Governor Mike Parson has announced Missouri has requested the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) participate in joint Preliminary Damage Assessments across a total of 56 counties – almost half the 114 counties in the state – in response to tornadoes, severe storms, and worsening flooding. The joint teams will survey the damage that began with […]
Livingston County Sheriff Steve Cox reports several flood-related incidents Friday morning. The sheriff’s office received information from the railroad crew south of Chillicothe that a man was on a levee south of U. S. Highway 36 and a couple of miles west of Highway 65. The man was reportedly yelling for someone to come tow […]
The Gallatin Board of Aldermen accepted a financing option for a new Caterpillar loader for the Public Works Department Wednesday. The loader will cost $156,576.81 and be financed with seven payments at 3.75 percent. The board agreed to extend the temporary water hydrant meter contract with McBee Farms since the permanent water meter has not […]
The University of Missouri Extension and Kansas State University will hold a food safety workshop in several locations in Missouri and Kansas next month. Tim Baker with the University of Missouri Extension says the class will help farms successfully complete a United States Department of Agriculture Good Agricultural Practices audit, assist in creating a food […]
A disaster aid package that includes much-needed resources for Missouri farms and communities impacted by flooding passed the Senate by a vote of 85 to 8. “The flooding in our state has been completely devastating in some areas – from destroyed homes to lost crops to damaged infrastructure,” said Blunt. “Relief is finally one step […]
The Missouri House of Representatives has given final approval to Senate Bill 391, legislation that would prevent counties from passing health ordinances aimed at large agricultural operations. The House voted 103-44 to approve the bill, which would prevent county health boards or county commissioners from passing standards stricter than state law. The Missouri House of […]
Kids feeding kids is the focus of the 2019 Drive to Feed Kids; which kicks off today. Missouri agriculture is banding together once again to address the alarming reality that one in five Missouri children regularly face hunger. The goal of this collaboration is to raise funds to provide food for hungry Missouri children and […]
Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifers averaged $1,891 at Fruitland on May 3rd during the second of four spring sales. This price topped last year by $100, said Erin Larimore, sale coordinator and University of Missouri Extension regional specialist, Jackson. The 117 heifers came from 16 herd owners in the MU program that improves beef herd replacements. The […]
The Grundy County R-5 Board of Education approved salary increases at its meeting Wednesday evening. The base teacher salary was increased by two and three-quarters percent to $30,000 for a beginning teacher. Certified teachers will be able to move on the salary schedule based on experience and continuing education. A two and three-quarters percent salary […]
The wet and cold start to this year’s corn planting season bodes poorly for yields, based on research from the University of Missouri Extension. But MU Extension agronomist Bill Wiebold says farmers should not switch from corn to other crops or early maturing corn varieties because of rain-delayed planting. There is still time to get […]
The Missouri Senate passed Thursday proposed protections on CAFOs from county rules that are stronger than state regulations. Tim Gibbons with the Missouri Rural Crisis Center says the state should be standing up for Missouri’s nearly 100,000 family farms – not the corporate lobbyists working for industrial agriculture. Bill sponsor Mike Bernskoetter says […]
Cost-share funding is available to help produce growers pay for USDA Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification. “These funds are available for Missouri farmers who are applying for USDA GAP certification for the first time or for farms who are reapplying for USDA GAP certification,” said Londa Nwadike, state food safety specialist for the University of […]
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced today the availability of a new web-based tool – developed in partnership with the University of Wisconsin – to help dairy producers evaluate various scenarios using different coverage levels through the new Dairy Margin Coverage program. The 2018 Farm Bill authorized DMC, a voluntary risk management program that offers financial protection […]
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 […]
A controversial agriculture bill could resurface today in the Missouri Senate. The state Senate could debate today whether to ban Missouri counties from enforcing rules stricter than state regulations required for large animal feeding operations. Jefferson City Republican Mike Bernskoetter’s bill would bar counties from limiting where the farming operations, known as CAFOs, […]
The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service is making $2 million available to interested farmers to help install voluntary edge-of-field monitoring stations on agricultural land in five states, including Missouri. “Edge-of-field water quality monitoring provides quantifiable data that supports voluntary-based conservation efforts aimed at reducing the movement of sediment and nutrients off Missouri farms,” State Conservationist […]
The Missouri Strip Trial Program continues to seek farmers for the upcoming growing season, says University of Missouri Extension nutrient management specialist John Lory. MU Extension works with farmers to use their equipment to compare treatments on their fields using aerial imagery and GPS-referenced yield monitor data. The MU team works with the farmers so […]
Governor Mike Parson has declared a state of emergency in Missouri in response to worsening conditions along the Missouri and Mississippi River systems as a result of release from upstream reservoirs, snowmelt and excessive rainfall. Governor Parson also activated the Missouri State Emergency Operations Plan, which allows state agencies to coordinate directly with local jurisdictions. […]
Thompson Farm, Spickard, makes a home for beef reproduction research from the University of Missouri. That doesn’t protect it from harsh weather of hot droughts and frigid calving season faced by all beef farms recently. Weather cut beef herd size and boosted costs for labor and feed, farm manager Jon Schreffler told a meeting of […]
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has closed several conservation areas in the state’s northwest region due to Missouri River flooding. Some areas are under water, others are inaccessible or will remain closed due to public safety issues until further notice. MDC staff on March 19 continued to work with local farmers and the levee […]
