Kansas Lawmakers Finish Work, Set Closing Ceremony
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators have finished their work and adjourned their annual session except for a brief, formal ceremony to mark its end. The Senate adjourned at 5:45 p.m. yesterday (SAT). It did so shortly after passing a bill containing budgets for the fiscal year beginning July 1st and for the following fiscal year. The House adjourned about an hour later after passing the same bill. The only scheduled business left for lawmakers is a brief adjournment ceremony scheduled for June 26th. However, they can do business on that day if necessary. Yesterday (SAT) was the 113th day of what was supposed to be a 100-day session. Only 2015's session was longer at 114 days.
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Hemp Oil Supplier Changes Kansas Product after Seizure
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — The owner of a Missouri hemp oil supplier says he's making a special product line for Kansas after police seized the supply of a retailer because it contained trace amounts of the high-inducing agent in marijuana. The Kansas City Star reports that CBD American Shaman owner Vince Sanders says he hopes the move will appease law enforcement. Industrial hemp and marijuana for recreational use both come from the cannabis sativa plant, but from different genetic varieties. Sanders says he tests his products to ensure they contain no more than 0.3 percent THC, which is a fraction of the amount contained in recreational marijuana. He believes that makes the products legal. But police in Mission, Kansas, disagreed and seized his product last month from a store called Into the Mystic.
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USDA Expects Drop in Kansas Winter Wheat Yield
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture expects this year's Kansas winter wheat crop to drop 35 percent from last year. The department said this week that Kansas winter wheat farmers are expected to bring in 304 million bushels this year. Last year, farmers produced 467 million bushels of winter wheat last year. Dan O'Brien, an agriculture economist at Kansas State University, says disease and unseasonable weather contributed to the drop in production. But he says farmers also planted less wheat this year. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports O'Brien says wheat prices have fallen annually for several seasons, so farmers planted less wheat this year to avoid taking a loss. Last year, wheat was grown on 8.2 million acres of Kansas farmland, but this year's acreage is under 7 million.