farm workers

Western Kansas is running out of the water needed to fuel irrigated agriculture. Why is it so hard for farmers to switch to alternative crops?

Between spring and fall (and sometimes year-round), farmers markets around Kansas City offer fresh produce, flowers, artisan-made goods and treats. Find out how to shop local in towns and neighborhoods across the metro.

President Trump said that he is standing up for skilled workers and farmers by slapping tariffs on imports but farmers aren't happy. "It is being economically drawn and quartered," one Kansas farmer said.

The head of the U.S. Postal Service is stepping down, but rural communities in Missouri and Kansas are worried about operations getting even worse. Plus: A Kansas congressional delegation is working hard to revive a gutted foreign aid program that farmers say they can’t live without.

The price of beef is at all-time highs, but a major policy initiative of the incoming Trump Administration could drive them higher. In an industry that's already strapped for workers, mass deportations could put some ranchers and feedlots out of business.

Many unhoused students in Missouri and Kansas aren't getting the school support they need — in large part because the districts aren't counting them. Plus: Farmers expect less income this year, which is likely to send ripples through the larger economy.

Missouri has a tropical fruit of its very own: the pawpaw. Although this Midwest native is getting more popular, you're unlikely to find them in a grocery store yet. Plus: While corn and soybeans dominate the Midwestern landscape today, some farmers are integrating strips of native prairie back into their fields.

When Tyson closed a chicken processing facility in southeast Missouri, it also ended contracts with nearby chicken farmers. Now, some of those farmers are suing. Plus: Kansas farms are consolidating, pushing people to leave the region and making rural life even lonelier.

Documentation status, language barriers and lack of information can all create barriers for immigrants to access federal grants. Now a number of organizations are stepping in to provide direct support.

Federal income caps are excluding many agricultural workers from affordable housing, leaving developments with vacant units and workers without homes.

The Clay Counts Coalition is launching a program aimed at raising awareness and improving access to mental health services for its rural agricultural community.

Last year more than 378,000 workers were authorized for H-2A visas, or temporary agriculture positions, according to figures from the U.S. Department of Labor. In 2012, it was less than a third of that.