Agriculture Archives - Missourinet

Missouri vaccination update: Get ready teachers, childcare centers, grocery workers

February 25, 2021 By Alisa Nelson

The next tier of Missouri’s coronavirus vaccination plan will be activated on March 15. That means all teachers, faculty, and staff in public, private, and nonprofit pre K-12 will become eligible. So will state licensed childcare center workers, some food production employees, as well as grocery and convenience stores workers.

Missouri is currently vaccinating residents in Phase 1A, Phase 1B – Tier 1, Phase 1B – Tier 2.

During a press briefing today, Gov. Mike Parson says the next group to become eligible, Phase 1B – Tier 3, allows 550,000 additional Missourians to get vaccinated.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson briefs Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on February 4, 2021 (file photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

“Tier 3 represents another very important part of our society,” says Parson. “They are the workers in many of the industries we depend on each day to keep our day-to-day lives operating normally.”

Earlier this month, Missouri’s 2017-2021 Teachers of the Year sent a letter to state Department of Health and Senior Services Director Randall Williams asking him to prioritize educators and support staff for immediate coronavirus vaccinations. Missouri’s K-12 schools have been operating for months with at least partial in-person education.

The following is a statement from the Chair of Missouri’s Education Roundtable, Dr. Doug Hayter:

“The Education Roundtable, representing eight major education organizations in Missouri, appreciates Governor Parson’s announcement allowing educators to begin receiving COVID-19 vaccinations. Getting educators vaccinated as soon as possible is an important step toward keeping educators in the classroom and providing our students with in-person instruction.”

Missouri’s Education Roundtable is made up of the American Federation of Teachers (Missouri), the Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals, the Missouri Association of School Administrators, the Missouri National Education Association, the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals, the Missouri School Boards’ Association, the Missouri State Teachers Association, and the Missouri PTA.

Parson says vaccine supply remains limited, but he expects slow and steady increases.

“We heard news this week that the pharmaceutical companies are increasing their production,” says Parson. “The federal government is planning to increase our allotment and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is expected to be approved at any time.”

The governor says he expects that Missouri will be able to order vaccine from Johnson & Johnson by early next week.

He says if supply continues to improve, Parson says he thinks Phase 2 of Missouri’s vaccination plan will begin mid-April.

A press release today from Parson’s office says the state also continues to move forward with regional mass vaccination events. There have been 68 completed across Missouri, and more than 66,500 Missourians have received an initial vaccine dose at one of these events.

The release says targeted teams in St. Louis and Kansas City have completed 24 vaccine clinics with more planned in the coming days and weeks. These teams serve vulnerable populations in communities with limited access to health care.

For more information about the next tier of eligible Missourians, click here.

Conservation officials: proposal to expand Conservation Commission threatens future of conservation in Missouri

February 23, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The Missouri Department of Conservation director testified Monday night in Jefferson City against a proposal to increase the size of the Conservation Commission from four to nine, saying it could lead to regional favoritism.

State Rep. Chris Dinkins, R-Annapolis, testifies before a Missouri House committee in Jefferson City on January 28, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The hearing was delayed for about an hour, when a fire alarm began sounding at the Capitol. Lawmakers had to be evacuated, until firefighters checked the building.

Conservation director Sara Parker Pauley testified during the lengthy committee hearing.

“The Conservation Commission believes that House Joint Resolution 55, which proposes to amend the Missouri Constitution, is unnecessary and in fact, threatens the future of conservation in Missouri as we know it,” Pauley testifies.

State Rep. Chris Dinkins, R-Annapolis, has filed the joint resolution to increase the commission’s membership to nine nonpartisan members: one appointed by the governor and eight elected from each Conservation region.

Pauley testifies that Missourians approved a constitutional amendment in 1936, creating a four-person Conservation Commission to manage, conserve and restore Missouri forest, fish and wildlife. She says the 1936 constitutional amendment was in direct response to a fish and game agency that had become ineffective due to undue influence of local and state politics.

“My greatest concern is that expanding the commission will dilute and politicize the department’s ability to take care our state’s fish, forest and wildlife resources and connect our citizens to those resources,” says Pauley.

Pauley says the mandate of each of the four Conservation Commissioners is to represent the entire state and to work together. She also worries that expanding the commission could lead to commissioners competing for activities in their region.

The Conservation Federation of Missouri also testified against the bill, at the hearing.

As for Representative Dinkins, she’s filed HJR 55 to elect Conservation commissioners and expand the commission to nine. She says the commission needs more rural representation.

Dinkins testifies that the current four-person commission is too small, saying the commission’s current size limits their ability to perform their duties.

“In June of 2019, there were only two (Conservation) commissioners because the other two’s terms had ended. So one had to nominate one for chair, and the other one had to nominate the other one for vice chair and secretary, and then they had to second each other’s motions,” Dinkins testifies.

Dinkins received pushback Monday evening from a fellow Republican when she testified that the commission needs more rural representation.

State Rep. Don Rone, R-Portageville, noted that the Conservation Commission’s current chair is Don Bedell of Sikeston. But Dinkins says she and her constituents in small towns like Annapolis do not consider Sikeston rural.

Southeast Missouri’s Sikeston has about 16,000 residents.

Dinkins says her proposal would ensure that everyone has representation.

“It seems like (the Department of) Conservation has a lot to do with our rural communities, yet we don’t really have a voice,” she told Missourinet on Friday.

Missouri’s Conservation Commission currently has four members, appointed by the governor or previous governors. The Conservation Commission’s four current members are Mr. Bedell of Sikeston, Columbia’s Barry Orscheln, Mark McHenry of Kansas City and Steven Harrison of Rolla.

Bedell serves as the chair, and Orscheln is the vice chair. McHenry is the secretary, and Harrison is a member. Commissioners are responsible for appointing the Conservation director, and serve as policy makers and approve wildlife code regulations. They’re also involved with strategic planning.

If lawmakers approve Dinkins’ resolution this session, it would go to the statewide ballot in 2022. Based on comments from committee members in both parties on Monday, Dinkins’ bill is unlikely to pass in committee without some revisions.

The eight elected members would be elected in November 2024, under Representative Dinkins’ proposal.

State Rep. Paula Brown, D-Hazelwood, the House Conservation and Natural Resources Committee’s ranking Democrat, tells Dinkins she’s worried the November 2024 ballot could be 25 pages long.

Tractor Supply: it’s business as usual for them and Orscheln; focus is on regulatory approval

February 19, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

A company that’s acquired Moberly-based Orscheln Farm and Home says it’s business as usual for now.

Moberly-based Orscheln operates 61 stores across rural Missouri, including one in northeast Missouri’s Mexico (graphic courtesy of Orscheln Facebook page)

Tennessee-based Tractor Supply Company has purchased Moberly-based Orscheln in an all-cash transaction for $297 million.

Orscheln’s headquarters and distribution center are located in Moberly, and Orscheln operates 61 stores across rural Missouri. The store locations include Moberly, Mexico, Marshall, Cameron, Nevada, Sikeston and Sullivan. Tractor Supply has 27 Missouri store locations.

A Tractor Supply spokeswoman tells Missourinet that it’s business as usual right now for those stores and that no other plans have been announced at this time. The spokeswoman says Tractor Supply’s focus is now on regulatory approval.

Tractor Supply’s website describes the company as the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the nation.

Barry Orscheln, the longtime chairman and CEO at Orscheln Farm and Home, is well-known in Moberly and across rural Missouri. He’s issued a statement, saying the future is bright.

“For more than 60 years, my family, our Orscheln Farm and Home employees and I have been committed to serving the needs of rural communities across the Midwest. I am very proud of all that we have accomplished over this time. I am confident that with Tractor Supply, our stores will be well-positioned to continue Orscheln’s tradition of taking care of our customers and communities for the next phase of growth,” Orscheln’s statement reads.

Tractor Supply’s press release says they intend to fund the acquisition through existing cash on hand.

Missouri’s governor warns against potential natural gas price gouging

February 18, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Missouri’s governor said Thursday that numerous constituents have contacted his office about huge price increases in natural gas. Much of the state has been impacted by multiple snowstorms and below freezing temperatures for about ten days.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson briefs Capitol reporters in Jefferson City on February 4, 2021 (file photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

During a Statehouse news conference, Governor Mike Parson said the demand for heating fuel has increased significantly, with extremely cold temperatures. The governor tells Capitol reporters that he knows there have been some supply issues.

“However, we will not tolerate any effort to price gouge or take advantage of customers at a time when there is no other choice or alternative options,” Parson says.

The governor encourages Missouri residents who believe there has been price gouging to contact Attorney General Eric Schmitt’s consumer protection hotline at 1-800-392-8222. Parson says his administration will use all resources that are possible to stop any kind of gouging.

Meantime, a bipartisan group of Missouri’s congressional delegation is asking federal officials to review the natural gas supply, in light of extreme winter weather.

Republican U.S. Sens. Roy Blunt and Josh Hawley and seven of the state’s eight U.S. House members say there’s been a surge in energy demand across Missouri and that residents have been experiencing electricity outages and rolling blackouts.

“In light of these challenges, we need to ensure there is an adequate supply of affordable energy and natural gas for families, farmers and businesses in Missouri and the Midwest,” the letter from the lawmakers reads, in part.

The letter was signed by U.S. Sens. Blunt and Hawley and by U.S. Reps. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Kansas City, Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-St. Elizabeth, Jason Smith, R-Salem, Sam Graves, R-Tarkio, Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville, Billy Long, R-Springfield, and Ann Wagner, R-Ballwin.

Missouri Senate cancels session all week due to snow and ice; winter storm warning continues in Bootheel

February 15, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The statewide winter storm hitting the Show-Me State has caused the Missouri Senate to cancel session for this week in Jefferson City.

The Senate and House had already canceled session for Monday, due to the snowstorm and the dangerously cold temperatures.

Missouri Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia) speaks before Governor Parson’s State of the State Address on January 27, 2021 in Jefferson City (file photo courtesy of the governor’s Flickr page)

Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, tweeted an update today that the Missouri Senate will not be in session this week.

“With additional snow and ice in the forecast for much of the state, we want to be sensitive to the safety of our staff and members. Next week’s forecast looks great – excited to get back to JC (Jefferson City) and get back to work,” Leader Rowden tweeted.

House Majority Leader Dean Plocher, R-Des Peres, tells Missourinet the House will not be in session on Tuesday, due to the winter weather. All Missouri House committee hearings scheduled for Tuesday are now canceled.

For now, the Missouri House has hearings scheduled for Wednesday.

A winter storm warning remains in effect for southeast Missouri until tonight. That’s a region where residents are still trying to recover from last week’s two-day ice storm.

The National Weather Service (NWS) Paducah office says the highest snow totals are in rural Ripley County’s Oxly, which has already seen six inches of snow. Poplar Bluff and the Bootheel towns of Kennett and Malden have seen four to six inches of snow.

The winter storm warning across the southern Missouri Ozarks has expired, but travel remains difficult.

The NWS Springfield office says southwest Missouri’s Joplin has seen five inches of snow. Springfield has received four inches, while three to four have fallen in Lebanon.

In southern Missouri’s Salem, there’s been five inches of snow. Missourinet Salem affiliate KSMO reports snow drifts of about a foot are blowing against buildings. KSMO reports ice has refrozen under the snow.

The NWS Springfield office also notes more snow is expected across the Ozarks from Tuesday night through Thursday. The heaviest snow will be near the Missouri-Arkansas border, where Branson and West Plains should see four to six inches of additional snowfall.

Southern Missouri’s I-44 corridor to see heaviest snowfall Sunday and Monday

February 12, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

While all of Missouri is expected to see snow on Sunday evening into Monday, the National Weather Service (NWS) expects the heaviest snow to be along the heavily-traveled I-44 corridor in southern Missouri.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Springfield expects Springfield, Joplin and Lebanon to receive three to six inches of snow Sunday into Washington’s Birthday (February 12, 2021 graphic courtesy of NWS Springfield Twitter)

NWS Springfield meteorologist Eric Wise tells Missourinet they’re expecting three waves of snow, bringing a total of three to six inches in Joplin, Springfield, Lebanon, Waynesville and up to Rolla. Three to six inches of snow is also expected along the Missouri-Arkansas border, impacting towns like Branson and Thayer.

Temperatures and wind chills will remain dangerously cold in the Ozarks and across the state through next week.

Meantime, the National Weather Service in Paducah has issued a winter storm watch for most of southeast Missouri for Sunday night through Monday evening. The NWS Paducah office says Cape Girardeau, Sikeston, Poplar Bluff and Kennett are in the watch area. Four or more inches of snow is likely, and drifting is expected because of 20-mile per hour winds.

The NWS recommends that Missourians fill up their gas tanks before the winter storm.

Power outages are likely in southeast Missouri, where ice storm warning takes effect at midnight

February 9, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

Far southeast Missouri will be under an ice storm warning starting at midnight Wednesday. That warning goes through 6 on Thursday evening.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Paducah has issued an ice storm warning for far southeast Missouri (February 9, 2021 graphic courtesy of NWS Paducah Twitter)

Poplar Bluff, Dexter, Kennett, Caruthersville and Malden are all in the ice storm warning area. That includes heavily-traveled I-55. The Bootheel could receive more than one-third of an inch of ice. The National Weather Service (NWS) in Paducah describes this as a significant ice storm, adding that ice accumulations will likely cause scattered power outages in far southeast Missouri.

Much of the ice storm warning area was also hit by the deadly January 2009 ice storm, which brought three days of ice, sleet and snow to the region.

The Delta Center in Portageville notes the 2009 storm left about 100,000 people without power from Poplar Bluff to the Bootheel to southern Illinois. More than 100 shelters were opened across southeast Missouri, because of that ice storm.

As for Wednesday’s storm, Perryville and Marble Hill will see some ice. Those two towns are not in the warning area.

The state Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is urging motorists across Missouri to get a full tank of gas tonight, noting that light snow and freezing precipitation will impact much of the state on Wednesday and Thursday. The winter storm will impact both the morning and evening commute on both days, for a number of areas.

MoDOT is urging you to prepare to double or triple your average commute time, once the precipitation starts falling. They also urge you to have extra blankets and gloves in your vehicle, as well as water and snacks. Your cellphone should also be fully charged.

In mid-Missouri, Columbia and Jefferson City will see snow again on Wednesday. Columbia could see up to three inches, while the Capital City is expected to see one to two inches.

The weather will get even colder this week. High temperatures across northern and central Missouri on Saturday and Sunday will be between zero and ten degrees. NWS Pleasant Hill meteorologist Emily Klaus tells Missourinet Columbia, Jefferson City, Moberly, Kansas City and Marshall will be impacted by the frigid temperatures.

Parson says Missouri is set for economic recovery

February 6, 2021 By Missourinet Contributor

Gov. Mike Parson said the state is well positioned for economic recovery after setbacks from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gov. Mike Parson

Parson says over the last 10 months, Missouri has seen 10,000 new jobs and more than $1 billion invested in new businesses. He says that growth trickles down to farmers.

“When we’re able to work on workforce development and infrastructure and have those tools in place, that means Missouri is going to grow,” Parson says. “When Missouri grows that means people are going to eat more and farmers are going to be more successful selling their products.”

Parson said more growth in the ag sector is on its way with two new processors coming to the state.

“There were some companies that I worked on when I went on an overseas trip that’s going to be moving their plant here,” he said. “In Missouri, we’ve got another one that’s going to be probably coming through, hopefully, in the Columbia area before long. So, a couple of good things on the ag side.”

Parson said Missouri is in the top 10 for economic recovery and top five for lowest unemployment.

The governor spoke at this week’s Pork Expo at the Lake of the Ozarks. He says Missouri’s pork industry contributes $1.6 billion annually to the state’s economy.

By Will Robinson of Brownfield Ag News

Snow and plummeting temperatures coming to much of Missouri Saturday

February 5, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

The National Weather Service (NWS) is discouraging travel Saturday for some residents across northern and mid-Missouri. The NWS says the heaviest snowfall will be in northwest Missouri, where towns like St. Joseph and Bethany are expected to see four to five inches of snow.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill expects snow to begin falling in northwest Missouri on Saturday morning between 7 and 9 (February 5, 2021 graphic courtesy of NWS Pleasant Hill Twitter page)

The heaviest snow will include I-29 near the Missouri-Iowa border.

Northern Missouri’s Chillicothe, Marshall and Kirksville will see two to four inches, and the snow total projections have increased for central Missouri. Columbia and Jefferson City are now expected to receive two to three inches of snow, with the snow starting to fall there at about 11 am Saturday. Light snow is expected to start falling in the St. Louis area at about 2 on Saturday afternoon.

NWS Pleasant Hill meteorologist Brett Williams says visibility will be reduced in parts of northern and mid-Missouri.

Residents should consider filling up their vehicle’s gas tank tonight if possible, ahead of the winter weather.

Missourians will also need to bundle up and wear extra layers of clothing. The NWS in Kansas City says temperatures in the Kansas City metro will fall below freezing tonight and will likely stay below freezing for the next ten days.

Congressman Cleaver says USDA Offices are staying put in KC, rumors were not true

February 4, 2021 By Ashley Byrd

Kansas City area Congressman Emanuel Cleaver says the Biden Administration will not move the newly-relocated USDA offices from Kansas City back to the nation’s capital.

Cleaver carries political clout with President Biden, who came to Kansas City at the congressman’s request during the campaign.

Missouri Farm Bureau leaders mentioned this as a concern immediately after the 2020 presidential election.

“I represent that area, I am the senior Democrat in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Arkansas. And I can tell you that there is no way that those agricultural offices will be moved against my political will. That’s just not going to happen,” Cleaver told Missourinet.’

“I heard the rumors over and over again and have not spoken about it publicly. I can tell you those offices are not going anywhere.

USDA’s Economic Research Service and National Institutes of Food & Agriculture moved to Kansas City last year. Though Cleaver supported the move, he predicted the USDA may lose some top employees — and they did —as 2/3 of the research and funding agencies’ staff in Washington DC quit.

Cleaver says any move back to Washington D.C. would be too expensive.