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Meet me at the fair

State fairs offer tradition, blue ribbons and fried classics like funnel cakes. And many fairgoers have traditions of their own. Harvest Public Media takes an audio tour of four state fairs around the Midwest. Also, Kansas is known for its massive wheat production, but it has fallen behind because of a lack of new hybrids. Seed companies and universities are making changes that could impact the farmers, and economy, of Kansas.

State fairs are a riot of sights, sounds and smells. Each year, as summer turns to fall, fairgoers take in livestock competitions, carnival rides and lots of fried foods. Harvest Public Media transports us to four state fairs across the Midwest.

Kansas is known as the bread basket of the world because of its massive wheat production. That's changed in recent years. With poor profits and drier climates, wheat has been harder to manage. But as Calen Moore of the Kansas News Service reports, new innovations could rejuvenate the wheat state.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Laura Ziegler. It is produced by Byron Love and KCUR Studios, and edited by Madeline Fox, Emily Younker and Gabe Rosenberg.

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As KCUR’s Audience Editor, I‘m always asking: What do our communities need to know, and how can KCUR best deliver that? I help figure out how our journalism lives online, so we can serve more people, build trust with our communities, and amplify joy. Contact me at gabe@kcur.org
As an on-demand producer, I am focused on using my skills and experiences across multiple digital applications, platforms and media fields to create community focused audio, video and on-demand products for KCUR Studios. The media that I produce aims to inform, entertain and connect with the Kansas City metro area as we continue to learn from each other. Email me at byronlove@kcur.org.
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