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 […]

Combine and farm tractor with wagon in field

Coalition of legislators introduce resolution to protect family farms and small businesses

Congressman Sam Graves (MO-06) joined Representatives Tracey Mann, Jason Smith, Bob Latta, and a bipartisan coalition of more than 70 members of Congress in introducing a resolution recognizing the important role of the stepped-up basis in preserving family farms and small businesses. “If the President gets his way and guts the stepped-up basis, it would […]

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 […]

USDA US Department of Agriculture

USDA extends to May 11 the application deadline for the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program funding

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the Department is extending to May 11, 2022, the application deadline for the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program, which provides funding to expand meat and poultry processing capacity. The decision to extend the deadline comes after Rural Development heard directly from applicants about challenges with […]

National Agriculture Week 2022

Missouri Celebrates National Agriculture Week

This week, the Missouri Department of Agriculture celebrates the state’s position nationally in agriculture production. Missouri is home to 95,000 farms, employs nearly 460,000 people in agriculture, forestry, and related industries, and has an estimated economic impact of $93.7 billion. Agriculture remains the state’s number one economic driver, supporting both rural and urban communities from […]

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 […]

Parson signing new legislation

Governor Parson makes appointments to seven boards and commissions

Governor Mike Parson announced seven appointments to various boards and commissions. Sheriff Jim Arnott, of Springfield, was appointed to the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission.  Sheriff Arnott has served as the Greene County Sheriff since 2008. He has also simultaneously served as the Interim Chief of the Fair Grove Police Department and Ash Grove Police […]

Graphic of factory emitting CO2

Landowner rights at the center of Iowa’s carbon pipeline debate

Eminent-domain concerns are a focal point as Iowa considers the idea of allowing underground pipelines to transfer carbon dioxide for storage. Summit Carbon Solutions recently filed its initial permit request with state regulators. If approved, the pipeline would run through several states to gather carbon from ethanol plants, eventually storing it underground in North Dakota. As […]

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 […]

Lunch or Luncheon graphic

Chillicothe Area Chamber of Commerce and Chillicothe FFA Chapter to hold luncheon

The Chillicothe Area Chamber of Commerce and Chillicothe FFA Chapter will hold a luncheon for businesses, individuals, and families that are part of the agriculture base for the region. The annual Salute to Agriculture will be at the Mervyn W. Jenkins Expo Center on the Litton Agri-Science Campus near Chillicothe on February 18th. Lunch will […]

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 […]

City of Trenton Website

Trenton City Council completes financing on water treatment plant improvements

The Trenton City Council Monday night adopted two ordinances and accepted three bids. Financing is complete on $2,500,000 to make improvements at the Trenton water treatment plant. The council voted six to nothing to enter into a lease-purchase transaction with Central Bank of the Midwest at Kansas City as the lessor and Missouri Association of […]

Verde Resources Website

Verde Resources to expand to La Belle, investing more than $5.6 million and creating 32 new jobs

Verde Resources, Inc., a commercial producer, and wholesaler of regenerative compost announced that it will establish a processing and packaging facility in La Belle, investing more than $5.6 million and creating 32 new jobs. The company will establish a line using its Biofraction™ technology, capable of processing 100 tons of organic bio-waste per day into […]

Food Desert News Graphic

Missouri bills would offer incentives for grocery stores, urban farms to eliminate food deserts

(Missouri Independent) – The closure of Save A Lot in Pagedale left a hole in northern St. Louis County.  Beyond Housing, a community-building group that serves about two dozen cities in the area had worked through the Great Recession to bring a grocery store closer to low-income residents in a part of the St. Louis area dotted with […]

Trenton Building and Nuisance Board

Trenton Building and Nuisance Board grants extensions due to winter weather and illness

Citing winter weather conditions and/or illness among owners, the Trenton Building and Nuisance Board on Monday evening granted time extensions to five properties of concern. Granted a 90-day extension was 604 Linn Street where repairs were done to a basement wall. It remains in the category “findings of fact.” Given a 60 day extension was […]

Fertilizer Prices News Graphic

With high fertilizer prices, are you better off buying fertilizer or supplemental hay?

Increases in fertilizer prices add to the cost of growing forage for grazing. This leads farmers to ask if they should buy hay or fertilizer, says University of Missouri Extension nutrient management specialist John Lory. Comparing the benefits of buying hay vs. applying fertilizer for better yields is complicated, but it is crucial to the […]