Barton Community College will be closed on Friday, April 15 and Monday, April 18 for Easter break. Barton's Center for Adult Education and the Shafer Art Gallery will also be closed. The college's regular class schedule and office hours will resume Tuesday, April 19.

As of April 5, the area of extreme drought that covered most of Barton and part of Stafford County stayed the same but the area of severe drought is expanding.  Over 60% of the state is at some level of drought with another ten percent abnormally dry.  The six to ten-day outlook (April 13 to 17) indicates a 50 to 60% chance of below-normal temperatures and normal precipitation.  The eight to fourteen-day outlook (April 15 to 21) indicates a 40 to 60% chance of below temperatures and a 33 to 40% chance of below-normal precipitation.  Not what wheat producers or spring row crop planters want to hear.  And with this outlook, it’s a good time to look at how temperature and moisture affect crop nutrient uptake.

Barton Community College’s Center for Adult Education will soon begin another nine-week session of classes. However, orientation days are required before starting the classes. Students must attend all orientation days in-person, which will be held on May 10, 12 and 17.

Barton Community College is discounting online courses for its summer sessions for Kansas High School students and graduating seniors of the class of 2022 from $150 to the face-to-face price of $118. That’s a savings of 21 percent per credit hour.

Those wanting to help save lives and be a part of a vital industry can apply for Barton’s Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT) programs now through July 28.

Barton Community College has joined community colleges across the country in celebrating Community College Month (#CCMonth), a grassroots campaign coordinated by the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) to improve awareness of the economic, academic, and equity benefits of community colleges, and dispel misconceptions.

The early bird registration deadline for the Barton Foundation’s Ninth Annual Sporting Clay Shoot is April 8. Those who register before the deadline will get a chicken fried steak lunch and a camouflage hat at no extra charge.

As of March 29, the area of extreme drought that covered most of Barton and part of Stafford County shrank a bit and moved back to severe status and drought ranging from moderate to exceptional still covers the western two-thirds of the state in spite of recent moisture.  It will take a great deal of precipitation to improve the outlook but the recent moisture will help the wheat.  Wheat looks much better now than just a week ago.  The six to ten-day outlook (April 5 to 9) indicates near-normal temperatures and a 33 – 40% of below-normal precipitation.  The eight to fourteen-day outlook (April 7 to 13) indicates exactly the same outlook.  Cooler temperatures will help the wheat but even normal precipitation will only have the crop hanging on.