White-tailed Deer Fawn

Missouri Department of Conservation urges the public to leave wildlife wild

As many head outside to enjoy the longer days and warmer weather this spring, they may come across a variety of newborn animals. It may appear young creatures are abandoned, but that’s usually not the case. The Missouri Department of Conservation reminds Missourians that interfering with wildlife does more harm than good. MDC State Wildlife […]

Bird Flu News Graphic (Photo credit Danganhfoto on Pixabay)

University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine tracking the spread of bird flu, one test at a time

Throughout the country, an extremely infectious disease called highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been circulating rapidly among flocks of chicken and turkeys. While the disease poses little risk to humans, it presents a serious threat to infected birds as well as the nation’s poultry industry, which is already facing supply chain disruptions. At the […]

Doris Rider Art Gallery

New exhibition at North Central Missouri College Rider Gallery features Nora Othic

A collection of works by an area artist will continue the 2021-2022 exhibition schedule in the Dorris Rider Art Gallery at North Central Missouri College in Trenton.  “More Cowbell!” by Nora Othic is now open and runs through June 10. The Rider Art Gallery is located in the Frey Administrative Center on the NCMC Main […]

Dog fight or Dogfighting news graphic

Defendant sentenced to 3 years in prison for multistate dogfighting conspiracy and illegal possession of firearms

A Virginia resident was sentenced today to 37 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to federal charges resulting from a lengthy investigation into a significant multi-state dogfighting conspiracy. According to court documents, Raymond L. Johnson, 41, of Henrico, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to participate in an […]

United States Supreme Court (Phot credit Laura Olson - States Newsroom)

Supreme Court to hear case against Proposition 12 by National Pork Producers Council and American Farm Bureau Federation

The U.S. Supreme Court at its Mar. 25 conference agreed to hear a case brought by the National Pork Producers Council and the American Farm Bureau Federation against California’s Proposition 12, which bans the sale of pork from hogs born to sows that weren’t raised according to the state’s “arbitrary” production standards. “We are extremely […]

Typical pen style CAFO ( Photo by Darrell Hoemann - Investigate Midwest)

As CAFO lawsuit heads to Missouri Supreme Court, counties weigh options

(Missouri Independent) – As a fight over who can regulate industrial hog and cattle operations awaits action by the Missouri Supreme Court, counties that sought more stringent protections against them wait in limbo.  The Missouri Supreme Court is expected to hear an appeal by county commissioners who sought to regulate concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, […]

Pillars of the Community

Audio: Trenton Area Chamber of Commerce honors “Pillars of the Community” and Businesses of the Year

BTC Bank and Mid-States Services received awards for Businesses of the Year at the Trenton Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet on March 18th. The Green Hills Animal Shelter was also recognized as the Organization of the Year. Chamber Board Member Andy Cox presented the awards to the Businesses of the Year. He said the […]

Smithfield Food Logo

Missouri fines CAFO, owned by Smithfield Foods, $18,000 for polluting streams with 300,000 gallons of waste

(Missouri Independent) – Regulators ordered an industrial hog farm in northern Missouri to pay more than $18,000 for spilling 300,000 gallons of manure into miles of nearby streams.  An advocate for environmentally responsible agriculture called that “pathetic,” noting the fine amounted to less than $0.04 per gallon of waste spilled.  “You’re talking about a multi-billion […]

Breed Specific Dog Ban (Photo of Pit Bull by Michael Anfang on UnSplash)

Trenton Administrative Committee to recommend repeal of breed specific dog ban

With six councilmen present, Trenton’s Administrative Committee is recommending the repeal of the current ban on specific breeds of dogs. In addition, the committee wants the Mayor to appoint, with council consent, an animal welfare committee of citizens to offer recommendations on animal control issues. Councilman Danny Brewer made the motion to lift the breed […]

Smithfield Food Logo

PETA claims Sullivan County authorities should investigate documented incident at Smithfield

PAR Broadcasting received a news release from PETA that claims, in part, the Sullivan County Prosecuting Attorney should investigate an incident at the Smithfield Farmland Foods plant near Milan. Quoting the news release, PETA says it obtained USDA documentation revealing workers kicked a pig, eliciting a cry, and struck other pigs with the use of […]

Diana Lee Miller booking photo courtesy Trenton Police Department

Spickard woman charged with 18 counts of animal neglect turns herself in to authorities

The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office reports a Spickard woman turned herself in on February 22nd on 18 counts of misdemeanor animal neglect or abandonment. Seventy-four year-old Diana Lee Miller posted a $500 cash-only bond. She is scheduled for the Associate Division of Grundy County Circuit Court on March 8, 2022. Court documents accuse Miller of […]

American Farm Bureau Federation president Zippy Duvall spoke at the organization’s 2022 annual convention in Atlanta, Georgia (photo provided by American Farm Bureau Federation)

American Farm Bureau Federation claims it’s the ‘voice of agriculture,’ Others beg to differ

(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 […]

Screenshot of USDA or United States Department of Agriculture website

United States Department of Agriculture pledges $1B for ‘climate smart’ ag products

(Missouri Independent) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to spend up to $1 billion to foster the creation of climate-friendly agricultural and forestry products by offering grants to facilitate their production and the markets to sell them. The goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or sequester carbon in those industries. “Agriculture is such […]

Task force rescues 57 dogs from “horrific conditions” at Missouri site

The Humane Society of Missouri’s Animal Cruelty Task Force rescued 57 dogs, including Corgis, German Shepherds, Border Collies, and several other large and smaller breeds from a property in Newton County, Missouri. The rescued dogs are being transported to HSMO’s Macklind headquarters in St. Louis, where the animals will receive health evaluations and emergency veterinary […]

Winter Storm Safety

Check out these safety tips for the upcoming winter storm

The American Red Cross of Missouri is offering safety tips ahead of the upcoming snow, ice, and frigid temperatures expected over the next few days. In addition, the Red Cross is coordinating with local emergency management officials and partners in the preparation for potential local community needs. Heavy snowfall is predicted in portions of Missouri […]

Donald Kauerauf, the director of the Department of Health and Senior Services, speaks during a press conference at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on July 21, 2021

Anti-vaccine protesters rally against Senate confirmation of Missouri health director

(Missouri Independent) – State health director Donald Kauerauf adamantly spoke against mandating face masks and COVID-19 vaccines during a hearing Monday, as anti-vaccination demonstrators protested his confirmation in the halls outside. While protesters chanted outside the Capitol hearing room, senators inside grilled Kauerauf for nearly two hours on his views on how best to mitigate […]

Chicken CAFO (Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Unsplash)

Counties ask Missouri Supreme Court to strike down law restricting local CAFO rules

(Missouri Independent) – A pair of Missouri counties are asking the state Supreme Court to overturn a 2019 law that stripped them of their ability to set their own rules for concentrated animal feeding operations or CAFOs.   Under the law, county commissioners are prohibited from setting policies that are “inconsistent with or more stringent than” state […]