July 1, 2021  Barge traffic increases on Missouri's river systems Director of Agriculture Chinn authors a monthly column in Missouri Ruralist entitled Ag Matters. Below is this month's column. One of Missouri agriculture's unsung heroes is our river system. The best way to document the potential and opportunity the rivers bring is to look to a well-known river resident, Mark Twain. He wrote, "Along the Upper Mississippi, every hour brings something new. There are crowds of odd islands, bluffs, prairies, hills, woods and villages …" As Missouri farmers and ranchers, we are blessed with this advantage, in addition to our rail and trucking options to get our products to market. The three transportation options working together create a competitive environment that brings down the cost of grain transportation overall. It's taken time to get where we are today. Dams were since built into the river system to provide electricity and management options for protection of agricultural land. Since the 1990s, we've seen a renaissance on both the Missouri and Mississippi rivers in terms of management. The Missouri River is the longest river in North America. Before entering the Mississippi River in St. Louis, the Missouri River runs for about 2,400 miles and passes through 10 states. On its own, the Mississippi River is the nation's second-longest river at more than 2,300 miles, and also pushes agricultural goods through 10 states. Although it isn't the longest river, the Mississippi does carry more water than any other American river and deposits into the critical Gulf of Mexico. Together, the Missouri and Mississippi rivers combine to form the world's fourth-longest river. To read Director Chinn's full Ag Matters column, click here! |  2021 Focus on Missouri Agriculture Photo Contest winners announced A breathtaking photo featuring a glimpse into the life of a Missouri cattle rancher is the Best in Show for the 2021 Focus on Missouri Agriculture Photo Contest, hosted by the Missouri Department of Agriculture. The photograph, submitted by Holly Brown of Webb City, Mo., was chosen from nearly 900 photos submitted by amateur photographers from across Missouri. "This year's Photo Contest showcases farms and ranches of every shape and size throughout Missouri," Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn said. "Our farmers and ranchers work hard to feed, fuel and clothe not just our country, but the world. These talented amateur photographers showcase the agriculture industry's dedication to that worthy task." Photos submitted by individuals 13 and older were placed in four categories: Beauty of the Farm, Faces of the Farm, the Farmer's Life and Pride of the Farm. Photographers age 12 and under entered their shots in the Children's Barnyard category. In total, 21 photos were selected by a panel of judges consisting of Heather Feeler and Lucas Bond, Department of Conservation; and Dane Hughes, Department of Commerce & Insurance. In addition to awarding winners in each of these categories, the winning photos were featured on Facebook for the People's Choice Award. The winner was selected based on the number of shares, comments and likes from June 18-25. A special award was also given again this year to the photo selected as the First Family's Choice by Governor Mike Parson and First Lady Teresa Parson. To see a full list of this year's Focus on Missouri Agriculture Photo Contest winners, click here! |  Missouri Department of Economic Development accepts submissions for NTIA Broadband Infrastructure Program The Missouri Department of Economic Development (DED) is accepting applications from Missouri broadband providers for its submission to the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Broadband Infrastructure Program. Through this program, $288,000,000 in federal assistance will be available to support providers in expanding broadband infrastructure nationwide. From these funds, NTIA expects applicants like DED to request $5 million up to $30 million. The State of Missouri will serve as a covered partnership and will submit one application that includes multiple project areas across the state to NTIA. In order to compile a recommended list of projects to be included within the NTIA application, DED will begin accepting applications from broadband providers today, Monday, June 28, 2021, and will close the application process on July 26, 2021. DED must submit its covered partnership application to NTIA on or before August 17, 2021. To learn more about the NTIA Broadband Infrastructure Program, click here! | Photo of the Week Robin Perso, Director of Budget & Planning, is retiring after more than 36 years serving the citizens of Missouri. We thank Robin for his dedication and support of the Department and our state's farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses!  | |
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