(Missouri Independent) – Congress is working quickly to determine how much military and humanitarian aid it should send to Ukraine as the war in that country continues to claim lives and send hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing as refugees. Lawmakers are working with the Biden administration to provide billions in funding at the same […]
On Dec. 10, 2021, severe storms and six confirmed tornadoes in Missouri killed two people and destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes and buildings, as well as 20 large transmission towers and lines that move power between Missouri and Arkansas. The storm system serves as another reminder that deadly tornadoes can strike any time of […]
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 […]
Missouri WIC announced a new, temporary waiver Friday that will allow the purchase of alternative infant formula types using WIC benefits during the Abbott infant formula recall event. This temporary waiver allows Missouri WIC to issue additional non-contract brands of formula that participants may select if their Similac formula is not available at authorized WIC retailers. […]
Hog producers who sold hogs through a spot market sale during the COVID-19 pandemic now have until April 15, 2022, to submit their applications for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Spot Market Hog Pandemic Program. SMHPP, which is part of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative, originally had a deadline to submit applications by Feb. 25, […]
Missouri WIC announced Friday the proactive, voluntary recall of some powdered Similac, Alimentum, or EleCare formulas manufactured by Abbott. Missouri WIC, the Department of Health and Senior Services Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, announces a new program waiver to help participants replace their previously redeemed, recalled formula, even if the Abbott […]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $20 million in available grant funding to assist communities and schools with removing sources of lead in drinking water. This grant funding, and additional funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will help make rapid progress on the goal of addressing lead and removing lead pipes across the country. “A […]
You may have a problem if you’re a Family Dollar shopper. Joey Parker has an alert that caused some stores to close. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting that several categories of FDA-regulated products bought from January of last year, through the present from Family Dollar stores in six states including […]
(Missouri Independent) – On a recent Tuesday evening in southeastern Missouri, John Freeze stood in front of yet another angry group of constituents. Some here believe the number of COVID-19 deaths are being purposefully inflated for financial gain. Among the culprits, in their mistaken view: Hospitals seeking Medicare reimbursements; The federal government, led by Dr. Anthony […]
(Missouri Independent) – This story was originally published by Kaiser Health News. Aneka French applied for Medicaid in October, not long after Missouri became the 38th state to expand eligibility for the program. But her application sat for months in a backlog with tens of thousands of others. While she waited, French, 45, an uninsured medical […]
Abbott, the WIC infant formula manufacturer, announced the proactive, voluntary recall of some powdered Similac, Alimentum, or EleCare formulas manufactured in Sturgis, Michigan. Missouri WIC, the Department of Health and Senior Services Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, is working to make participating families aware of the disruption. The powdered formula products […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri’s state health department has applied to oversee federal family planning funds, a move reproductive health advocates fear would give the state power to cut off funding for providers who refer patients for abortion services. During his confirmation hearing late last month, former Department of Health and Senior Services Director Donald Kauerauf’s […]
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 […]
(Missouri Independent) – On the Friday before a drawn-out confirmation battle ended with his ouster from office, Missouri state Health Director Donald Kauerauf wrote an impassioned letter meant to convince conservative legislators who were on the fence about his appointment. The message: While he believed in vaccines and data and science, he didn’t believe in vaccine […]
(Missouri Independent) – This story was originally published as a collaboration between Investigate Midwest and Watchdog Writers Group. The American Farm Bureau Federation calls itself the “voice of agriculture,” a slogan it trademarked in 2007. But as the divide between agribusiness and small farmers has grown in recent decades, a unified voice of agriculture has become harder to […]
The gates at Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge will once again open to the public on Saturday, March 5, 2022, at 6 am. The Refuge is closed annually from late October to the first Saturday of March to allow for undisturbed habitat for migrating and wintering waterfowl. Once spring arrives the place becomes a Refuge […]
(Missouri Independent) – A COVID-19 vaccine for young children will be delayed by at least two months as Pfizer and BioNTech gather more information on a three-dose regimen. The disappointing news for many parents came after the Biden administration earlier had announced it was preparing to get the vaccines out to states as soon as […]
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources awarded a $50,000 Clean Water Engineering Report Grant to the city of Kidder to evaluate the city’s wastewater system. The grant offers funding to qualified communities to help cover engineering costs for evaluating water and wastewater system improvements. The city will use the grant to identify wastewater system improvements […]
USDA has extended the deadline to enroll in Dairy Margin Coverage and Supplemental Dairy Margin Coverage for the program year 2022. The deadline to apply for 2022 coverage is now March 25, 2022. As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing efforts to support dairy farmers and rural communities, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) opened DMC […]
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, along with 23 other states, submitted a comment to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan and the Army Corps of Engineers opposing the Biden Administration’s proposed rule that would revise the Waters of the United States rule and subject Missouri’s farmers and ranchers to strict government regulation. “Missouri’s farmers and […]
