(Missouri Independent) – Shawndra Taylor had just 12 hours notice when the first truck canceled. The truck contained food to help prepare the 3,000 meals served each day in her school district in Eldon — including items she needed to make dinner for students. Her supplier, Kohl Wholesale in Quincy, Illinois, was too short-staffed. Taylor, […]
Tag: workforce
North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees review visit by Higher Learning Commission
Last week’s Higher Learning Commission’s visit was discussed at the North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees meeting on September 28. NCMC President Doctor Lenny Klaver called it a “good visit” and said sessions were well attended by faculty, staff, and trustees. He also said a “great team” came for the visit, and it was […]
North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees to meet Tuesday evening
Personnel, along with reports, highlights the meeting Tuesday, September 28, 2021, for the North Central Missouri College Board of Trustees. The open portion of the meeting begins at 5:30 and will be held at the Frey Administrative Center on the campus. Personnel includes resignations, employments, a Head Start item, contractual and classification changes as well […]
USDA and HHS launch resource guide to help rural communities increase access to child care services
United States Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Justin Maxson and Department of Health and Human Services Deputy Assistant Secretary for Early Childhood Development Katie Hamm today unveiled a joint resource guide (PDF, 3.5 MB) to help people in rural and Tribal communities increase access to child care services. “Access to quality, affordable […]
USDA extends deadline to apply for pandemic assistance to livestock producers with animal losses
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing additional time for livestock and poultry producers to apply for the Pandemic Livestock Indemnity Program. Producers who suffered losses during the pandemic due to insufficient access to processing may now apply for assistance for those losses and the cost of depopulation and disposal of the animals through Oct. […]
USDA launches resource guide to assist rural communities seeking disaster and recovery assistance
United States Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Justin Maxson today unveiled a resource guide as part of National Preparedness Month to help rural communities seeking disaster resiliency and recovery assistance. This guide follows the Biden-Harris Administration’s announcement of the American Jobs Plan, which targets investments to support infrastructure in communities that are most physically […]
Missouri Governor condemns Biden’s vaccine mandate, vows legal fight against federal overreach
Governor Mike Parson announced that his administration will reject the Biden Administration’s attempt to enforce an unconstitutional, federal vaccine mandate for Missourians and private businesses. The Office of the Governor has been in communication with leadership from the Missouri General Assembly and the Attorney General’s Office to align resources for a pending legal fight. “This […]
USDA invests $464 million in renewable energy infrastructure to help rural communities, businesses and ag producers reduce energy costs
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the Department is investing $464 million to build or improve renewable energy infrastructure and help rural communities, agricultural producers, and businesses lower energy costs in 48 states and Puerto Rico. “USDA continues to prioritize climate-smart infrastructure to help rural America build back better, stronger and more […]
Missouri Department of Agriculture announces grants for funding of urban agriculture projects
The Missouri Department of Agriculture announced funding for the Urban Agriculture Matching Grant Program. The Department will award grants of up to $10,000 for reimbursement of expenses associated with urban agriculture. Eligible projects include urban agricultural projects, which may include introducing a new crop or product to an area, expanding the use of an agricultural […]
Saint Luke’s Health System Region CEO answers employee questions on the COVID-19 vaccination mandate
Saint Luke’s Health System Critical Access Region Chief Executive Officer Steve Schieber answered questions during a conference call on September 1st regarding the COVID-19 vaccination mandate announced by Saint Luke’s on August 30th. The health system will require all employees to be fully vaccinated by October 30th. Wright Memorial Hospital of Trenton and Hedrick Medical […]
Creating Entrepreneurial Communities Conference set for September 29-30
How can small towns and rural areas promote entrepreneurship to drive economic growth and revitalize their communities? University of Missouri Extension and partners in the Hannibal area will explore that question at the first Creating Entrepreneurial Communities Conference, Sept. 29-30 in downtown Hannibal. The two-day conference is open to anyone interested in learning more about […]
USDA accepts 2.8 million acres for the Conservation Reserve Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has accepted 2.8 million acres in offers from agricultural producers and private landowners for enrollment into the Conservation Reserve Program in 2021. This year, almost 1.9 million acres in offers have been accepted through the General CRP Signup, and USDA’s Farm Service Agency has accepted over 897,000 acres for enrollment […]
Meatpacking plants have long relied on immigrant labor. Some now turn to foreign visa workers
(Missouri Independent) – Colored hard hats distinguish different roles and jobs at Seaboard Foods, a major meatpacking plant in Guymon, Oklahoma. Senior management have green. Supervisors wear dark blue. Foreign workers on visas don yellow-green. But Seaboard is part of a small but growing trend in the meatpacking industry, which already largely relied on an […]
USDA accepting applications to help cover costs for organic certification
Organic producers and handlers can now apply for U.S. Department of Agriculture funds to assist with the cost of receiving or maintaining organic certification. Applications for the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP) are due Nov. 1, 2021. “USDA is here to help all producers, including those who grow our nation’s organic food and fiber. Many farmers have told […]
Biden mandates nursing homes require COVID vaccine or lose Medicare, Medicaid funds
(Missouri Independent) – Nursing homes will be required to ensure their staffers are vaccinated against COVID-19, or risk losing federal Medicare and Medicaid dollars, the Biden administration announced Wednesday in a major move on vaccinations as the Delta variant sweeps many states. Under the new nursing home policy, the U.S. Department of Health and Human […]
Missouri payrolls add 15,000 jobs in month after Parson stopped federal unemployment aid
(Missouri Independent) – Missouri payrolls added exactly 15,000 non-farm jobs in July as the unemployment rate ticked down 0.1 percent, seasonally adjusted data from the federal Bureau of Labor Standards shows. The state’s labor force of 3.08 million, however, declined by 177, and overall employment, which includes self-employed people and farm labor, grew by 4,462 […]
AARP calls for vaccine mandates as COVID re-enters Missouri nursing homes
(Missouri Indepentent) – With cases on the rise among both residents and staff, the nation’s leading advocacy group for retirees is calling on nursing homes to mandate COVID-19 vaccines. The number of COVID-19 cases reported each week in Kansas and Missouri nursing homes is rising again for the first time in months. Missouri, where weekly […]
Audio: MoDOT has lost more than half of its 5100-person workforce over the past four years
Like many industries dealing with worker shortages, so is the Missouri Department of Transportation. MoDOT Director Patrick McKenna says his department has had a high turnover rate for several years. The current state budget includes a pay raise for MoDOT workers, but Missouri still has one of the lowest-paid state workforces in the […]
Biden-Harris Administration extends eviction moratorium for homeowners
The U.S. Department of Agriculture extended through September 30 the eviction moratorium for homeowners of properties financed or guaranteed by USDA. “The United States is still reeling from a nationwide housing affordability crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. USDA is taking this important action today to allow individuals and families who face eviction from […]
Carroll County Memorial Hospital continues STEM partnership with Norborne School
Carroll County Memorial Hospital and Norborne R-VIII School District continue their partnership of providing educational opportunities for students through a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) lab. In 2020, CCMH donated $5,000 to sponsor Norborne’s STEM lab initiative. On July 12, CCMH presented another donation of $5,000. With the donation, the school was able to […]