Missouri Farm Bureau held one of its largest Commodity Conferences on Feb. 21-22 at the Capitol Plaza Hotel.
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Missouri Farm Bureau held one of its largest Commodity Conferences on Feb. 21-22 at the Capitol Plaza Hotel. Following on the heels of that conference on the second day was the Legislative Briefing.
During the Commodity Conference, farmers and ranchers heard from two speakers who discussed the cost of energy inputs on the farm, with an emphasis on high fertilizer cost. The unwelcome news from Bill Ridgley, manager of Agriland FS, was that fertilizer prices will not be coming down anytime soon because of high world demand. Troy Bredencamp of the American Farm Bureau Foundation echoed the same for energy sources such as oil and natural gas.
The good news from both, is that agribusiness is discovering more value-added opportunities for crops to provide domestic energy and enhance farm income. Ethanol production, from corn and corn stalks, and biodiesel, from soybeans, are the fastest growing industries, said Bredencamp.
Another speaker, world soybean rust expert Dr. X.B. Yang told farmers the intrusion of the fungus disease is manageable if farmers know what to look for and when to treat fields.
Other speakers talked about market and weather outlooks, and animal rights activism.
At the Legislative Briefing, Doyle Childers, new Missouri Department of Natural Resources director, spoke with the group before they headed to the State Capitol to visit one-on-one with legislators. Childers said he wants the department to have a philosophy that makes a positive difference in how it deals with people.
Before visiting their respective representatives and senators, the group gathered in the Capitol Rotunda to listen to Gov. Matt Blunt, Senate Pro Tem Michael Gibbons, and Speaker of the House Rod Jetton. That evening Farm Bureau hosted a legislative appreciation dinner for the lawmakers.
Local farmers and ranchers who took part in this year’s Legislative Briefing are pictured, left to right, Jim Whorton, 3rd District State Representative, Keith Sutton, and Senator David Klindt.