Research Shows Wind, Solar can Boost Local Economies

By Jana Rose Schleis, Missouri News Network

New research from the University of Missouri shows wind and solar farms can bring economic gains to rural communities.

Energy generated from renewable sources such as wind and solar has grown as power companies diversify from fossil fuel sources. A new report from the MU Center for Rural Energy Security analyzed the economic impact of renewable energy in rural counties.

Adrienne Ohler, Mizzou economist and lead researcher on the study, analyzed economic factors in counties with renewable power plants to those without from 2001 to 2023.

The economic advantage of solar energy development in rural counties materialized in the utilities, construction and transportation sectors, which saw 10%-20% increases in employment and wages. The communities hosting wind energy infrastructure saw an increase in gross domestic product by approximately 7%.

Ohler, who is from a rural area herself, said she witnessed firsthand how energy development can be controversial. She said concerns about property values and taking farmland out of production can divide neighbors.

“Renewable energy isn’t right for every community,” she said. “There are good reasons to adopt it and good reasons to set up ordinances and permitting that would limit what it would look like in a community.”

Large-scale wind and solar power plants are disproportionately sited in rural areas — 70% of large-scale solar and 94% of wind farms are built on cropland. Ohler said local leaders should take note of the policies in communities that have had success.

“For a county or a community to have positive effects, they would need to have similar mechanisms in place, similar policies and regulations in place,” she said.

The report states that neither wind nor solar development were associated with declining agricultural GDP, employment or wages, suggesting that renewable energy development does not substantially diminish agricultural economic activity.

Nearly 10% of Missouri’s electricity comes from wind and just more than 1% comes from solar power. There were a number of bills proposed in the Missouri legislature last year to ban or limit renewable energy. Those opposed to renewable energy projects raised concerns about property rights and values and how the infrastructure impacts quality of life in rural areas.

James Owen is the executive director of Renew Missouri, an organization that advocates for solar and wind power. He said that although renewable energy projects don’t bring many long-term jobs to rural counties, communities can benefit from increased tax revenue.

“What’s going to benefit a school district, fire district, ambulance district?” Owen said. “Those are the things that I think rural communities certainly do care about, should care about.”

Additionally, Owen said domestic power is more reliable than oil and gas that’s imported.

“Solar and wind do not go through the Strait of Hormuz. It can be produced right here,” Owen said. “So if you want to have reliable electricity that is somewhat cost-efficient, you’ve got to be able to have this, and sometimes that’s going to be in your backyard.”

Bill to Revert to Old Congressional Districts On the Ballot, For Now

A measure to revert Missouri's congressional maps to their 2022 and 2024 boundaries is on the ballot, the Missouri News Network reported Thursday. It will be known as Proposition A. The Missouri Supreme Court overruled Secretary of State Denny Hoskins' efforts to block the measure from appearing on the ballot. This is in addition to the ruling allowing Amendment 6, the measure to restrict the legislature from overturning initiative-based ballot measures, to be on the November ballot.

While the measure is on the ballot, the Missouri congressional districts will revert to their previous maps. The redistricting passed by the legislature would have made the 6th District, represented by Sam Graves, more competitive. It was designed to oust Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, who is a Democrat who has represented District 5, including Kansas City, for many years. Mr. Graves did not seek reelection this year. The redistricting was done at the urging of President Donald Trump.

The Missouri Secretary of State and the Missouri Attorney General are seeking to appeal tthe ruling to the US Supreme Court. 

New Law Authorizes DOT to Raise Rural Interstate Speed Limits

Senate Bill 1408, which permits MoDOT to increase the maximum speed limit up to 75 miles per hour on rural interstates, went into effect Aug. 28, but no changes to the speed limit have been made while the department evaluates eligible locations.

Under the new law, MoDOT retains the ability to set highway speed limits and has a responsibility to set limits that are reasonably safe considering the various factors of each roadway. MoDOT aims to complete its evaluations by the end of the year.

The factors being evaluated at each eligible location include:

 Passenger vehicle and commercial truck traffic volumes.

 Crash history.

 Terrain and road design, including existing safety countermeasures.

 Existing speed limits of border states in eligible areas near the state line.

 Active construction.

 Interstate 70’s speed limit will not increase during the historic rebuild and expansion delivered through the Improve I-70 Program. MoDOT will reevaluate this corridor after the program's completion.

As the evaluation is underway, MoDOT reminds drivers to always obey posted speed limits for everyone's safety, especially in the hundreds of work zones across the state that have reduced speed limits.

Opinion -- Hawley Demands Answers for Bonus Pay, Poor Service at USPS

by Senator Josh Hawley's Office

On Thursday, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) released the following statement on Postmaster David Steiner’s anticipated Friday visit to St. Louis. The photo-op by the Postmaster comes after months of failure to provide acceptable answers regarding his bonus payments and poor mail service in the state.

“Missourians have suffered poor mail service for years and it’s grossly unacceptable. They deserve answers,” said Senator Hawley. “Instead of posing for a photo op, the Postmaster General can return his bonus to taxpayers, pledge his full cooperation with congressional investigations, and support my bill to restrict bonuses for postal executives until Missourians receive their mail on time.”

The statement comes after Senator Hawley launched a comprehensive investigation into major U.S Postal Service (USPS) failures in Missouri in addition to lavish bonus compensation for USPS executives. This investigation followed Senator Hawley’s questioning of Postmaster General Steiner at a Senate hearing earlier this year during which Senator Hawley revealed that postal executives had received millions in bonuses over the past decade as USPS service standards and financials lagged.

In July, in a strong bipartisan vote, the Senate Homeland Security Committee passed Senator Hawley’s legislation to restrict bonus payouts for the Postmaster General. The legislation now heads to the Senate floor.

Senator Hawley’s office continues to investigate USPS and numerous questions remain unanswered. Senator Hawley's office has not received a single requested document from USPS during the investigation. 

Below are major questions for the Postmaster General that need timely public answers:

--Does the Postmaster General support Senator Hawley’s legislation to restrict bonuses for USPS executives until performance improves?

--Why has the Postmaster General retained New York consultants Alvarez & Marsal? What is the scope of work?

--Have these consultants recommended any closures of rural post offices in Missouri?

--Why has the Postmaster General suspended employer pension contributions for postal workers while he accepted a bonus and hired outside consultants? Is there a plan to make postal workers whole?

--Following the discovery of pile of undelivered mail in St. Louis in April 2026, what reforms has the Postmaster General made to ensure this never happens again?

Court Places Amendment 6 On the Ballot

On September 3rd, the Missouri Independent and other news outlets and interest groups ruled that Amendment 6, which restricts the ability of the legislature to revise or overturn voter-passed initiatives, will be on the ballot. Previously, Cole County Circuit Judge Daniel Green had ruled that the measure could not be on the ballot because it had more than one subject matter. 

On August 4th, Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins issued a “certificate of insufficiency” declaring that the measure was unconstitutional, citing a letter from Attorney General Catherine Hanaway. However, Missouri Supreme Court Judge Ginger Gooch, writing for a unanimous court, ruled that Mr. Hoskins’ certificate failed to identify a reason why the petition was insufficient and thus preserved nothing for the court’s review. Judge Gooch wrote that nearly all the Secretary’s claims involved hypothetical scenarios which could occur, not situations that actually happened.

The group Respect Mo Voters had circulated petitions and obtained more than 350,000 signatures to put Amendment 6 on the ballot. 

As quoted by the Independent, Eric Bronner, co-founder of Veterans for All Voters, which supported the measure, said, “For more than 118 years, Missourians have had the power to put issues directly before the voters. Amendment 6 is about protecting that right and making sure that when Missourians vote for something, politicians can’t simply undo their decision after the election.” The measure was pushed in response to a failed legislative measure that would have made it much more difficult for voters to pass an initiative petition, requiring passage in all congressional districts, not just a simple majority. Measures placed on the ballot by the legislature still would have required a simple majority. 

In a news release, Missouri Right to Life Executive Director Susan Klein wrote, in part, “The State of Missouri, consistent with the vision of our founding fathers, is a representative democracy. We elect senators and representatives to research and draft complex laws. Amendment 6 would stifle this process and cripple representative democracy in Missouri forever."

The Independent noted that in order to overturn a voter-passed initiative petition, a bill would have to have 131 votes in the House and 28 in the Senate. Republicans currently control 111 seats in the House and 24 in the Senate. 

Flash Drought Hits Crops, Pastures

University of Missouri Extension specialists are worried about the combination of drought and prolonged high temperatures as crops approach their final growth stages, says University of Missouri Extension assistant professor of soybean farming systems Andre Froes de Borja Reis.

By Aug. 11, Reis began lowering yield predictions in his biweekly MU Extension soybean growth and yield prediction report, which uses crop models and historical data to simulate soybean growth and yield across different regions of Missouri. Reis’ report says models showed declining soil moisture and prolonged heat leading to smaller seeds, lower test weights and reduced yield potential.

See Reis’ biweekly Soybean Growth Monitoring report at https://muext.us/SGM.

Prolonged heat increases water demand in crops while speeding up the loss of moisture from already-dry soils. According to recent reports, dry conditions have expanded across parts of the state.

Livestock producers in southwestern Missouri are buying and feeding hay earlier than normal, says Caleb O’Neal, MU Extension plant scient specialist in Lawrence County. He and Tim Schnakenberg, longtime field MU Extension agronomist in Stone County, said drought conditions are creating forage shortages, and producers are concerned about having enough water for livestock.

Schnakenberg says a Christian County alfalfa field that had a strong stand earlier this year and even produced a winner in the Ozark Empire Fair haylage competition is now in rough condition. O’Neal says Hickory County pastures are “burned up and dormant until relief is found in some moisture and cooler temperatures.”

MU Extension centers have been barraged in the last three weeks with requests for nitrate testing and advice on grazing management on fields of sorghum Sudan grass and Johnsongrass. “Fall forage planting and fescue stockpiling are in jeopardy unless we get some rain,” Schnakenberg says.

Schnakenberg recently saw a field of crabgrass that had died due to lack of rain; it usually takes a killing frost to kill crabgrass. O’Neal saw drought-stressed, wilting Sericea in mid-August. “This weed is notorious for being as tough as boot leather,” he says. “When Sericea is wilting, you know we’ve been dangerously hot and dry.”

The Missouri Hydrology Information Center, a collaboration of MU Extension and state and federal researchers, measures water available to plants at varying soil depths in different types of soil across the state. MU Extension state climatologist Zachary Leasor notes there soil moisture deficits are showing throughout much of the state, particularly in southwestern Missouri.

Drought affects at least some part of Missouri nearly every year, Reis says, but it has been more widespread throughout the state in the last five years. Leasor points to a broader trend of more extreme swings between wet and dry conditions in the state. Missouri can move quickly from abundant rainfall to drought, as it did this year, creating challenges for farmers.

Based on preliminary data, average Missouri temperatures were 2.5 F warmer than average during July. Southwestern Missouri’s temperatures were nearly 4 F higher than normal.

The U.S. Drought Monitor (https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu) reflects Missouri’s current dry and hot conditions, but some southwestern Missouri livestock and forage producers say conditions there are worse than the Drought Monitor reports. Leasor is working with MU Extension agronomists to collect impact reports to submit to the Drought Monitor.

Favorable conditions early in the 2026 growing season gave Missouri crops a head start. But MU Extension state weed scientist Kevin Bradley says heavy rains in parts of the state pushed back planting dates, and those later-planted crops face extreme stress due to high heat and low rainfall.

Bradley says extended drought over the past five years has increased weed pressure in pastures and could delay planting of cover crops and forages this fall.

He adds that farmers should be aware of the potential for herbicide carryover injury in corn or soybean fields where cover crops will soon be planted, especially in sandy soils or fields with low organic matter. Drought dramatically increases the risk of herbicide carryover because dry soils lack the moisture needed for microbial breakdown and chemical hydrolysis. Without adequate rainfall or microbial activity, residual herbicides stay active in the soil much longer.

MU Extension has numerous drought-related resources at https://muext.us/DroughtResources.

Bentin Roberts, Wyatt Scadden Step Up as Tigers Bounce Back

The Tigers had some bad news after the Rock Port loss as they lost Caleb New for the year (knee) and for basketball as well. Cole Ruby was day to day and was held out for much of the game. But there was still football to be played, and Bentin Roberts stepped up and delivered some bone-crushing blocks to spring Tiger backs loose for scores. Wyatt Scadden got a lot more playing time, and he delivered, beating everyone down the field for some scores. Ryder Smyser made some key plays on defense as the Tigers beat South Holt 52-0 at halftime. But they will have to clean up the sloppy play from their first two games and learn how to play in the heat, as Princeton will come to town with Worth County circled on its calendar. They were giving Rock Port everything it could handle at halftime Friday, trailing only 34-27 at the half. Rock Port eventually pulled away for a 64-47 win. 

Things went from bad to worse for the Knights as the opening kickoff was barely scraped and Worth County had a short field to work with at the Knight 30. They only needed one play to take advantage as Jude Archer outran everyone to the house to make it 6-0 with 11:53 left in the first. Hayden Sanders rolled to his right and lofted it up to Bentin Roberts to make it 8-0.

After South Holt started on its own 24, Tayle Prussman picked up five for the Knights. But Hayden Sanders and Jordan Dannar combined on a tackle for loss, and a short pass to Kameron Noland left them two yards short of the first down. A false start derailed their efforts to go for it, and South Holt was forced to punt.

A great kick pinned the Tigers at their own 5, but Jude Archer picked up blocks from Ethan Lininger and Wyatt Scadden to get to the 27. Bo Collins caught a short pass and got a block from Bentin Roberts, picking up 13 yards to the 40. A jet sweep to Jordan Dannar picked up seven as he spun his way to the 33. Hayden Sanders got a block from Bentin Roberts, and that was all he needed to take it to the house with 8:28 left to make it 14-0.

Jordan Dannar and Hudson Cameron delivered a big hit to pin the Knights on their own 15. There was confusion on the sidelines, and the Tigers dodged a bullet as Jordan Dannar came out bleeding and Lance Runde ran out on the field at the last minute and tackled Prussman after a three-yard gain which could have been a lot worse. Dannar returned to the game. On the next play, Bo Collins had a big hit and forced a fumble, and Bentin Roberts pounced on it at the eight. Jude Archer got a block from Bentin Roberts and took it seven yards down to the one, and Hayden Sanders moved a pile into the end zone with seven minutes left in the first. Bo Collins made a leaping catch in the back of the end zone to put Worth County up 22-0.

Bentin Roberts buried his man at the 19 to pin South Holt deep again. With Dannar still on the sidelines, South Holt tried the same tight end isolation play that Rock Port had used to success last week, but Lance Runde went stride for stride with Will Jackson and batted it away from him at the last moment. Bo Collins dropped Prussman after a gain of one, and Prussman was tackled four yards short of the first down on a pass play to set up fourth down. Once again, South Holt moved as they were trying to go for it, and they were forced to punt.

The sloppy play that Coach Jon Adwell was harping on reared up as a block in the back wiped out a touchdown, and Worth County started on its own 28. A bad snap derailed the drive, and Worth County was forced to punt. South Holt had good field position at its own 35, and Hayden Sanders was cramping up in the heat and sat out the series. But Cole Ruby and Jude Archer stepped up to drop quarterback Coltyn Fansher. Fansher scrambled to the 36, but Jace Burns and Jordan Dannar stopped him there. Bentin Roberts jumped a pass and forced an incompletion. Lance Runde had his second pass breakup, and Worth County got the ball on downs at the Knight 36, with Hayden Sanders back at the helm.

Three carries by Bentin Roberts, Hayden Sanders, and Jude Archer got it to the 20, and then Hayden Sanders aired it out to Wyatt Scadden, who beat his man by five yards to the house with 54 seconds left in the first. Worth County overcame a false start as Wyatt Scadden once again beat his defender by five yards and gathered in a pass from Sanders to make it 30-0.

South Holt got a good runback to its own 28, but a false start put them behind the sticks. Ryder Smyser timed the snap perfectly and shot through to drop Noland for a loss. A short pass was stopped after three yards as Ryder Smyser got a quarterback hurry and Hayden Sanders was there for the 1-on-1 tackle.

Once again, the sloppy play continued as a block in the back wiped out another long run, this time back to the Knight 30. A false start moved them back to the Knight 35, but once again, Wyatt Scadden beat his man by over five yards, taking a long pass from Hayden Sanders with 11:31 left in the half to make it 36-0.

Trenton Adwell and Dylan Smith combined to pin South Holt at its own 20. Bentin Roberts broke up a pass, then Prussman met Ryder Smyser for no gain. Fansher scrambled five yards to the 25, and South Holt elected to go for it. Hayden Sanders broke up a pass and the Tigers had the short field at the Knight 25. Brock Healy came in at quarterback, and the Tigers started subbing freely at that point. Healy threw a strike to Bentin Roberts and scrambled into the end zone for the extra points to make it 44-0 with 9:52 left in the second.

After South Holt was pinned at its own 21, Ethan Lininger and Jace Burns combined on a tackle for loss at the 20. Jude Archer’s man got inside of him, but he stuck with the play and broke it up. Hayden Sanders snuffed out a short pass to force a three and out. Jude Archer took the kick, and Worth County finally managed to avoid a penalty as he weaved his way to the Knight 26 after getting a block from Bentin Roberts. Brock Healy misfired on a pass that would have left Wyatt Scadden with another score, but Jude Archer got a block from Jordan Dannar to the 21. Brock Healy rolled out and threw a strike to Jordan Dannar, who crossed over with him and was in the clear for a score. Bentin Roberts took a handoff and Dylan Smith got a perfect seal block, holding up two defenders as Roberts cut back to score the extra points to make it 52-0 with 7:21 left in the half.

Jordan Dannar pinned the Knights at their own 20. There was a mixup on the defense as only seven players were out there, but Ryder Smyser shot past his blocker and threw his man for a loss. A pass interference gave the Knights a first down, but back to back sacks from Hudson Cameron and Ryder Smyser killed the drive, and South Holt was forced to punt. Once again, Worth County had a long punt return called back, and this time, a mixup on an exchange caused a fumble and Worth County was forced to punt. On the ensuing kick, Jakob Herbert stuck with the play and pinned the Knight back at their own 16. South Holt got a promising drive going as time was winding down, getting it to the Tiger 35. But Hudson Cameron came up with a pick, and Worth County knelt out the clock.