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I would like to start canning my own tomatoes in both whole form and in
salsa. What is the best variety for this? I'd like to get something
that grows well in my sandy loam kansas soil and has a decent yield.

Also, we'd like to have a few slicer tomatoes for salads and to eat
plain, what makes a good tomato variety for this?

the past few years, we've only used miracle grow fertilizer about 3-4
times during the season without any ammendments to the soil. Should
we consider manure or other fertilizers to increase the tomato yield
out of our smaller garden?

yes, you should definately use compost and/or well aged manure. There are a
host of reasons why but none more than the health of your soil. You feed the
soil and improve its quality with compost and manures. If the soil is
healthy the plants are more likely to do well. You will also boost the humus
in your dirt and its water retention abilities. Any earth, whether clay or
loam or sandy will benefit. The taste of the vegetables may improve as well.
You can grow plants without compost/manure as you have shown. For long term
success however putting organic matter in your soil is highly recommended.
You can either fork it in to the soil or lay it across the top as a mulch. I
do the latter and rely on worms and the like to mix it in over a period of
months.

rob