News

Great Bend Tribune
Published March 12, 2017

You would have to have been living in a bubble to be unaware of the fires that swept across over twenty Kansas Counties and Oklahoma, Colorado, and Texas this past week.  And these are in addition to the major grass fires from last spring.  Media has reported the devastation and the why – howling winds that changed direction, low humidity, and a great deal of fuel due to last summer’s rains.  But what exactly is the connection between fire and the prairie.

March 9, 2017
Story by Micah Oelze

Barton Community College’s Center for Adult Education will soon begin its nine-week GED Preparation Class.

The orientation session, which is a prerequisite for the course, will be held from 9-11 a.m. March 20 and 3-7 p.m. March 21 at 1025 Main St. in Great Bend. Classes will begin March 27, students who attended the March 20 orientation will meet at 8:30 a.m. and the students who attended the March 21 orientation will meet at 3 p.m.

March 6, 2017
Story and photo by Brandon Steinert

Long-term-care facilities will be under strict deadlines to meet new staffing requirements outlined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The new regulations require any individual serving as a facility’s Director of Food and Nutrition Services to secure certification as a dietary manager as defined by the Association of Nutrition & Foodservice Professionals (ANFP) or the International Food Service Executives Association (IFSEA), according to an article on ANFPonline.org.

Great Bend Tribune
Published March 5, 2017

Where Did It Come From?

With all the “heavy” and concerning news across the board and in agriculture, maybe something a little less serious, a bit fun, and accidentally educational is in order.  There are many terms in agriculture and around food production.  Some still in common use while some are a bit archaic.  Let’s just tackle a few of them see how they came about and what they mean.

March 3, 2017
Story and portrait by Brandon Steinert

Victoria Fortune was in the first wave of Soldiers deployed to Iraq in the early 2000s. Like many of her comrades, upon returning home she suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Published February 26, 2017
Great Bend Tribune

February 22, 2017
Story by Brandon Steinert
Photo by Micah Oelze

The Barton Community College Theatre Department is taking an unconventional approach with its upcoming play, “The Servant of Two Masters,” which is set for 7:30 p.m. March 3 and 4, with a matinee at 2 p.m. March 5, in the Fine Arts Auditorium.

Great Bend Tribune
Published February 19, 2017

With the start of a new Congress and Administration in Washington along with the start of a new session in Topeka, much of the discussion always seems to turn to the need for “good” jobs and education.  With education the discussion naturally gravitates towards the high cost of four-year institutions and the debt accumulated by students and their families for a degree, if they even actually graduate.  So how does that relate to agriculture?

(From left) Danielle Butenhof, Sophomore, Fort Riley Campus; Anna Schmidtberger, Sophomore, Great Bend Campus; Alex Feldkamp, Sophomore, Great Bend Campus; Dr. Carl Heilman, President of Barton Community College; Yvonne Hnat, Sophomore, Fort Leavenworth Campus; Tami Seib, Sophomore, Fort Riley Campus pose for a photo after the awards banquet at the Topeka Ramada Inn Convention Center on Thursday.  PTK All-Kansas Academic Team honorees earned medals and certificates to commemorate their achievement.
 

Feb. 16, 2017
Story and photo by Micah Oelze

Click for larger graphic.

February 17, 2017
Story by Micah Oelze
Graphic by Connie Wagner

CTE Month 2017: This feature is the final of four stories to be released by Barton Community College in February in celebration of Career Technical Education (CTE) Month.