The St. Joseph Fire Department has applied for and been awarded grant money to help in training its firefighters better to protect the city of St. Joseph.  

A $130,000 grant will allow St. Joseph firefighters to train with the 139th Airlift Wing at Rosecrans Memorial Airport to gain better knowledge and training.  

City Manager Mike Schumacher says it's critical that St. Joseph's fire fighters are well trained 

"And that’s why Ivan the Fire Chief has been so focused on it, that we want our folks safe and if they’re not training and they’re not keeping certain certifications up, then you’ve got to worry we’re sending them out into harm's way without being really equipped with knowledge and training,” Schumacher says on the KFEQmunnity show.  “And the 139th feels the same way, and that’s what makes that collaboration so fantastic.” 

Schumacher says the 139th helps supply abilities in firefighting that will be helpful to St. Joseph firefighters 

"They are very important to this community, but perhaps on an even more important note they’re in partnership with this community, so they’re not out there on an island so to speak,” Schumacher explains.  “They’re very much plugged into this community as a whole and really just a great partner and partnership, that’s one of the really fantastic things about St. Joseph, is the collaboration between all these different organizations.” 

Schumacher says the city plans on applying two additional years to the grant to help make sure St. Joseph's firefighters are current on their certifications and well trained. 

Schumacher also points out collaborations between the city and entities like the 139th is important to continue helping the city become a better place to live.    

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Grant will help provide high quality training to St. Joseph firefighters 

A community needs a vaccination rate of at least 95% to be adequately protected from measles outbreaks. In Missouri, the rate of vaccinated kindergarteners stands at 90%

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ahanshaw/">Annelise Hanshaw</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

The percentage of kindergarten students in Missouri vaccinated against diseases like measles and whooping cough is dropping each year as more parents turn in non-medical exemptions prior to their child’s first day of school.

Only 90%&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/living/families/schoolhealth/dashboard.php" target="_blank">of Missouri kindergarten students</a>&nbsp;were immunized against measles, mumps and rubella last year, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/living/families/schoolhealth/dashboard.php" target="_blank">Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services</a>. That’s down from 94.6% five years prior. Some counties&nbsp;have rates nearing 75%.

According to the CDC and World Health Organization, a community needs a vaccination rate of at least 95% to be adequately protected from measles outbreaks.

“We are sweating,” Dr. Laura Morris, a University of Missouri Health Care family medicine physician and liaison to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, told The Independent. “There are a couple of diseases that are very infectious that require really high rates of vaccination to provide herd immunity.”

Missouri exceeds the national average of non-medical exemptions. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5% of Missouri kindergarteners had non-medical exemptions on file last school year, compared to a nationwide rate of 3.4%.

This percentage, which has been on a steady incline since the 2020-21 school year, is troubling public health experts who say vaccination rates are dipping below safe levels.

“The number of children in a particular school that might be vulnerable or unvaccinated, it’s going to vary by community,” Morris said. “There are definitely some places and communities where there are a lot more unvaccinated kiddos, and then there are some communities where the rate might be 97% or even higher.”

Morris added: “It is going to be a bit of a firestorm if those infections get into some of those places.”&nbsp;

As vaccination rates drop, measles is popping up&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/measles-reaches-highest-level-in-33-years-now-in-39-states/">at levels not seen since 1992</a>. Seven cases of the disease have been confirmed in Missouri this year — five of which occurred in Cedar County, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the state with&nbsp;<a href="https://health.mo.gov/living/families/schoolhealth/dashboard.php" target="_blank">74.4% of kindergarteners vaccinated against measles</a>.

It is not just the MMR vaccine worrying health providers. The percentage of kindergarten-aged children with updated DTP vaccines (which protects against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis) has declined over the past 10 years from 96% to 90% in Missouri.

This is much steeper than the national drop, which went from 94.3% in the 2014-15 school year to 92.1% last year.

Rachel Hassani, director of education and engagement for the Missouri Rural Health Association, told The Independent that family hesitancy as well as access issues are contributing to the declining vaccination rates.

“Across the board, access to care is more limited in rural Missouri. Access to specialists, pediatricians, things like that is far more challenging,” she said. “And these workforce issues are really growing.”

Marvia Jones, director of the Kansas City Health Department, told The Independent that the city has been working to make vaccines more easily available. The health department has extended office hours to be convenient for working parents and scheduled more informational events in the community.

The result is a strong level of vaccination in the majority of the city, but Jones is noticing lower rates in suburban areas like the Northland.

“It is more of a hesitance issue,” she said. “A lot of misinformation and some of the political issues have been added to the discussions around public health vaccination in the past three to five years.”

The trend of lower vaccination rates and more religious exemptions in Missouri begins around the 2020-21 school year, which is when the COVID-19 vaccine was released. That year, only 2.4% of Missouri kindergarteners had a religious exemption from vaccination — less than half the rate of the 2024-25 school year.

“It has been just a big backslide in terms of the misinformation and inaccurate information,” Morris said. “It has become so prevalent to see so many things that are completely inaccurate.”

She has seen misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines spill into patient concerns about regularly scheduled vaccinations.

Health officials hope ease of access and proper education will help reverse the trend. But Missouri and the United States as a whole is also facing newfound systemic issues.

<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/27/repub/u-s-department-of-health-and-human-services-to-slash-10000-jobs-close-5-regional-offices/">Cuts in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services</a>&nbsp;has trickled down to Missouri programs. This spring, the Missouri Immunization Coalition shuttered after losing federal funding, and the Missouri Rural Health Association lost a $1 million grant intended to study immunizations in rural health clinics,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stlpr.org/health-science-environment/2025-04-16/federal-government-cuts-missouri-vaccine-funds-as-immunizations-dip" target="_blank">as reported by St. Louis Public Radio</a>.

And in June, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kennedy-cdc-acip-vaccines-3790c89f45b6314c5c7b686db0e3a8f9" target="_blank">replaced all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices</a>, a group that guides the CDC on vaccine policy.&nbsp;

Morris, a non-voting liaison to the committee, is still serving in an advisory role.

“The process of where those (vaccine) recommendations come from has been subverted over the last couple of months, and that (group) is no longer a source that has the same merit and the same kind of evidence-based background that it previously did,” she said.

Kansas City&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kcmo.gov/Home/Components/News/News/2417/1746" target="_blank">joined a lawsuit challenging the federal cuts</a>&nbsp;to public health programs. The state has taken no such action.

Since 2021, Missouri lawmakers have&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2021/09/15/missouri-lawmakers-look-to-undermine-biden-covid-vaccine-mandate/">spoken against COVID-19 vaccine mandates</a>, filing bills annually that seek to make such mandates illegal.

“It’s hard to know which direction things go. Does our state have less of an appreciation and trust of public health, so it funds it at lower levels? Or because of the low levels of funding, do people see us and respect us as an authority on these matters less?” Jones said. “It is an interesting kind of conundrum.”

Missouri ranks last in per-capita funding of public health, at $7 per person,&nbsp;<a href="https://statehealthcompare.shadac.org/rank/117/per-person-state-public-health-funding#2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52/a/76/154/false/lowest" target="_blank">according to the State Health Access Data Assistance Center</a>.

“We need lawmakers and certainly our medical community to be evidence-driven,” Jones said. “And to not stray away from tried and true public health interventions due to any political leanings.”

‘We are sweating’: Missouri kindergarten vaccination rates fall below immunity threshold

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement investigating the theft of an expensive bicycle have made an arrest.

On August 8,&nbsp; a 76 year old man from Williamsburg, Virginia stopped in Atchison, Kansas, as h traveled across America on his&nbsp;Surly Disc Trucker bicycle on his way to Oregon, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson.

The bicycle was stolen at 11:00AM in the 700 block Commercial as the victim was in a local laundromat. Police recovered the bicycle a short time later just across the bridge in Missouri. 

Just after 8:30a.m. Tuesday, police arrested 50-year-old Jody B. Erickson of Atchison in the 700 block M Street on a District Court warrant charging him with felony theft. Erickson was taken to the County Jail and is being held on a $10,000 bond.

Kan. man accused of bicycle theft from man riding cross-country

KFEQ Morning Sports

KFEQ Morning News

The judge also denied a motion to dismiss the case, meaning Missouri tax dollars will continue to fund the voucher program as the lawsuit progresses

The Missouri State Treasurer’s Office can continue to subsidize private-school scholarships from a $51 million allotment of state revenue while a lawsuit challenging the fund’s constitutionality makes its way through the system, Cole County Circuit Court Judge Brian Stumpe ruled Monday morning.

Stumpe rejected&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/07/01/missouri-educators-sue-state-over-51-million-appropriation-to-private-school-vouchers/">arguments by the Missouri branch of the National Education Association</a>&nbsp;that the flow of funds should be stopped in order to prevent unauthorized spending of state funds that can’t be “clawed back.”

But he didn’t outright deny the teachers union’s case, also turning down the state’s motion to dismiss Monday.

Still, Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who is in his final days in office before stepping into a federal position as co-deputy director of the FBI, labeled the ruling a “victory.”

“Parents, not unions, not bureaucrats, know what’s best for their kids,” he said in a press release. “This case is about freedom and opportunity, and today’s ruling is a huge step toward securing both.”

At the center of the case is the MOScholars program, which until the infusion of general revenue landed last month funded private-school scholarships through a tax credit program.

The lawsuit challenges the shift from a program dependent on donations&nbsp; — which taxpayers are able to receive back as a tax credit equal to 100% of their contribution — to a state-sponsored voucher program.

Both sides&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/08/21/missouri-teachers-union-asks-judge-to-freeze-private-school-voucher-payments/">met in circuit court last Thursday</a>&nbsp;for the first in-person hearing of what will likely be a months-long legal battle. MNEA’s attorney Loretta Haggard argued that the appropriation lacks authority from state statute.

“You can’t just turn on a hose of $51 million in general revenue and force it through the tax credit framework,” she said. “There are gaps in that framework.”

But the attorney general’s office and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/08/04/parents-intervene-in-missouri-voucher-lawsuit-with-help-from-herzog-foundation-leader/">intervenors from Indiana-based advocacy group EdChoice</a>&nbsp;argued the legislature’s authority in the budget process was sufficient.

“Just because (the budget bill) funds a program set up by other statutes does not make a new appropriation unlawful—new funding is a common, necessary, and entirely unsurprising

feature of general-revenue bills,” Bailey’s office wrote&nbsp;<a href="https://www.courts.mo.gov/fv/c/SIS%20Defendants%20Motion%20to%20Dismiss,%20SIO%20Plaintiffs%20Motion%20for%20TRO.PDF?courtCode=19&amp;di=3645329" target="_blank">in a filing submitted Aug. 15</a>.

The digital case record does not include Stumpe’s reasoning for the two denials Monday.

MNEA President Rebeka McIntosh shared her concerns about the unhampered flow of tax dollars to private schools in a statement.

“Politicians think they’ve won, but Missouri NEA’s 45,000 educators know better. We’ll prove in court what rural Missouri already knows: when you kill the school, you kill the town,” she said. “These vouchers violate our constitution and hurt our kids.”

Judge denies request to freeze Missouri private-school voucher payments

The St. Joseph Police Department participated along with other area local law enforcement&nbsp; this past weekend in Saturation Saturday. 

St. Joseph Police report that during the targeted enforcement on August 23rd, officers conducted a total of 48 traffic stops. Additionally, seven vehicles refused to stop, prompting further investigative follow-ups. The department issued 19 citations and delivered 29 warnings for a variety of traffic violations.

Saturation Saturday is a nationwide campaign hosted by Mothers Against Drunk Driving aimed at deterring impaired and dangerous driving on local roadways.  The enforcement resulted in two arrests for Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) and two additional arrests for outstanding warrants.

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

St. Joseph Police crack down on impaired driving during 'Saturation Saturday'

ANDREW COUNTY—Two people were injured in an accident just before 11:30p.m. Monday in Andrew County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Yamaha Royal Star driven by a 50-year-old Savannah man was westbound on MO 48 at County Road 227 six miles west of King City.

The driver failed to negotiate a curve in the road. The motorcycle traveled off the south side of the road, down an embankment and overturned. The driver and passenger were ejected. Grand River EMS transported the driver and the 46-year-old female passenger to Mosaic Life Care. They were not wearing helmets, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Mo. couple hospitalized after motorcycle accident

An effort to
resurrect a prominent building on the downtown Albany Courthouse Square is off
to a strong start, though there is much work ahead.

Albany Economic
Development Director, Mackenzie Manring, says efforts to restore the Rigney
Theater began in earnest in 2020.

“I mean this is a
111-year-old theater that is a main focal point of our downtown other than our
courthouse,” Manring says. “If you’ve been to Albany, you know the courthouse,
you know the theater, you know the library. Those are the historic buildings
around our downtown. And the theater had sat vacant since 2013.”

Restoration of the
Rigney began in earnest in 2020 as individual donors provided enough money to
repair the roof. Cleanup of the interior began the following year. Two
foundations issued $50,000 matching grant challenges each. Albany residents
were up for it. They matched both, totaling $200,000 toward restoration of the
Rigney. That money is being used to secure the outside structure of the
building going toward tuck pointing to stabilize the brick, securing windows
and doors to keep water and wildlife out.

One theme has
threaded through this process that the Rigney is just too prominent and too
historic for Albany to lose.

“It was built in
1914 by a local judge. He thought Albany should have an opera house. And so, he
made that happen,” Manring says. “He built it for $20,000. So, that’s the
equivalent now of around $600,000. And if you think about building a structure
like that you likely couldn’t do it for that amount. At the time, that was a
lot of money.”

As it sat vacant
and began to deteriorate, Albany residents decided to act.

“And we just
thought you know we’ve got to do something,” Manring says. “We’ve lost several
of our older brick buildings around our square and this one was just too
prominent to lose.”

Manring says
supporters understand that even with all that has been raised and all that is
being done, full restoration of the Rigney will take even more.

“There’s a lot to
do, but we don’t have to do it all at once,” Manring says. “And there are
probably things we can do piece by piece to get to a point where it’s usable
and then work on all those finishing touches as we go,”

Albany has been
working with the Community Foundation of Northwest Missouri in St. Joseph on
the restoration project.

Albany hopes to
restore the Rigney as a home for the Albany school district fine arts program,
to host entertainment for the community and region, and to provide a central
meeting place.

Click <a href="https://www.therigney.org/">HERE</a> to read
more about the project.

You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

Efforts to bring back the Rigney Theater in Albany off to strong start

Missouri Gov. Mike
Kehoe has appointed LeAndra Beauford of St. Joseph to the Missouri
Developmental Disabilities Council.

Beauford is a
family navigation manager for Progressive Community Services and a certified
family support provider. She has served as a substitute teacher in the St.
Joseph School District. Beauford received a certificate in legal studies from
Missouri Western State University.

Keho also
appointed Frank Kruse of Smithville to the Conservation Commission.

Kruse is the
president of Martin Hill Advisors and previously served as the vice-president
of business development and marketing for Sekisui XenoTech LLC. Kruse is a
member of several conservation organizations, including the Missouri
Conservation Heritage Foundation, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership,
and Johnny Morris Institute of Fisheries.

Kruse previously
served as an international marketing representative for the Missouri Department
of Agriculture.&nbsp; Kruse holds a master’s
degree in economics from North Carolina State University.

Beauford appointed to Missouri Developmental Disabilities Council

Missouri Western State University is making applying to college a little easier for students in the St. Joseph School District through a new partnership, 

The two recently signed an agreement for a direct admissions program, that will cut down the information needed for students applying for college, streamlining the process slightly. 

President Elizabeth Kennedy says college application paperwork can be complicated 

"Basically, what we’re doing is just taking out some of those requirements, getting the basics, the very basics that we need for information, taking that and putting it into our system so that we can get either an admissions recruiter, an advisor, whoever it is, connected immediately to walk them through the rest of it,” Kennedy tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.  

 Kennedy says this process will make the difficulty of applying for college easier, possibly drawing more local students to MoWest. 

"Ask yourself the question, if you had to do something and it was very complicated and difficult, or you had to do something and you just had to do a little bit, you’d probably go for option B,” Kennedy explains.  “And that’s kind of our goal.” 

Kennedy says students already matriculate well from St. Joseph to MoWest, this agreement is more about eliminating barriers to getting into college 

"We know we’re affordable, so that’s not a barrier, we know that we have high quality education, what’s the other piece that might prohibit or restrict people from coming and that’s ease of application,” Kennedy says. 

The partnership will begin being offered to district graduates of the class of 2026.  This is the first partnership of its kind between a university and a school district in Missouri. 

St. Joseph School Superintendent Ashly McGinnis says this is a great opportunity for students, especially with all of the workforce growth opportunities at the university, such as the Houlne Center for Convergent Technology.  

"Houlne Center is an awesome expansion almost onto our Hillyard programming, and so we are excited to be able to offer those opportunities for our kids,” McGinnis says. 

Direct admission guarantees admission to graduates of Central, Benton and Lafayette High Schools that meet minimum academic criteria 

Agreement between MoWest and St. Joseph School District adds ease to applying for college

December corn closed down 2 3/4 cents and March corn was down 3 1/4 cents. November soybeans closed up 1 3/4 cents and January soybeans were up 1 1/2 cents. December KC wheat closed down 3 cents, December Chicago wheat was up 2 cents, December Minneapolis wheat was down 2 3/4 cents.

Grains were mixed Tuesday as the brief price boost from Friday's supportive Pro Farmer yield estimates have seemingly grown stale as traders at this rate are chomping at the bit for field data to base their next price bets on. Outside markets were mixed on the news that President Trump plans to move ahead with firing of Fed Governor Lisa Cook. Equities treaded near even, while Treasury yields were a touch higher. Meanwhile, energy markets are correcting lower Tuesday, snapping a streak of positive sessions built primarily around Black Sea concerns.

The worry and concern that plagued Monday's live cattle market regarding the case where a traveler who was traveling abroad tested positive for New World screwworm in Maryland no longer seems to be at the forefront of the market's mind anymore. Currently, the October contract is trading at a new contract high as traders seem to be pressing onward aggressively and are encouraged to see boxed beef prices up as much as they are. Still no cash cattle trade has developed, but asking prices are noted in the South at $243, and remain unestablished in the North.

The feeder cattle complex was trading throughout the day with vengeance as the market gapped higher this morning and hasn't looked back since. And with the notable gain seen yesterday in feeder cattle sales across the country, the fundamental support is there for traders to make this kind of move.

Although morning pork cutout values were a tick lower, the lean hog complex challenged the market's resistance in the spot October contract, as currently, trader support is more than ample. There's a chance that with morning pork cutout values lower than traders could become weary at any point in time, but at this moment, support and stronger trends seem to be the market's trajectory.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/08/26154008/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

Commodity markets daily recap

The Department of Health and Human Services reported the first human case of New World Screwworm in the U.S. The diagnosis was confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control. The disease appeared in a traveler who’d been returning to the U.S. from Central America, where the disease is already present. State veterinarians learned of the human case during a call last week with the CDC. 

Oklahoma State Veterinarian Dr. Rod Hall said the patient lives in Maryland, where officials said they’re confident it is contained. Dr. Hall added that he believes the U.S. is probably more likely to get it in a person or pet than in livestock, at least in the short term. South Dakota State Veterinarian Beth Thompson was quoted in a Reuters article as saying that when NWS was confirmed in Maryland, the CDC worked with local physicians to identify the larvae. No livestock movement restrictions are in place. 

Human case of New World Screwworm confirmed in the U.S.

Cattle and calves on feed for the slaughter market in the United States for feedlots with a capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 10.9 million head on August 1st. That was two percent below the mark in 2024, and in line with pre-report trade estimates of 98.1 percent. Reports show the August 1 level is an eight-year low. 

The state-by-state breakdown showed a steady increase across most of the states, but compared to a year ago, the Southern feedlots were well below 2024 levels. That’s because of the closure of the Southern U.S. border to Mexican feeder imports. The northern feeder areas were said to be above year-ago levels. Texas placements were at 75 percent of last year, Colorado was 76 percent, Nebraska was at 98 percent, while Kansas and Iowa were at 102 and 118 percent, respectively. Feedlot placements in July were 1.6 million head, six percent below last year. 

U.S. cattle on feed down two percent

September corn closed up 1 cent and December corn was up 3/4 cent. September soybeans closed down 11 cents and November soybeans were down 10 3/4 cents. September KC wheat closed down 1 1/4 cents, September Chicago wheat was up 2 cents, September Minneapolis wheat was up 3 1/2 cents.

Markets were firm for the most part out of the gate to begin the new week Sunday evening, but prices eventually faded from highs through the Monday day session. Despite some recent reasons for bullishness, traders remain cautious of the potential for very large U.S. crops this fall. In outside markets, equities relaxed to start the week following Friday's Fed-related rally. Meanwhile, energy markets are continuing their rally from late last week primarily driven as peace discussions between Russia and Ukraine are thus far nonexistent following the Trump/Putin Summit ten days ago.

It's was a tumultuous morning for the live cattle complex as news broke over the weekend from the CDC that a person traveling abroad in Maryland was infected with New World screwworm. The news obviously affected the cattle complex dramatically as strict measures have been taken with cattle imports to avoid the spread into the U.S., but thinking that it would be carried into the US through a human wasn't on most people's radar. And although the news regarding the positive case of New World screwworm has most affected the marketplace, it hasn't helped matters either that the market received a neutral to somewhat bearish Cattle on Feed report last week, as most analysts thought placements would be lighter than what they were. New showlists appear to be lower in all major feeding areas.

The feeder cattle complex was traded mostly lower as traders are uncertain what to do with the complex following the CDC's announcement. The contracts were trading close to their limit lower this morning, but then recovered a bulk of the position and at the closing bell only trading mildly lower.

The lean hog complex had a prosperous morning as the contracts traded fully higher. It was helpful to see pork cutout values were stronger again this morning -- but that's mainly because of the continued aggressive rally in the picnic, which was up $8.75.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/08/25144723/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

Farm groups are warning the White House that the tariff war is making already high fertilizer prices worse. That’s making it harder for farmers to afford to plant their typical amounts of corn, soybeans, and wheat. Reports show that ag industry representatives have hesitated to publicly criticize President Trump’s tariff policies, but some have spent recent months quietly lobbying lawmakers and administration officials to ease the impact on fertilizer prices, which can make up over 30 percent of the input costs for row crop farmers. 

A recent letter from the National Corn Growers Association to administration officials like U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said fertilizer prices are approaching disastrous levels. When the president took office in January, the average tariff rate on all the key farmer inputs jumped from under 1 percent to well over 12 percent in August. Some inputs, like pesticides, have risen by 20 percent or more since January.

Farmers feeling the fertilizer price squeeze

Farmers throughout the region are invited to join Northwest Missouri State University and its School of Agricultural Sciences in collaboration with BioSTL for its 2025 AgTech Innovation Showcase to connect farmers and innovators in the ag industry. The program is 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4, at Northwest’s&nbsp;Agricultural Learning Center, located at 22893 U.S. Highway 71 in Maryville.

BioSTL, a St.&nbsp;Louis nonprofit launched in 2001, offers a comprehensive set of programs aimed at solving challenges in agriculture, medicine, health care and technology.&nbsp;For agriculture professionals, BioSTL’s Early Adopter Grower Innovation Community (EAGIC) program provides a pathway for innovation to reach&nbsp;farmers, using domestic and global networks to find solutions that meet the needs of farmers.

The showcase will feature speakers and explore topics including AI-enabled and data-driven farm tools; biological, fertilizer and soil health solutions; equipment and farm input innovations; and animal science technologies. Attendees will receive a complimentary lunch.

Northwest hosting farmers, ag experts for ‘Innovation Showcase’

December corn closed down 1/4 cent per bushel at $4.11 1/2 and March corn was down 1 cent at $4.28 3/4. November soybeans closed up 2 1/2 cents at $10.58 1/2 and January soybeans were up 3 1/4 cents at $10.77. December KC wheat closed down 5 cents at $5.21, December Chicago wheat was down 2 1/2 cents at $5.27 1/4 and December Minneapolis wheat was unchanged cents at $5.90.

December corn finished 6 1/4 cents higher at $4.11 1/2. March corn also finished 6 1/4 cents higher at $4.28 3/4. November beans rose 16 cents for the week at $10.58 1/2 and January beans finished up 15 1/2 cents at $10.77. Kansas City September closed down 9 at $4.98, Chicago September finished down 1 3/4, and Minneapolis December finished up .0075 at $5.90.

Soybeans got a boost and rose for the second straight day. Although pod counts are being reported as record large in several key states, it is the drier outlook ahead that has traders buying. Also supportive for soybeans was the bean oil strength and the EPA decision to grant full waivers for only 63 of the petitions with partial waivers and some not approved at all. Wheat and corn flirted with both sides in slow trade Friday.

The live cattle complex continued to trade higher and higher as support remains plentiful for the market. Boxed beef demand has been stellar this week, and although we'd just seen a small trading thus far in the fed cash cattle complex, prices have been higher in the North. It's normal for traders to pull the contracts back somewhat ahead of the release of the monthly Cattle on Feed report, but at this point, it's looking like there's enough support in the marketplace to ease traders' nervousness about the report to continue to push the contracts higher.

A new day, and another new contract high summarizes the feeder cattle complex at this point. It will be interesting to note what happens on the monthly Cattle on Feed report as placements are expected to be lighter than a year ago, but how much lighter once again remains the question to be answered. It's been an incredible week for the feeder cattle complex as the market has been able to close higher every single day.

The lean hog complex made a late-week rally as the nearby contracts were successful trading upward of $1.00 higher into Friday's noon hour. Some of the market's support is stemming from the strong fundamental showing late in the week, but more than that, it seems that traders have regained their confidence, as fundamental support throughout the week has been spotty.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/08/22143712/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins said the USDA will no longer fund taxpayer dollars for solar panels on productive farmland or allow solar panels manufactured by foreign adversaries to be used in USDA projects. Subsidized solar farms have made it more difficult for farmers to access farmland by making it more expensive and less available. Within the last 30 years, Tennessee alone has lost over 1.2 million acres of farmland and is expected to lose two million acres by 2027. 

This problem isn’t just in Tennessee, because, since 2012, solar panels on farmland nationwide have increased by almost 50 percent. That’s why the Department took action. “Our prime farmland should not be wasted and replaced with Green New Deal-subsidized solar panels,” Rollins said. “One of the biggest barriers to entry for new and young farmers is access to land, and subsidized solar farms are making land much more expensive and less available.” 

Rollins blocks taxpayer dollars for solar panels on prime farmland

The U.S. and the European Union announced that they’ve agreed on a Framework of an Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair, and Balanced Trade. Among the key terms, the EU intends to eliminate tariffs on all U.S. industrial goods and provide preferential market access for a wide range of U.S. seafood and agricultural goods, including dairy products, fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, soybean oil, pork, and other products. 

The U.S. commits to applying the higher of either the U.S. Most Favored Nation Tariff Rate or a tariff rate of 15 percent, comprised of the MFN tariff and a reciprocal tariff, on originating goods from the European Union. Among some of the other commitments, the U.S. and EU share one of the world’s largest economic relationships. European companies commit to invest an additional $600 billion across strategic U.S. sectors through 2028. They’ll also work to eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers. 

U.S. and E.U. issue a joint statement on trade framework

December corn closed up 7 3/4 cents per bushel at $4.11 3/4 and March corn was up 7 3/4 cents at $4.26 3/4. November soybeans closed up 20 cents at $10.56 0/1 and January soybeans were up 18 1/2 cents at $10.73 3/4. December KC wheat closed up 2 3/4 cents at $5.26, December Chicago wheat was up 1 1/2 cents at $5.29 3/4 and December Minneapolis wheat was up 0.02 cents at $5.9100.

Both the corn and soy markets surged Thursday as the next 10 days holds a dry outlook for the Eastern Corn Belt and crop tour participants are finding diseases more prevalent than thought. Soybean oil rallied ahead of what is expected to be a decision on small refinery exemptions soon. Wheat markets were along for the ride in two-sided trade but in the end finished mixed to slightly higher.

Following Wednesday's massive surge in the futures complex, the live cattle complex&nbsp;traded mostly steady, seeming unsure of what it should do next. It remains incredibly supportive that boxed beef prices are continuing to trend higher, but the market has yet to really see what this week's trend is going to be in the fed cash cattle complex. There's been a light movement in the North at $245, which is steady to a tick higher than last week's weighted average, but the market hasn't seen enough trade, or any trade in the South, to say that it confidently knows what this week's trend is going to be. Regardless, it's anticipated that prices will trade at least steady if not a bit higher again this week simply because feedlot managers possess enough leverage in the marketplace to be able to roll their showlists over if prices aren't what they want. From a technical standpoint, it's impressive to see that futures contracts are trading mostly steady as traders want to support the complex more but also don't want to overdo anything.

The feeder cattle complex&nbsp;continued to trade mostly higher into Thursday's close after a rough start to the session, as traders are seeing plenty of support. Support from feeder cattle sales in the countryside, support from strong boxed beef demand, support from the light movement that the fed cash cattle complex has seen already this week, and, as of this point this week, total support from traders.

Although pork cutout values were down slightly, and the week's export report wasn't overly supportive, the lean hog complex traded mostly higher into Thursday's closing bell as traders have seemed to find some footing in the futures complex. The bulk of this week's cash hog trade is likely done, so any fundamental support is going to need to come from cutout values, and this morning the carcass price was down slightly.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/08/21152506/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

NEOSHO COUNTY —On Sunday January 17, 2016, at approx. 7:01 pm the Neosho County E-911 Center received a report of an elderly woman setting in the passenger side of a pickup parked at a local business in Erie. The reporting party advised the woman had been in the parked truck since approximately 10:00 am that day, according to Sheriff Greg Taylor.

The Erie Police Department was dispatched to the business to check on the woman’s welfare. The woman told the officer that her son was going to a sports thing, did not want her to go, and left her in the vehicle around 10 am. The woman advised that her son, Jay Shumate had left walking in an unknown direction. The Erie PD Officer took the woman home to her residence in Erie, as she was unable to drive herself. 

On January 21, 2016, the Erie Police Department as the Neosho County Sheriff’s Office to assist with a search of the surrounding area of Erie. According to the Erie Police Department, Jay Shumate, who was 60 at the time, had not returned home. It was reported that Mr. Shumate would frequently walk along U.S. 59 or Main Street south from to the Neosho River. 

On January 22, 2016, a large search consisting of community volunteers, law enforcement and volunteer fireman searched the surrounding snow-covered sections of land. With an emphasis on searching the area between Erie and the Neosho River. The search was conducted with individuals on foot, ATV’s, horseback, and aircraft. The search was unsuccessful. At the time there were a couple of alleged possible sightings of Mr. Shumate, one claiming to have seen someone similar hitchhiking on US69 near Pittsburg. The Erie Police Department investigation into Mr. Shumate’s disappearance was unsuccessful. Since that time the Neosho River has flooded a few times. 

On February 13, 2023, the Sheriff’s Office received a report of a human skull that had been found the previous day by people looking for deer antler sheds. Investigators collected the skull and were taken to the location of its discovery. The area is prone to flooding from the river. Investigators searched for any other remains or clothing in a large area around where the skull was found. 

This search yielded nothing. The skull was taken to the Washburn University Forensic Anthropology lab for testing. The testing estimated that the skull was likely from a male. 

The Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the KBI with the investigation. Familial DNA samples were collected from a member of the Shumate family. DNA profiles were sent to PTC Laboratories in Texas. 

On Tuesday August 25, 2025, the Sheriff’s Office received the DNA Analysis confirming that the skull is the remains of Jay Shumate. The cause of death is unknown. A Sheriff’s Office Investigator has notified the next of kin.&nbsp;

Sheriff: Remains are of Kan. man missing nearly 10-years

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://georgiarecorder.com/author/jacob-fischler/">Jacob Fischler</a> <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>

Three states are at risk of losing some federal transportation funding because they are not enforcing President Donald Trump’s executive order that commercial truck drivers must be proficient in English, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Tuesday.

New Mexico, Washington and California will have 30 days to comply with the order or risk losing funding from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration — among the smaller of the Transportation Department’s agencies — Duffy said, standing behind a lectern with an “America First” banner on it at the department’s Washington, D.C., headquarters.

California stands to lose $33 million, Washington could lose $10.5 million and New Mexico would lose $7 million, Duffy said. He urged the states to comply with the executive order, which Trump signed in April and took effect in June, or face increasingly draconian penalties.

“We don’t want to take away money from states,” Duffy said. “But we will take money away and we will take additional steps that get progressively more difficult for these states. There’s a lot of great tools that we have here that we don’t want to use.”

All three states contributed to a Florida crash this month in which three people were killed, Duffy said. The truck driver involved had a commercial license from California and Washington, and had been pulled over for speeding in New Mexico prior to crashing in Florida, Duffy said.

“So this one driver touched all three states,” he said.

The Florida driver, an immigrant from India who did not have permanent legal authority to be in the country, made an illegal U-turn on the Florida Turnpike, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/08/20/jay-collins-is-headed-to-california-to-bring-back-undocumented-truck-driver/" target="_blank">local reports</a>.

Duffy said the Florida driver did not understand road signs, but did not further specify how his lack of English comprehension led to the crash, which reportedly involved making a U-turn across lanes of traffic. But Duffy repeatedly said the issue was one of safety.

Duffy said that when the Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/04/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-enforces-commonsense-rules-of-the-road-for-americas-truck-drivers/" target="_blank">executive order&nbsp;</a>went into effect, it received negative publicity.

“There was a lot of press that complained to us that we were being unfair to people, that we were being mean to people,” he said. “And what we said was, ‘No, this is a safety issue.’ Making sure drivers of very heavy, 80,000-pound rigs can speak the language is truly a critical safety issue. And some complained about it.”

On social media, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office said the federal government approved a permit for the Florida driver.

“This is rich,” Newsom’s office&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/GovPressOffice" target="_blank">wrote on X</a>. “The Trump Administration approved the federal work permit for the man who killed 3 people — and now they’re scrambling to shift blame after getting caught. Sean’s nonsense announcement is as big a joke as the Trump Administration itself.”

A DHS spokesperson&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/24/us/harjinder-singh-florida-crash-immigration" target="_blank">denied</a>&nbsp;the federal government issued the driver a work permit and blamed Newsom.

“These innocent people were killed in Florida because Gavin Newsom’s California Department of Motor Vehicles issued an illegal alien a Commercial Driver’s License—this state of governance is asinine,” a spokesperson wrote in an email to States Newsroom.

Newsom has increasingly over the past few months used his social media channels to mock Trump.&nbsp;

Washington State Patrol spokesman Chris Loftis wrote in an email that the agency was “reviewing the matter with our state transportation partners” and would soon have a more detailed response.

A spokesperson for Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, said he had not received Duffy’s letter.&nbsp;

“We will review it when we receive it and carefully evaluate next steps,” the spokesperson, Brionna Aho, said.&nbsp;

That state’s Gov. Bob Ferguson, a Democrat, made<a href="https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/08/19/wa-will-not-be-bullied-or-intimidated-ferguson-tells-bondi/" target="_blank">&nbsp;a defiant statement</a>&nbsp;last week about complying with the Trump administration’s demands on immigration enforcement.

“Washington State will not be bullied or intimidated by threats and legally baseless accusations,” he wrote to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.

He has&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/GovBobFerguson/status/1960108862843060436" target="_blank">amplified</a>&nbsp;that message&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/GovBobFerguson/status/1960132600112271694" target="_blank">several</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/GovBobFerguson/status/1958985338954948621" target="_blank">times</a>&nbsp;since.

The New Mexico Department of Transportation deferred a request for comment to the state’s Department of Public Safety, which did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Duffy said he was puzzled by commercial drivers who were able to pass a skills test without understanding English, and said the department was investigating that issue.

“This is something we’re looking at and working on when someone, an individual, comes in to take their test to become a commercial driver, and then they do a skills test… at that point, it would be clear that this driver doesn’t understand all the road signs and doesn’t speak the language, but miraculously, they’re passing the skills test,” he said. “I think any common-sense analysis would say, well, that doesn’t make sense.”

The federal department would be looking at whether the skills tests are being correctly administered and whether there is “some gaming of the system that we have to address.”

Trump admin. threatens to yank state funds over truckers’ English proficiency

JOHNSON COUNTY—A Kansas man faces charges for a fatal crash that killed a Kansas teen last summer.

On Thursday Matthew Thomas Bray, 49,&nbsp; was charged with aggravated battery while driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident involving great bodily harm, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.

In July of 2024, a vehicle driven by Bray struck and killed&nbsp; a pedestrian identified as&nbsp; Benjamin D.&nbsp;Van Buskirk, 17, Olathe, who ran across lanes of traffic to offer assistance to a driver involved in another accident.&nbsp; 

&nbsp;Van Buskirk had been a passenger in a 2008 Honda CRV driven by Ammar M.&nbsp;Aljishi, 17, Spring Hill, that was stopped on the right shoulder of the highway.

Van Buskirk was pronounced dead at the scene. Bray is due back in court August 27, according to the district attorney's office.

Man charged in crash that killed 17-year-old Good Samaritan

 Cracker Barrel: New logo is going away and our “Old Timer” will remain.  

🎥Civil discussion at Mo. GOP congressman's town hall

CHEYENNE COUNTY, Nebraska —Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol arrested a California man after finding 60 pounds of suspected methamphetamine during a traffic stop in Cheyenne County,&nbsp;

At approximately 9:00 p.m. August 18, a trooper performed a traffic stop on a Honda CRV for driving on the shoulder of Interstate 80 near Sidney, according to a statement from the Nebraska State Patrol. During the traffic stop, the trooper became suspicious of criminal activity.

During a search of the vehicle, troopers found dozens of packages of suspected methamphetamine in a suitcase. The total weight of the packages was 60 pounds.

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