The U.S. Department of Agriculture is updating the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2) for contract producers of eligible livestock and poultry and producers of specialty crops and other sales-based commodities. CFAP 2, which assists producers who faced market disruptions in 2020 due to COVID-19, is part of USDA’s broader Pandemic Assistance for Producers […]
The Missouri State Fair celebrated youth in agriculture on Saturday, Aug. 21. The annual Sale of Champions highlighted the day, breaking records from previous sales, raising a total of $185,948 for Youth in Agriculture. The Grand Champion Steer was exhibited by Payton Rodgers of Savannah, MO. Payton is the daughter of Blaine and Melissa Rodgers, […]
(Missouri Independent) – Nursing homes will be required to ensure their staffers are vaccinated against COVID-19, or risk losing federal Medicare and Medicaid dollars, the Biden administration announced Wednesday in a major move on vaccinations as the Delta variant sweeps many states. Under the new nursing home policy, the U.S. Department of Health and Human […]
(Missouri Independent) – The first U.S. stop for the nearly 2,000 Afghan interpreters and other refugees evacuated so far amid the collapse of the Afghan government has been central Virginia’s Fort Lee military base. Tapped for its East Coast location and its ability to quickly ramp up to serve as a temporary host installation, the Army […]
Monarch Bioenergy, a joint venture between Smithfield Foods, Inc. and Roeslein Alternative Energy, has finished installing manure-to-energy technology on nearly all of Smithfield’s Northern Missouri hog finishing farms. The new technology captures methane emissions and converts them into carbon-negative renewable natural gas to power homes, vehicles and businesses. “We are delighted to reach this exciting milestone, which is a significant step toward […]
The Missouri Department of Agriculture, working in conjunction with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and Missouri State University, has confirmed the first finding of an Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis) in Missouri. Missouri becomes the 16th state with a presence of the tick species, following the first confirmed report of the Asian […]
In results from the Mercer County Fair in Princeton The fair queen is Hannah Meighen, the princess is Coley Power, and the prince is Brodie Ellsworth. Swine show results include Cash Walker of Hamilton showing the grand champion boar. Grason Park of Hamilton exhibited the reserve champion boar. Bailey Miller of Hamilton had the grand […]
(Missouri Independent) – When the attorney general’s office asked a judge in 2019 to lift a temporary restraining order blocking a Missouri law pre-empting county regulations on concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, that were stricter than the state’s, the argument was straightforward. No one was trying to build a large animal feeding operation in Cedar […]
More results have been announced from the Livingston County Fair. For swine breeding showmanship, junior recognition went to Macie Rodenberg, intermediate to Riggin Isaacs, and senior to Colby Gillespie. For swine market showmanship, junior went to Jaxon Lollar, intermediate to Jaiden Rodenberg, and senior to Maci Johnson. Junior showmanship is for participants ages eight to […]
Area churches will sponsor a night of music, food, fellowship, and laughter at the Polo Community Building. Christian Comedian and Motivational Speaker Dennis Swanberg will be there on July 10th. A whole hog roast with fixings will start at 5:30 that evening. Swanberg will start at 6:30. There will be music by a bluegrass/gospel band. […]
Chillicothe Police report the Friday through Sunday weekend period included 262 calls for service plus the usual traffic stops and business checks. Investigations involved two situations allegedly involving individuals who were said to be considering harm to themselves. Two drug arrests were made following a traffic stop. Among reports from Friday, Chillicothe Police investigated a […]
Eleven of Missouri’s largest concentrated animal feeding operations are working to reduce the state’s oversight of their hog facilities despite a record of manure spills and clean water violations. Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork producer, has 11 CAFOs seeking new state permits. The facilities, dotted across northern Missouri, combined are capable of raising more […]
Aynsley Harmon, a 12-year-old from Kahoka, Missouri, wanted to be able to talk with a deaf relative she sees at family reunions. So she did what any resourceful 4-H’er does: She looked for a project to help her accomplish her goal. With a lot of support and collaboration along the way, her determination resulted in […]
(Missouri Independent) – Jeff Jones has lived on his family’s land east of Columbia, Missouri, his entire life. Some of the family’s farms are more than 150 years old. And Jones, who raises cattle and grows row crops, has no intentions of going anywhere. But after years of fighting, his community is home to a […]
4-H clubs across Missouri have raised more than three-quarters of a million meals to feed hungry families over the last three years. The third annual 4-H Feeding Missouri food drive, in partnership with Missouri Farmers Care Drive to Feed Kids, ran from Jan. 1 through April 30. Even though COVID-19 limited in-person drives, fundraising, volunteer […]
Chillicothe firefighters responded to a house fire at mid-day Sunday on Route U, northwest of Chillicothe. Upon arriving at 9327 Route U, firefighters found heavy smoke at the structure. A spokesman noted the main fire was found in the kitchen with an extension to the attic space. Approximately 1,250 gallons of water were used in […]
A Gallatin man has been charged with three felony counts of second-degree statutory rape after he allegedly had sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl several times. Bond has been denied for 25-year-old Michael Starr. A probable cause statement from Sergeant Jared Hogan with the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office accuses Starr of having sexual intercourse with […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri regulators on Tuesday eased the rules governing the design of massive industrial hog facilities in a move critics claim was meant to help one controversial facility. The state’s Clean Water Commission voted 5-1 to narrow the definition of groundwater in the state’s rules governing the construction of “concentrated animal feeding operations” […]
Bipartisan legislation toughening penalties on residents who KNOWINGLY release feral hogs in Missouri is now on the governor’s desk. The Missouri House voted 150-1 to give final approval to the bill from Speed State Representative Tim Taylor, before Friday’s adjournment. Under Taylor’s bill, repeat offenders would be charged with a felony for each feral swine […]
When feed prices go up, swine producers usually see profits go down. That’s not the case in 2021. This gives producers an opportunity to look at feeding to heavier weights despite higher feed costs, says University of Missouri Extension swine nutritionist Marcia Shannon. Higher market weights result in dramatic net gains per pig under current […]
