KNS — Cattle producers in drought-stricken Kansas counties may now cut hay or graze on land normally set aside for conservation.

Forty-three counties in central and northeastern Kansas that are in “severe drought” according to the U.S. Drought Monitor were authorized for emergency grazing and haying. That gives ranchers limited access to grass or hay from land enrolled in the conservation reserve program or CRP.

Kansas Farm Service Agency conservation specialist Rod Winkler said farmers were given this access because droughts have slowed the growth of the grasses the cattle normally graze.

“During a drought situation, sometimes CRP acts as a buffer,” said Winkler. “Livestock producers are running short … so on a limited basis we can access some of those acres to provide relief.”

Through CRP, the federal government pays farmers to take croplands out of production and replace them with traditional grasslands. This helps reduce soil erosion and provides valuable habitat for wildlife.

Winkler says the Kansas FSA walks a tightrope to balance the goals of the CRP program with relief for ranchers. For example, the timing of the emergency grazing and haying is scheduled around the needs of local birds.

“After the nesting season ends July 15,” said Winkler, “there’s authority here to release CRP acreage.”

And there are limits to how the CRP land can be used. If farmers choose to cut hay on their CRP land, they can only hay 50 percent of the acreage, and there are limits to grazing, as well.

Authorizing 43 counties for drought relief is unusual, said Winkler. Most years, only a few counties that have been affected by wildfires are authorized.

What emergency grazing doesn’t address is drinking water.

“They’re also running out of water in many of these situations,” said Winkler. “They’re also facing scenarios where they’re hauling water to these pastures on a daily basis.”

For more information or to request approval for emergency haying or grazing use of CRP acres, producers should contact their local county FSA office.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate’s top Republican has stripped a fellow GOP senator of a committee leadership post for publicly expressing support for two Democratic candidates.

Sen. Barbara Bollier of Mission Hills on Wednesday lost her position as vice chairman of the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee after endorsing Democrat Tom Niermann in the 3rd Congressional District race in the Kansas City area. Niermann is one of six Democrats hoping to challenge Republican incumbent Kevin Yoder.

“While we respect differing opinions in our caucus, it is unacceptable to betray members of your own party by publicly endorsing leftist Democrats,” said Susan Wagle, Senate president, R-Wichita. “Sen. Bollier has lost credibility within our caucus, which makes it impossible for her to function in a leadership role.”

If that is the attitude of fellow Republicans, Bollier said, it is sad. The attitude speaks to the emergence of new parties that seek to find middle ground, she said.

“I think people are crying out for it, quite frankly,” Bollier said.

Bollier also said she will take a stance for whatever is best for Kansas and that she isn’t the first Republican in history to support a Democrat. She is a retired physician, and Yoder lost her support by opposing the Affordable Care Act. Many Republicans haven’t voted for Yoder in the past, she said, and won’t this time.

Bollier previously said she would support Democratic state Sen. Laura Kelly of Topeka for governor if Kelly wins the Aug. 7 primary.

Wagle accused Bollier of betraying fellow Republicans and called the endorsements “embarrassing.”

Bollier told The Topeka Capital-Journal that she is considering leaving the GOP to become an independent.

Bollier served in the House from 2010 to 2016 before winning election to her Senate seat.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A settlement between Kansas agencies and Westar Energy may lead to utility customers seeing rate drops instead of previously expected increases.

The settlement reached Monday would reverse Westar’s request for a $17 million rate increase and turn it into a $66 million rate cut. The settlement also drops Westar’s efforts to raise the basic per-month service charge, the Wichita Eagle reported .

The three-member Kansas Corporation Commission must still approve the settlement, which could end what’s been a hotly contested fight over rates that brought hundreds of angry customers and Kansas lawmakers to recent public hearings in Wichita and Topeka.

Regular electric customers would see a rate decrease of about $4 a month under the agreement, according to David Nickel, consumer counsel for the Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board, the small state agency representing residential and small-business customers.

Customers could still face a fight over the future of solar energy in the state. The settlement would allow Westar to charge an extra fee for customers who get some of their power from home solar panels but buy power from Westar when it’s dark or cloudy.

Solar customers under the settlement would pay $9 per kilowatt in the summer and $3 per kilowatt in the winter for their highest one-hour kilowatt usage in a given month.

“Some people (solar customers) are going to be really unhappy, and some people are going to be somewhat happy,” Nickel said.

The settlement agreement includes the Ratepayer Board, the commission, the Wichita school district and the Kansas Industrial Consumers group, Nickel said. The main holdouts are the Sierra Club, the Climate and Energy Project and other group advocating for Westar’s solar customers.

Nickel said it would be impossible to reach an agreement that satisfies every customer, but that the settlement is positive for most of the approximately 700,000 Westar customers represented by the Ratepayer Board.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita lawyer and a computer software engineer have been charged in a federal indictment alleging they plotted cyberattacks on websites with information criticizing the attorney’s work.

U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister told The Wichita Eagle that Wichita lawyer Bradley Pistotnik, 62, and VIRAL Artificial Intelligence Co-Founder David Dorsett, 36, were charged Tuesday with computer fraud and conspiracy. Pistotnik, who’s locally known for his commercials in which he rides a bull while advertising that he’s an accident attorney, is also charged with making false statements to the FBI.

The indictment alleges that Pistotnik and Dorsett are responsible for cyberattacks on Leagle.com , Ripoffreport.com and JaburgWilk.com in 2014 and 2015. The indictment also accuses Dorsett of filling website inboxes with threats.

“One of the emails read: ‘Remove this page and we stop’ and ‘if you don’t remove it we will begin targeting your advertisers,’” the statement said.

Pistotnik’s attorney, Steve Robison, denied the allegations. Dorsett couldn’t be reached for comment.

Computer fraud carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and an up to $250,000 fine on each count, according to McAllister’s statement. Conspiracy carries up to 10 years in prison along with an up to $250,000 fine. The men face five counts of computer fraud and two counts of conspiracy.

The penalty for making false statements can be up to five years and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count. Pistotnik faces three counts.