Ashley McCarty, Executive Director of Missouri Farmers Care along with around ten local farmers came to the Worth County Commission to lobby for the county to be designated as an Agri-Ready Community. She said that such a move would send a message to prospective businesses that Worth County is open for business and that it would help educate young people about the importance of farming.
Missouri Farmers Care is a joint effort by numerous companies and farm organizations to promote the growth of agriculture in Missouri communities. Members of the executive committee include the Missouri Soybean Association, the Missouri Corngrowers Association, Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, Missouri Pork Association, MFA Oil, MFA, Missouri Farm Bureau, FCS Financial, the Missouri Poultry Federation, and the Missouri Beef Checkoff Program.
Other members include AGRIServices of Brunswick, Bayer (formerly Monsanto), Biofuels LLC, Brundage Ag Law, Dairy Farmers of America, Infra, Law Firm of Haden & Colbert, Midwest Dairy, Missouri Agribusiness Association, Missouri Animal Husbandry Association, Missouri Association of Meat Producers, Missouri Dairy, Missouri Egg Council, Missouri Farmer Today, Missouri Federation of Animal Owners, Missouri Horse Council, Missouri Levee & Drainage District Association, Missouri Livestock Marketing Association, Missouri Pet Breeders Association, Missouri Rice Council, Missouri Sheep Producers, Missouri Veterinary Medical Association, Missouri Vocational Ag Teachers Association, Missouri Wine & Grape Board, Missouri’s Electric Cooperatives, Nutra-Blend LLC, Professional Pet Association, St. Louis Agribusiness Club, and Sydenstricker Nobbe Partners John Deere.
In 2014, this coalition came together for the purpose of promoting agriculture. Missouri Farmers Care initially started off as a bill in the legislature, but the coalition decided they wanted to work without government constraints. In 2015, they decided to partner with county commissions, and the Missouri Agri-Ready slogan was thought up. Since then, 77 Missouri counties, including Harrison, Gentry, and Nodaway Counties, have signed up. Missouri Farmers Care put together a promotional video with Nodaway County to market to nearby cities such as Des Moines and Omaha; that video has generated 150,000 views.
For Worth County to join, the commission would have to repeal its health ordinance. Passed by a previous commission, it is a massive document consisting of many pages with extensive regulations that any Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) locating in Worth County would have to follow and giving the Tri-County Health Department power to enforce it. This ordinance, and others statewide like it, were subsequently rendered unenforceable by the Missouri legislature. However, McCarty said such ordinances were still a deterrent to prospective businesses seeking to locate in a Missouri county.
As of 2021, Worth County has $14.5 million in total value added by agriculture. It has $34.2 million in output. There are 428 jobs in the county that are ag-related, including agriculture, agri-food, forestry, and related industries, or 41.4% of all jobs.
There is $24 million in estimated household income in Worth County as a result of agriculture as of 2021.
McCarty said the benefits of being an Agri-Ready county include the ability to promote the county to prospective businesses from outside the area looking to locate along with educational benefits.
She said that in one instance, Caldwell County got a $110 million shuttle loader from MFA. In another instance, American Foods Group, based in Green Bay, was looking to locate an operation where they would buy food within a 500 mile radius. They narrowed it down to Tennessee, and they were able to fly some farmers from Warren County, Missouri to Green Bay to successfully convince them to locate in Missouri, where they have made a $1.3 billion investment.
Worth County would have problems landing such an operation because of the infrastructure. “We don’t have the roads,” said commissioner Reggie Nonneman. A visitor, Mark Cadle, said that if the county could attract an operation that could employ 5-10 people, that would be great. “The best thing we could have is a trade school,” said Nonneman, saying the county was always in need of someone who can do a skilled trade such as carpentry, plumbing, and electrical. “It’s not a fit for everyone,” said McCarty.
McCarty said another benefit of being Agri-Ready was the educational benefit to students. Missouri Farmers Care offers Ag Education On the Move, a free curriculum for third graders taught by FFA students or college interns. It teaches students where food comes from and offers hands-on STEM activities. Cadle noted he has spent time in classrooms where kids didn’t realize that tomatoes grow on plants, for instance.
Presiding Commissioner Jubal Summers said that a quarterly commissioners meeting was coming up and that the one after that would be hosted by Worth County. “I want to ask around and see how being Agri-Ready has affected other counties,” he said. The commission took no action on the proposal at Monday’s meeting. If approved, it would be free and would come up for renewal every two years.
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