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Missouri lawmakers draw attention to feral hog issue during budget hearing (AUDIO)

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Two southern Missouri state lawmakers are unhappy with a letter the state Department of Agriculture (MDA) director has sent to the U.S. Forest Service, in support of their decision to close the Mark Twain National Forest to feral hog hunting.

State Rep. Robert Ross, R-Yukon, speaks at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on August 22, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The issue came up during Monday afternoon’s Missouri House Budget Committee hearing in Jefferson City, when State Reps. Robert Ross, R-Yukon, and Scott Cupps, R-Shell Knob, mentioned the issue to MDA Director Chris Chinn, during her budget presentation.

Chinn testifies that Oklahoma has gone away from an approach Missouri was using, including hunting.

“One of the things that we learned from them (Oklahoma) is that, that above-all approach that we had been taking, they had tried as well and it didn’t work,” Chinn tells Representative Ross.

“Especially not when your (Missouri) Department of Conservation is actively working against the private landowners,” Ross responded.

The above-all approach that Director Chinn is referring to is a policy that some hunters and ranchers near the Mark Twain National Forest want to continue. It involved trapping by Conservation officials, but also hunting by residents.

Ross, who chairs the House Special Committee on Government Oversight, serves on the Budget Committee. He questions Chinn’s letter.

“That’s what really surprised me is that your agency (MDA) would take a position that was in directly in opposition of working with the private landowners, following along with the misguided approach the Missouri Department of Conservation is now pushing,” Ross tells Director Chinn.

Ross says his Texas County constituents support eradicating feral hogs, by hunting. He and Cupps say residents should be allowed to hunt for the hogs on public land.

The Missouri Department of Conservation says allowing residents to hunt feral hogs has increased the number of the animals, along with their range. Conservation agents say there have been illegal releases by people who wanted to hunt feral hogs for recreation.

The Conservation Department has launched a new plan, which aims to eliminate feral hog damage by trapping and killing the hogs themselves.

Director Chinn says feral hogs are a threat to Missouri livestock. She backs the Forest Service’s decision to close the Mark Twain National Forest to feral hog hunting.

Chinn testifies that MDA’s job, through its Animal Health division, is to protect Missouri from diseases. She says if African swine fever were to hit Missouri through the feral hog population, it would be a threat to livestock producers and agribusiness.

“A lot of these livestock eat the corn and the soybean that are raised on many of these farms, and if we should have a disease threat like that hit Missouri, it’s not only going to hurt the livestock industry, it’s going to hit our row crop as well as our grain elevators,” Chinn testifies.

Chinn emphasizes that what’s been done previously isn’t working.

After several minutes of questioning, State Rep. Hannah Kelly, R-Mountain Grove, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Appropriations for Agriculture, asked Ross and Cupps to save the feral hog discussion for another date, when both MDA and the Conservation Department can attend. Kelly wanted Chinn to have time to present her budget.

The issue has been a big one at the Missouri Capitol. Just last week, about 150 southern Missouri hunters and ranchers protested quietly outside the governor’s office, saying the MDC-federal approach won’t work.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s interview with Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) Director Chris Chinn, which was recorded at the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City on January 27, 2020:

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Hunters at odds with Missouri Department of Conservation, US Forest Service over feral hog restrictions

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The federal government has closed Mark Twain National Forest to hunters of feral hogs – at the same time, Missouri’s Department of Conservation has launched a new plan in 2020 to try to eliminate feral hog damage by trapping and killing hogs themselves. They are trying to help landowners and farmers who have had property and cropland torn up. The MDC says a social group of ten hogs can destroy 10-20 acres overnight. MDC website

Bell of Summersville joined about 150 at the Missouri Capitol to speak to lawmakers about hunting rights.

But that approach is not sitting well with some hunters and ranchers who want to hunt the hogs themselves.  Dustin Bell is from Summersville, at the edge of the Mark Twain National Forest.

“We think it takes an all-effort, everybody combined, hunters, trappers whatever it takes to control these hogs to prevent them from further damage on our land around for our friends and neighbors and we think that it’s absolutely unrealistic that they can trap all of them out and eradicate the hogs and we think it’s just an overreach of power by MDC,” Bell told Missourinet.

About 150 gathered in a quiet petition signing and protest outside the governor’s office at the state capitol Wednesday, saying the MDC-Federal approach won’t work.

Conservation’s Feral Hog Incident Commander Jason Jensen says letting hunters eradicate the wild hogs did not work.

“We actually encouraged people to hunt feral hogs for several years and that didn’t work,” Jensen said in an interview with Brownfield Ag News. “What we saw during that period of time was that numbers exponentially increased and the range of feral hogs increased. We feel that was mostly due to illegal releases by people who were wanting to hunt feral hogs for that recreational value.”

The department is considering increasing enforcement in some areas so that more of the animals are not released behind MDC staff as they trap hogs.

Bell and the protestors disagree, insisting that hog hunting on public land should not be a crime, but a part of the solution.

“It is our land, taxpayers lands and not MDC’s land. We thoroughly believe that we have the right to ride horses, everything. We should not have to have a permit to ride horses, or hunt hogs or whatever it is.”

The Conservation Department says Missouri has had feral hogs since the 1990’s – and the population has grown. Their trappers disposed of more than 10,000 last year.

Missouri Farm Bureau president wants legislative fix for controversial Rock Island Railroad corridor deal

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Ameren has initially agreed to transfer ownership of the Rock Island Railroad corridor to the state. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources must first fundraise $9.8 million for development, security and management costs for the 144-mile stretch from southern, central and eastern Missouri.

Supporters of the Rock Island Trail rally at the capitol steps – August 11, 2017

Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst tells Brownfield Ag News that many landowners have little to no input on how that land will be used, which raises concerns, including about biosecurity.

“Access to your farms, people driving by, riding their bikes, whatever. But, just coming through your farm and also just people have livestock facilities close to this line. Clearly we want to be conscience of the chance of disease being transmitted as people move along,” he says.

Hurst says the organization continues to fight against the use of state money to develop the corridor and says a legislative fix is being considered.

“I think that this one is one that will probably be fought out in the Legislature and in the budgeting process and we’ll continue to do what we can to stop the project there,” says Hurst.

He says state parks are already under funded.

“Our argument has been and will continue to be let’s fix what we’ve got before we open a new one,” says Hurst.

Eric Oberg, director of trail development for Rails-to-Trails Conservancy says corridors of this type are few and far between and he hopes it will become a world-class trail.

Julie Harker of Brownfield Ag News contributed to this story.

Copyright © 2020 · Missourinet

Missouri Appeals Court sides with commission’s decision about Valley Oaks CAFO

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Missouri Appeals Court sides with commission’s decision about Valley Oaks CAFO

The Missouri Court of Appeals has affirmed today the Clean Water Commission’s denial of a permit to build an enclosed cattle feeding operation in western Missouri. The case involves Valley Oaks Angus Farms near Kansas City trying to expand from 999 to nearly 7,000 head of cattle.

Some neighbors supported the expansion because of local demand for corn. Others opposed the permit out of concerns about odor, water quality and area wildlife.

The case could be appealed but the chances might be slim. In August, Valley Oaks announced it was closing immediately. It cited economics and “the constant barrage of legal battles and extensive marketing efforts needed to counter misinformation.”

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Preservationist maps a path for lovers of rural Missouri

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Over the river and through the woods might be the way to Grandma’s house this holiday– but it’s also a great way to see Missouri, says writer and preservationist Bill Hart.

The second edition of his book “Historic Missouri Roadsides” targets a certain type of traveler, someone willing to take the time to explore.

“I think a unique experience is what most travelers are looking for. They can go to an amusement park anywhere, but discovering little towns and their rich history and the historic sites that go with them are incomparable, ” says Hart.

Are these small towns looking for travelers? Hart says as some are losing population, they see their own past as a catalyst for heritage tourism, and are “capturing the past to capture dollars.”

Hart was originally hired by the Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation as its first field representative as he says “to preach the gospel of historic preservation to small town Missouri.” Along the way, he kept noticing — and photographing — ramshackle and distinctive buildings.

Now, as executive director of Missouri Preservation, he continues to focus on the fate of small-town Missouri.

“When railroads leave small towns, people leave small towns. When agribusiness buys up small farms, people leave those farms in those small towns. When big-box business stores replace small retail stores, those places close,” Hart told Missourinet. “I do think that by their reinventing themselves as tourist destinations, we can again try to attract some kind of business back to our small towns.”

In this newest edition of Historic Missouri Roadsides, Hart maps out day trips.

“I first had to consider what towns I thought were really fun and interesting to people which also had nice, interconnecting landscapes and contiguous routes,” he explained.

One of those routes is “very out-of-the-way, and ends in the French-founded town of Bonnots Mill…on bluffs overlooking the confluence of the Missouri and Osage rivers.”

Another trip features the Arcadia Valley towns of Arcadia, Pilot Knob and Ironton, all within a mile of each other. The area has historic buildings, production of Pink Missouri granite and the highest bluff in the state.

First Lady invites Missourians to candlelight tours of Mansion on Saturday (AUDIO)

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Missouri’s First Lady is inviting you to tour the Governor’s Mansion in Jefferson City on Saturday morning from 10 to noon.

The 30-foot white pine Christmas tree at the Governor’s Mansion in Jefferson City was lit on December 6, 2019 (photo courtesy of Governor Parson’s Twitter page)

Governor Mike and First Lady Teresa Parson lit the Mansion Christmas tree Friday evening, in conjunction with the Living Windows event in downtown Jefferson City.

The First Lady tells Missourinet they only had five days to decorate the tree.

“There’s been a lot of help, a lot of workers there at the Mansion over this last week, and a lot of hours spent,” Mrs. Parson says. “We’ve been there many evenings late.”

The 30-foot white pine tree was donated by Mike and Ellen Hedgcoth of southern Missouri’s Salem.

There’s also a “Christmas Village” set up on the Mansion lawn, which includes a general store, Santa’s workshop and Santa’s candy cane lane house.

Several thousand people turned out for Living Windows, and hundreds more are expected to take the additional candlelight tours Saturday at the mansion. First Lady Parson, who’s championed Jobs for American Graduates (JAG) for at-risk high school students, says special ornaments will be on display inside the mansion.

“Each of the JAG schools across our state, classes, 82 of them, have presented and designed their own JAG ornament,” says the First Lady.

Student choirs from Weaubleau R-3, Versailles, Sacred Heart Sedalia and School of the Osage High Schools will be singing Christmas carols Saturday morning, on the Mansion lawn.

The tours, which go from 10 to noon, are free and open to the public.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and First Lady Teresa Parson, which was recorded on December 6, 2019 outside the Missouri Capitol in Jefferson City:

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Deer hunting season means increased sales for many Missouri businesses

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Firearms deer hunting season means more money for many Missouri communities. Ammie Gaston of the Hootenanny restaurant in northeast Missouri’s Perry tells WGEM-TV in Quincy this time of year is critical for her and other area businesses.

White-Tailed deer (photo courtesy; Missouri Department of Conservation/Noppadol Paothong)

“We were slam packed last weekend, I have about 20, 25 flavors of homemade pie, I had about a hundred pies made and we sold out of pies,” says Gaston.

Gaston says the season comes at an important time for all businesses in the region.

“We will slow down while all of our farmers get their crops out, so hunting season kind of helps bring that up,” says Gaston.
At her restaurant last Saturday alone, Gaston said her team served 300-400 tables throughout the day, something she said continues in the following weeks.

When hunters score their kill, they get the meat processed, something that could end up costing them hundreds depending on what they want done. Kristen Caldwell, Co-Owner of 4 Quarter Processing, says from now until after Christmas, their freezer is packed with dozens of deer.

“We have a lot of hunters that come here, we have some from Michigan some from the Carolinas, from Florida, some from Illinois,” says Caldwell.

The fall portion of Missouri’s firearms deer hunting season continues through November 26.

By Missourinet affiliate WGEM in Quincy

Meteor storm could be seen tonight in the Missouri sky

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You may be able to see meteors in the eastern skies tonight if you have clear weather. Astronomy expert Todd Young says a brief meteor storm will take place beginning at 10:30 p.m. where you can see quite a sky show.

Photo courtesy of NASA

“The rate would be upwards of 400 per hour. Quite a dramatic jump from a shower — which is usually somewhere around ten to maybe 30 per hour,” Young says.

Meteors are debris left behind by comets and Young says this storm is from an unknown comet that probably has not been seen for over 500 years. It is suspected to be the debris of a long period comet from the Oort Cloud that surrounds the solar system.

And the Oort Cloud is actually a spherical distribution of chunks of ice and rocks that are much farther away than people realize,” Young says. “And the Oort cloud is usually not typically depicted as being part of the solar system because it is so far from the sun — yet still part of it.”

Young says the meteor storm will be visible low to the horizon, so viewers will want to be up high and away from city lights. He says you should go out and scout out a good view of the eastern horizon on a hill by 10:30.

“You’ll see these streaks of light. They’ll look like they’ll be coming right over the horizon,” says Young.

The meteor storm is expected to be short lived, lasting only 15 to 45 minutes.

By Dar Danielson of Radio Iowa

Watch out for deer – a popular deer hunting weekend begins Saturday

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The state’s firearms portion of deer season gets underway Saturday – marking the 75th anniversary of the popular activity in the Show-Me State. Thousands of hunters are expected to get an early start tomorrow. Joe Jerek with the Missouri Department of Conservation says the firearms portion of deer season begins 30 minutes before sunrise each day.

White-Tailed deer (photo courtesy; Missouri Department of Conservation/Noppadol Paothong)

“The opening weekend of the November portion of firearms deer hunting season, that is probably, if not definitely, the most popular weekend. We get about a third of our total deer harvest that weekend alone,” says Jerek.

The season runs November 16-26 and travelers should expect an increase of deer on the move along roadways.

The cooler weather should lead to more movement of deer in the woods, which means better chances of bagging that prized buck.

“This cold, crisp weather should be great for deer hunting,” says Jerek. “For example, a couple of weeks ago when we got that first cold snap, that was our early youth portion weekend of firearms deer season. The harvest results were up by several thousand over last year when the weather was a bit warmer.”

Jerek reminds hunters to wear hunter orange and to be careful setting up and using tree stands.

The state has reduced the number of Chronic Wasting Disease Management Zones to 29 counties. For a complete list of the affected counties, click here.

By Bill Wise and Alisa Nelson

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet

Heavy rain heading to far southern Missouri; forecasters warn of possible flooding (AUDIO)

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The National Weather Service (NWS) in Springfield says far southern Missouri towns could see two to three inches of rainfall by Thursday morning.

The National Weather Service in Springfield says heavy rainfall is expected overnight in far southern Missouri (map courtesy of NWS Springfield Twitter page)

NWS Springfield warning coordination meteorologist Steve Runnels says Branson, Gainesville and West Plains could see three inches of rain.

“We’re going to see just a ton of rainfall coming out of Oklahoma moving into the southern part of Missouri during the course of the evening into the overnight hours,” Runnels says. “It’s something that’s kind of unusual for this time of the year.”

Runnels says prolonged rain could cause low-lying areas to flood, and warns about possible flooding after dark.

“People that are traveling along Highway 60 and on south should be anticipating very heavy rainfall starting sometime mid to late evening and lasting into the nighttime hours,” says Runnels.

Runnels says far southwest Missouri’s Anderson will also see heavy rainfall. Further north, Springfield and Nixa are expected to receive at least an inch of rain.

Click here to listen to the full two-minute interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and National Weather Service (NWS) Springfield warning coordination meteorologist Steve Runnels, which was recorded on November 6, 2019:

Copyright © 2019 · Missourinet