U.S. Department of Agriculture

It’s been decades since the New World Screwworm was a problem in the U.S., but the flies are now advancing northward from Panama. They could disrupt American agriculture if they gain a foothold here again.

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.

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.

School nutrition teams worry their jobs could get harder as the Trump administration floats budget cuts that could gut their ability to offer free meals, even as they face rising prices for already-costly food and equipment.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture revoked Tonia Haddix’s license to keep and sell exotic animals, after the Missouri woman lied to a judge about a chimpanzee she claimed had died. Haddix was the subject of the HBO docuseries “Chimp Crazy.”

Kansas City es un centro para oficinas federales como la Administración del Seguro Social, la Agencia de Protección Ambiental, el IRS y el Departamento de Asuntos de Veteranos.

Workers who were hired in the past two years or recently got a promotion were fired for “performance reasons,” because they were listed as probationary employees. A judge ruled their firings illegal.

Thousands of probationary federal employees fired by the Trump administration must be offered job reinstatement within the next week, a judge has ruled, because they were terminated unlawfully. That likely includes many fired workers from the Kansas City region.

The cancellation of two programs will affect more than $1 billion in expected funding this year. Food advocates worry the cuts are coming when other federal food programs are at risk.

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said earlier this month that economic aid payments Congress approved late last year are on the way. But with days left before the deadline, some farmers are anxiously waiting.

Kansas City is a hub for federal offices like the Social Security Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the IRS and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Farms and non-profits around Kansas City have recently lost, or could lose, grant funding from the USDA under the Trump Administration. Despite facing financial uncertainty, urban growers plan to continue fighting food insecurity.