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KS - July 8 2025

Wheat Harvest Delayed; Black & Veatch Development Incentives; Food Program Cut; KS Universities Rise; Chiefs Stadium Vote

Greg Loving

08 Jul 2025 • 4 min read

Pic Courtesy of Kansas Wheat FB page

Weather Delays Force Late Wheat Harvest Across Kansas

Overland Park Approves $1 Billion Black & Veatch Development

Trump Cuts Food for Peace Program Born in Kansas

Kansas State, Wichita State Rise in National University Rankings

Chiefs Eye April 2026 Stadium Vote if Staying at Arrowhead

1. Weather Delays Force Late Wheat Harvest Across Kansas

Butler County farmer Paul Janzen is among Kansas producers still cutting wheat as the harvest season extends later than usual due to persistent rain, flooding, and severe weather including high winds and hail. The challenging conditions have created significant obstacles for farmers statewide, with crops remaining vulnerable to storm damage the longer they stay in fields.

KWCH

2. Overland Park Approves $1 Billion Black & Veatch Development

The Overland Park City Council unanimously approved sweeping tax incentives Monday for a massive redevelopment of Black & Veatch's headquarters area, featuring 612,000 square feet of new office space, 1,884 housing units, 550,000 square feet of retail, and a 160-room hotel across 80 acres. The engineering firm, one of the metro's largest employers with $4.7 billion in revenue, plans more than 20 new buildings including apartments, townhomes, condos, and a central public park near 115th Street and Lamar Avenue.

Kansas City Star

3. Trump Cuts Food for Peace Program Born in Kansas

The Trump administration has effectively ended the Food for Peace program, conceived by a Kansas farmer and created by President Eisenhower in 1953 to distribute surplus Kansas wheat to hungry populations worldwide. Despite efforts by Kansas Republican lawmakers to save the program that has fed over four billion people in 150 countries, President Trump proposed eliminating its entire 2026 budget along with the McGovern-Dole school nutrition program, citing inefficiency and waste. The cuts add to farmer frustrations in Kansas, where 80 percent of high plains producers voted for Trump but now face tariff impacts, reduced agriculture grants, and shrinking markets.

NYT

4. Kansas State, Wichita State Rise in National University Rankings

Kansas State University improved five spots to 165th nationally while Wichita State jumped 36 places to tie for 296th in U.S. News & World Report's annual ranking of 436 public universities. The University of Kansas dropped one position to 152nd despite remaining first in the state, while Baker University fell 26 spots to 371st nationally in the rankings based on class sizes, graduation rates, and other academic factors.

CJOnline

5. Chiefs Eye April 2026 Stadium Vote if Staying at Arrowhead

Chiefs president Mark Donovan indicated the team would target an April 2026 ballot measure in Jackson County if they choose to renovate Arrowhead Stadium rather than build a new domed facility in Kansas, citing timeline constraints for a November vote. The stadium decision remains uncertain as Jackson County legislators unanimously voted Monday to schedule an August special election for voters to decide whether to recall county executive Frank White, whose opposition helped defeat the teams' previous stadium tax measure in April 2024.

Kansas City Star

From our Hutchison editor