cattle

Brush Creek is stinky, dirty and poorly maintained. Can Kansas City turn it into an attraction? Plus: Ranchers across the Midwest and Great Plains are battling black vultures that prey on newborn livestock.

Ranchers across the Midwest are battling black vultures, a federally protected bird that has a reputation for killing newborn livestock. While the birds play a major ecological role, their expanding population is becoming a big nuisance for producers.

Dryness in the Great Plains began spreading east this year, affecting much of the Midwest and endangering crops, livestock and river shipping. Recent rains have been a god-send, but will it be enough to loosen the years-long drought?

Drought across the Midwest and the Plains means pastures aren’t as green as usual, leaving cattle with less to eat. Hay is in high demand and low supply.

As an invasive tick species spreads westward across the U.S., so does the threat of a new disease in cattle. Researchers are sounding the alarm.

Shayla Curts was pregnant with her third child when she was shot and killed in December. Her family says this might not have happened if Jackson County's child welfare system had worked like it was supposed to. Plus: The plan to conserve water in western Kansas and save the region from drying up altogether.

After decades of irrigation, the aquifer that makes life possible in dry western Kansas is reaching a critical point. Several counties have already lost more than half of their underground water. But a new plan could save more of what’s left.

It’s been one year since drought-fueled wildfires tore across western and central Kansas. For the ranchers who lost so much, the rebuilding process is far from over.

Bison grazing on native prairie for three decades transformed the landscape, allowing wildflowers to thrive that can feed legions of bees and butterflies.

From deadly wildfires to choking dust storms to decimated crop harvests, this year’s drought has left its mark across the country. For the hardest hit areas, such as the Great Plains, recovering from the far-reaching impacts of this historically dry year won’t be easy.

Bison grazing on native prairie for three decades transformed the landscape, allowing wildflowers to thrive that can feed legions of bees and butterflies.

Drought is taking its toll on western Kansas cornfields this year. And all that dead corn could mean higher prices for products that depend on the state's grain supply, such as ethanol-infused gasoline and corn-fed beef.