The Kansas City Chiefs held their longest training camp practice today at Missouri Western State University in temperatures that felt upwards of 110 degrees with the heat index.  

Transitioning to a new position in camp is offensive lineman Kingsley  Suamataia, moving from left tackle to a position he's played just once left guard.  

Head Coach Andy Reid says now that players have had pads on for a few days now, he's seen good things from Suamataia 

“He’s done a nice job. He really battled in there, (he) looks solid. (I) really like what we see,” Reid tells reporters following practice 

Suamataia says while the move is going well, it's still a learning process, with things moving much faster at the guard position 

"It’s all just taking my mind from out here to in here and working it from in there and getting the work from Trey (Smith) and the inside guys,” Suamataia says.  “So, it’s been good.” 

Things did get chippy today in the heat with rookies Josh Simmons and Ashton Gillotte going at each other.     

With a packed running back room, Kansas City Chiefs seventh round pick Brashard Smith is trying to find whatever way he can to make the team and make an impact 

Smith spent his career at SMU as a pass catching back, which he could do with the Chiefs, but he has to work his way past Elijah Mitchell and Kareem Hunt first. Special Teams Coordinator Dave Toub also likes Smith's potential as a punt and kick returner.  

For Smith, who didn't spend much time on special teams in college, he says he likes the possibility of being a returner.  

"I love the ball in my hands, and I feel like I can make explosive plays,” Smith says.  “So, I’d love to play punt return, kick return, it doesn’t matter just to help the team win I’ll do whatever for sure.” 

Practice at Chiefs Training Camp went just about two hours today.  The Chiefs will have one more practice tomorrow at 9:15 before an off day on Thursday. 

The heat at camp brought a slew of injuries with some leaving practice. Reid reported that linebacker Jeffrey Bassa was out with an ankle sprain. Tight end Jake Briningstool was out with a hamstring injury as was safety Deon Bush. Cornerback Kristian Fulton remains on the PUP list with a knee injury, and cornerback Darius Rush was out with a hamstring injury, 

Cornerback Eric Scott also had a hamstring injury. Wide receiver Xavier Worthy had a rough fall during practice and left for the medical tent, but did return to practice, however fellow wide receivers Hollywood Brown and Skyy Moore left practice in a cart, Moore with a hamstring injury and Brown with an ankle injury. Linebacker Cooper McDonald was out of practice with an illness. 

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

Suamataia settling into new position as Chiefs tackle practice on hot day

September corn closed down 4 1/2 cents and December corn was down 3 cents. August soybeans closed down 7 cents and November soybeans were down 2 cents. September KC wheat closed down 7 1/2 cents, September Chicago wheat was down 8 3/4 cents, September Minneapolis wheat was down 4 cents.

Prices slipped further Tuesday into 2025 lows and in some instances contract lows as another round of mixed crop ratings from USDA on Monday gave bearish traders little incentive to change their current market bias. Market news for Tuesday was slim, but it was reported in the early afternoon that U.S. and Chinese officials had agreed in principle to extend the trade truce which had been set to expire on Aug. 12, with later reports indicating that President Trump would give final approval on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Commerce Secretary Lutnick said Tuesday that Friday's tariff deadline for other countries is a firm cutoff before reciprocal tariffs go back into place. Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar has surged through the first two days of the week to its highest level in over a month on the weekend trade deal with the European Union. Lastly, investors and traders alike will tune in Wednesday for the conclusion of the July FOMC meeting in which the Fed is widely expected to hold interest rates despite growing tension between the Trump Administration and Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

Although traders were cautious at the day's initial start, the live cattle complex got back to trading higher after shaking the morning's initial jitters. Today's slight uptick, although it still is less than a dollar's advancement, is enough of a push to lead many of the nearby contracts to new contract highs yet again. No business has developed yet in the fed cash cattle market, and it isn't expected to any time soon, as feedlot managers and packers are likely to go round again this week as both parties want starkly different outcomes for the market. Asking prices are noted in the South at $235 plus, but are still not established yet in the North.

Per the norm here lately, the feeder cattle complex was again rocking and rolling into the day's closing bell as the sky truly remains the limit for the feeder cattle complex right now. Like the live cattle complex, today's advance scores new all-time highs in most of the nearby contracts once again. And regarding demand in the countryside, buyers remain so active in the market that Monday's CME feeder cattle index closed at $329.93.

With cash prices and pork cutouts values lower, it doesn't surprise many that the lean hog complex traded lower. The weakness in the market's fundamentals, mixed with the continued pressure being seen in the futures complex, has gravely affected the complex today as the contracts were all trading $1.00 to $2.00 lower.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/07/29154319/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

Commodity markets daily recap

The July Cattle on Feed Report offered little relief to customers paying higher prices for beef. That’s despite the cycle of herd liquidation that seems to be slowly ending. There were 94.2 million cattle and calves in the U.S. as of July 1, the lowest mid-year number of cattle since 1973. The USDA also said the number of animals placed in feedlots for weight gain before being sent to packers plunged to its lowest level since 2017. 

Reports show a severe shortage in the world’s largest beef-producing country has sent cattle costs soaring, wiping out billions in profits for packers and driving record-high beef prices in U.S. grocery stores. Dr. Derrell Peel at Oklahoma State University says the latest USDA numbers offer little indication of herd rebuilding or, at least, it’s not very aggressive so far. “The number of heifers in feedlots remained mostly stable.” 

Smallest U.S. cattle herd since 1973

Numerous stakeholders, like farmers, Extension Services, researchers, and policymakers, all rely on the data that USDA has collected for more than 150 years. The data is collected through agencies and programs like the National Agricultural Statistics Service and the Economic Research Service. Decreasing responses to USDA’s farmer surveys are beginning to put the integrity of the data at risk. One of the biggest challenges to getting a good survey response is timing. Unfortunately, many survey collection periods overlap with farmers’ busiest times.

For example, leading up to the June 30 Planted Acreage Report, NASS contacted almost 92,000 farmers during a time that overlaps with the end of planting and spraying seasons for many row crop farmers. A Farm Bureau Market Intel page says USDA should look to examine ways to increase participation and reliability without imposing more burdens on the already too busy growers whom the data is designed to serve. 

Falling farmer responses to surveys are a growing problem

September corn closed down 5 3/4 cents and December corn was down 5 cents. August soybeans closed down 10 cents and November soybeans were down 9 1/2 cents. September KC wheat closed down 1/2 cents, September Chicago wheat was up 1/4 cents, September Minneapolis wheat was down 3 1/4 cents.

Row-crop markets kept with the common theme for Monday sessions through the growing season thus far with another sharp move lower as traders expect another solid round of crop ratings from USDA later Monday afternoon and are seeing no reason currently to not expect record-setting yields this fall given the weather through the growing season thus far. Outside markets were mostly of positive influence for Monday, although weather-focused ag traders appeared to pay little mind. Equities were higher on the trade deal announcement over the weekend between the U.S. and European Union. Meanwhile, energy markets were mostly higher after President Trump announced he would tighten the window for a ceasefire in the Russia/Ukraine war before Russia would face possible heightened sanctions from the U.S.

Following the slew of positive developments late last week, the live cattle complex hasn't shied away from trading higher as the market has seen a plethora of fundamental support gush into the marketplace. Whether that be last week's bullish Cattle on Feed report, or the noting on the mid-year Cattle Inventory report that no signs of herd build back have started yet, or the steady to $2.00 higher in the fed cash cattle market, or the unseasonal uptick in boxed beef prices. There are almost too many bullish factors currently playing in the marketplace to keep trade off.

After fully evaluating the market's triumphant success last week, it's almost as if traders noted the positive developments and merely said, "say less," as they shot the feeder cattle contracts higher. Once again today, the market's higher push in the futures complex scored another new contract high for many of the nearby contracts.

Following last week's choppy trade, the lean hog complex again skittered sideways into Monday's closing bell. It will be imperative that demand remains strong this week if traders are going to be successfully able to advance the contracts. Packers could be slightly less aggressive in this week's cash market as they bought a sizeable volume last week.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/07/28145010/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

USDA’s latest grain export sales report, covering the week through July 17, held mixed but mostly solid results for traders to digest. Corn volume led the way once more, staying on the higher end of analyst estimates. Wheat sales improved 50% from the prior four-week average, besting all trade guesses in the process and hitting a “marathon-esque” number. 

Soybean sales struggled, in contrast, after old-crop sales slumped 41% lower week-over-week. Corn exports found 54 million bushels in combined old and new crop sales last week. Old crop sales eased 2% lower week-over-week, while total sales were on the higher end of analyst estimates, which ranged between 19 million and 63 million bushels. Cumulative sales for the 2024-25 marketing year remain noticeably above last year’s pace after reaching 2.37 billion bushels.

Corn sales strong last week, soybean sales struggled

Critics are decrying the reorganization plan for USDA announced last week by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.  In a written statement, Amy Klobuchar, the Democratic ranking member of the Senate Ag Committee, condemned the plan as a “half-baked proposal” and called for USDA officials to appear before Congress. “A reorganization of this scale will impact USDA’s ability to provide critical services to Americans and undermine the agency’s trusted expertise that farmers and families count on … we must have an immediate hearing before more damage is done.”

Rebecca Wolf, senior policy analyst at Food &amp; Water Watch Senior Food, a non-profit research and advocacy group, said, “(The) move further guts the government’s ability to protect public health, the environment and food safety. The real-world consequences will be severe, directly affecting people’s lives.” The reorganization is at least partly a cost-cutting measure, according to Rollins, and the relocated staff could see significant salary reductions due to lower rates paid outside the capital due to differences in the cost of living.

USDA to cut salaries and relocate staff

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

September corn closed down 9 cents and December corn was down 8 3/4 cents. August soybeans closed down 29 cents and November soybeans were down 14 3/4 cents. September KC wheat closed down 2 1/2 cents, September Chicago wheat was down 8 cents and September Minneapolis wheat was down 10 3/4 cents.

Friday's session marked a quiet close to an overall dull week of trade which saw most crop prices drift lower, giving back roughly half of last week's gains in the process as traders clearly are seeing little urgency at this point to commit to sustained buying. Traders currently are betting friendly growing weather forecast through the first week of August means big U.S. yields and ample supplies of commodities by fall 2025. In outside markets, investors have remained confident through the week's trade deal announcements as well as President Trump saying during his visit to the Federal Reserve on Thursday that there are no current plans to attempt to remove Fed Chair Powell from his position. The U.S. dollar is working toward a second session higher while the S&amp;P500 is pressing further into record highs.

The live cattle complex traded slightly higher into Friday's close as traders were optimistic about what this week's fed cash cattle market was going to do. Also lending positive support to the live cattle complex was the fact that the afternoon's Cattle on Feed report is expected to showcase fewer placements and lighter on-feed totals, and don't forget that the semi annual Cattle Inventory report was also going to be released later this afternoon as well. A few bids are currently on the table at $230 in Kansas, $238 live in the North and $376 dressed. Packers are undoubtedly going to need to get more aggressive before the week's end, as they can't afford to go short-bought into next week's trade.

The feeder cattle complex also used the day to trade higher as its contracts were conformably trading well over $1.00 stronger in most of the nearby months. With the continued support of red-hot feeder cattle demand in the countryside, traders have all the support they could ever wish for.

The lean hog complex again traded lower as the market seems skeptical to advance much higher as traders are facing some resistance pressure. Pork demand and cash prices have been supportive this past week, but with traders unwilling to challenge the futures complex's resistance, lower is the only direction for the market to trade.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/07/25144616/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a new reorganization plan for the USDA. The plan refocuses its core operations to better align with its founding mission of supporting U.S. farming, ranching, and forestry. The reorganization plan consists of four parts: ensuring the size of USDA’s workforce aligns with available financial resources and agricultural priorities; bringing USDA closer to its customers; eliminating management layers and bureaucracy; and consolidating redundant support functions. 

To bring USDA closer to the people it serves while providing a more affordable cost of living for employees, USDA has developed a phased in plan to relocate much of its agency headquarters and staff out of the Washington, D.C. area to five hub locations. USDA’s five hub locations are Raleigh, Kansas City, Indianapolis,  Fort Collins, and Salt Lake City. 

Rollins announces USDA reorganization

In the latest trade developments, China has reportedly ended the tariff exclusion on American agricultural products. Fresh Fruit Portal says China’s government hasn’t issued an official statement yet. Importers in China have reported to the Foreign Agricultural Service that applications for market-based tariff exclusions will no longer be accepted beginning on August 1. Some of the products include grains, alcohol, leather, and fruits. 

Importers also said the previously approved exclusions will only be valid until September 14. The affected products were previously eligible for tariff exclusions under a process established in March 2020 by the State Council Tariff Commission of China. The process allowed importers to apply for waivers from the retaliatory Section 301 tariffs on certain U.S. products. Although the process did allow some items outside the predefined list, it covered a total of 696 tariff lines, of which approximately 150 lines apply to U.S. agricultural products.  

China suspends tariff exclusion for U.S. ag products

September corn closed up 3 1/4 cents and December corn was up 3 1/4 cents. August soybeans closed down 1 1/2 cents and November soybeans were up 1 1/2 cents. September KC wheat closed up 5 cents, September Chicago wheat was up 1 cent, September Minneapolis wheat was down 2 1/2 cents.

Row crops traded with little conviction and low volumes behind the markets for Thursday. Export data for last week offered few new insights, although a USDA reporting error which mistakenly gave China credit for a 2025-26 corn purchase briefly caused a stir before correction within the hour. Overall, weather remains the feature of the trade, with few changes on that front with the vast majority of the U.S. grain belt still expecting good precipitation coverage over the next 15 days, and the above-average temperatures expected to ease beginning next week as well. Outside markets were mixed for Thursday with equities mixed, supported by recent trade optimism but left with an uneasy feeling on reports that President Trump plans to visit the Federal Reserve. Energy markets were mixed with NYMEX crude oil attempting a recovery from an 8-day losing streak.

The live cattle complex rounded out the day lower as traders merely sat on their hands, waiting for time to pass by and hoping that they'd see some support from the market's fed cash cattle trade. August live cattle closed $1.22 lower at $225.80, October live cattle closed $1.35 lower at $222.15 and December live cattle closed $1.25 lower at $222.65. Bids were offered in both regions throughout the day, but as feedlot managers waited for packers to up their bids, time slipped by, and very few cattle traded throughout the day. There was just a handful of cattle traded in the South at $231, which is $1.00 higher than last week's weighted average.

The feeder cattle complex also closed lower as traders were sheepish to push the market any higher following the big gains seen earlier in the week. But today's move wasn't a choice made because of poor demand in the countryside, but rather because of skepticism from the futures complex as traders worry about over-extending the market. August feeders closed $2.62 lower at $328.90, September feeders closed $2.25 lower at $329.65 and October feeders closed $2.30 lower at $328.35.

The lean hog complex chopped merely sideways throughout the day as traders want to advance the contracts but didn't quite see enough fundamental support to justify doing so. August lean hogs closed $0.27 lower at $108.20, October lean hogs closed $0.20 higher at $91.10 and December lean hogs closed $0.35 higher at $82.92. It was impressive that pork cutout values closed higher at all, with the rib alone being down over $6.00.

<a href="https://dehayf5mhw1h7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/356/2025/07/24163911/web-closing-markets.mp3">Click HERE for audio</a>

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

Just after 8:30p.m. July 27, a Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a traffic stop on a Cadillac sedan on U.S. Highway 75 near 126th Road, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.

 Jennifer Ann Bailey-Johnson, 41, of Atchison, was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail on requested charges of possession methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia and felony interference with law enforcement.

Kan. woman accused of interference with deputy during arrest

St. Joseph has received permission to expand its landfill.

The City of St. Joseph has announced the opening of Cell 8, a
welcomed expansion that will relieve pressure on a landfill that needed special
permission to pack in more trash than normally allowed.

City officials saw the new landfill cell opened after an accelerated
construction period. The first loads of trash were dumped into Cell 8 this
(TUE) morning. The use comes after the Missouri Department of Natural Resources
gave official permission for the city to begin using the new cell. DNR had
previously given permission for the city to pack in more trash in Cell 7 than
normally permitted.

The St. Joseph Landfill has seen a big increase in its use.
The city reports the amount of trash it has received has more than doubled
since 2015 with 105,000 tons dumped at the landfill to 214,00 in 2024.

Work on Cell 8 began three years ago. The city contracted with
MCON to accelerate its preparation.

Preparation of Cell 9 is underway. Cell 8 is expected to have
a lifespan of three to five years.

You can follow&nbsp;Brent on X @GBrentKFEQ

St. Joseph opens new cell in city landfill

Missouri has a long history of struggling to process MO HealthNet applications in a timely manner. As states prepare for new federal work requirements for Medicaid and SNAP, advocates worry about what the workload will mean for people receiving benefits in Missouri

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/megcunningham/">Meg Cunningham</a>&nbsp;

Kevin Wehner has been there for Missourians as they have dealt with unanswered questions, long wait times and the confusion as they enrolled for government insurance.

He was there as the Affordable Care Act marketplace came online, and as Missouri slowly expanded its Medicaid program, known as MO HealthNet.

He’s witnessed Missouri struggling for years to process benefits applications in a timely manner.

Now,&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/07/11/medicaid-mo-healthnet-kancare-changes-2025/" target="_blank">under President Donald Trump’s new budget plan</a>, Americans aged 19 to 64 who are enrolled in Medicaid will be required to show proof of 80 hours of work, school, caregiving or volunteering a month to be eligible for coverage.

Wehner worries about what new Medicaid work requirements might mean for the people he assists on a day-to-day basis.

“It’s going to directly affect the Medicaid expansion (group),” said Wehner, a benefits enrollment counselor at Missouri Connections for Health in Columbia. “I think tangentially, it will affect the other populations, just because of the amount of resources that will be needed to see if these people are putting in 80 hours.”

For years, Missouri has struggled to process social services applications in a timely manner, drawing the ire of advocates and the courts. Federal regulations require states to process Medicaid applications based on income in 45 days, but Missouri has&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/2024/03/22/missouri-medicaid-application-delays-exceed-federal-limits-for-third-straight-month/">repeatedly violated the time frame requirements</a>.

Wehner anticipates more confusion with the new rules, which are slated to begin in December 2026, after the midterm elections.

<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/politifact-healthcheck-fact-check-scott-jennings-medicaid-work-requirements/" target="_blank">Research</a>&nbsp;in states that have put work requirements in place confirms that suspicion. Enrollees found it difficult to fulfill the requirements and submit the proper documentation, leading to people losing coverage.

“I imagine I’m going to get a lot of people asking for help,” Wehner said. “You get your yellow letter in the mail. It’s several pages. Even when I’m working with people, I get a highlighter and I go through and find, ‘OK, here’s what we need to do.’ It’s not really obvious what you need to do.”

New estimates from KFF found that the Trump administration’s budget package would reduce federal Medicaid spending by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/allocating-cbos-estimates-of-federal-medicaid-spending-reductions-across-the-states-enacted-reconciliation-package/" target="_blank">$911 billion over the next 10 years</a>&nbsp;and increase the number of uninsured Americans by 10 million. The largest portion of savings would come from work requirements on the Affordable Care Act expansion group – totaling about $326 billion saved over the next decade.

In Missouri, that would amount to an estimated 130,000 people losing access to Medicaid as their form of health insurance.

How the state may shift to handle increased eligibility checks&nbsp;

For years, Missouri has looked to update its technology to better handle the administrative burden as advocates demanded solutions to the delays across Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) applications.

“It really is going to be a new system to implement,” said Lucas Caldwell-McMillan, the chief of policy at Empower Missouri, an anti-poverty advocacy group. “Right now we’ve got a pretty outdated system that is struggling. I think the frontline agency staff are working their hardest to implement it now, but they’re falling short.”

Under the new framework for Medicaid, states will need to process proof of the 80 hours of work, school, caregiving or volunteering, and will need to check eligibility for enrollment twice a year, rather than the current standard of once annually.

“These are six-month eligibility checks, so essentially doubling the work there,” said Caldwell-McMillan. “Both on the participant, but also the agency. And instituting these work requirements in Medicaid will require a whole new system to verify information that’s never been verified by the Medicaid agency before.”

According to Timothy McBride, a health economist and professor at the Washington University School of Public Health, states and enrollees have struggled to keep track of the documentation required to track whether people are working.

“The recipient has to actually interact with the program and make sure they get the paperwork filled out and submitted and it doesn’t get lost,” McBride said. “And that’s where it has broken down in states like Missouri, and where this has caused problems in our past.”

The increased burden for the state could come at a high cost, with not much savings. Research shows that both in Missouri and at the national level,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/5-key-facts-about-medicaid-work-requirements/" target="_blank">about 90% of adults</a>&nbsp;on Medicaid already have a job or would be considered exempt from work requirements.

States like Arkansas and Georgia have looked to put work requirements in place for years, but both have struggled.

Arkansas briefly put 20-hour per week work requirements in place from 2018 to 2019 for childless adults aged 30 to 49. After a federal court blocked the requirements, Arkansas stopped the program.

But in the brief time those requirements were in place, about 18,000 enrollees in the state lost their coverage. The state spent more than $26 million in administrative costs on eligibility checks and to put the program in place.

<a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7497731/" target="_blank">A study</a>&nbsp;found that half of those in Arkansas who had lost Medicaid as part of the requirements reported serious problems paying off medical debt, while 56% delayed some form of medical care due to the cost and 64% delayed medication due to the cost.

The study also found that the work requirements did little to increase the number of enrollees who were employed. More than 95% of those in the work requirement group were either already working or qualified for an exemption. There did not appear to be any significant upticks in employment as a result of the requirements.

<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/understanding-the-intersection-of-medicaid-and-work-an-update/" target="_blank">In 2023,</a>&nbsp;44% of the adults 19-64 enrolled in Medicaid were working full time, while 20% were working part time. Another 12% didn’t work due to caregiving, while 10% didn’t work due to illness and 7% didn’t work because they were enrolled in school, leaving only 8% not working due to another reason.

In an interview with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stlpr.org/government-politics-issues/2025-07-24/missouri-medicaid-director-todd-richardson-requirements-seamless-enrollees" target="_blank">St. Louis Public Radio</a>, Todd Richardson, the director of Missouri’s Medicaid program, said the state would look into using an online portal to streamline the process for enrollees.

“Our goal is to make sure that people who are eligible and entitled to be on the program have the easiest path to get access to those benefits, while at the same time ensuring that those who are not eligible for the program are not on the program,” he told the outlet.

“If they’re working and we can verify that they’re working through income data, then that’s a verification right there,” Richardson added. “Now, there are other exceptions to the work requirements that probably will require a participant to send some documentation or to involve a human. But I think there’s a lot of that income verification that can be done electronically.”

Reduction of federal support for the program and the ways that states can fund Medicaid will leave Missouri lawmakers with a&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/07/14/missouri-governor-budget-cuts-kansas-city/" target="_blank">tricky budget situation</a>&nbsp;in the years to come. Because the state’s expansion came through a voter-approved constitutional amendment, lawmakers won’t be able to easily undo the expansion, and the state is on the hook to pay for the full cost of the program.

States may turn to other programs to find ways to recoup the costs.

Missouri offers benefits through Medicaid beyond what is required by the federal government. Things like dental coverage, some mental health coverage, long-term care or Missouri’s recent expansion of Medicaid for postpartum women could be targets for cuts.

“I imagine they’re pretty nervous about this,” McBride said. “Frankly, those of us who just want the state to function are nervous for them because we want them to be able to do this. It’s really potentially catastrophic for the state.”

Otherwise, McBride said, programs like education, roads or prison funding would be likely places for the state to turn.

“The other options are to cut spending elsewhere,” McBride said. “They would cut Medicaid in places where they can cut Medicaid, and I’m pretty sure the state would have to cut from all of the above.”

How could work requirements look in rural Missouri?&nbsp;

New work requirements pose hurdles in rural parts of the state that urban areas may not face. Completing the necessary paperwork with unreliable internet or technology access could add another layer of difficulty.

Things like access to transportation, or a job with enough hours, could set Missourians back from obtaining coverage, said Caldwell-McMillan.

“It’s finding a job, and finding a job that is going to give you enough hours all of the time when they’re checking eligibility requirements,” Caldwell-McMillan said. “Retail workers, cashiers, cooks, those shifts can change. All of those folks are very much at risk — although they’re working — of not exactly meeting the hourly requirements and at risk of losing coverage.”

Navigators like Wehner will have to consider ways to help people report their work or caregiving when they may not have much access to technology.

“A lot of people I work with live out in rural areas. They may not even have a smartphone and definitely not internet access,” Wehner said. “So just to report things online is going to be really burdensome.”

Other trickle-down impacts could also hit rural Missouri the hardest. Rural hospitals, for example, rely heavily on Medicaid reimbursements to keep their doors open. Most&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kff.org/medicaid/issue-brief/a-closer-look-at-the-50-billion-rural-health-fund-in-the-new-reconciliation-law/?utm_campaign=KFF-Medicaid&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz--27paKCYlJEiAcVd9I52rdx8tOb2rJWYbIOiclkFMsYdG1ueFy_iwhfaouA4C0I6eBdmMHi8wZMbuk7OzDbAW3JSj6bg&amp;_hsmi=371627437&amp;utm_content=371627437&amp;utm_source=hs_email" target="_blank">recent data</a>&nbsp;show 44% of rural hospitals have negative margins.

The budget package includes $50 billion for a rural hospital fund, which is equal to about one-third of the estimated loss of federal Medicaid funding in rural communities. The budget provides $10 billion a year for five years for the fund, but health economists and Medicaid experts say the federal spending will be finished before many of the losses to Medicaid funding are fully realized.

Coupled with cuts to SNAP, the potential loss of a hospital in a rural area could be damaging to local economies, Caldwell-McMillan said.

“Many of those counties are the folks who are facing perhaps a closure of a clinic or the closure of the closest hospital because of cuts to Medicaid,” Caldwell-McMillan said. “So it really is a perfect storm of folks — working families — who need the support, and then two big sources of support are going to be taken away.”

“There’s going to be really tough choices and really tough consequences.”

This&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/stories/2025/07/25/missouri-work-requirements-medicaid-mo-healthnet/" target="_blank">article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a href="https://thebeaconnews.org/" target="_blank">Beacon: Missouri</a>&nbsp;and is republished here under a&nbsp;<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/" target="_blank">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.

Looming Medicaid work requirements could worsen Missouri backlogs in social services

KFEQ Morning Sports

KFEQ Morning News

Former St. Joseph
School Board member, Kenneth Reeder, has pleaded guilty to a peace disturbance
charge, agreeing to pay a fine and court costs.

Reeder was charged
after an early morning traffic stop nearly a year ago near McArthur Drive and
West Highland Avenue for allegedly driving drunk and having a weapon.

Reeder has been
fined 250 dollars, plus court costs.

Reeder pleads guilty; fined for August 2024 traffic stop

A spokesman for
the St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau says Chiefs Training Camp is a
tourism bonus during the busy summer vacation months.

Christian Mengel
says many Kansas City Chiefs fans venture to the Pony Express Museum, Patee
House, and the Jesse James home after attending training camp on the Missouri
Western campus.

“And those sites
have a noticeable increase in Chiefs jerseys and what we’d like to do is to see
that spread out a little bit more to the things that maybe they don’t yet know,”
Mengel tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.

One of those venues
is Inspire U Children’s Museum in downtown St. Joseph that opened this year.

Mengel says the
visitors bureau also touts attractions such as Robidoux Row, built upon land owned
by St. Joseph founder, Joseph Robidoux, and touted as the oldest apartment
house west of the Mississippi River.

“The goal is to
get them to stay here longer.”

Mengal
acknowledges restaurants likely benefit the most from Chiefs Training Camp.

“Because if they
can get a crowd of Chiefs fans in, I mean that can change the feeling of their
whole summer, honestly, if they get packed out during this time,” Mengal says.

Convenience stores
and gas stations also benefit from the travelers who come to St. Joseph for Chiefs
Training Camp.

Mengal says for
the visitors bureau, the training camp on the Missouri Western State University
campus adds a big bonus for an already busy tourism season in St. Joseph.

“It’s hard to
really put into words what training camp has meant for this community over the
years,” Mengal says.

The Chiefs moved
training camp from River Falls, Wisconsin to St. Jospeh in 2010. The team has sequestered
in St. Joseph every year since with the exception of the COVID year; 15 out of
the past 16 years. It was incredible timing for the city.

“And even though
they’ve had training camps in other destinations in years past, the 15 years that
we’ve had them have been the most important 15 years and the most successful 15
years in franchise history,” according to Mengal.

Mengal doesn’t see
that changing anytime soon.

“With people like Andy
Reid, Patrick Mahomes we know every single year we have a chance for the Super
Bowl,” Mengal says. “A Super Bowl run starts every single year right here in
our community.”

Mengal says St.
Joseph residents don’t take that run lightly.

“We get it right
in our backyard,” Mengal says. “So, definitely don’t take it for granted as a
resident that we get the most entertaining team in the United States right here
in our community.”

Chiefs Training Camp:  a bonus during a busy tourism season

By:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/sauravrahman/">Saurav Rahman</a>

By limiting large-scale water exports from the state, experts and farmers said Missouri has taken forward-thinking measures to protect one of its most vital resources. According to them, it will benefit agriculture, industry and municipal services in the coming years.

Governor Mike Kehoe&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.mo.gov/25info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&amp;BillID=193" target="_blank">signed new legislation into law</a>&nbsp;on July 14 that limits large-scale water exports from Missouri. The law, which takes effect Aug. 28, requires a permit for water exports and restricts withdrawals for export to within 30 miles of the state border. It also mandates annual reporting of water usage to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

David Borrok, dean of the College of Engineering and Computing at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, said that a number of other states in the U.S have been taking similar measures as demand for water grows.

“Missouri is a water-rich state, and I’d say, arguably, water is our most valuable resource as a state,” Borrok said. “It’s the engine that sort of underpins all economic development and things in the state.”

Missouri is home to more than&nbsp;<a href="https://dnr.mo.gov/water/hows-water/state/interstate#:~:text=The%20Missouri%20River%20is%20a,transecting%20several%20major%20metropolitan%20areas." target="_blank">110,000 miles of rivers and streams</a>. Each year, rainfall creates more than&nbsp;<a href="https://dnr.mo.gov/document-search/missouri-water-resources-plan-update-2020-executive-summary" target="_blank">15 trillion gallons of runoff</a>&nbsp;that flows into these rivers, lakes and streams. About 38 trillion gallons come into the state through the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. It is&nbsp;<a href="https://dnr.mo.gov/water/hows-water/monitoring-data/levels/groundwater#:~:text=More%20than%2080%25%20of%20Missouri's,resulting%20in%20water%2Dlevel%20decline." target="_blank">estimated that the state</a>&nbsp;has about 500 trillion gallons of usable-quality groundwater.

Daniel Downing, a water quality specialist with the University of Missouri Extension, believes the motivation behind this legislation is the preservation of Missouri’s abundant water supplies.

“On the state borders, especially the western border, there may be parties harvesting or considering harvesting water from Missouri and pumping it into Oklahoma and/or Kansas, where they have restrictive water allotments,” Downing said in an email.

Missouri has very few, if any, restrictions on the quantity of water one can harvest in compliance with Missouri’s Riparian Rights water law, Downing said.

“Missouri water law allows the use of reasonable amounts of water as long as it does not deprive others of what they need,” Downing said. “In the Western states, water quantity and use are regulated under allotment and/or appropriation systems that tightly control how much water they can access.”

The Ogallala Aquifer is a very important underground water source for many states, like Kansas, Nebraska and others. However, it does not extend into Missouri. Increased populations, development and droughts have created more demand for water in these states, Downing said.

<a href="https://kgs.ku.edu/sites/kgs/files/files/TechSeriespdfs/TS25.pdf" target="_blank">Research shows that</a>, due to pumping water for irrigation, the aquifer is now dangerously close to running dry. To mitigate that,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2025-01-28/could-an-aqueduct-bring-water-to-western-kansas-or-is-it-a-pipedream" target="_blank">there was a plan proposed</a>&nbsp;to move water from the Missouri River in eastern Kansas, near Kansas City, to help refill the Ogallala Aquifer in western Kansas.

“The use and apparent gradual depletion of the aquifer has been a topic of research and discussion for many years, resulting in limitations on the use of water from it,” Downing said. “These circumstances, as well as other influences and restrictions, make it inviting to look across the state line and covet the abundance of water we have.”

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/hb2172/" target="_blank">signed a bill in July</a>&nbsp;establishing a water conservation task force to tackle the state’s water issues. The task force will identify water-related risks, determine what constitutes a sustainable water supply and explore funding options for future water projects. Additionally, a Water Planning Work Group will work to update and modernize the State Water Resources Planning Act.

According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://dnr.mo.gov/document-search/missouri-water-resources-plan-update-2020-executive-summary" target="_blank">Missouri Water Resources Plan</a>, updated in 2020, the state’s residents and businesses use an average of 3.2 billion total gallons of water each day. Of that total, 78% comes from groundwater sources, while the remaining 22% is supplied by surface water.

Borrok emphasized that water security is essential for the state’s long-term economic growth.

“All the manufacturing that we might want to attract to the state,” Borrok said. “All data centers, all these sorts of things use massive, massive amounts of water, and no major company will move to a state that doesn’t have the water resources necessary to expand.”

Agricultural irrigation accounts for the largest share of the state’s consumptive water withdrawals at 65%. Major water systems contribute another 25%, while all other sectors combined make up the remaining 10% of annual withdrawals.

Tom Waters is a seventh-generation farmer from Orrick, Missouri and also serves as a consultant at the Missouri Water Center. He and his family raise corn, soybeans and wheat.

Although Waters doesn’t do any irrigation on the land he farms, he said that in southeast Missouri, particularly in the Bootheel area, the practice is quite common.

“Keeping that water to irrigate Missouri crops is important versus sending it to other states,” Waters said. “The difference between an irrigated crop and a non-irrigated crop always depends on the weather and drought conditions and those sorts of things. But, traditionally, the irrigation more than pays for itself.”

David Waller, board president and national director at the Missouri Rural Water Association, said every drop Missouri exports outside the state is lost.

“So a municipality that might need water within the state, if it was being exported in large quantities outside the state, they might not have water for their usage,” Waller said. “I don’t know that is happening anywhere, but that is one possibility.”

Waller said the Department of Natural Resources didn’t previously have a way of tracking water that was being transported outside the state, nor a way of regulating it.

“This at least gives the department the authority to monitor and make those decisions so that they know what’s going on,” Waller said.

In northern Missouri, the groundwater is very salty, so a lot of their water comes from surface water. Borrok said those municipalities need to keep their water for drinking purposes.

“It’s the same way as agriculture, you just want it not to overdraft your bank of water,” Borrok said. “Recreation-wise, that’s a huge one too. There’s gotta be massive amounts of tourism dollars coming in from Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock Lake and the Scenic Riverways here and if you start taking water and pumping it somewhere else, you could potentially, over time, negatively impact some of those resources.”

Missouri’s statewide consumptive water demand is expected to rise by 18%, or by approximately 583 million gallons per day, by 2060, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://dnr.mo.gov/document-search/missouri-water-resources-plan-update-2020-executive-summary" target="_blank">Missouri Water Resources Plan</a>.

While the law does restrict exports, Borrok said it doesn’t completely close the door to out-of-state water sharing. Now, exporting water would have to go through a permit process, evaluating potential financial benefits or losses.

“A small farmer could possibly export a little bit of water through a canal to another place, and maybe we don’t know about that,” Borrok said. “But the real impact that it’s trying to avoid is a massive export of water, like hundreds of millions of gallons a month, or three million gallons a day or some massive amount and that would be noticed in terms of the monitoring.”

This story originally appeared in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.missouribusinessalert.com/" target="_blank">Missouri&nbsp;Business&nbsp;Alert</a>, a digital newsroom covering&nbsp;business&nbsp;and the economy in&nbsp;Missouri.

‘Water is our most valuable resource’: New law will limit water exports from Missouri

A hot, humid July
morning greeted the Kansas City Chiefs for Training Camp on Monday, with a nice
breeze helping cool things off at times.

Offensive
Coordinator, Matt Nagy, says the offense was frustrated last year with a lack
of explosive plays. It is a point of emphasis this training camp.

“Being able to
figure out, okay, where’s that start at? What are we doing? Making sure we do
our job as coaches,” Nacy tells reporters after practice. “Without a doubt,
that’s been an emphasis and we want to speak it into existence. It starts with
teaching it and making sure the guys understand it and then when we get out
there in practice, we execute it.”

Nagy says the team
takes the Super Bowl loss personally.

“But I think there’s
a level to it as well where you’re careful of not making sure it’s like some
deal where you’re focused so much on what happened last year that you let it affect
this year,” Nagy says. “That hasn’t happened with any of us.”

The major factor
of whether Kansas City returns to the explosive plays which have defined the
Chiefs since Patrick Mahomes came to Kansas City rests on the shoulders of the
receivers.

Throwing downfield
has been the type of offense Hollywood Brown has thrived on his entire career.
Brown says the team’s receivers are like brothers and he has encouraged them to
enjoy the process.

“Enjoying the
guys, enjoying the teammates, because you know it moves fast,” Brown tells
reporters after the Monday practice. “So, that’s what I’ve been preaching. Let’s
enjoy every day.&nbsp; Let’s win every day,
attack every day, and get better at something.”

Brown says speed
sets the tone for the receiving corps this year, especially with the return of
Xavier Worthy and Rasheed Rice.

“I think it’s no
secret that we’re fast and we can fly. I mean, it’s no secret,” Brown says. “If
you are not respecting it, we can run pass you and I think that just opens up
everything underneath.”

On the other side
of the ball is a defense which has steadily gotten better over the past few
years. A key to that improvement is a young corps of defensive backs.

Cornerback Trent
McDuffie has established himself as an All Pro even though he is only in his
fourth year. McDuffie tells reporters Defensive Coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo,
has challenged the defense to shake off the Super Bowl loss and be bold, be courageous
in this year’s camp.

“He pretty much
said he wants a room full of guys that are confident, that are fearless, and
that want to go out there and compete,” according to McDuffie. “And I think
that really set the tone.”

McDuffie says the
defense is not perfect, but players are flying around, having fun, and jelling.
McDuffie knows he has gone from a very young player to one of the leaders of
the team, which brings an added dimension to his play.

“For me this year
just be someone that can be personable and approachable,” McDuffie says. “I
think that’s what my leadership’s going to be and some of that is going to be
consistently doing the right thing. And, hopefully, people will follow that.”

The Chiefs return
to the Mosaic Life Care practice fields on the Missouri Western State
University campus in St. Joseph Tuesday morning at 9:15.

Chiefs intent on shaking off Super Bowl loss, looking forward during camp

St. Joseph police
are investigating a suspicious death.

The St. Joseph
Police Department reports a 43-year-old man was found dead Sunday night around
8:30 inside a garage in the 2100 block of 8th Street. His identity has not been released, yet.

Police say an
investigation is underway. The circumstances of the death are suspicious. An
autopsy is pending.

St. Joseph police investigating suspicious death

Former Cardinal Sandy Alcantara took the mound at Busch Stadium on Tuesday evening and shut down his former team, as the St. Louis Cardinals fell to the Miami Marlins in a 5-0 shutout evening up the series heading into a rubber match in Wednesday evening's finale.&nbsp;

Graham Pauley put the Marlins up in the second inning with a two run home run, driving in Troy Johnston after his one out single.&nbsp; In the fifth inning, Miami extended their lead on an RBI single by Otto Lopez that scored Kyle Stowers.&nbsp; The final runs came in the sixth inning for the Marlins with Eric Wagamn doubling to bring home Dane Myers, before later scoring on a triple by Xavier Edwards.&nbsp;

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