Missouri agriculture ranks in the top 10 nation wide in nearly a dozen areas, Gov. Mike Parson said Tuesday when he announced the state would celebrate National Agriculture Week March 21-27. It is second in the nation for its number of farms.
The Daily American Republic also wanted to recognize the important role our farmers, ranchers and others in agriculture play in our region.
Inside the Wednesday edition, you’ll find Salute to Ag, a special magazine featuring a family farm in Puxico, Poplar Bluff residents harvesting honey and bee by-products, a Doniphan ranch focused on holistic management and a Poplar Bluff teen who has won state honors as a Future Farmer.
These individuals demonstrate some of the best in agriculture that can be found in our region, and across the state.
Missouri is home to 95,000 farms, employs nearly 400,000 people in food & agriculture jobs, and has an estimated economic impact of $88.4 billion annually, Parson shared. Agriculture remains the state’s number one economic driver, supporting both rural and urban communities from farm to fork.
“Missouri is ranked among the top tier of states in agriculture production, which remains the backbone of our state’s strong economy,” Parson said. “Agriculture plays a key role in Missouri’s economic development, and I’m proud as a farmer myself to do my part in ensuring agriculture thrives for the next generation. Our workforce development and infrastructure initiatives will build on our state’s strong agricultural traditions and pay dividends to our future farmers.”
Missouri’s infrastructure is critical to exporting the more than $2.3 billion in food & agriculture products annually to international buyers, according to the state. The state is home to the second and third largest rail hubs in the United States, and 430 million tons of goods are shipped annually using 4,200 miles of rail lines. Missouri’s rivers give the state a competitive advantage in moving food and agriculture products internationally with 40 million tons of commodities shipped via 17 barge ports annually.
For many in agriculture, like Poplar Bluff High School senior Tanner Robinson, the love of farming starts early and is passed on to each following generation.
“Since I learned to walk, dad pretty much put me to work, and that’s basically all I’ve known is working on the farm,” said Robinson, who not only worked 3R Cattle and Timber’s cattle, but also purchased four heifers from the business for an FFA project that won him state honors.
Area residents are not only continuing agricultural traditions, but also helping blaze new trails.
Joanna Thompson and her husband, Christian, chose to implement a method at their Doniphan ranch called holistic management or regenerative management.
The principle of this approach is to utilize grazing land in a way that promotes the overall health of animals and plants that live on the land.
“That principle has been known for years in many countries, and basically this method improves the yields on your pastures, so the same land, when managed this way, can produce more grass than the neighboring parcel that’s being grazed continuously,” Joanna said.
“Instead of just giving the entire space to your animals to graze, you break it up in small portions and you move the animals from paddock to paddock more or less frequently,” she added.
Farmers, ranchers, and food & agriculture workers have worked tirelessly over the last year, and the state is excited to celebrate them this week, Director of Agriculture Chris Chinn said.
“Their hard work maintains the state’s position nationally and ensures a future in agriculture for the more than 100,000 students in Missouri FFA and Missouri 4-H,” he said.
Missouri agriculture ranks top 10 in the nation in the following categories:
Number of farms – 2nd
Hay production – 2nd
Beef cow inventory – 3rd
Rice production – 4th
Goat inventory – 5th
Turkey inventory – 6th
Soybean production – 6th
Hog inventory – 6th
Broiler chicken inventory – 9th
Corn production – 9th
Horse & pony inventory – 10th