(Missouri Independent) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is preparing guidance for governors about when to relax masking and other measures meant to slow the spread of COVID-19 but doesn’t want to release those instructions just yet. Director Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday that it’s too soon to begin rolling backmasking and other public […]
Tag: Rural
Deadline extended to enroll in 2022 Dairy Margin Coverage and Supplemental Dairy Margin coverage
USDA has extended the deadline to enroll in Dairy Margin Coverage and Supplemental Dairy Margin Coverage for the program year 2022. The deadline to apply for 2022 coverage is now March 25, 2022. As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing efforts to support dairy farmers and rural communities, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) opened DMC […]
Princeton City Council presented possible changes to water project
The Princeton City Council on February 7, 2022, heard from Philip Wilson of McClure Engineering about possible changes to a water project. City Clerk Cory Willett reports Wilson talked about downscaling the scope of work from what was originally intended. She said this is because Mercer and Rural Water will not be on the water […]
Missouri bills would offer incentives for grocery stores, urban farms to eliminate food deserts
(Missouri Independent) – The closure of Save A Lot in Pagedale left a hole in northern St. Louis County. Beyond Housing, a community-building group that serves about two dozen cities in the area had worked through the Great Recession to bring a grocery store closer to low-income residents in a part of the St. Louis area dotted with […]
Businesses in Gallatin and Cameron to receive USDA funding
A business at Gallatin and two at Cameron are among those receiving investment dollars from the USDA Rural Development department. Apex Outdoor LLC at Gallatin will use a $422,000 rural development loan guarantee to finance and purchase equipment for a startup meat processing business. A news release from USDA says the equipment will be used […]
Congress clashes over climate in early farm bill talks
(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,” […]
Missouri Department of Agriculture announces grants for Missouri specialty crop production
The Missouri Department of Agriculture is now accepting proposals for anticipated funding through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. Interested individuals, community organizations, and research institutions working to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in Missouri should submit their applications by March 8, 2022. “Specialty crop production plays a big role in Missouri agriculture and […]
Fire damages home on Crowder Road in Trenton
A fire early Saturday evening caused extensive damage to a vacant house at 213 East Crowder Road in Trenton. Firefighters from the Trenton and Grundy County rural departments arrived to find heavy smoke coming from the two-story structure, and a downstairs front room was fully involved in flames. Grundy County Rural Fire Chief Kenny Roberts […]
Counties ask Missouri Supreme Court to strike down law restricting local CAFO rules
(Missouri Independent) – A pair of Missouri counties are asking the state Supreme Court to overturn a 2019 law that stripped them of their ability to set their own rules for concentrated animal feeding operations or CAFOs. Under the law, county commissioners are prohibited from setting policies that are “inconsistent with or more stringent than” state […]
North Central Missouri College awarded Teacher Recruitment Grant
North Central Missouri College has recently been awarded a $10,000 Teacher Recruitment Grant from the U.S. Department of Education through the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to help address teacher recruitment. “Placing high-quality educators in classrooms is a high priority amongst all administrators in Missouri,” said Cassie Cordray, NCMC Teacher Education Instructor. “Administrators […]
GEC Community Foundation awards over $2,900 in grants
The Trustees of the GEC Community Foundation, Inc. met on January 26, 2022, and awarded four grants totaling $2,971.00. All grants are funded by member donations called Operation Round Up where members voluntarily round up their utility bills each month to fund grants to eligible entities. Education grants were awarded to Trenton-IX Middle School, Trenton, […]
Communities and organizations in north Missouri receive project funding from USDA
Area organizations will receive funding from the United States Department of Agriculture to build and improve critical community facilities across rural Missouri. The Putnam County Special Projects Organization, Incorporated will use a $14,700 loan and a $7,800 grant to purchase a fire truck that will be leased to the Liberty Township Fire Protection District. The […]
USDA invests $1 billion to improve community infrastructure for people living in rural towns across the country
United States Department of Agriculture Deputy Secretary Dr. Jewel Bronaugh today announced that USDA is investing $1 billion to build and improve critical community facilities in 48 states, Puerto Rico and Guam (PDF, 449 KB). This infrastructure funding will increase access to health care, education, and public safety while spurring community development and building sound […]
Matt Wright elected to lead Missouri Soybean Association
This week Missouri Soybeans hosted the Missouri Soybean Association board in Jefferson City, MO for their annual meeting. During the meeting, the Association unanimously selected several farmer-leaders to step up in leadership positions to serve Missouri’s soybean growers. To lead MSA, Matt Wright was voted to serve as the president for 2022. Wright is a […]
USDA urges producers to submit applications for 2021 grazing loss assistance by January 31
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reminds ranchers and livestock producers that they may be eligible for financial assistance through the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) for 2021 grazing losses due to qualifying drought or fire. The deadline to apply for 2021 LFP assistance is Jan. 31, 2022. “Ongoing, widespread drought conditions have resulted in significant financial losses […]
Trenton Fire Department responds to vacant house on Chestnut Street in Trenton
A fire damaged a vacant house at 1429 Chestnut in Trenton on Tuesday morning, January 25, 2022. Trenton Fire Department Lieutenant Jeremy Summers reports there was heavy smoke and fire damage to the attic, heavy smoke damage to the entire house, and moderate fire damage to the kitchen. Summers says off-duty Firefighter Dustin Whorton noticed […]
Parson pay raise plan in limbo as $5.4 billion spending bill awaits vote
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri state employees counting on seeing a big raise in their February paychecks may be disappointed, as lawmakers fiddle with a $5.4 billion spending bill pushed by Gov. Mike Parson. When the Republican governor in December proposed a 5.5 percent pay raise for all state workers, he said he wanted it in effect by […]
Agriculture secretary pressed about pandemic relief funds for farmers
(Missouri Independent) – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack faced questions on how his agency is doling out emergency pandemic aid and fostering collaboration with historically Black colleges during a Thursday hearing before the House Agriculture Committee. Committee Chairman David Scott, a Georgia Democrat, asked Vilsack for “critical updates on the implementation of pandemic relief programs, including […]
Governor Mike Parson touts Missouri’s COVID-19 response in annual State of State address
(Missouri Independent) – Gov. Mike Parson praised his administration’s handling of the still-unfolding COVID-19 pandemic Wednesday, telling a joint session of the Missouri General Assembly that the state has emerged ready to make long-term investments in its future. “The bottom line is Missouri’s economy is strong,” Parson said in his annual State of the State […]
Graves, Huffman introduce “Save America’s Rural Hospitals Act”
Congressman Sam Graves and Congressman Jared Huffman introduced the bipartisan Save America’s Rural Hospitals Act to rescue rural hospitals on the brink of bankruptcy and help put these critical care providers back on solid ground. “This isn’t a new problem. Our rural hospitals have been struggling to keep their doors open to patients for years,” said […]