As you prepare your children to get out and trick or treat, the St. Joseph Police Department wants you to take steps to keep your children safe as they go out.  

Police Chief Paul Luster says to make sure children have visible or bright costumes 

"If it’s not bright, add some reflective tape to it, parents add some reflective tape to that,” Luster says on the KFEQmunnity show.  “Or kids like carrying the glowsticks with them so put those somewhere.” 

Luster would like children to trick or treat in groups. 

"Hopefully you’re in an area where there’s sidewalks, you know use the sidewalks, stay on the well-lit streets, watch for cars obviously,” Luster says. 

Luster also advises drivers to be on the lookout for trick or treaters and says if you are out driving, be patient, and stay vigilant as you travel. 

"Cause you’re going to see just such an influx in pedestrian traffic, so nobody wants to see a tragedy anytime, ” Luster explains.  “So just slow down and stay alert, know there’s children out there and they’re excited, it’s Halloween, they’re getting all kinds of candy, so very innocently one of them could dart out into the street being excited.” 

Luster says the department is also again working with residents in the popular St. Joseph trick or treating area along Ashland Avenue. 

“We put the cones down the middle of the streets just to kind of slow everybody down, and volunteers help us with that, and then we put the electronic sign boards at each end of Ashland just as an extra alert to motorists that there’s a lot of trick or treaters on this street,” Luster says.  “You know from about 5:30 to 9:30 I think that there’s literally thousands of kids on that street.” 

Luster says to be patient as you drive and to avoid distractions as you travel. 

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.

Keep these Halloween safety tips in mind as you get out and trick or treat

WASHINGTON&nbsp;– U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.)&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=15438.11206187.8924364.8424141&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.nytimes.com%2f2025%2f10%2f28%2fopinion%2fjosh-hawley-snap.html&amp;redir_log=356750262748435" target="_blank">penned</a>&nbsp;the following op-ed on his legislation to fund food benefits that are set to run out on November 1 due to the ongoing government shutdown. Read the full op-ed&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=15438.11206187.8924364.8424141&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fSupplemental%2520Nutrition+Assistance+Program%2c+or+SNAP&amp;redir_log=213613754195406" target="_blank">here</a>&nbsp;or below.&nbsp;

The federal government has been shut down for 28 days and counting. That’s 28 days too long and already the second-longest federal shutdown ever. Saturday will be another grim milestone. That is the day about 42 million Americans will lose federal food assistance.Congress must not let that happen. America is a great and wealthy nation, and our most important wealth is our generosity of spirit. We help those in need. We provide for the widow and the orphan. 

Love of neighbor is part of who we are. The Scripture’s injunction to “remember the poor” is a principle Americans have lived by. It’s time Congress does the same.The government shutdown has already touched countless lives, and not for the better. 

Key services have been curtailed and hundreds of thousands of federal employees — from air traffic controllers to Capitol Police officers — are working without pay. But letting federal food assistance lapse would introduce an entirely new stage of suffering. 

The best solution would be to pass a clean funding bill to reopen the government in its entirety, but if that can’t be done, Congress at the very least needs to pass my bill to ensure food assistance continues uninterrupted.Millions of Americans rely on food assistance just to get by. The program often known as food stamps — officially it’s now called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP — is a lifeline that permits the needy to purchase basic food items at the grocery store. Last year, SNAP enrollees hit about 42 million. 

That’s over 12 percent of the American population.We’re not talking about high earners who don’t really need the assistance. SNAP broadly limits assistance to those who make 130 percent of the poverty line and below. These days, that’s folks who earn about $42,000 or less for a family of four. For these good people, food assistance is not an optional extra. They need it to feed their children.The millions of Americans who receive food assistance include young parents raising children, men and women with disabilities, families suffering from temporary job loss and workers who have fallen on hard times. 

Among SNAP’s many beneficiaries are veterans. Approximately 1.2 million of our warriors receive food assistance.Surely it is not hard to understand why SNAP is so essential to so many. The American economy has not been kind to working people in recent years. 

What cost $100 five years ago costs $125 today. So if you’re not earning 25 percent more than you were five years ago, you’re getting poorer. That’s most families in America. And nowhere do they feel it more than at the grocery store.But nobody in America, this richest of nations, should go to bed hungry, and certainly no child. 

We have a proud tradition of helping those in need. The federal government stood up the first food stamp program in the 1930s, during the Great Depression. In 1960, while touring impoverished West Virginia, then-Senator John F. Kennedy promised, “We will see to it that every American is fed and fed right.” 

A year after his assassination, Congress wrote the Food Stamp Act into law.Federal food benefits, distributed in partnership with the states, have grown to be one of our most vital forms of aid. 

My constituents in Missouri will tell you. A few days ago, a retired teacher from southwest Missouri wrote me about her four grandchildren. They rely on SNAP to buy groceries. Upon hearing that assistance may soon be unavailable, one of the children asked her: “Grandma, what will we do? How will we eat?”Another Missourian relayed a similar story. She had to take time off from work for medical reasons, and now she and her husband, who is disabled, rely on SNAP for groceries. She wrote me: “I understand getting rid of the SNAP program for those who are doing fraud or giving it to illegal aliens. But what about those who need it? Why is the government hurting the honest SNAP people?” A third letter, from a wife in mid-Missouri whose husband has suffered brain damage, said simply of food stamps, “We would not eat without them.”There is no reason any of these residents of my state — or any other American who qualifies for food assistance — should go hungry. We can afford to provide the help. Preventing debilitating poverty through the food program costs only about a tenth of our annual defense budget. Of course, aid should be limited to those who truly need it. But there is no cause, and no excuse, to deny aid to the poor entirely.Congress can still pass legislation during a shutdown, and it should pass my bill to keep SNAP benefits going. 

Last I checked, members of Congress are still getting paid. Republicans blame Democrats, and Democrats blame Republicans, but all these people have food to spare. One suspects that if senators couldn’t buy groceries, the government would never close down again.But this isn’t about politics at all in the end. It’s about who we are. 

The character of a nation is revealed not in quarterly profits or C.E.O. pay, but in how it treats the small and forgotten — the last, the least, the lost. America is a great nation precisely because we have loved our neighbors as ourselves. Congress should live up to that legacy now.

Hawley Op-Ed: No American should go to bed hungry

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rebecca-rivas/">REBECCA RIVAS</a> <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services issued an advisory Tuesday warning consumers of health risks it says are associated with a product called 7-OH.

The name, 7-OH, is short for 7-hydroxymitragynine, and it’s made by<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/07/16/fda-warns-kansas-city-manufacturer-of-illegal-marketing-pain-relieving-pills/">&nbsp;chemically converting the main opioid-inducing element in kratom</a>. Products containing it are sold in smoke shops, gas stations, convenience stores and online shops.&nbsp;

The health department stated in the advisory that 7-OH is sold as gummies, candies, imitation ice cream cones, liquid shots, tablets and powders.

Sometimes it’s marketed as kratom, the department said, but it is “far more addictive.”

“Isolated 7-OH is currently untested in humans, unregulated, not proven safe or effective for any use and sold to the public without restriction,” the department said in its advisory. “Until safety data is available for human consumption, Missourians are advised to avoid these products.”

The department said both 7-OH and kratom have been marketed as natural promoters of alertness and remedies for pain, anxiety and opioid withdrawal.&nbsp;

“However, isolated 7-OH products marketed and sold in Missouri have a far higher concentration – and therefore far higher potency – than natural kratom,” the department stated. “Research data reveals 7-OH has 13 times the potency of morphine at the opioid receptors.”

The department’s action follows the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announcement in July that it planned to restrict access to 7-OH products due to strong opioid-like effects.

The FDA sent a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/shaman-botanicals-llc-709622-06252025" target="_blank">warning letter</a>&nbsp;in July to a Kansas City company, Shaman Botanicals LLC, alleging it was illegally marketing pills that have opioid-like effects.

The letter sent to Shaman was also sent to six other companies, all but one of which have their products manufactured at Shaman Botanical using its patented 7-OH formula, Vince Sanders, Shaman’s owner, previously told The Independent.

Shaman was the first company to make 7-OH products. Its products are called 7-OH White Vein and Green Vein chewable tablets.&nbsp;

Sanders told The Independent in July that the company conducted three research studies on its products, including using rodents and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25999061-dfr-mgn-25-001-27jun25-crrdoc/" target="_blank">beagles</a>, which he believes shows they are safe.

“We’ve spent an enormous amount of money and time on this,” Sanders said, regarding the scientific studies, in July. “My 82-year-old mother takes it twice a day. She was in so much pain… and it changed her life.”&nbsp;

Aside from pain relief, Sanders has advocated in Washington, D.C., and in the media that the product can also be a harm reduction tool for people addicted to opioids.

“There’s some addiction specialists that are just like, ‘Hey, this is too important,’” Sanders said. “The public needs this product. We can’t lose it, so we’re going to have some big voices on our side.”

Sanders couldn’t immediately be reached on Tuesday for comment on the health advisory.

Missouri warns consumers of health risks associated with 7-OH products

The Missouri Department of Social Services won’t distribute November benefits until further notice, at the instruction of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, due to the federal shutdown

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/squinn/">Steph Quinn</a>- <a href="https://missouriindependent.com/briefs/missouri-senate-committee-advances-bill-to-ban-texting-while-driving/">Missouri Independent</a>

For Whitney Jackson and her four children, not knowing if her family will receive federal food assistance next month means trying “to make the most of a smaller meal so we can save the food stamps.”

Jackson, a single mother from Columbia working as a certified medical assistant, said she has $44 of her family’s October benefits left.

“I’m trying to stretch it until the end of the month,” she said, “but is $44 going to make it until November, when we don’t know what’s going to happen?”

As Congress remains deadlocked on a plan to fund the federal government, and families who rely on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program wait, food pantries across Missouri are confronting how to make up for the potential loss of a key pillar of food security in their communities.

“We rely on families getting food stamps,” said Andrew Diemer, executive director of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wellstoncenter.org/" target="_blank">St. Augustine Wellston Center</a>&nbsp;in St. Louis County. “We’re just there to make a couple of the hard questions go away…. When families might not even have the money to buy food for the rest of the month, I don’t know. If this continues, fundamentally the role of our food pantry has changed.”

The Missouri Department of Social Services, which disburses SNAP benefits in the state, announced Oct. 20 it won’t be able to pay&nbsp;<a href="https://mydss.mo.gov/federal-shutdown-impacts" target="_blank">benefits</a>&nbsp;until further notice, after USDA informed states that funding would run out.&nbsp;

Approximately 650,000 Missourians receive SNAP benefits.

Four days later, the USDA said it couldn’t legally shift contingency funds to sustain SNAP, despite&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/10/24/repub/usda-says-it-cant-shuffle-funds-to-extend-food-assistance-during-shutdown/">an earlier USDA shutdown plan</a>&nbsp;indicating that was the department’s intention. USDA last month&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/nutrition-program-women-infants-and-children-stay-afloat-through-end-month" target="_blank">transferred</a>&nbsp;$300 million into its Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, from an account funded partly by tariff revenue to keep that program running.

Food pantry directors said they are already seeing heightened demand, from families of furloughed or laid off federal workers, SNAP users trying to stock up in case their benefits pause and those struggling to cope with rising food prices.

Suzanne Wilber, executive director of&nbsp;<a href="https://goodsam-genesis.org/" target="_blank">Good Samaritan of the Ozarks</a>&nbsp;in Pulaski County, said the group gave out 125 bags of food during its monthly mobile distribution to food insecure students at Ozarks Technical College on Thursday. It’s typical to distribute 30 to 35 bags of food per month, Wilber said.

“Some federal employees are getting paid and some are not here,” Wilber said. “We have had a number of folks last week come that had not come before. And again, we’re just expecting that to increase.”

Beginning Nov. 12, Wilber said the food pantry will be open later on Wednesdays, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., to accommodate people who work or have limited transportation. The food pantry is currently open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

In the St. Louis area, the federal shutdown and potential suspension of SNAP is compounding heightened need from tornadoes earlier this year and a&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/10/22/us-senate-committee-slams-boeing-for-cutting-health-care-to-striking-st-louis-workers/">strike of Boeing workers</a>&nbsp;that has lasted almost three months.

Angela Gabel, executive director of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rccfoodpantry.org/" target="_blank">Ritenour Co-Care Food Pantry</a>&nbsp;in Overland, one of the largest pantries in St. Louis County, said she doesn’t know how food pantries will be able to take the place of SNAP.

“It’s like we were invited to Thanksgiving dinner and asked to bring a side dish, and now all of a sudden the cooks quit, and we have to make a whole meal,” Gabel said.

On Wednesday alone, the food pantry served 185 families, Gabel said, and registered 25 new families. The pantry is preparing to increase the number of volunteers signing up new clients and helping them shop the pantry’s shelves.

“Another part of the plan that we haven’t worked out,” Gabel said, “is how are we going to manage inventory for all of these new faces that are likely to appear because all of a sudden, they have no food budget?”

Patrick McKelvey, executive director of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gatewayfoodpantry.org/" target="_blank">Gateway Food Pantry</a>&nbsp;in Arnold, said the pantry served a record 135 families Thursday. The previous daily record was 122 families in September — double the number of families the food pantry was serving on a typical distribution day two years ago, McKelvey said. The pantry signed up 40 new families in a recent week.

“We are setting new records every day, month, week, quarter,” he said.

McKelvey said the food pantry’s support from its largest food source is down $300,000 from January to September.

“In the past week, I’ve spent $10,000 just to shutdown-proof my pantry,” McKelvey said.&nbsp;

The pantry is likely to open extended hours and extra days to meet demand, McKelvey said.

Food banks throughout the state source food from an array of retailers, private donations, federal programs and their own purchases.&nbsp;

“We try not to put all of our eggs in one basket,” said Katie Adkins, chief communications officer at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&amp;pf=1&amp;ai=DChsSEwi2-OL5_cSQAxUZNggFHYPrILsYACICCAEQABoCbWQ&amp;co=1&amp;ase=2&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwsPzHBhDCARIsALlWNG2O0qbvgV73fX_vcjTxVVF-t0eGFpYrtNbWhRT4JYTfLawzk-8UAZkaAgpLEALw_wcB&amp;cid=CAASQ-Rol3H08HUrV461qWRpLQt9RtojaP5t6DNwo5F7QM1vfAlvtguien8t15aUCDrc8EQLz9FmWWVih0xQhC38Y63wnfE&amp;cce=2&amp;category=acrcp_v1_32&amp;sig=AOD64_1pHOGnYZHDg15LjBcVK0yqrT5m4Q&amp;q&amp;nis=4&amp;adurl=https://sharefoodbringhope.org/donate/?gad_source%3D1%26gad_campaignid%3D22356717337%26gbraid%3D0AAAAADL1gwk5ud6fDKZNDXsWaRecFzgxL%26gclid%3DCj0KCQjwsPzHBhDCARIsALlWNG2O0qbvgV73fX_vcjTxVVF-t0eGFpYrtNbWhRT4JYTfLawzk-8UAZkaAgpLEALw_wcB&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjd7Nf5_cSQAxWErokEHdZKMdMQ0Qx6BAgNEAE" target="_blank">Food Bank for Central &amp; Northeast Missouri</a>&nbsp;in Columbia.

The food bank, one of six members of the statewide coalition Feeding Missouri, turns around about two million pounds of food every two weeks, Adkins said.

Adkins said that although the food bank receives strong community support, resources are finite.&nbsp;

“We can continue to try to use those other avenues of food sourcing to grow what we have,” Adkins said, “but when you have a specific amount, and you’re serving more people, that could mean that people are taking home less when they’re seeking help.”

Several St. Louis area food pantries have formed a coalition of their own, said Diemer, director of the Wellston Center.&nbsp;&nbsp;

McKelvey said St. Louis area food banks are sharing information on the cheapest places to buy food items and planning to exchange supplies to allow variety for clients. They’ve started to pool bulk food orders in order to split shipping costs.

“That is new,” McKelvey said. “That is basically in direct response to the food crisis we’ve seen since the beginning of the year.”

McKelvey said people receiving food have been expressing frustrations about the federal lawmakers’ lack of a plan to end the shutdown or fund SNAP.

“There are people making decisions about their lives hundreds of miles away in Washington, D.C., and [they’re saying] how can we tell them how badly we need it?” McKelvey said.

Jackson, the single mother from Columbia, said she has been trying not to worry, “because it just causes stress and anxiety for my family.”&nbsp;

“But it’s just me and my four kids,” she said, “so how can you not?”

‘How can you not worry?’: Missouri food pantries brace for families to lose federal aid

St. Joseph school
board members have scrapped the two high school model, favoring a plan to keep
all three high schools.

The decision comes
after months of planning to move to two high schools. Public discussion, though,
led the Board of Education to reverse course in favor of maintaining the
current system.

St. Joseph school
Superintendent, Ashly McGinnis, says details have not been worked out.

“So, we will be
meeting with some individuals this week and in the future weeks to iron out all
of those details,” McGinnis tells KFEQmmunity, “but, I think the main part of
that is the community spoke and I think our board listened to our community and
the voice that they heard was that the three high schools want to be maintained
by our community. And so that is the route we will be pursuing.”

The decision by
the St. Joseph Board of Education comes in wake of public discussions during
three public hearings, held at each of the high schools.

In April, St.
Joseph voters rejected a $157 million bond issue which would have financed the
building of a new high school, pivotal to the St. Joseph School District plan
to downsize from three to two high schools. The Board of Education decided to
forge ahead on the two high school model, first considering using Central High
School and Lafayette High School. The board then instructed staff to consider
using Benton High School as well, which would have required using Hyde
Elementary School to provide enough space.

During its regular
monthly meeting Monday evening, the Board of Education reversed course and
adopted what has been labeled Plan E, a community-based realignment maintaining
all three high schools. The plan does call for three middle schools teaching 7th
and 8th Grade students, eliminating Bode Middle School. Though the
plan still remains vague, it does call for the closure of Hyde Elementary
School as well.

McGinnis
acknowledges the decision caught her by surprise. She now will meet with her
staff to flesh out a plan that at best is a mere outline.

“We will take that
back to our team and then calculate what staffing looks like, financial
projections, all of those pieces. We may have to adjust boundaries,” McGinnis
says. “But then we will bring that back to the board at the November work
session.”

“So, the next step
for us is to consider Plan E and mold that into a plan that works for our district,”
McGinnis says. “It will be molding the three high school model with three
middle schools, what elementaries we can have, what staffing looks like,
potential closures for our buildings, and then budget projections and what the
savings could be long-term.”

McGinnis doesn’t
see a problem in drafting a plan in time for the Boad of Education to consider
it next month.

Interview with Ashly McGinnis on KFEQmunnity

You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

St. Joseph board scraps plan, decides to keep all three high schools

KFEQ Morning Sports

KFEQ Morning News

Missouri Western
State University will reopen the Small Business Development Center in St.
Joseph.

The Small Business
Administration awarded Missouri Western the contract which goes into effect
January first.

Missouri Western Workforce
Development Director, Rebecca Lobina, oversaw the center previously and says its
loss hurt businesses in the region.

“That was a huge
loss for the entrepreneurs and other businesses within the region,” Lobina says
about its closing. “They no longer had that free access of Fortune 500
resources at their disposal. And the loss was really felt by the different
entities across the region.” 

The Small Business
Development Center had been operated in St. Joseph under the auspices of
Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville. It closed when Lobina left to
take her new position at Missouri Western.

Lobina is pleased
to see the center reopen and to once again lead it.

“The center is at
my heart and soul for sure,” Lobina tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. “I love helping
small businesses across the region.”

This time Lobina
will not be working directly with small business owners, but will oversee the
center’s operations.

“I know that there
was a big hole, a big gap when I left the SBDC and then the contract was closed
after I left,” Lobina says. “So, now that it’s coming back, I feel like, I don’t
know, I’m glad that it’s going to continue for the entrepreneurs across our
region.”

Lobina says the aim
of such centers is to educate entrepreneurs on how best to run their business.

“That’s why Small
Business Development Centers are pared with educational institutions usually,”
Lobina says, “because our whole process is about educating the entrepreneur so
that they understand better how to be successful.”

Small Business
Development Centers provide counseling and training to small business owners to
help with business start-ups and expansion. Services are provided for free. The
Small Business Administration will fund the St. Joseph center, according to
Lobina, with matching funds from MoWest, which can be provided with in-kind
contributions such as staff and facilities.

Missouri Western to reopen Small Business Development Center

WASHINGTON, D.C. –&nbsp;Congressman Derek Schmidt announced he will cosponsor legislation to maintain food assistance for Kansans in need if the federal government shutdown continues, according to a media release from the office of the 2nd District Representative.

“This shutdown has been unnecessary from the beginning and hurts many Kansans,” Schmidt said. “It should not have happened, it has made reaching bipartisan agreement on many important funding priorities for the coming year harder not easier, and it needs to end. In my view, the right thing to do is to reopen the entire government and resume negotiations on full-year funding bills, but if a minority of U.S. Senators keeps refusing that approach then reopening critical parts of the government like food assistance is better than nothing at all.”

Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food assistance program is expected to run out after November 1 if the government remains shut. The bill Schmidt will cosponsor, H.R. 5822, would continue SNAP funding for Kansans in need.

More than a month ago, the House of Representatives voted to temporarily continue funding all government operations while bipartisan negotiations for full-year funding priorities continue. A bipartisan majority of U.S. Senators agrees with keeping the government open during negotiations, but a minority of senators has repeatedly refused and under Senate rules that minority is able to block funding bills.

Schmidt has voted in favor of every government-funding bill that has come to the House floor this year. On September 19, he voted for the clean, short-term continuing resolution to maintain government operations for seven more weeks while bipartisan negotiations on annual funding bills continue. He also voted for full-year funding for the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and Department of Veterans Affairs and other agencies including the Army Corps of Engineers when those funding bills came before the House of Representatives.

Since the shutdown began, Schmidt has cosponsored several targeted bills intended to resume funding for specific federal services. In addition to the SNAP funding bill he cosponsored today, Schmidt has cosponsored standalone legislation to pay U.S. troops (H.R. 5401) and air traffic controllers (H.R. 5455).

In the absence of congressional action, Schmidt has favored actions by the Trump Administration to reallocate funding within the limits of the law to meet urgent priorities. Actions by the administration so far include paying U.S. troops and law enforcement officers, temporarily extending funding for the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program, and reopening Farm Service Agency offices.

Schmidt also has cosponsored legislation to prevent future government shutdowns by continuing current funding levels whenever Congress allows annual appropriations to lapse (H.R. 5130 and H.R. 5552).

“This chaotic shutdown approach is no way to run the government of a great country,” Schmidt said.

Schmidt has also cosponsored a Constitutional Amendment that would prohibit Members of Congress from receiving pay during a government shutdown (H.J.Res. 128).

Rep. Schmidt calls for continuing food assistance during shutdown

A new report shows Missouri has the potential to pull in $75 million in annual THC drink sales, dependent on how state leaders and law enforcement respond to the fast-growing, unregulated market

A recent economic study on THC beverages found the industry has the potential to reach between $9.9 billion and $14.9 billion in national sales.&nbsp;

In Missouri — where the product faces attacks from law enforcement, state legislators and local governments who say it’s part of a public health crisis — that potential is $75.4 million annually.

“That’s the potential if you normalize this and provide consumers with access nationally,” said economic analyst Beau Whitney, whose study titled “<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/26196832-whitney-economics-us-thc-beverage-report-2025/" target="_blank">The U.S. THC Beverage Report</a>” was released last month.

Whitney is talking about products like the cans of low-dose THC seltzers that Missouri companies including Mighty Kind, Triple and URLit are producing. They’re currently found in bars, restaurants and stores like Randall’s and Total Wine.&nbsp;

Whitney estimates that in 2024, actual sales nationwide were between $1 billion and $1.3 billion – with 76% of that being hemp-derived THC beverages and 24% being products sold in marijuana dispensaries.

For the marijuana industry, the estimated $270 million in THC beverage sales in dispensaries only represented about 1% of the industry’s total sales in 2024.&nbsp;

Most brands average $2 million per year, the study found, while top brands can easily exceed $10 million or more in annual sales.&nbsp;

Joshua Grigaitis, owner of St. Louis-based Mighty Kind Co., which makes various kinds of hemp seltzers, says Whitney’s numbers are in line with what he’s seeing in the market.

Mighty Kind was among the first THC beverage products in Missouri, and Grigaitis has seen many brands pop up over the last year. Now, he said the competition to get products in bars and restaurants is “full on.”&nbsp;

“It’s a great sign of growth for the whole space,” Grigaitis said. “It’s bringing awareness and credibility. Lots of brands are paying their lawyers to lobby for this. It’s not just us and a couple of the brands anymore.”

In Missouri, THC beverages are legal but completely unregulated by any government agency — which means there’s no age restriction on who can buy them. Distributors and retailers have self-imposed the same regulations they use on alcohol products, by requiring testing certification and that buyers have to show ID that they’re 21 or older.&nbsp;

While the Missouri legislature attempted to pass regulations for THC beverages in the spring, the proposal drew heavy opposition – and&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/04/10/intoxicating-hemp-regulations-stall-in-missouri-senate-after-7-hour-filibuster/">ultimately failed</a>&nbsp;– because it would have prohibited THC edibles, vapes and other products from being sold outside of dispensaries.&nbsp;

Catherine Hanaway, who was sworn in as Missouri’s new attorney general this month, has vowed to make it a top priority to “utilize all vested authority in this office to attack the problem head on,” said James Lawson, her deputy chief of staff.&nbsp;

“Our focus is on the health and safety of Missourians,” Lawson said. “This is an unregulated industry that makes untested, unknown substances available to the public without any oversight, including children where we think it’s particularly detrimental.”

Whitney’s report forecasts overall growth of THC beverages in 2025 to be 25%.&nbsp;

“This would be more aggressive given the trajectory of the market, however, there is a tremendous amount of uncertainty at both the federal and state levels that could inhibit the growth potential of the industry,” it states.&nbsp;

Many are watching the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.marijuanamoment.net/gop-senator-pushes-to-study-rather-than-ban-hemp-products-as-state-attorneys-general-call-for-thc-prohibition/" target="_blank">debate in the U.S. Senate</a>&nbsp;to potentially ban hemp THC products. By the end of this year, Whitney anticipates there will be “greater clarity” on a regulatory framework for hemp-derived THC, and in 2026, there will be an acceleration of the growth.

Currently, THC beverages are legal in 28 states and legal but restricted in another nine, according to the report. They can only be sold in marijuana stores in seven states, and they’re illegal in six states.

This spring, Steven Busch, owner of Krey Distributing in the St. Louis area, was a key player in trying to get Missouri regulations passed for not only beverages but also edibles and vapes. Nowadays THC liquor, a national brand, is a major item for his company, he said.&nbsp;

However, Busch&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/03/14/lawmakers-vote-down-a-second-bill-to-regulate-intoxicating-hemp-products-in-missouri/">ultimately opposed a bill&nbsp;</a>he initially backed because the amended proposal would’ve allowed for the continued sales of THCA flower.&nbsp;

THCA flower looks and delivers the same high as marijuana buds, but the main difference is that it’s harvested in a way that allows it to be classified as hemp. Since hemp is not a federally controlled substance, it’s being sold in some smoke shops and hemp stores in Missouri.

However in June, former Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey sent several&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/06/09/missouri-attorney-general-threatens-legal-action-against-18-hemp-companies-more-to-come/">cease-and-desist</a>&nbsp;letters to companies selling THCA flower, threatening legal action if the companies continue to sell it.&nbsp;

Busch said state lawmakers need to either pass legislation that regulates hemp-derived THC products this year or enact a total ban.&nbsp;

“That would impact me in a negative way, but I think we have to think in terms of consumer safety and kids getting hold of these products,” Busch said. “So, yeah, if we can’t figure it out, then I think we need to ban it all. And I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Brian Riegel, owner of URLit beverage company, has a hemp farm nearWashington, Mo., that will soon be able to produce enough harvest to sustain his two THC businesses, he said. He believes Whitney’s numbers are promising.&nbsp;

For the past four years, Riegel has been involved in stopping legislation that would require his beverages and edibles to only be sold in marijuana dispensaries. That would ban his products because only items that come from licensed marijuana cultivators can be sold in dispensaries.&nbsp;

This year, Riegel said he’s excited about&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/09/09/new-initiative-petition-would-regulate-missouri-marijuana-hemp-products-the-same-as-alcohol/">initiative petitions</a>&nbsp;that would ask voters next year to allow marijuana and intoxicating hemp products to be sold in the same stores as alcohol and tobacco.

He also hopes lawmakers at a minimum will pass requirements on age gating, childproof packaging and making sure every package identifies who is the manufacturer and distributor.&nbsp;

“Those are three very minimalistic things that should be a no-brainer thing to get done,” said Riegel, who is also a leader with the Missouri Hemp Trade Association, “and will cost nobody anything, but could give law enforcement the proper channels to penalize somebody if they’re misbehaving.”

“If they were just to start labeling and regulating the packaging, you would start holding people accountable,” he said. “Right now, it’s the wild west. As soon as there’s even five rules on a piece of paper that everybody can see, everybody’s going to fall into place with those because you don’t want to be left out.”&nbsp;

And he also agrees with Busch that THCA flower shouldn’t be included in the regulation conversation yet. The biggest reason, Grigaitis said, is that there’s no real consensus on the definition of THCA flower, and that needs to be agreed upon before it can be regulated.

“There needs to be a solution to that one before it’s allowed,” he said. “I’m not saying close the door, but that I could say that about a lot of things. If the drinks have something figured out, then let them through.”

THC beverage boom faces Missouri crackdown amid regulatory concerns, safety risks

LIVINGSTON COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just after 6:30p.m. Monday in Livingston County.&nbsp;

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a Chevy Silverado driven by a 24-year-old Chillicothe man was northbound on Route Y at LIV 518 four miles west of Chillicothe. The pickup traveled off the east side of the road, returned to the road, traveled off the west side of the road and overturned onto its top.

Chillicothe EMS transported the driver to Hedrick Medical Center. He was properly restrained, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Mo. man hospitalized after pickup overturns

December corn closed up 3 1/4 cents and March corn was up 1 3/4 cents. November soybeans closed up 11 cents and January soybeans were up 10 1/4 cents. December KC wheat closed up 5 3/4 cents, December Chicago wheat was up 3 cents, December Minneapolis wheat was up 1 1/2 cents.

President Trump finalized a deal with Japan during his visit to the country on Monday afternoon, adding fuel to the already surging row crop markets. Japan is already a significant buyer of U.S. ag products and the agreement keeps market participants optimistic that the relationship will continue to grow in terms of volumes traded. Meanwhile, energy prices have worked lower thus far this week, retesting support following last week's Russia sanction driven jump. Equity markets are higher primarily on trade optimism, as investors will turn their attention to the Federal Reserve on Wednesday for their interest rate decision, which is widely expected to be another quarter point cut.

The live cattle complex found just a smidgen of stability in Tuesday's market, as traders let the contracts trade mildly higher for portions of the session. Meanwhile, the turmoil that's shaken the cattle complex to its core is still rattling the fed cash cattle market as bids are on the table early this morning, and packers were able to get some cattle bought Monday afternoon. Asking prices are noted at $240 plus in the South but are still not established in the North. A light trade was reported by Mandatory in the North yesterday, with dressed deals showing a rather wide range of $355 to $360.

The live cattle complex may have traded higher for portions of the session, but the feeder cattle market was still trading sharply lower as the market is unsettled and uneasy without knowing what happened between Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Mexican officials in their meeting last Friday. Unfortunately, until some answers are provided or some clarity develops, it's unlikely that the market is going to trade anything but lower.

The lean hog complex continued to trade lower as the market is still disappointed in the lack of support it's seeing from consumers. And until traders see more support develop, a steady/somewhat lower trend is most likely.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/10/28142302/web-closing-markets-1.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

Commodity markets daily recap

Rabobank says food inflation continues to outpace overall inflation, and restaurants feel the pressure of nine straight quarters of declining traffic, but some chains are bucking the trend and growing in visits and spending. U.S. retail beef prices continue rising, with the USDA’s all-fresh beef price reaching a record $9.18 per pound in August. U.S. cattle slaughter from January through September is down 1.5 million head, a seven percent drop compared to the same period last year. 

Pork prices are still well ahead of year-ago levels and the five-year average, with cutout values of $109 per hundredweight averaging 15 percent above last year. Chicken production also continues to outpace year-ago levels, and chicken prices have also come down sharply in recent weeks. August milk production increased 3.2 percent versus last year, and at 9.52 million cows, the herd is the largest it’s been since the mid-1990s. July dairy exports were up seven percent year-over-year.

Rabobank: Food inflation outpacing overall inflation

President Donald Trump and his administration have signed trade deals with Malaysia and Cambodia,  with the Malaysian portion having an enormous economic potential for America’s pork producers. “We’re grateful to the president for increasing market access for U.S. pork to Malaysia, a country that’s been importing pork despite limited plants being eligible for export,” said NPPC President Duane Stateler. “More than 25 percent of U.S. pork production gets exported, so producers count on exports to help keep their farms afloat, especially in times of uncertainty.” 

The deal with Malaysia will open access to all U.S. facilities included in the Food Safety and Inspection Service Meat, Poultry, and Egg Inspection Directory. Pork exports to Malaysia hit record levels of over $24.5 million in 2024, a significant amount given that only eight U.S. plants are currently eligible for export. Exports to Malaysia have increased by over 1,700 percent in the last five years. 

U.S. pork industry gets good news 

December corn closed up 5 1/2 cents and March corn was up 7 1/4 cents. November soybeans closed up 25 1/2 cents and January soybeans were up 24 3/4 cents. December KC wheat closed up 12 3/4 cents, December Chicago wheat was up 13 1/2 cents, December Minneapolis wheat was up 3 1/4 cents.

There was no question late Sunday through Monday as to what was driving row-crop futures higher after positive comments from U.S. trade representatives following a weekend of negotiations with their Chinese counterparts in Malaysia sent the soybean market skyrocketing toward 2025 highs, pulling along corn and wheat futures for the ride. Meanwhile, outside markets were positive on the trade news as well, with higher energies and higher equities offering a foundation of support to futures.

It's completely fair to say, "it's been a miserable day," before the clock hits noon, when both the live cattle and feeder cattle contracts are trading at their expanded limits. Upon searching for a reason as to "why" the market was suffering so severely, unfortunately there's no new tangible reason why the market is enduring such catastrophic losses. Instead, the market continues to be pressured by the chaos that's been endured over the last two weeks between President Trump stating that he'd like to see beef prices lowered, talked about increased imports from Argentina and the technical pandemonium that's ensued ever since. Last week, Northern dressed cattle traded at mostly $370, which is $2.00 lower than the previous week's weighted average. Southern live cattle traded at mostly $238, which is $2.00 lower than the previous week's weighted average.

It was another gut-wrenching day for the feeder cattle complex as the market continued to sink unnervingly lower, and hitting its expanded limit for the day. Unfortunately, the spot November feeder cattle contract is nearly hitting its 100-day moving average, which could trigger even more technical pressure.

The lean hog complex also traded slightly lower into Monday's closing bell, feeling unsupported by the market's fundamentals. Until consumer support improves, it's unlikely that the market will see much more upside potential from a technical sense.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/10/27193253/web-closing-markets-1.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

U.S. President Donald Trump announced an immediate end to trade negotiations with Canada late Thursday night. The Guardian said it’s a result of Trump’s opposition to a TV ad from Canada that quoted former president Ronald Reagan. The provincial government of Ontario paid for the ad, which uses excerpts from a 1987 speech where the former president said, “Trade barriers hurt every American worker.” 

Trump posted on social media that Canada had “fraudulently” used an advertisement which he called “fake,” and accused Canada of trying to interfere with U.S. court decisions on the tariffs. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that all trade negotiations have been suspended indefinitely. Trump also claimed that the ad was intended to influence the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court hearings on the legality of his global tariffs. Those hearings begin on November 5. The ad also quoted Reagan as saying, “The way to prosperity is working together.” 

Trump terminates trade talks with Canada

In a misguided effort to lower beef prices in U.S. grocery stores, President Trump plans to increase the volume of beef imports from Argentina. The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association said efforts to manipulate markets only risk damaging the livelihoods of American producers while doing little to impact what consumers pay at the grocery store. “The U.S. already faces a deep trade imbalance with Argentina, and it will only be made worse by the President’s plan,” said NCBA CEO Colin Woodall.

 “During the past five years, Argentina has shipped more than $800 million worth of beef to the U.S., while purchasing only $7 million worth of U.S. beef.” As if that’s not enough, Argentina as a nation has a long history of foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks, and Woodall said USDA hasn’t completed the necessary steps to ensure Argentina can guarantee the safety of products being shipped here, further endangering America’s cattle herd. 

U.S. already faces trade imbalance with Argentina

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

Most crop and product futures were lower on Friday, with the exception of wheat and soybean meal markets. Overall, the slip in corn and soybean futures heading into the weekend can likely be chalked up to profit-taking as well as producers taking advantage of the price bounce to secure any cash flow needs as harvest winds down. Outside markets for Friday were mostly positive, with Consumer Price Index data for September showing a slight uptick in U.S. inflation, but below what had been expected, keeping the Federal Reserve on track to cut interest rates in its meeting next week and likely again in December and possibly in January as well. Energy markets were higher on follow-through from Thursday's spike due to steep U.S. sanctions on the Russian oil industry.

Emotional damage done this past week is the primary reason why the cattle complex was trading lower. With the chaos that ensued over the announcement of potentially cheapening beef prices with Argentina imports, the market was a hot topic this week for everyone. Now that the market sits a couple of hours away from closing for the week, traders are waving their white flag, all but saying, "We've had enough already, let this week end."

The lean hog complex traded mixed as the market didn't have enough support to really push prices higher ahead of the day's close, so a mixed tone is what traders felt safest with.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/05/30195559/30001.mp3">Click HERE for Audio</a>

Clean Fuels Alliance America wrote to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and asked him to close a loophole in the administration’s Reciprocal Tariff Regime. Under President Trump’s Executive Order, diesel and renewable diesel are both exempted from reciprocal tariffs because both are classified under the same Harmonized Tariff Schedule heading. 

“This loophole invites duty-free access to the United States for imported renewable diesel, putting U.S. biodiesel, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel producers, who are essential to America’s energy and farm security, at a competitive disadvantage,” the letter said. “Given the ongoing imports of foreign renewable diesel and current challenges for domestic producers and farmers, we ask that you take prompt action to close the loophole.” 

Kurt Kovarik, vice president of federal affairs for Clean Fuels, said, “Domestic biomass-based diesel represents ten percent of the value of all U.S.-grown soybeans.” That means U.S. trade policy must consistently support U.S. producers.

Clean Fuels Wants Tariff Loophole Closed

&nbsp; The Energy Information Administration said the U.S. is heading toward a record amount of ethanol exports in 2025. It’s the second-straight year of growth, driven by growing overseas demand, especially in the EU. This growing market for exports is supporting increased U.S. fuel production, even as domestic demand and consumption stagnate. 

In the first seven months of this year, American fuel ethanol exports averaged 138,000 barrels a day, the highest January through July data, which goes back to 2010, and nine percent more than 2024’s annual record for fuel ethanol exports. Increased exports to the Netherlands accounted for most of the growth from 2024 to 2025, likely reflecting Europe’s growing demand. Also, India, the U.K., and Canada, which all have blend mandates, continue to import substantial volumes of fuel ethanol. The EIA said growth in fuel exports has pushed domestic production past the pre-COVID peak in 2018, despite lower domestic consumption.&nbsp;

U.S. Ethanol Exports to Set Record

President Donald Trump responded to the backlash against his plan to import beef from Argentina to help lower beef prices in U.S. grocery stores. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said cattlemen should be grateful for his tariff policies. “The cattle ranchers, who I love, don’t understand that the only reason they’re doing so well, for the first time in decades, is because I put tariffs on cattle coming into the U.S., including a 50 percent tariff on beef from Brazil,” Trump said in his post. 

A Bloomberg report said the plan has drawn the ire of ranchers, who say it could crush the U.S. beef industry. Experts have also said the plan would do little to lower prices at meat counters across the country. The White House plans to increase the tariff-rate quota for Argentinian beef to 80,000 metric tons, effectively quadrupling the amount exempt from 26.4 percent tariffs.

President Trump Fires Back at Upset U.S. Cattle Producers

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ariana-figueroa/">Ariana Figueroa</a>

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Tuesday failed for the 13th time to advance a stopgap spending bill that would fund the government until Nov. 21 and end the nearly one-month government shutdown.

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