The East Buchanan volleyball team is back in the final four for the first time in three years after beating Lafayette County in the Class 2 Quarterfinals in three straight sets.

The first set of the match started out similar to East Buchanan's sectional matchup with Lawson, as the Huskers started out with an early lead, pulling ahead 9-5 before Bulldogs head coach Ryan Horn called a timeout.&nbsp; After the timeout, there was a momentum swing and East Buchanan pulled ahead 12-11, forcing a Lafayette County timeout.&nbsp; &nbsp;The Bulldog eventually won the first set 25-22, after the Huskers chipped their way back on set point.

The second set again was all Lafayette County early, pulling out to a 10-3 lead, forcing East Buchanan to call both timeouts in the set.&nbsp; The Bulldogs fought back, trailing 15-11 at a Huskers timeout, and then tying it up 19-19 to force the second Huskers timeout.&nbsp; The set went back and forth the rest of the way, and the Bulldogs won the set 27-25.

East Buchanan pulled out to a lead in set three, but fell behind before rallying to again take the lead 8-6 at a Lafayette County timeout.&nbsp; The Huskers called their second timeout with East Buchanan leading 11-8, even after that though the Bulldogs continued pulling away until getting near set point.&nbsp; The Huskers weren't done, and rallied back, Horn calling a timeout to focus his team leading 23-21, and the Bulldogs scored the last two points to win 25-21 sweeping Lafayette County.&nbsp;

Three seniors on the team will bookend their career with another appearance at state, after appearing in the Final Four in Cape Girardeau and finishing in fourth place.  

Horn says back in the spring, he had the team write down goals, and it was those three seniors that had a very big goal.

"We want to make it to the Final Four and we want to do one step better," Horn tells reporters after the match.&nbsp; "And, it's a tough goal and they're close, they're close, and they've made one of these goals and I would say they want to prove something for sure, and if they do, they do, and if they don't we're still going to be proud of what we've accomplished and we'll just see how it goes."

Senior Brooklyn Johnson says it feels good to make it back to the Final Four, since the last time East Buchanan made it, she was just a freshman on the bench

"So it was really fun to be a leader in this season and go to the Final Four as a group now and actually earning it," Johnson says.&nbsp; "Because just us the freshman sitting on the bench, but it feels good to have a part in the win."

Senior Layla Watkins says it means a lot to be able to get back to this piont, and it's also special for the school

"And this is the second time in school history, so that's pretty cool, hopefully we can do a little better at state this year than we did that first year, but it feels amazing," Watkins says.

Watkins also has the opportunity to do something her older sister wasn't able to, win a championship.  Maya Watkins was on the last East Buchanan team to make it to the Final Four.

Unlike last time though, the Bulldogs won't have to travel to Cape Girardeau to play, and neither will their fans to support, just having to travel 20 miles down the road to St. Joseph.

Head Coach Ryan Horn says the community in Gower always shows up to support the team in these moments

"I'm actually really thankful for how good, even when we're not doing a state playoff game, how good our community shows up and supports volleyball, because not every community gets that," Horn explains.&nbsp; "And then for them to be able to get to a 15 minute drive or a 20 minute drive for state is just phenomenal for us, I mean I don't know how it's going to work out, but you have to think it's an advantage for us for sure, so we'll take it."

The Bulldogs will play on Wednesday at Civic Arena taking on Hermann in semifinals.

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

East Buchanan volleyball advances to second Final Four in program history

LEAVENWORTH COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 4a.m. Saturday in Leavenworth County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Chevy Corvette driven by Jeremy Head, 41, Leavenworth, was eastbound in the 700 Block of Shawnee Street in Leavenworth.at a high rate of speed. The car went airborne, became unstable when it made contact with the roadway. The vehicle rotated and struck the curb, a tree and a building.&nbsp;

Head was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Forensic Medical. EMS transported a passenger&nbsp;Margaret Spain, 32, Leavenworth to KU Medical Center. They were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

Kansas man dead, woman injured in violent crash into a building

KFEQ Week in Review

While the average premium for one carrier will decline, most consumers in the health care marketplace will pay more due to the loss of tax credits passed during the pandemic

By:<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/rudi-keller/">Rudi Keller</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<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>

Most individual health insurance plans sold in Missouri will&nbsp;<a href="https://insurance.mo.gov/sites/insurance/files/2025-10/Public%20posting%20-%20Final%202026%20Rates.pdf" target="_blank">increase in price next year</a>&nbsp;even as customers prepare to dig deeper into their own funds to replace costs previously covered by federal tax credits.

The state Department of Commerce and Insurance on Friday released the approved rates for individual plans, most of which are sold on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.healthcare.gov/" target="_blank">health insurance marketplace</a>. One carrier, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City, is lowering premiums an average of 4.1% for its plans available in 30 western Missouri counties. Some plans offered by the company will see an increase of as much as 9%.

Premiums will increase for the other eight carriers offering plans in all or part of the state. Ambetter Health plans, available off the marketplace in 109 counties, will increase an average of 1.9%, while Cox Health Plans, available in five southwest Missouri counties, will go up an average of 30.4%.

The costs for some Missourians will increase 70% or more if Congress does not extend tax credits enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The federal government has been&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/10/01/repub/protesters-at-us-capitol-back-democrats-in-shutdown-fight-over-health-care-costs/">shut down since Oct. 1</a>&nbsp;because congressional Democrats refuse to vote to fund the government until Republicans add an extension of the credits to the spending bill. Republicans argue the government should be reopened before negotiations over subsidies resume.

There are at least two companies offering health plans in&nbsp;<a href="https://insurance.mo.gov/individual-health-insurance-market-map" target="_blank">every county</a>, with a handful in the St. Louis area seeing seven vying for their business.&nbsp;

“First and foremost, Missourians need to know our state continues to have a competitive market, which means they will continue to have meaningful choices when it comes to their health coverage,” Angela Nelson, department director, said in a news release.&nbsp;

In addition to reporting the average change, the department also provided the largest change in cost for any single plan offered by the nine carriers. Those increases ranged from 6.4% for an Ambetter Health plan, to 110% for a Medica plan offered in 54 counties.&nbsp;

Open enrollment for the individual health plans begins Saturday. Consumers who purchase coverage by Dec. 15 will have it start Jan. 1. Plans may be purchased until Jan. 15, but coverage will not begin until Feb. 1, the release stated.

Missourians will start considering their choices without knowing whether enhanced subsidies enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic emergency will be extended.

The original Affordable Care Act subsidies that took effect in 2014 tied the actual cost to consumers to a percentage of their income for people earning less than four times the federal poverty level. Consumers with poverty level income — $15,650 for 2025 for individuals, $32,150 for a family of four —&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-25-25.pdf" target="_blank">paid 2.1% of their income as premiums</a>, sliding up to 10% for households with income between three and four times the poverty level.

The enhanced tax credits put a cap on out-of-pocket premium costs for all consumers, with the highest earners paying 8.5% of their income and those with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-23-29.pdf" target="_blank">incomes below 150%</a>&nbsp;of poverty level paying no premiums for their insurance.

“There is still a tremendous amount of uncertainty about whether Congress will extend the premium tax subsidies into 2026, and we are keeping a close eye on any developments at the federal level,” Nelson said.

Only two of the eight companies offering individual plans in Missouri through the federal marketplace will have plans available in every county or almost every county in the state. United Healthcare plans are available in every county and Ambetter from Home State Health plans can be purchased in every county except Clark, Lewis, Marion, St. Francois, Schuyler and Scotland.

The average monthly premium is about $755 for both the United Healthcare and Ambetter offerings, an increase of about 15% and 25%, respectively.&nbsp;

An individual with an income of $62,600 a year or more would have to pay the full premium if the enhanced credits are not extended. That means paying $9,060 over a year for the average Ambetter or United Healthcare plan instead of $5,321, an increase of 70%.

A panel of community members and experts hosted by the Community Health Commission of Missouri in St. Louis on Thursday underlined potential impacts of the expiring subsidies.

Sheldon Weisgrau, vice president for health and policy advocacy at the Missouri Foundation for Health, said higher premiums could lead younger, healthier people to forgo insurance, driving up prices for those who continue to purchase plans.

“When folks can’t afford to buy insurance, it doesn’t mean they won’t get sick,” Weisgrau said. When they do enter the health system, providers pick up the cost, “and again, that eventually gets passed on to everybody else.”&nbsp;

As Missourians confront higher insurance premiums, 650,000 low-income residents of the state could also be forced to cope with a loss of federal food benefits, with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, set to run out of funding on Nov. 1. Federal judges in Massachusetts and Rhode Island on Friday&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2025/10/31/repub/trump-administration-blocked-from-cutting-off-snap-benefits-as-two-judges-issue-orders/">ordered</a>&nbsp;the Trump administration to use contingency funds to pay at least partial benefits, but SNAP recipients could still face delays.

Panelists on Thursday said instability across federal safety net programs means communities will have to fill in the gaps through mutual aid.

“I think the neighborhood, the village, needs to be recreated,” said Shanelle Woods, one of the community members.

“There’s someone probably on your block that has extra,” Woods said. “Maybe Miss Jones has a pot of soup and she’s willing to share with your children. But, you have to build a relationship with your neighbor first.”

Panelists said policy conversations don’t address the difficulty of accessing safety net programs even when they are not being cut or suspended.

Shellie Robinson, who went on medical leave after being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, said she struggled so long to prove she was eligible to receive disability benefits that she eventually had to go back to work.

Her doctors vouched for her, but, Robinson said, “it still wasn’t enough.”

“Who has the time to wait online or wait on a call for nearly three hours to talk to someone, to get it?” Robinson asked.

Timothy McBride, a health economist at Washington University in St. Louis, said that despite a “myth” that people who buy marketplace insurance plans are “undeserving, or they’re lazy,” many working people don’t have access to affordable insurance. Older adults who don’t qualify for Medicare – for instance, due to a chronic condition – may also need marketplace plans.

“There are flaws in our insurance markets that put people in this situation,” McBride said. “That’s the truth of the matter, and you don’t hear that from Washington. It’s a blame game.”

Missouri health premiums to rise as much as 30% for 2026 amid uncertainty over subsidies

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating a suspect on multiple allegations after an arrest.

On October 29, police arrested 47-year-old&nbsp;Jason E. Blakley of Atchison, on city of Horton and Atchison Municipal Court warrants for failure to appear in court, according to Police Chief Mike Wilson.

Blakley was also issued a notice to appear in court in the 100 block South 15th Street for driving in violation of restrictions, illegal tag, inattentive driving, limitations on backing, failure to yield to emergency vehicle, failure to provide proof of insurance and for not wearing seat belt. He met the requirement of bond and is no longer in custody, according to online jail records.

Kansas man continues to skip court on multiple allegations

St. Joseph School District officials are
looking to cut $8 million from the school budget in the next two years.

Assistant Superintendent of Business and
Operations, Robert Hedgecorth, says the budget reserves have fallen to just
over 10%, far short of the district goal of 20%. 

Hedgecorth says it will take time to
bring expenses down to get the reserves up.

“You can only cut so many purchase service
and supplies costs. Seventy-five percent of our expenses are staffing expenses,”
Hedgeworth tells KFEQmmunity, “because that is the bulk of our expenses. We are
in the people business. You need to look for ways to reduce that staffing without
affecting the classroom.”

Hedgecorth says the challenge is to
reduce staff through attrition while maintaining quality classroom instruction.

“So, we’re trying to make sure that we
look at that core classroom structure and when we evaluate positions, what are those
things that are furthest from the classroom?” Hedgecorth explains. “And so that
is kind of that rubric we’re looking at when someone might retire or resign to
see if we need to refill that position.”

The St. Joseph Board of Education has
approved $2.7 million in budget cuts for the current fiscal year. The total cut
of $8 million will be spread over two years, according to Hedgecorth.

Superintendent Ashly McGinnis says the
district will be looking to make staffing cuts across the board.

“And there may be some things as people
resign or retire that we can consolidate positions into one,” McGinnis says. “And
so, we are open to all of those ideas and want to brainstorm to make sure.
Overall, we just have to become more efficient as a business as an organization
and that’s our plan to do that.”

McGinnis says the district will look to
cut positions across the board, from administration to custodial.

“We also picked up quite a few positions
during COVID,” McGinnis says, stating the district attempted to use the money
on intervention during the pandemic. “But then when that money dropped off, we
picked up all of those positions locally. And so, we have increased the number
of staffing, but we would look at that across-the-board to see where we have
inefficiencies.” 

The school board reversed course and
decided to maintain the current three high school structure. Other buildings
will close, though. Bode Middle School will close as the district consolidates four
middle schools into three. Hyde Elementary School is scheduled to close as
well. Other school buildings might follow. School officials say they will try
to sell the properties, not just to make a little money off the sale, but to
keep from having to maintain buildings it no longer uses.

Through all the talk of budget tightening,
McGinnis wants to assure parents quality will be maintained as the district
implements the Plan E adopted by the Board of Education.

“Kids are going to walk into our
buildings and teachers and staff are still going to take care of kids
throughout this whole process,” McGinnis states. “We have excellent staff and
that’s our number one (priority), teaching and learning for our kids. That will
remain a priority.”

The St. Joseph School District operates
on a $182 million annual budget.

You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

St. Joseph School District aims to slash $8M from its budget

KFEQ Morning Sports

KFEQ Morning News

The Buchanan County Sheriff's Office will be out tonight (Fri.), making sure those on the registered sex offender list are following the rules this Halloween.  

Sheriff Bill Puett says it's something his office takes very seriously, and the community does as well, so deputies will do what they need to protect children 

“So, we will verify that those offenders are where they’re supposed to be by statute, and I know that I’ve had people that say that it’s not fair, and they don’t like it and everything else,” Puett says on the KFEQmunnity show.  “You know that’s not for me to debate, my issue is as the sheriff the law is what it is and we’re going to enforce that, we’re going to keep our community as safe as we can keep it.” 

Puett says with over 300 registered sex offenders in the county, deputies will check on all of them tonight, sometimes twice, to ensure they are compliant. 

Puett says around 18 to 20 teams of officers will check on everyone on the list, with three varying situations 

"Number one they need to be checked; number two they’re at work and they have a verified work slip. If that’s the case, they can be at work and we verify that,” Puett explains.  “If they’re homeless, they’re required to come to the law enforcement center, and they have to wait in the lobby, and we check them and they have to be in the lobby until 10:30.” 

Puett says most that his officers check on through the night are compliant 

"Probably 9.8 out of 10 will greet the deputies at the door, how you doing, I mean they know the routine, they’ll have their ID, because the quicker it goes the deputy is gone and away they go and they know they have to do it,” Puett says. 

Puett does say every now and then though they will encounter someone belligerent, that after officers will leave will go on to break the law, which is why officers sometimes check twice. 

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

Sheriff: Sex offenders won't be passing out candy tonight

42M Americans rely on the program now facing disruptions because of the shutdown.

By:<a href="https://stateline.org/author/khardy/">Kevin Hardy</a> <a href="https://stateline.org/">Stateline</a>

There’s no way his local government can fill the void created by a disruption in the federal food stamp program, but local official Gregg Wright says his Minnesota county had to do something.

“This is pretty much a crisis for families,” said Wright, a member of the Olmsted County Board of Commissioners.

Last week, the board unanimously voted to send up to $200,000 to a local food bank to help neighbors at risk of losing food assistance because of the federal government shutdown.

Olmsted County, which has a population of about 165,000 and is home to the renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester, expects to lose about $1.7 million per month in benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP. It’s a predicament facing leaders across the country preparing for an unprecedented pause in the nation’s largest food assistance program as the shutdown drags on.

While attorneys general and governors from 25 states and the District of Columbia&nbsp;<a href="https://stateline.org/2025/10/28/repub/democratic-ags-governors-sue-trump-over-snap-benefits-as-shutdown-hits-day-28/">sued the Trump administration</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday to try to force it to pay SNAP benefits next month, the administration says it will not release funds until the congressional budget impasse is resolved.

That leaves food banks, food pantries and local governments scrambling to prepare for an onslaught of demand. States are declaring emergencies, deploying National Guard members and sending millions of taxpayer dollars to local food banks. Nonprofits are bracing for long lines, bare shelves and even panic or civic unrest as some 42 million Americans are expected to lose access to the safety net program in a matter of days.

“The enormity of this issue is almost hard to comprehend,” said Wright, who noted that his county is just one of the more than 3,000 across the country.

The local food bank estimated it could serve SNAP families for one month by spending about $400,000 on bulk food purchases. Rather than front that whole amount, the county board challenged community members to help raise another $200,000.

Wright said the county is unable to keep funding food assistance for long.

“We can’t continue to do this without raising taxes, because it isn’t in our budget,” he said. “ … Who could plan for this? Who would expect that this would come from the federal government?”

Minnesota is among 10 states where counties administer the food stamp program rather than state governments. Across the country, state and county governments have been redirecting local resources to try to fill the shutdown gap.

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has set aside&nbsp;<a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletter/calfresh-government-shutdown/" target="_blank">$80 million</a>&nbsp;in state funds and deployed members of the National Guard to help food banks.

Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared a state of&nbsp;<a href="https://virginiamercury.com/2025/10/27/it-goes-quick-virginians-stretch-dollars-and-hope-as-snap-funding-freezes/" target="_blank">emergency</a>, saying the commonwealth would use its own funds to temporarily help SNAP recipients.

In&nbsp;<a href="https://lailluminator.com/2025/10/24/louisiana-prepares-to-continue-snap-benefits-with-150m-in-state-funding-monthly/" target="_blank">Louisiana</a>, state leaders are preparing to use $150 million monthly to help continue SNAP aid, while&nbsp;<a href="https://nevadacurrent.com/2025/10/28/nevada-officials-devising-snap-contingency-plan-relying-on-food-banks/" target="_blank">Nevada</a>&nbsp;plans to funnel $38.8 million toward local food banks.

Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz announced the state would divert&nbsp;<a href="https://minnesotareformer.com/briefs/walz-directs-4-million-to-food-shelves-as-snap-cutoff-approaches/" target="_blank">$4 million</a>&nbsp;to food shelves across the state.

“This is meant to be a bridge,” Walz said during a Monday news conference. “It will not make up and backfill everything.”

Food banks across the country are already facing increased demand.

Virginia Witherspoon, executive director of Channel One Regional Food Bank in Rochester, Minnesota, said the phone was “ringing off the hook” last week. The nonprofit distributes food to partners across 14 counties and operates its own food shelf in Rochester. That pantry saw an average of about 450 families per day last month, but by last week was already averaging 550 per day, Witherspoon said.

“I don’t blame anyone who is rushing to their local food shelf and stocking up because they’re afraid they won’t be able to feed their families,” she told Stateline. “What I would say is that food shelves in Minnesota — we’re here, we’re open, we want to serve you. We’re doing our absolute best.”

Channel One and other operators, though, are concerned about the potential for panic by families scrambling for food.

Witherspoon told the Olmsted County Board of Commissioners her organization has considered asking for a police presence, but wants to be careful about what kind of message it sends to the public. She said even increasing food distribution from once to twice a week could cause people to rush in.

She said it reminds her of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when she went on local television to tell people not to worry, though she was privately concerned about running out of food.

“It’s tough. On the one hand, I’m in public sounding the alarm to you, to our donors, to our government,” she told commissioners. “But on the other hand, we don’t want to make the public panic and all come shop at once. It’s really not a good situation, and we’ve never been here before.”

The predicament facing nonprofits and local governments is unprecedented: Food stamps have not been disrupted during other government shutdowns. And even the Trump administration previously offered assurance that it would tap into a multiyear contingency fund to continue paying SNAP benefits.

The administration&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/usda-wont-shuffle-funds-extend-snap-during-shutdown-about-face-earlier-plan" target="_blank">reversed</a>&nbsp;that position on Friday, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture said it would not release funds in November and warned states they would not be reimbursed for spending their own revenues on the food program.

SNAP has about $6 billion in its contingency fund — short of the roughly $9 billion needed to cover a full month of the program.

It’s unclear what the administration’s position means for states that have already begun setting aside their own dollars.

Following Virginia’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.governor.virginia.gov/media/governorvirginiagov/executive-actions/EO-54.pdf" target="_blank">emergency declaration</a>, the newly created Virginia Emergency Nutrition Assistance program is expected to send money to SNAP beneficiaries starting on Nov. 3.

The governor estimates that about $37.5 million will be allocated per week to Virginia’s roughly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dss.virginia.gov/geninfo/reports/financial_assistance/snap_participation.cgi" target="_blank">850,000</a>&nbsp;SNAP recipients, the Virginia Mercury&nbsp;<a href="https://virginiamercury.com/2025/10/28/virginia-snap-substitute-to-roll-out-weekly-through-november/" target="_blank">reported</a>.

Neither the governor’s office nor the Virginia Department of Social Services responded to Stateline requests for comment.

North Dakota officials said they had enough cash on hand to cover November SNAP benefits, but are unable to load the funds onto people’s electronic payment cards, the North Dakota Monitor&nbsp;<a href="https://northdakotamonitor.com/2025/10/21/north-dakota-snap-funding-in-jeopardy-with-government-shutdown/" target="_blank">reported</a>.

State and federal lawmakers, advocates and attorneys general across the country have pushed the administration to release November SNAP funds.

Last week, the chief executive officer of the National Conference of State Legislatures asked the USDA to issue&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ncsl.org/resources/details/ncsl-urges-usda-to-issue-immediate-guidance-on-snap?utm_source=act-on+software&amp;utm_term=read%20ncsl%27s%20letter%20to%20the%20usda&amp;utm_campaign=ncsl%20letters%20on%20shutdown%20resisting%20preemption%20of%20state%20ai%20laws%20snap%20updates&amp;cm_mmc=act-on%20software-_-email-_-ncsl%20letters%20on%20shutdown%20resisting%20preemption%20of%20state%20ai%20laws%20snap%20updates-_-read%20ncsl%27s%20letter%20to%20the%20usda&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=email" target="_blank">clear guidance</a>&nbsp;on states’ ability to spend and be reimbursed for ongoing administrative costs.

North Carolina Democratic Attorney General Jeff Jackson, one of the officials who sued the Trump administration Tuesday, said 1.4 million people — including nearly 600,000 children — would lose SNAP aid in his state.

“They have emergency money to help feed children during this shutdown, and they’re refusing to spend it.”

In New Hampshire, Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte announced a state&nbsp;<a href="https://newhampshirebulletin.com/2025/10/23/new-hampshire-announces-contingency-plan-for-snap-during-government-shutdown/" target="_blank">“contingency plan”</a>&nbsp;to help SNAP recipients. Pending approval from other state leaders, the plan would divert $2 million to the New Hampshire Food Bank to open up to 20 locations for SNAP recipients twice a week over the next five weeks.

Officials in Ayotte’s office and the state health department did not respond to Stateline requests for comment.

Elsy Cipriani, executive director of the New Hampshire Food Bank, said the organization is still working out details with the state. She said the group would likely ask to see people’s electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards — the debit cards people use to access SNAP benefits at grocery stores — to ensure the state-purchased food goes to SNAP recipients.

“While we don’t intend to replace SNAP benefits — because we can’t; there is no way that we can replace that — we are hoping to provide some relief,” she told Stateline.

In Minnesota, county leaders are working overtime in some areas to respond to questions from SNAP recipients and help find other food assistance.

That additional workload comes without any state or federal reimbursement, said Tina Schenk, the health and human services director in rural Meeker County.

“That’s just to respond to our community, because that’s our job,” she said. “But that’s very different work than we normally do.”

The reserve funds of Meeker County, home to about 23,000 people, aren’t large enough to cover even one month’s worth of SNAP benefits, Schenk said. So county staff are instead working with local nonprofits and reaching out to families who will be hardest hit by an interruption in benefits to connect them with other state grant programs.

The sole local food shelf is increasing its orders with a central food bank, Schenk said — but so is nearly every other operation in the state.

“Are they going to have enough to fulfill these orders? That’s a question that I don’t know the answer to.”

Stateline reporter Kevin Hardy can be reached at&nbsp;<a href="mailto:khardy@stateline.org">khardy@stateline.org</a>.

Local leaders rush to help, but can’t fill massive SNAP void

Northern Missouri
Congressman Sam Graves lays the blame for the extended federal government
shutdown directly on Senate Democrats.

“It’s a dangerous
game that they’re playing,” Graves tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.&nbsp; “They’re playing chicken with people’s benefits,
with people’s paychecks, they’re livelihoods, national security, you name it.
You know, it’s funny, that Sen. Schumer voted 13 times for a clean CR, continuing
resolution, under the Biden administration, now all of the sudden he’s decided
he doesn’t want to.”

Graves, a Republican,
is especially harsh on the top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer of New
York, for refusing to vote for an extension of current spending. Senate
Democrats want Republicans to extend additional Affordable Care Act tax credits
before agreeing to reopen the government. The shutdown soon will enter its
second month.

Graves insists
Democrats need to reopen the government for negotiations on the issue to begin.
And Graves claims Democrats are being disingenuous when they insist ACA tax
credits must be extended first.

“They had every
opportunity when they had the majority and the presidency; they had every
opportunity to make those permanent at the time and they didn’t do it. And now,
all of the sudden, they want to do it,” Graves says. “But the bottom line is we
need to pass a clean CR, get the government open, then we can negotiate these
things.”

Some federal
workers will not get paid; food stamps won’t be extended if the shutdown
continues much longer.

Graves asserts negotiations
over that main sticking point, extension of ACA tax credits, cannot begin until
the government shutdown ends.

“I mean, this is
so easy and it’s so ridiculous,” Graves says. “That’s what we do is negotiate spending
bills. We have to get to the table to be able to do that and the only way to
get to the table to do that is to keep the government open.”

Graves claims Democrats are playing dangerous game during shutdown

December corn closed up 1 1/4 cents and March corn was up 1/4 cents. January soybeans closed up 7 1/2 cents and March soybeans were up 8 cents. December KC wheat closed up 11 1/2 cents, December Chicago wheat was up 9 3/4 cents, December Minneapolis wheat was up 2 1/2 cents.

December corn closed up 8 1/4 cents and March corn was up 7 cents. January soybeans closed up 55 cents and March soybeans were up 50 1/4 cents. December KC wheat closed up 23 cents, December Chicago wheat was up 21 1/2 cents and December Minneapolis wheat was down 4 cents.

Corn, soy, and wheat markets bounced around Friday, trading on both sides of even in what was for the most part a chance for traders to catch their breath following a volatile week leading up to Wednesday evening's meeting between President Trump and President Xi of China. It wasn't surprising on a holiday Friday to see volume way down and a somewhat aimless trade as a result; but eventually prices did catch and hold some steam into the close for a strong finish to the week. It was none other than the soybean meal market that led the turn higher with conviction, offering some late-session strength to the soybean complex, despite earlier lower soy oil futures as traders continue to push the long meal, short oil spread to the lowest spread per pound since mid-June. Meanwhile, outside markets were fairly quiet as well, with the U.S. dollar notably reaching 3-month highs, which may serve as a headwind to export sensitive ag futures if the currency can break above resistance near 100 on the index.

The live cattle complex was traded lower into Friday's closing bell as the market has exhausted the mild support it found midweek. With no positive notes developing from the fed cash cattle market, or sharply higher boxed beef prices, traders are remaining cautious players in the cattle complex as there's been so much volatility over the last two weeks. No more trade has developed in the fed cash cattle market, but traders will need to secure more supply this afternoon to avoid being short bought heading into next week. Northern dressed cattle have traded at mostly $358 to $360, which is $9.00 to $11.00 lower than the previous week's weighted average, and although only a handful of cattle have traded in the South, Southern live cattle have been marked at mostly $235, which is $3.00 to $4.00 lower than the previous week's weighted average.

Following right in line with the live cattle market's trend Friday morning, feeder cattle contracts traded mostly lower into the close. Although feeder cattle aren't trading as sharply lower in the countryside as they were late last week and even earlier this week, the market continues to see cattle trading cheaper as a tremendous amount of confidence has been stripped from the marketplace. Although buyers know that supplies are thin, they were keenly reminded the last two weeks that regardless of whatever the market's fundamentals are volatility will always be a big player in the cattle complex.

After having trailed lower throughout most of the week, the lean hog complex has finally stumbled into some mild technical support as the contracts traded mixed into Friday's close. Yes, pork cutout values were up a tick Friday morning, which traders could be mindful of; but more than anything ahead of today's close traders seemed to be acknowledging the sharp decline the market has made this week and are letting the contracts find a little support ahead of the week's end.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/10/31140031/web-closing-markets-2.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

Commodity markets daily recap

For the eighth time this year, the overall Rural Mainstreet Index sank below a growth-neutral score of 50.0. That’s according to the monthly survey of bank CEOs in rural areas of a ten-state region dependent on agriculture. The October reading was 34.6, its lowest level since May 2020, down from 38.5 in September. “Weak agriculture commodity prices for grain producers continue to dampen economic activity in the region,” said Creighton University’s Ernie Goss. 

While tariffs are producing higher economic volatility, 72 percent of bank CEOs gauge President Trump’s approach to China as “about right.” In other areas, farmland prices sank below growth-neutral for the 17th time in 18 months. Farm loan delinquency rates rose from a very low 1.1 percent in June 2025 to 1.6 percent this month. The farm equipment sales index increased to a weak 18.8 from 15.2 in September, the 26th-straight month below growth neutral.&nbsp;

Rural Mainstreet Index reaches five-year low

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that China has agreed to buy 12 million metric tons of soybeans this year. Bloomberg said that’s brought some relief to American farmers pushing for resumption of trade with China, the world’s biggest soybean importer. Bessent told Fox Business that China will also buy a minimum of 25 million tons annually for the following three years. 

President Donald Trump said China will start buying immediately and will be purchasing “tremendous” amounts of soybeans, but he didn’t provide additional details on the size of purchases. “The 12 million tons wasn’t surprising as China has little need for additional soybeans because of ample shipments from South America,” said Brian Grete of Commstock. “In the longer term, buying 25 million tons a year would basically be getting back to normal.” Chinese commercial purchases would require Beijing to roll back the tariffs imposed on U.S. soybeans earlier this year.

China commits to future soybean buys

December corn closed down 3 3/4 cents and March corn was down 3 cents. January soybeans closed up 13 1/4 cents and March soybeans were up 10 1/2 cents. December KC wheat closed down 9 3/4 cents, December Chicago wheat was down 8 cents, December Minneapolis wheat was down 10 cents.

Well for those expecting volatility in the hours immediately following the long-anticipated meeting between President Trump and President Xi in South Korea late Wednesday, the overnight trade in the soybean market certainly fit that bill. January futures traded down as much as 24 cents as details were slow to emerge before the early morning hours when Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent laid out the plans for soybean exports to China, discussed in detail below. For Thursday, grain markets may have been feeling a bit left out from the spotlight, falling from technical resistance on a lack of upward momentum. Outside markets for Thursday responded mostly positively to the details that have thus far emerged from the Trump/Xi meeting, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average reversing from Wednesday's late-session losses. The U.S. dollar also extended its rally back toward three month highs, which may have played a role in a sharp correction in wheat markets.

The live cattle complex did trade higher for a portion of the session as traders simply remained pleased to have a quiet, uneventful day in the marketplace, but managed to only finished on a mixed basis. After plummeting lower the last week and a half, it's refreshing for the market to have a slightly bullish, no-headline, non-earth-shattering type of day -- just quiet and subtle trading. Bids are on the table in both Nebraska and Kansas, but following the trade earlier this week, no more business has developed. Asking prices are noted in the South at $238 to $240. Earlier this week Northern dressed cattle sold for $360, which is $9.00 lower than the previous week's weighted average.

The feeder cattle complex also traded higher for some of the session, as the market remains relieved to have heard on Wednesday that the U.S/Mexico border isn't likely going to reopen any time soon to Mexican cattle imports. This was the silver lining after a week and a half of downward trading that the market desperately needed to hear to help push prices back higher. Thankfully, the market is now trading above its 100-day moving average in the spot November contract, which is a slow start to some hopeful recovery.

The lean hog complex once again traded lower as no significant fundamental improvements have surfaced. Until consumer support rounds the corner and shows more demand, the market will likely continue to trade in this sideways doggish manner.

<a href="https://www.680kfeq.com/2025/10/30/closing-markets-thursday-october-30-2025/">Click HERE for audio</a>

China’s state-owned agri-food company, called COFCO or China National Cereals, Oils, and Foodstuffs, bought three cargoes of U.S. soybeans this week. Sources say that the country’s first U.S. soybean buy of the season happened shortly before a summit of leaders Donald Trump and Xi&nbsp; Jinping. The deal calls for a December-January shipment of about 180,000 metric tons of soybeans, the first purchase in months. However, traders say they don’t expect a significant resumption in demand for U.S. soybeans after several big purchases of South American soybeans. 

Reports show grain traders have been optimistic that China and the U.S. would eventually reach a deal this week, which pushed soybean prices higher in Chicago. However, they are still cautious about how much China will actually purchase during this season. With weak Chinese soymeal prices, some still question the profitability of soy imports for Chinese crushers, even if tariffs revert to pre-war levels.

China buys the first U.S. soybeans of the season

The National Pork Producers Council has held ongoing discussions with the Trump administration ahead of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans release. The NPPC has formally expressed concerns regarding the Food and Drug Administration’s forthcoming definition of “ultra-processed foods,” which could be damaging for consumers of pork products. The Council made several recommendations to the FDA, including to not classify food as ultra-processed simply because it doesn’t fit into one of the categories in the problematic NOVA classification system. 

Such a sorting focuses on the food processing rather than the nutritional benefits. They’d also like the agency to not classify foods as ultra-processed that contain ingredients to enhance food safety, shelf stability, and nutrient availability. “As there is no consensus on what constitutes an ‘ultra-processed food,’ the FDA should elevate the importance of nutritional composition, while also protecting the processing and ingredients promoting food safety and nutrient availability,” the NPPC said. 

NPPC proposes strategy to define “ultra-processed foods”

By:<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/author/cami-koons/">Cami Koons</a>

U.S. soybean farmers and lawmakers said the Chinese purchase of several shiploads of U.S. soybeans indicated a positive step in trade negotiations between the two counties.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-buys-three-us-soybean-cargoes-ahead-trump-xi-meeting-sources-say-2025-10-29/" target="_blank">Reuters</a>&nbsp;reported Wednesday that COFCO, a Chinese state-owned food processing company, purchased about 180,000 metric tons of soybeans from the U.S.&nbsp;

The reported purchase, which Reuters attributed to “two trade sources” is the first purchase China has made since harvest season began on the latest U.S. soybean crop.

The country has also bought soybeans from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-expands-argentina-soybean-buying-20-cargoes-traders-say-2025-09-24/" target="_blank">Argentina</a>&nbsp;and continues to purchase from&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/brazil-soybeans-china-exports-40a785024e483ea9cd555fb3c7323e14" target="_blank">Brazil</a>, leaving soybean farmers and farm industry groups&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2025/10/02/iowa-soybean-president-urges-trade-deal-with-china-calls-trump-policies-a-bitter-pill-for-farmers/" target="_blank">concerned</a>&nbsp;they have lost a key international market.&nbsp;

The purchase comes toward the end of harvest season for many farmers, and also a day before President Donald Trump is slated to work out a trade deal with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The trade deal is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-china-trade-deal-asia-tour-continues-japan-sanae-takaichi/" target="_blank">expected</a>&nbsp;to include agreements on soybeans and other agricultural exports.&nbsp;

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins posted on&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/SecRollins/status/1983511209333690631" target="_blank">social media</a>&nbsp;Wednesday about the purchase and said it showed “strong dealmaking” on the part of the president and “a positive step forward for our farmers.”&nbsp;

“This purchase, coming directly ahead of the Trump-Xi talks, shows that America means business and that we will restore balance, give U.S. producers the opportunities they’ve earned, and send a message that when America leads in agriculture, the world listens,” Rollins wrote.&nbsp;

Rollins also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/shows/kudlow#" target="_blank">mentioned</a>&nbsp;the purchase while speaking on a Fox Business segment Wednesday.

The estimated 180,000-metric-ton purchase is a small percentage of the nearly 27 million metric tons of soybeans the U.S. exported to China in 2024, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fas.usda.gov/regions/china" target="_blank">data</a>.&nbsp;

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley has also&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/briefs/grassley-hopes-for-a-solution-for-farmers-following-loss-of-chinese-market/" target="_blank">called for</a>&nbsp;a trade deal with China that will benefit farmers. Grassley said in a statement Wednesday he hopes for a “successful” meeting between Trump and Xi.

“China thinks it can move the needle at the last minute, but these small purchases are not nearly enough to address the serious threats facing the ag economy,” Grassley said. “While this may be a positive sign, it’s critical that the Chinese market more fully reopens to American soybean growers soon.”

Congressional delegates from Iowa and Wisconsin urged, in a letter this week, the president to&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2025/10/27/iowa-delegates-urge-administration-to-prioritize-trade-deal-for-soybean-farmers/" target="_blank">prioritize a soybean deal</a>&nbsp;in his talks with the Chinese leader.&nbsp;

U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa, who led the letter, said Wednesday the purchase from China was a “an important first step and a clear signal of momentum” for Trump’s negotiations.&nbsp;

“I’ve led the charge for our farmers and rural communities: end China’s trade war, restore market access, and expand ag exports,” Nunn said in a statement. “President Trump has proven time and again he has the tools to deliver. I look forward to reviewing the deal.”

U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, a Republican from Kansas, wrote on social media that the purchase was a “<a href="https://x.com/rogermarshallmd/status/1983530082800148666?s=12" target="_blank">big win</a>” for farmers.&nbsp;

Nebraska Republican U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer also&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/senatorfischer/status/1983545407389966844?s=46&amp;t=59TO4z1VG6CVW59Gr61ouQ" target="_blank">posted</a>&nbsp;on social media and said the deal showed “agricultural trade could ease tensions between Washington and Beijing, while also leveling the playing field and directly assisting hardworking American ag producers.”

The American Soybean Association did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.&nbsp;

<a href="https://x.com/ohiosoybean/status/1983549232272306640?s=12" target="_blank">Ohio Soybean Association</a>&nbsp;President Rusty Goebel said on the social media platform X that farmers were “encouraged” by the “positive trade news” and said the association looks forward to additional deals and purchases.&nbsp;

A representative from the Iowa Soybean Association declined to comment and said news of the purchase had not been “adequately substantiated.”&nbsp;

COFCO, the Chinese company that reportedly purchased the soybeans, did not respond to a request for comment or confirmation.

This story was originally produced by&nbsp;<a href="https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2025/10/29/reports-china-buys-several-shiploads-of-u-s-soybeans-ahead-of-trump-trade-meeting/" target="_blank">Iowa Capital Dispatch</a>, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Nebraska Examiner, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

Reports: China buys several shiploads of U.S. soybeans ahead of Trump trade meeting

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

Row-crop markets held near even for most of the session on Wednesday but still among the highest prices observed in months as traders remain optimistic on commodity demand but at this point are willing to wait for the long anticipated meeting on Thursday between President Trump and President Xi of China before deciding their next round of trades. In outside markets, the Federal Reserve voted Wednesday to cut interest rates by a quarter point in what was an expected move, with further cuts expected in December and again in January. Equity markets extended gains into what have become daily records over the past week on the interest rate news as well as the wide sense of trade optimism across markets.

The live cattle complex&nbsp;was finally trading higher as the market has received confirmation that, although Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins spoke with officials in Mexico last Friday, there is no date currently on the table to reopen the border, as New World screwworm remains a concern. This was the bullish news that the market needed to hear to trade higher following last week's catastrophic decline. This positive news helped the spot December live cattle contract turn higher, and thankfully, now the contract is trading back above the market's 100-day moving average. No new trade has developed in the fed cash cattle market, following the light business that developed Monday afternoon. So far this week, there's been some cattle traded in the North at $360, which is $9.00 lower than the previous week's weighted average. There is a chance that if the board continues to trade higher than the fed cash cattle market may see prices better than what was traded on Monday. Asking prices range anywhere from $234 to $240 in the South and are still not established in the North.

The feeder cattle complex saw the headline it needed to see to begin to put fear behind it and again trade higher. Upon receiving confirmation that the US intends to keep its border closed and does not have a date pinned down for when it intends to see the border reopened to allow Mexican cattle to be imported into the U.S., the feeder cattle complex can now again breathe easy.

Pork cutout values may be a tick higher, but the lean hog complex couldn't seem to muster up enough support to really move the contracts higher. The cash market will likely continue to trade lower as packers were extremely aggressive in Tuesday's market and won't likely need many more hogs ahead of the week's end.