Chillicothe Fire Department

Chillicothe Fire Department responds to house fire on Bryan Street and to rural address for fire threatening a residence

A structure in Chillicothe was described as fully engulfed on Tuesday afternoon prompting the Chillicothe Fire Department to respond to the scene. The alarm came in at 2 pm and sent firefighters to 1555 Bryan Street. The owners were listed as Steven and Gloria Drechsel. A spokesman reported heavy fire and smoke coming from two […]

Chillicothe City Hall

Chillicothe City Council adopts 2022-2023 budget, accepts demolition bid and approves supervised work release program

The Chillicothe City Council adopted the 2022-2023 budget for the City of Chillicothe and Chillicothe Municipal Utilities on March 28th. City Clerk Rozanne Frampton reports it was about a $16.5 million budget. It will begin on April 1st. The council accepted a demolition bid for 1016 Cherry Street. It also approved an addendum to the […]

CRP Website Revised (Conservation Reserve Program website)

Audio: Ag groups support more Conservation Reserve Program flexibility to aid in potential global grain shortage

Ag groups are calling on the Biden administration to provide flexibility for prime farmland in the Conservation Reserve Program as the Russian/Ukraine conflict has the potential to impact global food security. Ag economist Scott Irwin at the University of Illinois tells Brownfield Ukraine produces about 60 million acres of crops which are at risk this […]

President Joe Biden Photo provided by White House

Biden in State of the Union urges ‘unmistakable’ support for democracy in Ukraine

(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden used his first State of the Union address on Tuesday night to reassert America as a leading global voice for democracy and condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin for starting an “unprovoked” war in Ukraine. “Throughout our history, we’ve learned this lesson – when dictators do not pay a price […]

Farm Scene

Farmers who plant cover crops will be eligible for crop insurance premium subsidies

Farmers who plant cover crops will be eligible for crop insurance premium subsidies worth $5 an acre for the second year in a row. To qualify for the payments from USDA, farmers must report their cover crop acreage to the Farm Service Agency by March 15. Last year, USDA made payments totaling $59.5 million for 12.2 million acres of cover […]

Screenshot from Virtual press conference of Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack

Vilsack: Fertilizer prices are biggest worry for farmers after Russian invasion

(Missouri Independent) – The Russian invasion of Ukraine this week might drive up the costs of farm fertilizers globally — which nearly quadrupled last year in price in the United States and remain high — and presents an opportunity for unscrupulous companies to artificially inflate those prices further, according to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “That’s […]

USDA US Department of Agriculture

Agricultural producers have until March 15 to enroll in USDA’s Key Commodity Safety Net Programs

Agricultural producers who have not yet enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) or Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2022 crop year have until March 15, 2022, to sign a contract. The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers these two safety net programs to provide vital income support to farmers experiencing substantial declines in […]

Feral Hogs (Photo courtesy MDC)

Missouri feral hog elimination partnership removes more than 9,800 feral hogs

The Missouri Feral Hog Elimination Partnership (the Partnership) removed 9,857 feral hogs from the landscape in 2021, making the total number of feral hogs eliminated more than 54,000 since 2016. The Partnership is made up of 13 federal and state agencies along with numerous agriculture and conservations organizations. “I’m really proud of the progress that […]

Screenshot of Team PAC Advertisement V2

Video: Pro-Greitens PAC hits Schmitt on China in ad airing during Olympics opening ceremony

(Missouri Independent) – Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s record on China is once again coming under fire, with a political action committee supporting one of his rivals in the GOP Senate primary launching an attack ad during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics Team PAC, which was formed to support the U.S. Senate candidacy of former […]

Farm Bill News Graphic

Congress clashes over climate in early farm bill talks

(Missouri Independent) – Congressional Democrats on Wednesday touted conservation programs for farmers and ranchers as key tools for limiting agriculture’s impact on the global climate as they took initial steps to create the next farm bill. One Republican’s response: So what? “We’ve talked primarily about climate change, and I gotta to be honest with you,” […]

CRP Website Revised (Conservation Reserve Program website)

USDA announces Conservation Reserve Program signups for 2022

Agricultural producers and landowners can sign up soon for the Conservation Reserve Program,  a cornerstone conservation program offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a key tool in the Biden-Harris Administration effort to address climate change and achieve other natural resource benefits. The General CRP signup will run from Jan. 31 to March 11, and the […]

A partially melted tire hangs on a tree near Paradise, Kansas. The surrounding land was scorched by a wildfire in December 2021

December 2021 was the warmest on record in Missouri and Kansas – by a long shot

(Missouri Independent) – Kansas and Missouri logged their warmest average December temperatures on record last month, according to data released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Average temperatures over the last half of 2021 were higher than they’ve ever been in either state — and across the country. Meanwhile, despite a devastating cold snap that forced […]

Environmental Protection Agency EPA

EPA renews Enlist product registrations with new control measures, providing growers with certainty for the 2022 growing season

The EPA is issuing seven-year registrations for two herbicide products, Enlist Duo and Enlist One, to ensure growers have access to effective pesticide tools for the 2022 growing season. The new product labels, which incorporate robust control measures to protect non-target plants and animals, meet Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act standards and comply with […]

Brandi Ellis Wins Young Farmer Excellence Award

Brandi Ellis wins Young Farmer Excellence in Agriculture Award

Brandi Ellis, of Weatherby, won the Missouri Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Excellence in Agriculture Award during the organization’s 107th annual meeting on December 7 at the Lake of the Ozarks. The Excellence in Agriculture Award is designed to recognize young farmers and ranchers who have not received a majority of their income from […]

Grass FIre

Chillicothe Fire Department responds to grass fires over the weekend

Grass fires Sunday near Chillicothe sent firefighters to two different locations. At approximately 2 o’clock, the Chillicothe Fire Department personnel, a brush truck, and a utility vehicle arrived at 20645 Route Z where a grass fire had been reported. The department noted approximately ten acres of tall grass was on fire. It was extinguished with […]

Fisher Delta Research Center

Missouri Secretary of State promotes Missouri agriculture at Fisher Delta Research Center

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft visited the Fisher Delta Research Center on November 2, 2021, in Portageville, Missouri, for their annual field day dinner event. The research center is part of the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. The center is working with several partners – like the state soybean and […]