As part of the Kansas State University presidential community visit initiative, K-State will host a community visit in Finney County on April 24-25. The visit includes activities to engage with, listen to and learn from Kansans in Garden City and the Finney County region.

President Richard Linton and K-State Connected ’Cats students will lead several events, including community conversations, recruitment activities and events to highlight university partnerships and K-State Research and Extension relationships. The Connected ’Cats students are both from Garden City: include Tram Pham, a senior in accounting and finance, and Jade Valdez-Gomez, a junior in dietetics with a minor in leadership studies. The event includes:

To see the full two-day list of events, visit k-state.edu/president/initiatives/regional-community-visits/schedule/finney-county/#schedule. Learn more about Linton’s presidential community visit initiative.

New Kansas 4-H Foundation president and CEO

The Kansas 4-H Foundation Board of Trustees has appointed Mindy Weixelman as its president and CEO as of April 1.

Over the last four years, Weixelman has demonstrated her commitment to the 4-H mission, extraordinary skills as a collaborative leader, and vision for the power of philanthropy. She most recently served as the interim president and CEO after Jake Worcester accepted a new position as the vice president for development at National 4-H Council.

CHS and MKC to expand grain marketing joint venture

Longtime cooperative partners CHS Inc. and Mid-Kansas Cooperative, Moundridge, Kan., announced their intention to expand their current grain marketing joint venture to maximize the value of an end-to-end cooperative supply chain in the Southern Plains. The two companies are currently building a rail-served grain terminal near Sterling, Kan., that is scheduled to be operational in 2024. The partnership will connect cooperative- and farmer-owners in the Southern Plains with the Temco terminal in Houston to reach worldwide customers.

According to the cooperative partners, both companies will continue to independently own and operate assets throughout the region while expanding their grain marketing joint venture designed to move grain more efficiently through a seamless distribution channel. The companies expect to begin to operate the expanded 50/50 joint venture this summer.

Health care apprenticeship programs receive $100,000 support

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced $100,000 to support the two new health care apprenticeship programs at Pratt Regional Medical Center, Pratt; and Labette Health, Parsons. The programs build on the governor’s creation of the Office of Registered Apprenticeship last fall and include training opportunities for positions such as certified nursing assistant, phlebotomist, surgical technician, medical coding specialist, and other high-demand, high-wage health care occupations.

The program will be developed and administered over the next year by Hamilton Ryker, a staffing and workforce solutions agency partnering with the Kansas Office of Registered Apprenticeship. It will be supported by the Kansas Hospital Association. Funding for the program was made available through the Patterson Family Foundation.

Since September 2022, when Kelly created the Kansas Office of Registered Apprenticeship, interest in apprenticeship programs has soared. There are now 4,044 Kansans in apprenticeship (up from 3,500); total occupations with programs have increased from 150 to 172; and the number of active employers offering apprenticeships has almost doubled from 118 to 212.