farming

The Trump Administration is asking states to more closely watch the citizenship status of people receiving benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. But some advocates for immigrant families worry the messaging could hurt people who are eligible for the food assistance.

Midwesterners typically head to the woods to find morels because the mushrooms have a lifecycle that’s hard to replicate at farms, but that could change. Plus: Why it’s so hard for the farming industry in Kansas to switch crops.

Each spring, Midwesterners head to the woods to find morel mushrooms. But some in the region are developing methods to reliably farm the delicacy.

Agronomists at the University of Missouri have created a new cultivar of black walnut that grows faster and produces a better nut than the native black walnut tree. Missouri provides three-fourths of the country's native black walnuts.

For the last few months, transgender service members have had to wrestle with the reality that they’ve been deemed unqualified to serve in the U.S. military. Hear more from an officer stationed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, who is directly affected. Also, The Natural Resources Conservation Service turns 90 this year. But the agency, which sprung out of the Dust Bowl, has lost employees and could see major funding cuts.

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?

The Dust Bowl led to the creation of what is now called the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Just as it celebrates a major milestone, the agency is dealing with job losses, massive proposed budget cuts and talk of consolidation.

Despite efforts to develop markets and genetics, Missouri's industrial hemp industry is at its lowest point in years. “Most of the farmers who started with hemp — they lost money,” says a Missouri agricultural economist.

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.

A private prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, could reopen to hold detainees for federal immigration authorities. Plus: Farmers fear the trade war could cause another farm crisis.

The spring planting season is getting started for many Midwest farmers. Federal data suggests that fewer acres will be planted in soybeans than last year, in part because of the U.S. trade war with China.

The U.S. trade war with China is coming at a tough time for American farmers, who are already dealing with lower crop prices and higher costs for farm necessities. Tariffs are likely to push crop prices further down, while increasing the costs for fertilizer and farm equipment.