Grazing School Map

Grazing schools postponed due to COVID-19

The University of Missouri and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service will postpone their annual series of management-intensive grazing schools in 2020 due to safety concerns about COVID-19. Organizers will look at the situation in late May to consider options, said MU Extension forage specialist Craig Roberts. NRCS and MU Extension specialists hold more than […]

Farmers Market

Farmers market vendors prep for season amid COVID-19 concerns

University of Missouri Extension food safety specialist Londa Nwadike says that, right now, science is on the side of produce growers.  “There is currently no evidence that the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, has been transmitted through food or food packaging,” said Nwadike, who has dual extension appointments with MU and Kansas State University. That’s […]

Farm equipment cultivator

Farmers face unique safety risks during COVID-19

Farmers and ranchers face unique safety risks as COVID-19 continues to spread. The predicted peak of the COVID-19 outbreak likely will hit as spring planting season shifts into high gear, says Rusty Lee, University of Missouri Extension field specialist in agronomy. Physical distancing becomes difficult as farmers receive seed and chemical deliveries, Lee says. Shipments […]

Life Flight Helicopter

Two seriously injured in one-car crash west of Elmer

The Highway Patrol reports two men sustained serious injuries in a one-car accident one mile west of Elmer on Monday evening. An air ambulance transported driver 43-year-old Brandon True of Kirksville to the University Hospital of Columbia, and an ambulance transported passenger 22-year-old Augustus Allen of Atlanta, Missouri to the University Hospital. The car traveled […]

School Lunch

USDA to partner with rural schools to provide one million meals per week to schools shut by COVID-19

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has announced a collaboration with the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty, McLane Global, PepsiCo, and others to deliver nearly 1,000,000 meals a week to students in a limited number of rural schools closed due to COVID-19: “Feeding children who are affected by school closures is a top priority […]

Missouri Response to COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

The Big Picture: Missouri’s response to COVID-19

As concerns over the new coronavirus (COVID-19) continue to grow across the state and the nation, Governor Mike Parson and his administration are working each day to respond to the virus and protect the health and well-being of Missourians. Expanding COVID-19 Testing The state is currently working with the University of Missouri to expand COVID-19 […]

Coronavirus News Graphic

Two more Coronavirus cases hit Missouri

Eight people have tested positive in Missouri for COVID-19, often called the coronavirus. During a press conference Monday evening, St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson announced the city’s first case is a Saint Louis University student in their 20s who recently traveled abroad. The individual is self-isolating in their off-campus residence. The second new case is […]

Coronavirus Concerns

Local schools and organizations announce cancellations and closures due to Coronavirus concerns

Due to concerns of spreading the Coronavirus, announcements continue to be made regarding cancellation or postponement of area community events and school information. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with Governor Mike Parson, has recommended no public gatherings of 50 or more people through April 30th except for schools, daycare facilities, and businesses. […]

Health News

Coronavirus Information: How organizations are handling the issue statewide

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education continues to receive many questions about COVID-19 and how it impacts student attendance, school closure, assessments, and virtual education opportunities. We are aware that local education agencies must consider a number of factors when making decisions in this current situation. Administrative Memo COM-20-001, issued from the Commissioner […]

State of Emergency

Governor Parson signs Executive Order 2002 declaring a state of emergency in Missouri

Today, Governor Mike Parson signed Executive Order 2002 declaring a state of emergency in Missouri in response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Governor Parson announced the emergency declaration in a press conference on Friday. The following individuals were also present at the press conference: Dr. Randall Williams, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) […]

Sunn Hemp Research

Department of Agriculture to hold training for those interested in becoming certified industrial hemp samplers

The Missouri Department of Agriculture will hold a training session for individuals interested in becoming certified industrial hemp samplers. Training will be held at the University of Missouri Forage Systems Research Center east of Linneus the afternoon of March 24th at 1 o’clock. Field Specialist in Agronomy Valerie Tate says certified industrial hemp samplers must […]