Jeremy Bernfeld

The U.S. Senate approved a new comprehensive farm bill Monday, its plan for everything from food and nutrition assistance to disaster aid for livestock producers to crop insurance for farmers. But before you go popping champagne corks and celebrating the creation of five-years of agricultural policy, know this: The U.S. House has yet to weigh in.

Would you feed your family genetically modified food? Chances are, you already have.

On Thursday's Central Standard, the science behind genetically modified (GMO) and genetically engineered (GE) food. The guests:

President Obama will visit the University of Kansas on Friday, the university said in a statement.

There are about three or four thousand abused or neglected children in Kansas City’s social services system. While the rate of child abuse has been declining nationally, that number has been growing in Kansas City. And as the problem swells, both Kansas and Missouri continue to privatize more and more of their child welfare services.

On this episode of Central Standard we examine the state of our child welfare system, but through the eyes of the kind of private non-profit charities increasingly being asked to fill the void: the Midwest Foster Care and Adoption Association, and Court Appointed Special Advocates from both Missouri and Kansas.

We’ll get a look at the real impact of child abuse in our communities, why this problem is getting worse, and what the obstacles are to overcoming it.

In 2011, an explosion at a grain elevator in Atchison, Kansas, killed six people—employees and inspectors there—and rocked a community. Federal prosecutors are now considering charges in the case, but with 2010 the worst year on record, why does this keep happening?

On today's Central Standard, we explore the world of safety and regulation in the grain industry. Investigative reports this week from NPR News' Howard Berkes, Harvest Public Media's Jeremy Bernfeld, and the Kansas City Star's Mike McGraw, have revealed that hundreds have died in explosions and drownings in grain elevators—even as business is thriving, including here in Kansas—which is second in the nation in grain deaths.

Throughout the course of the day we ask ourselves a lot of questions; what should I have for breakfast? Should I run to the store before picking up my kids or after? Should I read my book before bed or watch a TV show? We rarely take the time to contemplate larger, more philosophical questions that probe our very existence.

Looking up at the sky is something we do everyday; maybe to check the weather, see if the sun is poking out and you need a jacket, and for some, to discover more about the universe we live in.

At the crossroads of industry, railroads and farm country Kansas City has long been a capital of the plains. In recent years, though, Kansas City and other agriculture hubs have seen technology chip away at their importance.

You think you deal with a lot of bull crap? Allan Sents needs a front-end loader and a dump truck to deal with all the cattle manure he’s up against. Literally.

Long a symbol of agriculture’s strength in America’s heartland, the Kansas City Board of Trade has an uncertain future in the wake of its proposed sale to a rival exchange.

Brandon Fahrmeier had a nice job as a sales rep in Ohio for a large company. He and his wife had a nice suburban home. Then they had kids. 

Farmers are the bedrock of the agricultural commodities markets – after all, they make the products that are traded there.

The Kansas City Royals have won the World Series every time they’ve made the playoffs the last 27 years. Problem is, they’ve only made the playoffs once in that span – in 1985.