meatpacking

A fight over fluoride in drinking water in Abilene, Kansas, could preview battles likely to play out in cities across the country as the next presidential administration puts a spotlight on the issue. Plus: President-elect Trump's immigration policies will likely affect the meatpacking industry, and in turn, the cost of food.

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.

Western Kansas is projected to see large population declines in the coming years, but immigration may be the key to stemming the losses. The communities that have embraced their diversity have seen their population stabilize and the local culture shift, redefining what rural Kansas looks like.

The legislation requiring companies to build their meatpacking sludge storage lagoons away from nearby homes passed the Missouri Senate this week.

The cattle trade brought big business to Kansas City, and a history of barbecue shaped our culture. Now, local butchers are carving out a niche for high quality meats and specialty items, whether you're putting together a charcuterie board or preparing for a neighborhood cook-off.

State regulators are considering a request from Missouri Prime Beef Packers, which processes more than 3,500 cattle per week near Pleasant Hope, to treat wastewater from its operation using microorganisms and discharge it directly into the Pomme de Terre River.

A highly concentrated beef market has meant higher prices for consumers and lower returns for the people raising the animals. Some ranchers in the Midwest and Great Plains want a new option by organizing their own processing plants.

Walmart is putting more than $250 million into a beef packaging plant in Olathe. That will bring hundreds of jobs to Johnson County and reflects a big shift in the way beef gets from farm to table.

Packers Sanitation Services, based in Wisconsin, paid $1.5 million to the U.S. Department of Labor after an investigation found it employed children in dangerous jobs in eight different states.

A company hired to clean meatpacking plants in Missouri and other Midwest states is accused of illegally using children for potentially dangerous jobs. Plus: Eric Schmitt is heading to D.C. as Missouri's next U.S. Senator, but he'll be entering a very different legislative environment than the one he's used to at home.

The U.S. Department of Labor said a company hired to clean meatpacking plants may have used children to work potentially dangerous jobs at facilities in Nebraska and Missouri.

Kansas City will be one of 11 U.S. host cities in the 2026 World Cup. Plus, venison donated to food pantries could contain trace amounts of lead — but in Kansas and Missouri, you won't get a warning.