The USDA has lowered its 2019 corn and soybean production estimates. As of September 1st, corn is projected at 13.799 billion bushels, down 1% from August, a smaller cut than what some analysts were expecting, and 4% lower than the 2018 total of 14.420 billion bushels. The average yield is expected to be just over […]
Agricultural producers can now enroll in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs, two popular safety net programs, for the 2019 crop year. Interested producers must sign up for either program by March 15, 2020. The 2018 Farm Bill reauthorized and made updates to these two USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) programs. ARC […]
While dam construction for the East Locust Creek Reservoir project cannot begin until environmental and construction permitting actions are complete, there has been a great deal of progress leading up to heavy construction activity. The list below represents some of the more significant activities in progress or completed. Land acquisition for the reservoir completed in […]
Missouri’s Ag Director was part of a group of ag leaders that met with Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue at the Farm Progress Show. Chris Chinn says it was important to be able to discuss the issues facing the state’s ag industry. “We talked about flooding— we had 1.2 million acres underwater this year and almost […]
Volatility seems to be the theme for the last several months. Weather forecasts, overseas trade relations, and harvest predictions have been large contributors for the past month. There has been plenty of moisture this year throughout the Corn Belt. However, the excessive moisture paired with the cooling temperatures have raised some concern over potential yields. […]
United States Senator Roy Blunt will be at the Milan Community Center, 205 N. Market Street, on Friday, August 30, 2019, at 11:45 AM. Senator Blunt has been instrumental in securing planning, design, mitigation and construction funding for the East Locust Creek Reservoir (ELCR). He will meet with the community and stakeholders to receive a […]
The warm hum of guitar amplifiers and the sweet, smoky smell of barbecue will be wafting through the wavering late summer air the last weekend of September. The 13th installment of Columbia’s Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival kicks off for a long weekend of live music, fun, and entertainment, September 27-29. Roots N Blues, […]
Corn: Planted area is estimated at 3.25 million acres, down 7 percent from last year. Harvested area, forecast at 3.6 million acres, is down 8 percent from 2018. Based on August 1 conditions, the Missouri corn yield is forecast at 160 bushels per acre, up 20 bushels from 2018. Production is forecast at 490 million […]
Women who live in Missouri and own, co-own or manage farmland are invited to a conservation discussion focused on improving soil health. Meetings are being offered in Central Missouri and the Kansas City area. No matter where you own land, you are welcome to attend. Women non-operator owners who own more than 40 acres, may […]
Corn and soybean crops planted on “prevented acres” not planted last spring may provide corn and soybean forage for cattle this fall. With a wet spring, many farmers failed to make quality hay for cow herds. Now, cover crops needed on bare crop ground may produce quality forage. Earlier regulations on unplanted cropland restricted using […]
Twenty-five years ago, Brian Pemberton bought acreage filled with thorn trees, scrub brush and multiflora roses. The only water source was a frog pond. The land needed four things: a road, buildings, fences, and water. Thanks to hard work and cost-share programs, those goals were met. Grazing Acres Farm is now complete with a solid […]
Rain and flooding prevented many Missouri farmers from planting corn and soybean this year. Now farmers want to protect these unplanted fields by seeding a cover crop. Cover crops do just that: The plants cover the ground, and their roots stabilize the soil. Cover crops provide a simple and natural way to reduce soil erosion, […]
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) shared its initial plan for a limited elk-hunting season with the Missouri Conservation Commission at the Commission’s public meeting June 28 at MDC headquarters in Jefferson City. The Commission gave its initial approval of the proposed plan, and MDC is asking for public comments. According to MDC Elk and […]
The agenda for a meeting of the Chillicothe City Council Monday night, June 24, 2019, includes an engineering addendum for street projects, an engineering contract involving a Litton Road project, and a real estate contract between the city and the Chillicothe Development Corporation involving six-point-six acres at the industrial park. The agenda also includes accepting […]
USDA extended the deadline to May 17 from May 1 for agricultural producers to certify 2018 crop production for payments through the Market Facilitation Program (MFP), which helps producers who have been significantly affected by foreign tariffs, resulting in the loss of traditional exports. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) extended the deadline because heavy rainfall […]
The Missouri FFA Association recognized Garret Cramer of the Chillicothe FFA Chapter as the State Star Farmer at the 91st Missouri FFA Convention. His parents are John and Janet Cramer of Ludlow. His advisors are Lance Martin, Randy Plattner, Leda Schreiner, and Neal Wolf. Area Star Farmers are chosen based upon outstanding production agriculture in […]
Smithfield Foods, Inc. and Roeslein Alternative Energy (RAE) have formed a joint venture called Monarch Bioenergy to produce renewable natural gas (RNG) across Smithfield’s hog farms in Missouri. This partnership converts manure collected from Smithfield farms into RNG, while simultaneously delivering ecological services and developing wildlife habitat. Once complete, all Smithfield company-owned finishing farms in […]
Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst says an estimated 187,000 acres of land is underwater in Missouri from recent flooding. During a U.S. Senate field hearing in Iowa, Hurst says some people are angry at the Army Corps of Engineers, but he says a more comprehensive review of the root causes of flooding […]
Legislation that is aimed at preventing the Grain Belt Express project from using eminent domain across northern Missouri is heading to the state Senate. The House voted 115-35 on Thursday to give final approval to Frankford State Representative Jim Hansen’s bill, which says NO private entity has the power of eminent domain to build above-ground […]
Missouri Soybean Hall of Fame 2019 inductee Gary Riedel says demand for soybean increased greatly since farmers approved checkoff dollars to fund research and promotion. Riedel served as head of Missouri Soybean Association in the early 1980s and was president of the American Soybean Association when the national soybean checkoff went into effect. This year, […]
