(Missouri Independent) – Reducing the number of livestock will not be a priority for the Biden administration as it seeks to drastically cut methane emissions to stem climate change, according to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. Instead, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “climate-smart” initiatives will focus on new types of animal feed and manure […]
Tag: reduce
New funds and strategy may boost “massive task” of reducing lead exposure for Missouri kids
(Missouri Independent) – It’s clear that lead exposure is a problem for Missouri’s children. An estimated 4.5% have elevated levels of lead in their blood, more than almost any other state in the country. What’s far more difficult is figuring out where children are getting exposed to lead, said Carlton Waterhouse, President Joe Biden’s pick for […]
MoDOT planned road work in northern Missouri for the week of November 8, 2021
The following is a list of general highway maintenance and construction work the Missouri Department of Transportation has planned in North Missouri for the week of Nov. 8 – 14 All road closures and planned roadwork may be viewed on the Traveler Information Map. Inclement weather may cause schedule changes in some of the planned […]
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 […]
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 […]
Biden pitches new $1.75 trillion spending blueprint to Democrats that drops paid family leave
(Missouri Independent) – President Joe Biden is meeting with congressional Democrats on Capitol Hill Thursday morning to pitch lawmakers on a new slimmed-down framework for what would be included in a massive social reform package, according to senior administration officials. The $1.75 trillion blueprint that Biden is presenting to Democrats includes a universal pre-K program for 3-and-4 […]
Screening encouraged during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Since the program began in 1985, mammography rates have more than doubled for women age 50 and older. According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, outside of skin cancers. About 1 in 8 (13%) women in the US will develop […]
Three million Missourians complete COVID-19 vaccination as MO VIP drawings conclude
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced that more than three million Missourians have completed their COVID-19 vaccine series. Missouri reaches this milestone upon the successful conclusion of the COVID-19 vaccine incentive program, MO VIP, that Governor Mike Parson announced on July 21, 2021. In total, more than 66,500 adults and minors were vaccinated and […]
NRCS announces november 19, 2021 application deadline for financial assistance
The Missouri USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service announced November 19, 2021, as the cut-off date to apply for the Fiscal Year 2022 funds through the Environmental Quality Incentive Program. EQIP allows farmers, ranchers, forestland managers, and landowners an opportunity to conserve natural resources by making available financial assistance to improve soil, water, air, plants, animals, […]
Protection from flu may be even more important this year
Flu season has arrived in Missouri, and state health officials are urging individuals to get vaccinated now to protect themselves and their families, prevent the spread of flu, and ease the burden of COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses that have and continue to impact the healthcare system. Although the number of flu cases reported through […]
Audio: 2021 School Counselor of the Year is from Missouri
Olivia Carter is the 2021 School Counselor of the Year, Missouri School Counselor of the Year, and the school counselor at Jefferson Elementary School in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Carter, who has been a counselor for ten years, says she thinks she was chosen for the national award after helping her elementary school reduce in-school discipline […]
Telehealth going strong even after pandemic closures
The use of telehealth services – a combination of telephone, video, and other online tools – peaked during COVID closures, and Coloradans still are opting for remote visits, according to new data. Social isolation and other disruptions saw mental and behavioral telehealth visits rise dramatically. Cari Frank – vice president for communications with the Center […]
COVID-19 outbreak at Smithfield plant in Milan, Missouri likely larger than originally known
(Missouri Independent) – The COVID-19 outbreak at Smithfield Foods’ northern Missouri plant — the focus of a worker safety lawsuit that garnered national attention last year — resulted in two worker deaths and was worse than previously thought, according to newly obtained federal documents. Early on in the pandemic, the Sullivan County Health Department told local […]
Department of Natural Resources awards $339,559 grant to Ludlow
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources awarded $339,559 in financial assistance through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund Regionalization Incentive Grant program to the village of Ludlow. The funding will be used to construct a connection between Ludlow’s wastewater treatment system and the Southwest Livingston County R-1 School. This grant will fund 100% of the […]
Audio: New program kicks off soon to help Missouri teachers create better classroom environment
Some Missouri middle and high school teachers will be participating in an upcoming virtual program designed to create a more positive learning environment. Dr. Christi Bergin, with the University of Missouri, says a group of researchers will discuss prosocial behavior techniques – to boost student outcomes and reduce teacher stress. She says the practices are […]
Online tool now available for drought-stricken farms to estimate compensation for feed transportation costs
An online tool is now available to help ranchers document and estimate payments to cover feed transportation costs caused by drought, which are now covered by the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP). The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) updated the program this year to include feed transportation costs as well as […]
Missouri State Auditor releases audit of the Office of the St. Louis City Sheriff
State Auditor Nicole Galloway today released an audit of the Office of the Sheriff for the City of St. Louis. The audit, which gave the agency a rating of “good,” is part of the ongoing, comprehensive audit of St. Louis City. The Office of Sheriff consists of 7 units including Criminal and Civil Courts, Civil […]
Saturday is “National Move Over Day” to remind drivers to protect emergency personnel working on the side of the road
Saturday, October 16, 2021, has been designated National Move Over Day to remind drivers to help protect emergency personnel working on the side of the road. In 2020, three people were killed and 51 injured in the 231 traffic crashes involving parked emergency vehicles displaying emergency lights. Preliminary statistics indicate there have been 168 traffic […]
Schuyler County receives rating of “good” in audit from Missouri State Auditor
State Auditor Nicole Galloway released today her regularly scheduled audit of Schuyler County, located in northern Missouri. Schuyler County received an overall rating of “good” in the audit, which matches the “good” rating received by the county in a 2015 audit. “My audit recommended several areas for improvement that county government officials have shown a willingness […]
Audio: House committee to hold hearing about missing foster kids report
A Missouri House committee will hold a hearing Tuesday about a new federal report on foster kids going missing and unaccounted for. The Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says 978 Missouri foster care children were missing at some point in 2019. According to the […]