Think Outside the Barn

In the News - Missouri State student shares love of agriculture

Photo courtesy of Missouri State University

The Springfield News-Leader recently published a story highlighting one agriculture student at Missouri State University who's passion for teaching others extends far beyond the classroom.  

MSU's Casteel Kirk treats agricultural education as an opportunity to turn passion into a career.  The senior's resume is jam-packed with leadership experience , including serving as national president of Delta Tau Alpha Agriculture Honor Society, and volunteering with many community organizations.  One of those roles, as a volunteer with the local FFA organization, recently found her in a Greenwood Laboratory School fourth-grade classroom teaching students the importance of agriculture through the "Farmer for a Day" program. 

She sees those opportunities as both great experiences and stepping stones toward her goal of teaching in college and high school agriculture classrooms.

In the article,  Casteel said:
“I’ve learned how to connect with all different kinds of people,” she said. “This is a communication skill that will be vital as a teacher. I’ve also learned how to talk to people without being critical, which is also important for teachers.”

In addition to being highlighted at MSU and in the newspaper, Casteel was recently named a 2012 Citizen Scholar at MSU for her accomplishments and volunteer work. 

Check out the full story by Caitlin West on the Springfield News-Leader's website to learn more.

In the News - Cameron FFA Chapter wins Monsanto's 2013 Chapter Challenge

Congratulations are in order for the Cameron FFA Chapter! Students from the northwestern Missouri chapter recently learned that their entry into Monsanto's 2013 Chapter Challenge stood out among entries from more than 3,800 chapters across 15 states. 

For their entry, Cameron FFA members created a video capturing the life of a Missouri farmer from their community as part of a larger effort to promote agricultural awareness across the nation. The students took top honors in the interview and documentary category.

Rural Missouri magazine recently highlighted the students' accomplishments in an article titled "Missouri FFA Chapter Wins Challenge."  Here's an excerpt:

FFA chapters from Missouri and Tennessee are the big winners in a documentary and portfolio competition sponsored by Monsanto.

More than 265,000 members in 3,800 chapters across 15 states began competition in the 2013 Chapter Challenge in January. To enter the competition, members had to either interview and document the lives of agriculturalists in their local communities or build a portfolio of interviews, develop a social media plan and produce a video that promotes agriculture awareness.

Several other Missouri FFA chapters have reasons to celebrate as well.  Groups from West Plains, Hermann, Santa Fe, Warsaw, Lakeland, Carl Junction and Higginsville were also recognized in the competition.

To learn more about the Challenge and read the full article, visit farmprogress.com.

Again, congratulations to all our Missouri FFA chapters and members for a job well done!

In the News - Agriculture majors face future with confidence

The agriculture industry got a little love last week from USA Today, and it's music to our ears! We've highlighted the growth of agriculture degrees before, but this article takes a unique look at a shift in the agriculture industry as the reason for the boom. 

Is it perhaps the growth in economic value, or perhaps and industry-wide emphasis on diversity? 

“When most people hear the word agriculture, the immediate thing that comes to mind is farmer,” Emmaline Long said, a first-year graduate student at Cornell University. “But now the industry is trending much more toward broader and more diverse careers.”

These diverse careers are what are modernizing the agriculture sector and keeping undergraduates confident in their choice of major. Despite farmland availability and fluctuating monetary value, working in agriculture is not scaring all students.

Regardless of the many reasons behind students choosing the agriculture as their career path, we love positive messages like this one and find it to be true across all segments of the industry and the state.

To check out the full article, visit USA Today: 
http://usatodayeducate.com/staging/index.php/campuslife/agriculture-majors-face-future-with-confidence

In the News - World Dairy Expo Exhibitors Should Be Aware of New Animal ID Requirements

When the World Dairy Expo begins in Madison, Wisconsin this October, exhibitors - including those from Wisconsin - will need to be compliant with new traceability requirements for their livestock.  The USDA Animal Disease Traceability Rule requires that most livestock traveling across state lines have one of several approved identification methods. 

Here's an excerpt from the Missouri Ruralist article about the identification requirements for the Expo:

Exhibitors bringing cattle to World Dairy Expo will need to have an accepted World Dairy Expo-defined ID tag in the animal's ear upon entering the grounds. Within this rule change, registration numbers and breed tattoos will no longer be official identification for interstate transport.

At the March 4, 2013 WDE Dairy Cattle Exhibitor Committee meeting it was approved to require all cattle, including those from Wisconsin, to meet the same World Dairy Expo health check-in identification standard.

Missouri Ruralist has a list of approved ID tags for the World Dairy Expo, which exhibitors must have in place for their animals' health check-in at the Expo.  To see that list, and read the full article, New Animal ID Requirements in Effect for 2013 World Dairy Expo, visit Missouri Ruralist online at farmprogress.com.

Missouri producers interested in learning more about identification requirements and implementation of the USDA Animal Disease Traceability Rule can also visit the Missouri Department of Agriculture's website to learn more at http://mda.mo.gov/animals/health/disease/traceability.php.

In the News - Spring Fling

Long Meadow Rescue Ranch is opening their doors Saturday, April 20 for their Spring Fling. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the public is invited to learn more about the facility, the animals and the staff in Union, Mo.

 

In the News - Caffeine Boosts Bees' Buzz

In case you haven't noticed, we really like bees. Not only do they ensure a steady supply of food, flowers and one of our favorites, honey, but it seems around every corner there is another interesting fact or benefit about bees in Missouri and throughout the world.

One of the latest studies on bees revealed that bees have a particular liking for something that gets nearly everyone's motor going in the morning - caffeine!!! That's right, bees have been shown to be drawn to flowers and plants that produce caffeine.  Researchers attribute some of that frequency to the caffeine actually boosting bees' memories.

Originally published in Journal Sciene, the results of the study were also covered by National Geopgraphic, NPR and the Columbia Missourian newspaper. Check out some of those stories here:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/03/07/173465469/if-caffeine-can-boost-the-memory-of-bees-can-it-help-us-too

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/03/130308-bees-caffeine-animal-behavior-science/ 

Want to learn more about bees? Check out "The Great Missouri Buzz Off!" online at http://agrimissouri.com/the-great-missouri-buzz-off/.

In the News - Missouri Milk Gives Healthy Dose of GDP Value

We agree that some milk products should be considered health foods (maybe not that pint of Ben & Jerry's Double Fudge Brownie, but it sure is good!). Did you know that the Missouri milk industry doesn't only grow strong bones? It has historically grown Missouri's economy, one dairy farm at a time. 

The University of Missour's Commercial Agriculture program recently released a study detailing just how the dairy sector's manufacturing and production contributes more than $2 billion to the state's gross domestic product (GDP) while supporting more than 23,000 jobs directly and indirectly.

"Missouri agriculture produces lots of commodities. What is different about Missouri's dairy industry is that our state's dairy processing industry transforms every drop we produce into higher-valued products. In addition, much of Missouri's dairy processing is owned by local dairy farmers through their cooperatives, allowing farmers to capture the value they create."

To check out the full summary, click here to visit Missouri Ruralist's website. For the full study by Joe Horner and Ryan Milhollin, go to: http://dairy.missouri.edu/dairylinks/DairyMfgEconImpact.pdf.

Custom Harvesters Speak Up in "The Great American Wheat Harvest"

At the Missouri Department of Agriculture we take pride in helping everyone involved in agriculture - from producers to consumers - learn more about the industry, from animal health to pesticide application and market reporting to food safety and business development.

One of the most important issues we tackle everyday is bridging the gap between today's consumers and their food. Last week, during National Ag Day, former Miss America, Teresa Scanlan, promoted the documentary "The Great American Wheat Harvest," which tells the story of the men and women who live for the harvest. As custom harvesters, they spend the summer driving thousands of miles from Montana to the Texas border bringing in millions of bushels of wheat each year, forming incredibly strong bonds and providing, in many cases, outstanding examples of hard work and dedication.

Don't just take our word for it though. Check it out - http://www.greatamericanwheatharvest.com/wheat-harvest-film/

In the News - Professional Development Grant Program

The North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program announced their 2013 Professional Development Grant Program. The deadline for preproposals is 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 16, 2013.

The grant program funds sustainable agriculture training or educational programs for agricultral professionals and educators involved with governmental agencies, extension work or educatiors in both the profit and non-profit sectors serving the food and fiber system.

• Professional Development Program awards range from $30,000 to $75,000
• Projects may last up to 36 months
• About 5-10 projects are funded each year

To learn more, or to apply, please visit: http://www.northcentralsare.org/Grants/Our-Grant-Programs/Professional-Development-Grant-Program. Questions can be sent to the Professional Development Project regional coordinator Dr. Rob Myers at (573) 882-1547 or meyersrob@missouri.edu.

Trade Mission to Taiwan, South Korea this Week

Director of Agriculture Dr. Jon Hagler is spending National Agriculture Week abroad this year, promoting Missouri's agricultural products alongside Governor Nixon in Taiwan and South Korea.  During the trip, they and representatives of many of Missouri's agricultural organizations and colleges and universities, are meeting with business owners, importers, government officials and others who work with Missouri-made products coming into Taiwan and South Korea, as well as students from those countries interested in continuing their education in the Show-Me State.

Increasing Missouri's exports to Taiwan and South Korea represents an outstanding opportunity for Missouri's agricultural producers and business owners to grow their operations.  In 2012, Missouri exported  $30.2 million worth of Missouri agricultural goods to Taiwan and $67.2 million worth to South Korea.   Since 2008, Missouri ag exports to South Korea have increased 94 percent.  During that same time, Missouri ag exports to Taiwan have increased by 107 percent.

Want to learn more about Gov. Nixon and Dr. Hagler's meetings this week? Check out the press release about yesterday's $700 million agreements and visit Gov. Nixon's website at governor.mo.gov for more news and photos.