equine therapy has long been known to be therapetuic and healing especially for children and those who have suffered trauma. Kansas has its own equine healing program superstar. Scott Sinemetz of Healing Hearts Ranch in Great Bend Kansas trains horses. He also recently participated in the Mustang Heritage Foundation's Extreme Mustang Makeover in Fort Worth, Texas in September. This event takes mustangs and gives them to trainers for 100 days to train and work with them and then the horses compete. Immediately following the competition the horses are adopted and Stinemetz horse was adopted by Madeleine Pickens.

The Kansas hay and alfalfa market is trading slow and demand is moderate according to the Kansas Department of Agriculture-USDA Market News Service for the week ending October 20. Mostly I am hearing from landowners that the market is slow and steady.

The number of cattle on feed as of Oct. 1 in Kansas feedlots was approximately 2.22 million head.

Ranchers who had signed up for the Livestock Forage Diaster Program began receiving checks for losses from drought that effected stock grazing animals. For more information about this program visit your local FSA county office to apply.