CAFO Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation

COVID-19 pandemic hits livestock farmers hard

Missouri Farm Bureau public affairs director Eric Bohl says the COVID-19 crisis has hit livestock farmers hard. First, stay-at-home orders destroyed demand from restaurants and schools as well as a large portion of the meat and dairy market. As the pandemic grew, it began to impact employees at meat processing plants which caused several processors […]

Governor Parson and Christine Smith

Pfizer facility in Chesterfield, Missouri scaling up operations for COVID-19 vaccine production

Governor Mike Parson was joined by Christine Smith, head of the Pfizer Biotherapeutics and Pharmaceutical Sciences Department and site head of Pfizer’s Research and Development facility in Chesterfield.  Pfizer’s Chesterfield facility is one of three Pfizer-owned sites in the United States that has been identified as an initial manufacturing center for COVID-19 vaccine production.  “For […]

New Small Business Administration Logo

Small Business Administration opens Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications

The Small Business Administration on Tuesday opened up Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications on a limited basis specifically to agricultural businesses. The application is available at www.SBA.gov/Disaster. At this time, only agricultural business applications will be accepted due to limitations in funding availability and the unprecedented number of applications already received.  Agricultural businesses include those […]

Together We Can

MU Extension releases Mental Health Toolkit

The University of Missouri Extension and partners recently released a Together We Can toolkit to help rural Missourians access mental health resources. “This presents the resources to help open up conversations about mental health,” says MU Extension health and safety specialist Karen Funkenbusch. “Making it comfortable to talk about mental health is the first step […]

FFA logo

Trenton FFA Chapter wins Top Chapter Award

The Missouri FFA Association awarded Trenton FFA a Gold Emblem, a Top Chapter Award. Only 10 percent of state chapters receive a top chapter designation each year. Model of Innovation winners and rankings will be announced at a summer event. The National Chapter Award Program is designed to recognize FFA chapters that actively implement the […]

FCS Financial Community Giving

FCS Financial awards 26 Community Improvement Grants

FCS Financial is recognizing 26 different 4-H clubs and FFA chapters with $500 grants for submitting outstanding Shaping Rural Missouri grant applications. This is the first round of awards. Due to school closures, the second round of funding was issued with an application deadline of May 1. In the nine years of its existence, more […]

Farmers Market

Free ‘how to’ webinar for those selling in farmers markets on accepting EBT/SNAP payments

Are you a farmers market or direct marketing farmer or rancher who wants to expand your potential customer base by accepting electronic benefit transfer/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (EBT/SNAP) and other electronic payments? The University of Missouri Extension is hosting an informational webinar about the MarketLink Free EBT SNAP Equipment Program at 11 a.m.-noon Tuesday, April […]