(Missouri Independent) – Congressional Democrats on Wednesday touted conservation programs for farmers and ranchers as key tools for limiting agriculture’s impact on the global climate as they took initial steps to create the next farm bill. One Republican’s response: So what? “We’ve talked primarily about climate change, and I gotta to be honest with you,” […]
Tag: prices
Missouri Securities Division Partners with CFTC and 26 states to stop $68 million precious metals scheme
Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s Securities Division announced that it is participating in a consolidated enforcement action to stop a $68 million fraudulent precious metals scheme that, to date, has allegedly defrauded at least 450 investors nationwide, including eighteen investors from Missouri. A complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Central District […]
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 […]
USDA announces January 2022 lending rates for agricultural producers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced loan interest rates for January 2022, which are effective Jan. 3. USDA’s Farm Service Agency loans provide important access to capital to help agricultural producers start or expand their farming operation, purchase equipment, and storage structures, or meet cash flow needs. Operating, Ownership, and Emergency Loans FSA offers farm […]
Trenton City Council approves financing of water treatment plant improvements
The city of Trenton will use the services of the Missouri Public Utility Alliance regarding financing an estimated two and a half million dollars worth of improvements at Trenton’s water treatment plant. Trenton is among the member municipalities across the state with the Alliance. The city council on Monday night, on a vote of seven […]
Missouri cattle producers say more competition needed to stay profitable
Meat prices have been on the rise, but family-farm advocates say higher profits haven’t been making their way to smaller cattle producers. Four companies control 85% of the beef supply, noted Darvin Bentlage, a cattle rancher and farmer in southwest Missouri. He said the executive order on promoting competition that President Joe Biden signed last summer is a […]
Survey finds Missouri land values increased across the board in 2021
Landowners who purchased Missouri property in 2021 paid more for land than buyers who purchased land in 2020, according to the latest Missouri Farmland Values Opinion Survey report from the University of Missouri Extension. Agricultural economist Ray Massey, who led the survey, projects the upswing in land values will continue. He says higher land values […]
USDA provides additional pandemic assistance to hog producers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a new program to assist hog producers who sold hogs through a negotiated sale during the period in which these producers faced the greatest reduction in market prices due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Spot Market Hog Pandemic Program (SMHPP) is part of USDA’s Pandemic Assistance for Producers initiative and addresses […]
Top oil and gas companies report $174 billion in profits keeping prices at the pump high
As the country continues to endure high gas prices, 24 of the top oil and gas corporations made nearly $174 billion in profits this year, with profits in the past three months alone topping $74 billion, according to a new report by Accountable.US. Tony Carrk, executive director of the watchdog group, said top executives at Chevron […]
Customers of Summit Natural Gas to see increase in natural gas rate beginning December 8th
To reflect estimated changes in the wholesale cost of natural gas as well as a change in the company’s Actual Cost Adjustment (ACA) factor, Summit Natural Gas of Missouri, Inc. (Summit Natural Gas) customers will see natural gas rates change under a filing that takes effect on December 8, 2021. The ACA factor is a […]
USDA announces December 2021 lending rates for agricultural producers
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced loan interest rates for December 2021, which are effective Dec. 1. USDA’s Farm Service Agency loans provide important access to capital to help agricultural producers start or expand their farming operation, purchase equipment, and storage structures, or meet cash flow needs. Operating, Ownership, and Emergency Loans FSA offers farm […]
Empire gas customers in north Missouri to see price of natural gas double
To reflect estimated changes in the wholesale cost of natural gas as well as a change in the company’s Actual Cost Adjustment (ACA) factor, natural gas customers of The Empire District Gas Company d/b/a Liberty (Empire) will see natural gas rates change under a filing that takes effect on December 1, 2021. The ACA factor […]
Missouri Attorney General sues Springfield schools in quest to find critical race theory documents
(Missouri Independent) – Attorney General Eric Schmitt alleges in a newly filed lawsuit that Springfield Public Schools wants to avoid scrutiny of its curriculum and training materials — and is violating the Missouri Sunshine law to do it. The district improperly demanded a deposit of more than $37,000 to search its records for instances where it incorporated elements […]
Critics say Spire Missouri’s warning of natural gas outages a “manufactured crisis”
(Missouri Independent) – As federal energy regulators prepare to decide the fate of a St. Louis natural gas pipeline, Spire Missouri is warning customers their gas service could fail this winter. Business industry groups and the utility maintain their responsibility to keep customers informed. But environmental groups and some local elected officials — who note federal regulators seem […]
People are grappling with rising food prices and supply issues
From supply-chain issues to rising food costs, local food shelves are navigating a sea of obstacles in gathering enough supplies for those needing help. Iowa locations say to meet the nutritional needs of clients, the public could help in a variety of ways. The Food Bank of Siouxland, which covers several counties in northwestern Iowa, […]
Gallatin Board of Aldermen hold discussion on employee retirement system; police department to organize “Toys for Tots” program
The Gallatin Board of Aldermen on November 8, 2021, discussed the Missouri Local Government Employees Retirement System. The various retirement options with the program were discussed. Administrator Lance Rains provided a report with the annual costs for the LAGERS program for the City of Albany for the last 10 years. Alderman Carl McBee moved to join […]
Managing potassium and phosphorus when prices are high
Farmers understand fertilizer prices fluctuate with time. “We are living through a substantial shift in potassium and phosphorus prices, from low prices in the 2020 growing season to the highest prices in the past decade for fertilizer purchased now for the 2022 growing season,” says John Lory, University of Missouri Extension nutrient management specialist. A […]
Crop Management Conference returns November 30 through December 1
The University of Missouri Crop Management Conference returns as an in-person event Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 2021, at the Stoney Creek Hotel in Columbia. MU Extension specialists in weeds, pests, and plant diseases, nutrient management, economics, cover crops, drainage, and wildlife management will speak. Other presenters include a climatologist from Purdue University and an industry representative […]
After cold snap upended markets, natural gas could be pricey this winter
(Missouri Independent) – After a historic cold snap depleted natural gas reserves in February, prices for heating could be as much as 30% higher this winter, prompting concerns about increasing bills for Kansas and Missouri customers. Kansas is already grappling with the $1 billion fallout from this winter’s cold snap when natural gas prices rose by […]
Uncertain nitrogen prices and supplies may affect application timing
Rising nitrogen prices, uncertain spring supplies, and unseasonably high temperatures may push farmers to apply nitrogen outside of their normal application windows, says University of Missouri Extension nutrient management specialist John Lory. “We may be in unprecedented times with respect to nitrogen management decisions for the 2022 growing season,” says Lory. “Nitrogen pressures for 2022 […]