One of our most popular features from the past 15 years - a full-page color photo on the front of the Kiowa County Press showing various impressions of life in Kiowa County. While a limited number of copies continue to be printed and distributed each week at Kiowa Healthmart, COOP C-Store in Eads, Haswell Propane, and Thunderbird Petroleum, we wanted to bring this feature to our online readers as well.

Shown below - the front page of the August 5, 2016, Kiowa County Press - Rainbow over Kiowa County. Photo by Jeanne Sorensen.

By Bob Garver

“Jason Bourne” gets off on the wrong foot by having a lame title. I guess the idea was to recover from the flop that was “The Bourne Legacy” by promising viewers that Jason Bourne would actually be involved in this one. But what it’s unofficially promising to do is break from the hot streak of the first three “Bourne” movies. Fans of the franchise expect the movies to be titled “The Bourne (something vaguely exciting)” Who cares if people like to make fun of these titles (“The Bourne Colonoscopy”), they’re essential to the way people identify the franchise.

Dubbed by Gov. John Hickenlooper as a "ride for the rest of us", the 2016 Pedal the Plains bike ride will bring cyclists young and old through the gently rolling byways of the historic Eastern Plains communities of Ordway, Fowler, and La Junta.

A collaboration between the State of Colorado and The Denver Post, this one-of-a-kind cycling event highlights the importance of water, economic development, and the agricultural industry in Colorado.

This year's event runs September 16th-18th.

To register, visit www.pedaltheplains.com by August 28th.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has reached agreement with Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply to allow access for U.S. beef and beef products to the Brazilian market for the first time since 2003. Brazil's action reflects the United States' negligible risk classification for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and aligns Brazil's regulations to the OIE's scientific international animal health guidelines.

As your children get ready to head back to school, make sure they have the protection they need. Colorado students are required to have a number of vaccines for school attendance. Children, from preschoolers to middle schoolers to college students, need vaccines.

By Chris Sorensen

Cooler than average temperatures, accompanied by continued flow of monsoon moisture into the area and across the southwest U.S. will mark the weekend.

For those planning trips to the southern mountains, be aware of flash flood watches in many areas. Some parts of the mountains have already received up to one inch of rain over the past day, creating saturated soils. An additional one to two inches is expected through Saturday.

A horse in Weld County has been diagnosed with West Nile Virus (WNV). This is the first confirmed case of WNV in a horse in 2016. This index case was diagnosed by Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Fort Collins.

Vaccines in horses have proven to be a very effective prevention tool. Horses that have been vaccinated in past years need an annual booster shot. However, if an owner did not vaccinate their animal in previous years, the horse will need the two-shot vaccination series within a three to four week period.

By Eads USDA Service Center Staff

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:

• CCC-633EZ Page 1 – Loan Deficiency Payment (LDP) agreement and request – MUST BE SIGNED AND ON FILE WITH FSA OFFICE BEFORE SELLING THE GRAIN.  
• COC meeting -  August 9^th
• 2^nd Tuesday each month - Farm Loan personnel in Kiowa County FSA Office. 
• CRP GRASSLANDS SIGNUP - No date announced for deadline.

KIOWA COUNTY LOAN RATE FOR WHEAT

Local students, listed below by hometown, have been awarded scholarships from Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kan., for the 2016 to 2017 academic year.

Some students on this list have been previously announced, but the scholarships in this list are in addition to or are a higher-value replacement for an earlier scholarship.

Fort Hays State is one of six public universities in the Kansas Board of Regents system.