Vinnie Pasquantino departed the game early due to a heat related illness, but John Rave stepped in and stepped up in his place, helping the Kansas City Royals to a series clinching win over the Chicago White Sox, winning 6-2 on a hot Saturday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.&nbsp;

It was&nbsp;Mike Yastrzemski though that gave the Royals the lead first, leading off the Kansas City half of the first inning with a solo home run, his 11th of the season to right center field. Bobby Witt Jr singled and stole second in the inning, but three straight outs following the steal ended the inning with just the lone run scored.&nbsp;

In the second inning, Kansas City extended their lead with another one run inning.&nbsp; Randal Grichuk led off with a double, and Nick Loftin walked, before Kyle Isbel reached first on a fielders choice, scoring Grichuk.&nbsp; In the third inning, Rave came through after Witt Jr struck out to begin the inning, hitting his fourth home run of the season to push the Royals lead to 3-0.&nbsp;

In the fifth inning, Kansas City continued their scoring frenzy pushing their lead ahead more with two more runs.&nbsp;&nbsp;Yastrzemski walked to lead off the inning and with one out Rave singled on a bunt, both coming home to score on Maikel Garcia's 32nd double of the season that pushed the Royals lead to 5-0.&nbsp;

Kansas City scored their final run in the sixth inning, an RBI single by Loftin driving in Adam Frazier after his leadoff single to the inning.&nbsp; In the eighth inning with two outs the White Sox scored both their runs on a two RBI double from former Royal&nbsp;Andrew Benintendi, scoring&nbsp;Colson Montgomery who doubled with two outs and Luis Robert Jr who walked.&nbsp;

Daniel Lynch earned the win in relief, improving to 5-2 on the season, pitching two innings and giving up just one hit.&nbsp; In his first start since returning from the injured list, Michael Lorenzen took a no decision pitching four innings while giving up three hits and striking out three while walking two.&nbsp;&nbsp;

At the plate, Rave was 2-for-3 with the home run and one RBI.&nbsp; Grichuk was also 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, and a run scored.&nbsp;&nbsp;Yastrzemski's lone hit on the day was the solo home run to lead off the game, going 1-for-3, walking once and scoring two runs with one RBI.&nbsp;

Kansas City and Chicago wrap up their series tomorrow.&nbsp; Ryan Bergert (1-1, 2.87 ERA) takes the mound for the Royals against Davis Martin (4-9, 4.17 ERA) for the White Sox.&nbsp; First pitch is at 1:10pm with pregame coverage beginning at 12:30 on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).

You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Rave steps up to help Royals top White Sox 6-2

CALDWELL COUNTY—A Missouri was injured in an accident and then arrested just before 9:30p.m. Saturday in Caldwell County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2015 Ford F150 driven by 28-year-old Jarrad W. Stone of Cameron was eastbound on NE Independence Drive at NE Springhill Road one mile south of Hamilton. 

&nbsp;The driver failed to stop at the T-intersection. The pickup traveled off the road, struck an embankment and a tree. Stone was arrested on requested charges of misdemeanor driving while intoxicated and careless and imprudent driving involving an accident.

 A private vehicle transported the driver to Cameron Regional Medical Center. He was properly restrained at the time of the crash, according to the MSHP.

Mo. man accused of DWI after pickup crash into a tree

Missouri had a total teacher turnover rate of 14.6% during the 2023-24 school year, more than double the national average

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/juliannamejia/">JULIANNA MEJIA</a>

Summertime may almost be over, but for teachers like Audra Day, the work has been nonstop.

Day is a kindergarten teacher at Hillsboro Primary School during the academic year, but has spent her break as a summer school teacher and mentor while also preparing for the upcoming school year.

She said one of the misconceptions about being a teacher is that they have the entire summer off. In reality, Day doesn’t have the opportunity to take much of a break outside of the weeks that bookend summer school activities.

“That’s only for four weeks off, which is what most people get off for vacation,” Day said.

Though she loves her job, Day said it can be frustrating.

Missouri had a total teacher turnover rate of 14.6% during the 2023-24 school year, according to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.primecenter.org/education-reports-database/teacher-turnover" target="_blank">a May 2025 report</a>&nbsp;led by Cameron Anglum, a researcher affiliated with St. Louis University’s PRiME Center. That’s more than double the national average of 7% during the same school year,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA956-29.html" target="_blank">according to research organization RAND</a>.

Anglum defines total teacher turnover as teachers switching districts within Missouri and teachers leaving Missouri public education altogether. He said both the pandemic and the years following were rough for teachers as online accommodations were limited and the ensuing global inflation made teacher salaries even more dismal by comparison.

“You mix all of those things together, and it was an enormously difficult two- or three-year period for teachers,” Anglum said. “Teaching in general is an enormously difficult profession, but over the pandemic, working conditions worsened pretty significantly.”

The National Education Association&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nea.org/resource-library/educator-pay-and-student-spending-how-does-your-state-rank" target="_blank">ranks Missouri</a>&nbsp;as the 49th state in the nation in both average teacher starting salary and average educator salary, as of the 2023-24 school year. As teacher turnover rates remain high, Anglum said the pressure of filling in the gaps weighs on educators and school districts.

“When schools see an increase in teachers leaving, that places a much larger burden on recruiting new teachers, and we often don’t have the supply of new teachers to fill those vacant positions,” Anglum said.

As issues with teacher retention and recruitment continue, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the state legislature have implemented policies to improve teacher pay before classes begin next month.

During the 2024 legislative session, lawmakers passed&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/24info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=244" target="_blank">Senate Bill 727</a>, which requires the minimum salary for teachers to increase from $25,000 to $40,000 for the 2025-26 school year, with a minimum salary of $46,000 for educators with master’s degrees and at least ten years of experience.

“This hopefully will be part of one of several strategies that will help us get more qualified teachers into the field and keep the ones that we have,” said Kari Monsees, former deputy commissioner of the Division of Administrative and Financial Services at DESE, who retired in June.

To facilitate this, lawmakers created and have provided funding for an initiative known as the Teacher Baseline Salary Grant Program. While these grants existed before, the same legislation that implemented higher minimum teacher salaries also created the formal program that will provide school districts paying wages below the minimum with funding to comply with the new state policy.

While the intent is good, some experts said the grant program could cause uncertainty for continued funding in future school years.

Caitlin Whaley is the senior director of advocacy and governmental relations for the Missouri School Boards’ Association. Whaley said that because the grant is subject to annual state appropriations that are not mandated by law, it may not be a reliable funding stream.

“We certainly appreciate that the legislature is willing to put their money where their mouth is and fund that program, but it’s just hard to rely on it year over year, when you don’t know when that funding could potentially not be renewed,” she said.

Rebeka McIntosh, president of the Missouri National Education Association and a former educator, said that increasing the teacher salary and funding certain aspects of education like transportation and the foundation formula is a good first step, but it’s the bare minimum. She said the state also made several cuts and withholdings for educational programs recently.

“Those have direct impact on our public school classrooms, and that is of great concern,” she said. “To say we need to recruit, retain, and then to cut the legs off from underneath … that will then fall again onto districts to find some sort of avenue to have to Scotch tape it together again, and our students deserve better.”

Even more, Todd Fuller, spokesperson for Missouri State Teachers Association, said the increase in minimum salary still leaves Missouri behind its neighboring states, which have also been increasing the minimum salaries for their educators.

“It’s felt like a battle to try to get us to a point where teachers are adequately compensated and we’ve finally gotten to a starting salary of $40,000, [but] the frustrating part of that is when you look at us and all the states bordering Missouri, we’re still last,” Fuller said. “Just as soon as we increase that salary, everybody else has increased their salary, and it keeps us still toward the bottom of starting salaries.”

While organizations like MSTA have been advocating for an increase in the minimum salary, Fuller said the results of&nbsp;<a href="https://msta.org/news-and-media/2025-member-survey" target="_blank">an annual survey</a>&nbsp;from the group show that the reason for high teacher turnover rates is not entirely because of pay, though it is a contributing factor for some.

“Salary is not the number one reason that teachers are leaving,” Fuller said. “Teachers are leaving because of discipline issues. They’re leaving because of unrealistic expectations for classroom management, especially when they don’t have backing from the administration.”

As an educator for 30 years, Aimee Epley, a kindergarten teacher at Hillsboro Primary School, feels that those outside of education may not realize the challenges that teachers face in their profession.

“I think they think that we’re glorified babysitters, so they don’t feel that pay is low because they don’t have an understanding of what we actually do,” Epley said. “Once you have somebody come in and observe, people are in awe of how a classroom is handled and ran.”

As rewarding as her career has been, Epley was relieved when her daughter didn’t pursue work in education despite being interested in that vocation.

“I knew she had the heart of a teacher. I was afraid of that, because I didn’t want her to be a teacher, because I didn’t want her to struggle financially in ways I have had to struggle,” Epley said.

Still, Epley remains hopeful for the future of education.

“I think we’re going to be on a struggle bus for a while, and then I think it’ll eventually swing back,” Epley said. “I don’t think there’s a point where we’re not appreciated for the job we do. I [just] don’t think we’re fiscally supported for the job that we do.”

This story originally appeared in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.missouribusinessalert.com/government/on-a-struggle-bus-educators-await-increase-in-starting-teacher-pay-amid-high-turnover-rates/article_8bb8e10d-1a94-49ef-826a-c224e7f3208b.html" target="_blank">Missouri Business Alert</a>, a digital newsroom covering businessand the economy in Missouri.

Missouri educators await increase in starting teacher pay amid high turnover rates

ATCHISON COUNTY —A St. Joseph couple are in custody after a police investigation in Atchison.

On Thursday, police arrested 35-year-old&nbsp;Christopher C. Cash and 43-year-old Crystal L. Cash both of St. Joseph in the 11000 block U.S.59. He was booked into jail in connection with a Nodaway County Missouri warrant for stealing, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson.&nbsp;

She was jailed on a Nodaway County Missouri warrant for stealing and a Doniphan County Ks warrant for failure to appear in court.&nbsp;&nbsp;

St. Joseph couple jailed for alleged theft in Kansas

With school beginning next week around St. Joseph, the Buchanan County Sheriff's Office is giong to be keeping an eye on school zones and bus routes. 

Captain Mike Hess says the Sheriff's office wants everyone to be sure to refamiliarize themselves with safety measures around school areas 

"Meaning watch your speeds in the school zones, those speeds will be enforced," Hess says on the KFEQmunnity show.  "And especially school bus safety, as you start to travel those roadways that you haven't seen school busses on in a few months, get used to those coming back out, because we always usually have some events with school busses regardless of what time of year, so we want to make sure folks are very careful with that." 

Hess says the Sheriff's office is always enforcing these safety measures on some level, but for the first two weeks of school there will be an enhanced push to protect children.  

Hess says every year the Sheriff's office hears some of the same complaints from people when it comes to traffic in school zones. 

"We're seeing a tremendous amount of speeders in the area through the school zone, or we're having a problem with some folks passing a school bus when the red stop sign is out," Hess explains.  "And we want to make sure those are just prevented from the beginning, get everybody in the habit of stopping behind a school bus, you have to stop." 

Hess reminds everyone that not stopping for a bus with its stop sign out is a ticket able offense.  During the first two weeks of school officers will be out on random bus routes monitoring for violators.  

Hess reminds drivers those school zones can be anything that is marked with that school zone sign where drivers should be aware and slow down 

"So it could be a cross walk associated to it, it could be the area immediately in front, to the side, however you want to phrase that, of the school," Hess says.  "But all those speeds are reduced because of the amount of children around." 

Hess points out all these measures are to make sure people are aware of the school zone rules and are refamiliarizing themselves with them as school starts back up. 

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

Buchanan Co. Sheriff upping efforts to protect students as school starts back up

KFEQ Morning Sports

KFEQ Morning News

An annual partnership between Alchemy Tea Co. and St. Joseph's Friends of the Animal Shelter gives residents the opportunity to come downtown, drink some tea, and also snuggle with some kittens.&nbsp;

The annual&nbsp;Kit-tea at Alchemy event is expected to take place from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at 617 Felix Street in Downtown St. Joseph before the Sounds of Summer Concert Series performance at Coleman Hawkins Park.

This is not an adoption event for Friends of the Animal Shelter, however there will be special drinks available with portions going to assist Friends in their efforts assisting the St. Joseph Animal Shelter.&nbsp; If there is a cat participants particularly fall in love with, kittens should be available for adoption at the Animal Shelter tomorrow on a first come, first serve basis.&nbsp;

The St. Joseph Animal Shelter is open 1:00 to 5:30 pm Tuesday through Sunday. Their building is located at 701 Southwest Lower Lake Road in St. Joseph, and they can be reached at 816-271-4877. 

Snuggle a kitten and drink some tea this evening in downtown St. Joseph

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/harshawnratanpal/">Harshawn Ratanpal</a>

After a spring and summer of wet conditions throughout almost the entire state, drought is returning to Missouri.

<a href="https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/DmData/DataTables.aspx?state,mo" target="_blank">About 10%</a>&nbsp;of Missouri is now classified as abnormally dry,&nbsp;according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?MO" target="_blank">U.S. Drought Monitor</a>, a map that tracks drought and updates weekly.

“We hadn’t had a week in July or August with a map that had no (drought) since 2019, so it was almost kind of rare to have that little drought concern across the whole state for what we see there,” State Climatologist Zack Leasor said. “But if you look at the past 30 days, there are some spots that are starting to dry out.”

Most of the dryness is appearing in the southern part of the state. While the map as only recorded dryness in the state for about a week, Leasor said he thinks some areas, particularly in the southeast Missouri Bootheel, have been drier for longer.

As state climatologist, Leasor is tasked with drafting recommendations for Missouri’s weekly drought assessment. When he was in the region last week, he saw drier conditions than what the Drought Monitor had been reflecting. That’s because drought assessment involves a variety of factors – including rainfall, streamflow and soil moisture – and there’s some data gaps in the Bootheel.

“(The Bootheel) is really characterized by high concentration of agriculture, but also it’s characterized by really cheap access to groundwater that recharges quite frequently,” Leasor said. “So as a result, you have a lot of irrigated agriculture.”

By irrigating their land with more water, farmers can cause the data obtained from soil gauges to be unreliable, Leasor said.

“In addition to that, the Bootheel doesn’t have a lot of natural hydrology,” he said. “When we talk about lakes or river systems there, a lot of it is kind of engineered, so not a lot of stream monitoring.”

Leasor is involved in<a href="https://www.drought.gov/news/missouri-leverages-partnerships-boost-soil-moisture-data-early-drought-and-flood-warnings-2025" target="_blank">&nbsp;a project</a>&nbsp;to install more soil moisture gauges across the state through a collaboration between the University of Missouri and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

This story was originally published by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kbia.org/kbia-news/2025-08-13/running-dry-on-data-missouri-drought-hard-to-measure" target="_blank">KBIA</a>.&nbsp;

Running dry on data: Missouri drought hard to measure

CLINTON COUNTY—Two people were injured in an accident just after 1:30p.m. Thursday in Clinton County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2024 Ford Edge driven by a 70-year-old St. Joseph man was southbound on MO 116 at 145th Road four miles south of Gower. As the driver attempted a u-turn, a westbound 2019 Kenworth 310 driven by a 36-year-old Jamesport man struck the Ford.

Tri-County EMS transported both drivers to Mosaic Life Care. Both were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the MSHP. The Patrol no longer releases names of accident victims.

Driver from St. Joe injured in crash while attempting a u-turn

A new exhibition opening this weekend at the Albrecht Kemper Museum of Art will feature works from an artist originally from St. Joseph. 

Above the Fruited Plain features works from artist Jacqueline Bishop and opens on Friday at the art museum.

Executive Director Eric Fuson says Bishop grew up in St. Joseph but has lived in New Orleans for 50 years making her career for herself as an internationally recognized artist.

"Celebrated as one of the visionary imagist of contemporary American south, and that sounds like a mouthful, but what she really does is she incorporates what she's interested in," Fuson explains on the KFEQmunnity show.  "Which is environment, natural elements, to manmade elements like little dresses and things like that, she brings all that together in this imagery that makes you think, it makes you enjoy it as a beautiful thing."

Fuson says at the same time there is underlying content to the imagery that Bishop creates as well.   Fuson says during the opening Bishop will be present to talk to attendees. 

"The openings are really a fun way to kind of come in, meet an artist, and say what were you thinking when you did this almost," Fuson says.  "It's very comfortable, we have a wide range of people that come just to stop in for a few minutes or to hang out the whole time and just really walk through the museum, so it's just a great way to enjoy a Friday night."

The exhibition opening is free to attend to the public from 4 to 7pm on Friday at the museum.  Bishop will also host an artist talk on Saturday at the museum from 1 to 2 pm.

New Albrecht Kemper exhibit features work from St. Joseph born artist

December corn closed up 8 cents per bushel at $4.05 1/4 and March corn was up 8 1/2 cents at $4.22 1/2. November soybeans closed up 14 cents at $10.61 1/2 and January soybeans were up 13 1/4 cents at $10.42 1/2. September KC wheat closed up 2 3/4 cents at $5.07, September Chicago wheat was up 3 cents at $5.06 1/2 and December Minneapolis wheat was down 0.02 cents at $5.8975.

September corn rose 1 cent for the week to close at $3.83 3/4 and December corn finished down 1/4 cent at $4.05 1/4. September soybeans closed up 54 1/2 cents to end the week at $10.22 1/4 and November beans closed up 55 cents to finish at $10.42 1/2. Chicago September wheat finished down 8 at $5.06 1/2, KC September fell 11 1/4 cents to end at $5.07.  Minneapolis wheat ended down .0575 to end the week at $5.69 1/4.

Grain and soy markets closed stronger Friday with the exception of soymeal and Minneapolis wheat. Traders likely added back some weather premium due to the warmer and drier outlook for parts of the eastern and southern Midwest and Delta. The strength came despite the news that Brazil's corn and soy crops would both be record large. Kansas City and Chicago wheat had become extremely oversold and joined in Friday's rally effort.

The live cattle complex was back to rallying as traders were hopeful that the fed cash cattle market will indeed see higher prices in both regions this week. There was a thin movement of cattle traded in the North at mostly $384 to $386, which is $3.00 to $5.00 higher than last week's weighted average, Asking prices remain firm in the South at $237 plus, and there are bids currently on the table in Texas at $233, but again, no Southern live cattle have traded yet. Even so, traders are hopeful that the market will continue to see fundamental support, which is mainly why the contracts traded higher into Friday's close. Plus, it's helpful that boxed beef prices were rallying noticeably again today.

The feeder cattle complex was worried at the start of Friday's complex that the day's trade may be pressured like it was on Thursday. But thankfully, upon seeing the live cattle contracts trading higher, even the feeder cattle contracts traded significantly stronger into Friday's close.

At last, the lean hog complex traded higher as the market has finally seemed to find some technical support, which helped rally the contracts and the strong uptick in pork demand this morning was helpful too. The $14.87 rally in the belly is the biggest reason why the carcass price was higher, but every single one of the major cuts were trading higher and advancements of $2.00 to $5.00 were the norm this morning.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/08/15141605/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

Commodity markets daily recap

Despite ongoing challenges, agricultural land values have remained remarkably stable through mid-2025. According to the Farmers National Company, the resilience is mainly driven by simple supply and demand; there are more motivated buyers than willing sellers. While producers remain the main buyers of ag land, interest from individual and institutional investors can’t be ignored. As land values stabilize after the peaks of the last five years, investors are increasingly attracted to the annual returns and long-term appreciation. 

Farm Credit Services of America says benchmark Midwest farmland values increased 57 percent over the past five years and 39 percent over the past decade. Inventory remains limited, with listings down 25 percent from the peak in 2020-2021. “While producer balance sheets generally remain strong, any negative movements in the ag economy could quickly impact the land market,” said Paul Shadegg, the senior vice president of real estate operations at Farmers National. 

Ag land market remains resilient

American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall commented on the EPA’s announcement that it will revise Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) guidelines for manufacturers of heavy trucks and off-road equipment. Manufacturers will be directed to update the software in equipment that uses DEF to prevent them from losing power. “Farm Bureau thanks the EPA and Administrator Zeldin for their common-sense approach to heavy trucks and off-road equipment that uses Diesel Exhaust Fluid,” Duvall said. 

“When a vehicle runs out of DEF or there is an error in the software, it loses power, causing delays that could be the difference between getting a crop harvested or animals to their destination.” He also said the agency’s decision to grant a grace period to make repairs or refill DEF is the right thing to do, which keeps farmers in the field and commerce moving. Since 2010, diesel trucks and tractors have used DEF to reduce emissions of nitrous oxides. 

Farmers applaud common-sense fix for diesel engines

December corn closed unchanged at $3.97 1/4 and March corn was down a penny at $4.14. November soybeans closed down 15 3/4 cents at $10.28 1/2 and January soybeans were down 14 1/2 cents at $10.48 1/4. September KC wheat closed down 2 1/2 cents at $5.04 1/4, September Chicago wheat was down 3 3/4 cents at $5.03 1/2 and December Minneapolis wheat was down 0.04 cents at $5.92.

The soybean market retreated Thursday, halting a 3-day rally, as did soy products. Both Chicago and Kansas City wheat fell to new contract lows before bouncing and corn was mixed to lower in quiet trade. December corn came within a half-cent of the low before stabilizing. Bean oil futures resumed the downtrend.

Even though the live cattle complex was grateful to close higher Wednesday afternoon and see fed cash cattle prices trade higher in the North. The market is struggled as the week's export report was lousy and traders are holding their breath, waiting to see if the complex falls below last Friday's close, which would be a bearish technical signal. Last Friday, the market traded as low as $225.60, which will be the threshold we need to continue to monitor. A few cash bids are on the table as live bids are being offered at $233 in Texas. Live bids are being offered in Nebraska at $245, but no trade has developed yet following Wednesday's movement in the Nebraska where dressed cattle were trading at $385, which is $4.00 higher than last week's weighted average.

And as one would logically expect, the feeder cattle complex also traded significantly lower after seeing the live cattle contracts duck and run. Traders believed that was the best route to send the feeder cattle contracts as well. Again, this decision is solely one being made on technical indications as demand in the countryside remains nearly unfathomable for feeder cattle. It's looking like the fed cash cattle market may be able to trade cattle for higher money this week, but time will tell.

The lean hog complex traded lower as well into Thursday's closing bell, as traders remain displeased about the morning's export report and didn't finding the morning's fundamental support to be sufficient enough to keep steady. The cutout's biggest problem this morning was the $4.96 decline in the picnic.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/08/14144813/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

The USDA reminds agricultural producers that the final date to apply for or make changes to their existing crop insurance coverage is quickly approaching for fall-planted crops. Sales closing dates vary by crop and location, but the next major sales closing dates are September 1 and September 30. Producers are encouraged to visit their crop insurance agent soon to learn specific details for the 2026 crop year. Crop insurance coverage decisions must be made on or before the applicable sales closing date. 

The USDA’s Risk Management Agency lists sales closing dates in the Actuarial Information Browser, under the “Dates” tab. Producers can also access the RMA Information Reporting System tool to specifically identify applicable dates for their operation, using the “Insurance Offer Reports” application. Federal crop insurance is critical to the farm safety net. It helps producers and owners manage revenue risks and strengthens the U.S. rural economy. 

Crop insurance deadline drawing closer

Recent data from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers showed Canadian sales of combines grew 11.4 percent in July 2025 compared to July of last year. Canadian sales of two-wheel-drive tractors also increased slightly, growing three percent in July 2025 compared to July 2024. U.S. sales of combines fell 43 percent, while total agricultural tractor sales fell by 4.9 percent in July 2025 compared to last year. 

“While we are encouraged by the modest growth in Canadian combine and tractor sales, the significant declines in the U.S. reflect ongoing caution in the marketplace,” said AEM Senior Vice President Curt Blades. “We believe North American farmers are carefully evaluating their capital assets and taking a measured approach to equipment purchases, balancing operational needs with broader economic uncertainty.” The biggest drop in the U.S. was in self-propelled combine sales, dropping almost 44 percent from July 2024.

U.S. combine sales continue to decline while Canadian sales rise 

December corn closed up 2 3/4 cents per bushel at $3.97 1/4 and March corn was up 2 3/4 cents at $4.15. November soybeans closed up 11 1/2 cents at $10.44 1/4 and January soybeans were up 12 cents at $10.62 3/4. September KC wheat closed down 4 cents at $5.06 3/4, September Chicago wheat was up 2 1/4 cents at $5.07 1/4 and MIAX December Minneapolis wheat was up 0.01 cents at $5.9600.

Soybeans continued to move higher Wednesday, again reacting to the surprise cut in harvested acres and lower production despite a record yield as reflected in Tuesday's USDA report. Wheat in Chicago fell to a new low and Kansas City came within a penny of the same fate. Corn was able to bounce slightly following the Tuesday beatdown.

Following the supportive trade that developed earlier this week for live cattle, traders are again twiddling their fingers, seeming to have the mindset that again asks: now what? On one hand, traders would like to continue to support the complex and push prices higher, but at the same time, they don't want to become overly aggressive and overextend the futures complex. So, as the market nears midday Wednesday, a mixed attitude has taken over the contracts as the nearby contracts are trading higher, but the deferred months are a tick more cautious and trading lower.

The feeder cattle complex is walking back some of its position following Tuesday's sporty jump as traders are concerned that there might not be enough technical support to keep prices trading higher. Some stronger sales were just noted in the Fed cash cattle market, which could help change traders' attitude, but that's yet to be seen.&nbsp;

The lean hog complex is trading lower even though the midday cutout report showed strong pork interest and the midday cash hog report showed stronger packer demand. Even so, the lean hog contracts are trading lower as technical pressure remains the issue for the market. October lean hogs are down $1.37 at $90.22, December lean hogs are down $1.45 at $82.35 and February lean hogs are down $1.45 at $85.12. It was interesting to see that the belly and the picnic jumped up over $6.00 higher on today's midday report.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/07/16201542/30001.mp3">Click HERE for Audio</a>

Mexico has set minimum export prices for its fresh tomatoes to protect its domestic production and ensure internal supply after a bilateral agreement with the U.S. expired. Mexico’s economy and agriculture ministries made the announcement in a joint statement after Washington withdrew from a 2019 deal between the two countries, which regulated Mexican tomato exports to the U.S. 

On July 14, the Trump administration announced a duty of about 17 percent on fresh tomato imports from Mexico. The new pricing rules apply exclusively to definitive exports, but they don’t restrict export volumes or impose maximum prices. The Mexican ministries said prices will be reviewed every year or sooner if market conditions suddenly demand it. “This action reinforces the government’s commitment to agricultural competitiveness, dignified rural employment, and food sovereignty,” the ministries said. Minimum export prices per kilogram include $1.70 for cherry and grape tomatoes and 88 cents for Roma tomatoes.

Mexico Sets Minimum Export Prices for Fresh Tomatoes

The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association notched a legal victory affirming protections for cattle farmers and ranchers from onerous and unnecessary air emissions reporting requirements. NCBA and a coalition of farm groups have engaged in the litigation for years to ensure that family farmers and ranchers were not forced to file complex, overreaching reports with the federal government about emissions under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). 

“CERCLA and EPCRA were intended to address the worst industrial and toxic chemicals, not govern family farms and ranches,” said Kaitlynn Glover, executive director of the Public Lands Council. ‘The decision affirms that family cattle producers shouldn’t have to file reports for a natural, biological process under a law meant for significant chemical contaminants.” She also said NCBA and the other groups “stepped up” to protect family farms and ranches through this litigation.

Legal Victory Protects Cattle Producers from Emissions Regulations

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday extending a deadline for higher tariffs on Chinese imports until November. Officials from the U.S. and China first ended tariff tit-for-tat in May after duty rates on both sides reached triple digits. The latest deadline was set to expire on Tuesday (today). The executive order sets the new deadline for higher duties on November 10. 

“The U.S. continues to have discussions with China to address the lack of trade reciprocity in our economic relationship and our resulting national and economic security concerns,” the order reads. “Through these discussions, China continues to take significant steps toward remedying non-reciprocal trade arrangements and addressing the concerns of the United States.” 

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the two sides are expected to meet later this year to continue discussions. Over the weekend, the president said he’s hopeful China will “quadruple” its U.S. soybean purchases.

China Tariff Truce Extended

WYANDOTTE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a double homicide in Kansas City, Kansas.

Just after 7p.m. Saturday, officers were dispatched to a shooting in the&nbsp; 1600 block of Washington Boulevard in Kansas City, Kansas, according to a media release.

First responders located two men and one woman with gunshot wounds. One man was pronounced dead on at the scene and the other two victims were transported to a local hospital where the second man was pronounced deceased.&nbsp; The woman sustained non-life threatening injuries. 

The suspect fled prior to officers' arrival. Police have not released names of the victims.

Police: 2 men dead, woman wounded in Kansas shooting

KANSAS CITY—Authorities are investigating the cause of a house fire in Kansas City.

Just after 7p.m. Saturday, crews&nbsp;responded to a reported&nbsp;house&nbsp;fire in the 1100 block of West 76th&nbsp;Street in Kansas City, Missouri, according to Battalion Chief Riley Nolan.

&nbsp;The first company on scene reported heavy fire from a 2-story&nbsp;home&nbsp;and initiated an offensive fire attack. Crews advanced 2 hose lines to extinguish the flames, and searches throughout the structure came back "all clear". 

The fire was reported under control at 7:28 p.m. Companies continued with overhaul operations to expose and extinguish hot spots prior to returning to service. &nbsp;Dangerous buildings was ordered and the Red Cross was ordered for 2 adults. There were no injuries &nbsp;reported, according to Nolan.

Cause of Kansas City house fire under investigation 

JOHNSON COUNTY — A suspect admitted his role in a deadly shooting that occurred in Kansas earlier this year.

On Monday, 25, year-old &nbsp;Armando Javier Guerrero, pleased guilty to voluntary manslaughter in connection with the death of 21-year-old Landen Roggenkamp, according to the Johnson County District Attorney's office.

On March 25, &nbsp;police responded to a shooting in the 1400 block of East Mart-Way Circle in Olathe and found Roggenkamp with multiple wounds, according to a statement from police. EMS transported him to a local hospital where he was was pronounced deceased.

The Olathe Police Department took Guerrero into custody, and officers said they believed he and Roggenkamp knew each other.&nbsp;

Guerrero is scheduled for sentencing on September 25.

Suspect admits killing 21-year-old Kansas man

DICKINSON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect for alleged child sex crimes.

On August 14, deputies with the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office arrested Ryan Matthew Roth, 38, of Enterprise, Kansas on a warrant for aggravated internet trading in child pornography and sexual exploitation of a child.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

In April, the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office began the investigation after receiving tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.&nbsp; During the investigation, a search warrant was executed at a residence in the 500 Block of Court Street, Enterprise, Kansas. &nbsp;Additional search warrants were executed and the warrant was then issued for the arrest of Roth.&nbsp; Roth is being held on a $250,000 bond in the Dickinson County Detention Facility, according to online jail records.

Kansas man accused of trading child porn online

Read the letter the First Lady had the President deliver to Putin

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem used social media on Thursday to congratulate the men and women of the South Dakota Highway Patrol.

Troopers in South Dakota this week made &nbsp;the largest meth bust in state history — 207 pounds worth $12 Million. &nbsp;

Noem, who served as South Dakota governor from 2019-2025 wrote, "This criminal, an illegal alien from Mexico, is now in immigration proceedings. Justice will be served."

Patrol seized 207 pounds of meth worth $12 million

JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating an alleged road rage shooting and have made an arrest.

Just before 5p.m. Friday, police &nbsp;Grain Valley Police officers were dispatched to a report of road rage on Main Street south of 40 Highway in Grain Valley, according to a media release.&nbsp;

 Responding officers determined a suspect had fired a weapon at another driver. There were no injuries were reported. The suspect fled the scene but was quickly located at a residence and taken into custody without incident. Police have not released the suspect's name or additional details.

Suspect jailed after alleged KC area road rage shooting

By&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2025/02/24/gov-laura-kelly-skeptical-kansas-houses-anti-tenure-legislation-will-reach-her-desk/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA— Firefighters responded to an Thursday night fire outside headquarters of the Johnson County Republican Party in Overland Park that resulted in no injuries.

The incident inspired inflammatory comments by the leader of the Kansas GOP, who placed responsibility on liberals. In a statement, she offered no evidence the fire, which didn’t cause significant damage, was linked to partisan ideology.

“Extreme liberals can’t do anything right, including arson,” said Danedri Herbert, who serves as chair of the Kansas Republican Party and spokesperson for Attorney General Kris Kobach. “Their hateful attempt to intimidate Republicans will also fail.”

Johnson County Republican Party chair Sue Huff said she was grateful no one was hurt in the “vicious attack.”

Overland Park firefighters responded to the county’s GOP headquarters near West 105th and Mastin Street around 12:45 a.m. Friday.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kctv5.com/2025/08/15/possible-arson-outside-johnson-county-gop-headquarters-under-investigation/" target="_blank">KCTV 5 reported the department</a>&nbsp;reported the fire was confined to the doorstep of the building.

Jeanna Repass, chair of the state Democratic Party, said in a statement acts of violence should play no role in resolving political differences. She said it was a relief no one was hurt in the “senseless act.”

“We stand with law enforcement as they pursue justice in this matter,” Repass said. “We will never be able to solve political differences with acts of violence, and we send our thoughts to the Johnson County GOP and the Kansas GOP.”

Repass said she was confident Overland Park investigators would hold to account anyone responsible for the fire.

“Violence anywhere, whether at a local party headquarters or our U.S. Capitol, undermines our democracy and must be condemned in full. Real progress cannot be made through fear, intimidation or destruction,” she said.

Fire outside Johnson Co. GOP headquarters prompts condemnation of political liberals

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe still hasn’t confirmed whether he’ll call a special session to change the state’s congressional map, but Republican lawmakers who’ve spoken to the governor say it’s very possible.

State lawmakers and officials gathered in Sedalia on Thursday morning for the annual Governor’s Ham Breakfast. Planned remarks from the podium focused on celebrating the Missouri State Fair and local agriculture. But, as it has in previous years, politics dominated breakfast-table conversations.

The issue at hand was the effort being pushed by President Donald Trump to change the congressional map of Missouri to increase the Republican delegation by one seat, therefore decreasing the number of Democratic-held seats to just one.

Similar efforts in Texas are underway, sparking counter-efforts by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in California.

Kehoe has stopped short of confirming that he’ll call the legislature into a special session to redraw Missouri’s congressional map.

“You got to make sure on any time you call a special session, or even a regular piece of legislation during the normal process, you want to make sure that what you’re doing is in the right direction and that you have as many people on board as possible,” Kehoe told reporters at the breakfast. “And I’m not saying we are at that point or not at that point, but it’s a process.”

However, Republicans who have spoken to Kehoe about the issue say they think he will call lawmakers back to Jefferson City.

The Kansas City Star reported that Kehoe discussed redistricting with multiple top Republicans in an early August meeting. House Majority Leader Alex Riley, a Springfield Republican, was in that meeting and said he thinks it’s “pretty likely” Kehoe will call a special session.

“I’m supportive of it,” he said. “Right now, Missouri is a solidly Republican state. When you look around the rest of the country, you’ve seen Democrat states, for very long periods of time, draw their lines in such a way that they have no Republican representation or very minimal.”

Missouri House Speaker Jon Patterson, a Lee’s Summit Republican, was also in the meeting but declined to comment.

The recent push to redistrict was ignited by U.S. Rep. Bob Onder from Missouri. He told Punchbowl News that the White House wants Missouri to redraw the map and send more Republicans to the House of Representatives.

As a state senator, Onder was supportive of a 2022 effort to draw Missouri’s congressional map in such a way to give Republicans seven seats, instead of the six they currently control.

“I wasn’t successful in that effort in 2022, but it looks like we will very likely be doing that shortly,” Onder said, before adding that he’d spoken to Kehoe about the issue recently and thinks he will be calling a special session.

Onder represents the 3rd Congressional District, which nearly entirely encircles the state’s 1st and 2nd Districts.

Lt. Gov. David Wasinger, who also supports redistricting, criticized the shape of the current congressional map and blamed state lawmakers for not creating one more favorable to Republicans in 2022.

“If you look at the map that’s currently drawn in Congressman Bob Onder’s district … it looks like a Pac-Man — you know, the old video game Pac-Man,” he said. “It looks like a Pac-Man with its mouth open.”

While he has not confirmed whether he’d call a special session, Kehoe said he shares Trump’s vision for a Republican-led House of Representatives following the midterms.

“My personal preference is just keep Speaker (Mike) Johnson in control in D.C.,” he said. “His values align much better with Missourians than Congressman (Hakeem) Jeffries does, and I think that would be the goal.”

This story was originally published by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kbia.org/kbia-news/2025-08-14/kehoe-wont-confirm-redistricting-republicans-in-the-room-say-its-likely" target="_blank">KBIA</a>.&nbsp;

Missouri governor won’t confirm redistricting, but Republicans say it’s likely

&nbsp;JACKSON COUNTY—Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on drug allegations after a traffic stop.

Just before midnight August 9, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop for an alleged traffic infraction on a Hyundai Elantra traveling northbound on U.S. Highway 75, near 142nd&nbsp;Road, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

The driver, Clifton Wabaunsee, 44, of Topeka was arrested at the scene and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of&nbsp; possession of methamphetamine, possession of a hallucinogenic drug, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving while suspended.&nbsp; He has previous convictions for aggravated battery and drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

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