Trade

Changes to federal food assistance could cause thousands of Kansans to lose some or all of their benefits. The consequences for low-income families will depend now, more than ever, on state lawmakers. Plus: When you're shopping the produce section of a grocery store, you probably want to buy local — but that food probably traveled a long way to get there.

Missouri recently became the 28th state to pass the CROWN Act, banning discrimination against Black students' hair. We'll head to a Kansas City salon to hear how local teens are reacting. Plus: Farmers worry that Trump's on-and-off tariffs could hurt America's reputation with one of their biggest buyers, China.

The interest in local food systems, like farmer’s markets and direct farm-to-consumer sales, is on the rise. But the U.S. is still more reliant on imported foods than ever before.

Specialty producers exporting to China have been hit just as hard as soybeans and beef. But they often have fewer alternative markets for their crops, worsening the impact of retaliatory tariffs.

Critical mineral producers in Missouri are exploring extraction methods as international trade policies fluctuate, and the president's tariff regime plays out.

While the U.S. pork industry has grown significantly in the past two decades, producers have struggled to make a profit in recent years. Industry leaders are looking for new markets abroad and at home.

Buying a new band or orchestra instrument could get a lot more expensive. Kansas City business owners who import musical instruments have been hit hard by on-again, off-again tariffs with Europe and China, and the path forward remains unclear.

Haitao Li, chair of the supply chain analytics department at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, says that the Trump administration's rollout of tariffs in recent months appears to neglect the ways modern supply chains operate.

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 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.

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 Trump administration’s tariff announcements this week are bringing uncertainty to farmers going into planting season. Farm groups warn that retaliatory tariffs will add an additional “burden” to U.S. producers.