U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) introduced seven amendments to the United States Innovation and Competition Act, the Senate’s proposed legislation to increase competitiveness with China, to put American workers first, fight back against Beijing’s trade abuses, stand up for human rights, protect American national security, and crackdown on multi-billion-dollar corporations that are heavily invested in China. […]
Iowa farmers have been busy with the spring planting season. As operations hire workers for the summer, a nonprofit connects them with aspiring ‘ag’ professionals who could represent the industry’s future labor force. For nearly a decade, the group Practical Farmers of Iowa has carried out its Labor-4-Learning initiative, where participating farms provide on-site training for […]
U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Sherrod Brown (Ohio) introduced bipartisan legislation to require states to report data on all child abuse-related deaths and develop recommendations to prevent child abuse deaths from occurring in the first place. The senators’ bill would provide policymakers and public health officials with a clearer picture of the number of […]
U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), co-chairs of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, announced that they have reintroduced the Safe Home Act to protect adopted children from unregulated custody transfers. This legislation would add UCTs to the federal definition of child abuse and neglect under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. […]
Missouri non-farm payroll employment showed little overall change from March 2021 to April 2021, and the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased by a tenth of a percentage point. Employment, seasonally adjusted, increased by 600 jobs over the month. The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.1 percent in April 2021, down from 4.2 percent in […]
The final four nights of concerts in the Missouri State Fair Grandstand presented by CFM Insurance have just been announced. The Beach Boys will entertain audiences on the State Fair Grandstand stage on Wednesday, Aug 18. As The Beach Boys mark more than half a century of making music, the group continues to ride the […]
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 […]
(Missouri Independent) – On Monday morning, Jeremy Cady, state director of Americans for Prosperity, filed paperwork with Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s office to begin the process of putting the 12.5-cents a gallon tax increase on a statewide ballot. To succeed in forcing a referendum on the bill, the campaign would have to gather about 110,000 […]
The Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Department of the Treasury have announced that the first monthly payment of the expanded and newly-advanceable Child Tax Credit from the American Rescue Plan will be made on July 15. Roughly 39 million households, covering 88% of children in the United States, are slated to begin receiving monthly […]
Grundy County’s unemployment rate has dropped from what it was in February. The March jobless rate for Grundy County is 3.4% which is one-half of a percentage point less than February. That’s the same difference in the rate when compared to March of 2020. The most recent rate is based on 148 unemployed out of […]
As the school year ends, you can expect young people to start applying for summer jobs. For agricultural employers, these young workers can provide extra capacity at a time when farms and agribusinesses often have more work than they have employees to get that work done. “Labor is tight as the economy picks up steam […]
To address workforce shortages across the state, Governor Mike Parson directed the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to notify the U.S. Department of Labor that Missouri will end participation in all federal pandemic-related unemployment insurance programs effective Saturday, June 12 at 11:59 p.m. “From conversations with business owners across the state, we know […]
The University of Missouri Extension and Show-Me Farm Safety recently released a new Together We Can toolkit to help rural Missourians access mental health resources. “Missourians are strong and resilient in the face of the challenges and uncertainty that can come with farm life,” says Marshall Stewart, MU vice chancellor for extension and engagement and […]
The Trenton Park Board discussed pool staffing at a meeting on Wednesday, May 5th. Board President Duane Helmandollar reported six applications have been submitted for lifeguards this season for the Trenton Family Aquatic Center. Park Superintendent David Shockley announced there were three applications for assistant manager, and Taylor Richman has been hired as pool manager. […]
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) will continue initiatives to integrate conservation with agriculture practices and help restore and manage sand prairies after being awarded two partnership projects through the Natural Resources Conservation Service Regional Conservation Partnership Program. Through RCPP, conservation partners work in collaboration with NRCS to help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners throughout […]
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri lawmakers must finish work on the fiscal 2022 budget by Friday. And while the biggest spending issue of the session, Medicaid expansion, is off the table, there are other big issues to resolve in the state-run health care program. One of the largest is whether to provide a cushion for hospitals that […]
The Missouri Veterans Commission announces the launch of the Missouri Benefits and Resource Portal. In collaboration with the Missouri Department of Economic Development Office of the Missouri Military Advocate, MVC created the portal to serve as an informational tool and service guide to help Veterans find potential benefits and local resources. “The Missouri Benefits and […]
The Drug Enforcement Administration announced a new initiative, Project Wave Breaker, to disrupt the flow of deadly fentanyl into the United States. Project Wave Breaker will direct interdiction, enforcement, and outreach efforts to high-impact areas to disrupt the flow of fentanyl in and around the United States. The initiative will also employ analytical intelligence assets […]
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced legislation to create the Parent Tax Credit, a historic tax cut to help working parents afford to start a family and raise their children. Through a fully refundable tax credit provided directly through automatic, monthly advances, Senator Hawley’s Parent Tax Credit gives working parents the flexibility they need to make the best choices for raising their […]
Missouri farmers can submit two free tests to beat the soybean cyst nematode (SCN) by contacting their county University of Missouri Extension center or the SCN Diagnostics laboratory. Testing soil before planting soybean is vital, says MU Extension plant pathologist Kaitlyn Bissonnette. SCN is the No. 1 soybean disease in the U.S. and Canada, with […]
