Northwest agricultural sciences department to host cover crop workshops

The Department of Agricultural Sciences at Northwest Missouri State recently received a grant from the Missouri Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to develop and host cover crop workshops focused on educating local producers and gardeners on the virtues of using cover crops in their traditional production systems.

The workshops will be 8:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 10, beginning in Charles Johnson Theater. Onsite registration begins at 8 a.m., although pre-registration is recommended online at http://www.nwmissouri.edu/ag/ or by calling the department at 660.562.1155.

The one-day workshops are free and open to the public. A free lunch also will be provided.

The workshop will consist of guest speakers, including local producers, university experts and NRCS personnel. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to tour Northwest’s cover crop demonstration plots, which consist of various cover crop species and cover mixtures.

The workshop will be divided into two tracts. The agronomy tract will focus on the use of cover crops in corn, soybean and small grains, and the horticulture tract will focus on the use of cover crops in orchards, vegetables and gardens.

“We have seen a dramatic upswing – some estimate a 400 to 500 percent increase – in the use of cover crops to promote soil quality over the past few years,” said Dr. Jamie Patton, associate professor of agriculture at Northwest. “Cover crops are used to increase soil organic matter contents, porosity and nutrient levels, as well as reduce erosion.”

The use of cover crops is becoming more common, Patton said, after fertilizer and pesticide production steered ag producers away from growing the beneficial crops. Prior to World War II, cover crops were commonly grown during the fall, winter and early spring for use in grazing and to add nitrogen to the soil and help control weed pressures for cash crops.

“Some producers who have regularly used cover crops in their typical crop rotations have experienced the decreased need for commercial fertilizers coupled with increases in corn yield,” Patton said. “To me, that is a win-win situation, particularly as we move toward more sustainable agricultural systems.”

Patton said Northwest’s agricultural sciences department has grown various types of cover crops during the last three years. Last fall, within an area of highly compacted soil north of the Valk Center, the department grew tillage radishes and studied the impact of the roots on improving soil tilth. At the Mozingo Outdoor Education Recreation Area, the department has grown various cereal grains, legumes and winter canola to control erosion, improve soil fertility and provide wildlife habitat near Mozingo Lake.

“While the exploration of varied cover crops adds to Northwest students’ knowledge, the students also are gaining valuable skills by helping to plan and organize the upcoming workshop,” Patton said.

“Many of our students are going into careers where they’ll be responsible for hosting field days or educational events. By integrating our students in all aspects of this workshop, from planning to execution, we’re providing our students experience in the challenges of planning and organizing such events, as well all aspects of budgeting and publicity. Students are getting a good feel of the whole process, and they’re really excited that this isn’t just a class project. It is exciting that there is actually going to be real, tangible product in the end, and that the decisions they make will impact the experience of all the workshop attendees.”

Word on the Street – Middle America, not the Middle East

If anybody wants to know why Sheridan is not getting money to fix their water system or why Worth County School has to make hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of budget cuts after already having made a bunch of cuts or why our lettered roads are not in good shape anymore, look at the Middle East.
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When Bill Clinton was President, his mantra was “It’s the Economy, Stupid!” We had eight years of economic growth under his rule. Surpluses were the rule of the day at the end of his term, not deficits.
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But now, it seems that our politicians on both sides of the aisle are obsessed with the Middle East instead of Middle America. And now, our roads are crumbling, our schools are having to make more and more cuts, and our towns are struggling to keep up water systems in the face of burdensome government regulations.
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George Bush had a personal vendetta against Saddam while Dick Cheney had personal interests in occupying Iraq.
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And now Obama is going to continue his drone attacks far into the future even though Bin Laden is dead and we have not been attacked since 9/11.
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The question is, when is enough enough? The more that Obama continues his drone attacks, the more that we plant the seeds for the next 9/11, just like our building of permanent bases in Saudi Arabia planted the seeds for the 9/11 attacks.
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We’re not excusing anybody’s actions. But we’re suggesting that there is a much better way of bankrupting the terrorists than the extrajudicial kidnappings and imprisonments of the Bush Administration or the Obama drone attacks – getting off of foreign oil and getting electric cars, wind farms and solar plants built in every city in the US.
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Actions speak louder than words. Most of us agree that we should have a strong national defense. But when certain politicians cry the blues about our escalating deficits and then turn around and spend trillions of dollars on Iraq and Afghanistan while making plans to cut 90% of federal funding from our schools over the next 10 years, we know that these politicians care more about the Middle East than they do about Middle America.
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And actions can have unintended consequences, no matter how heroic they might seem. The corporate media reports all of the good consequences about the raid that killed Bin Laden, but ignores the bad – such as the fact that Pakistan is running for cover from Polio immunization campaigns after it turned out that a US agent, Dr. Shakil Afridi, set up a phony public health immunization campaign in an effort to get Bin Laden’s DNA.
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Polio, for those of us who didn’t grow up in the 1950’s, was the biggest scare in the US following the fear of nuclear war during those days.
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But we eradicated Polio by making it a national priority. And we can bankrupt the terrorists by doing the same thing with energy.
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None of us have all the answers. Therefore, the best role for government is not to stick their heads in the sand under the guise of “All of the Above” or to dictate to small towns and small businesses and farmers how to run their operations. The best role for the government is to facilitate, providing resources and expertise to towns and cities and help them develop a vision of a country free of dependence on high gas prices and free from the fear of terrorism.

Claire McCaskill -- New Safeguards in Farm Bill Against Unreasonable Regulations

After waging a successful battle against unreasonable proposals to regulate farm dust and teenagers who work on family farms and ranches, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today moved to amend the Farm Bill to include strong new safeguards against any future attempts at unnecessary and burdensome federal rules on farmers and ranchers.

McCaskill, who was born and raised in small town Missouri, introduced an amendment to the Farm Bill that would dramatically strengthen the authority of a farm policy advisory position at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—a position that currently exists, but that is not required by law. McCaskill’s measure would establish a framework in which that official would serve as an important check against new unnecessary federal regulations that would negatively impact agriculture.

“We can keep batting down each unreasonable or unneeded regulation on our farms and ranches like a game of whack-a-mole, or we can tackle the root issue head on—that farmers and ranchers need a seat at the table when these decisions are made,” McCaskill said. “That’s exactly the gap my plan would bridge—by making sure the EPA has an in-house agriculture advisor at all times, and giving that position real authority. That way, before any new rule can be issued that will affect the jobs and livelihoods of farming families across rural America, whoever thinks the rule is a good idea would be forced to hear—and respond to—some common sense from folks who know the business of agriculture.”

McCaskill’s amendment would require the EPA’s Chief Agriculture Counsel to weigh in on behalf of farmers and ranchers on any proposed new regulations that would have a significant impact on agriculture, and would require the EPA Administrator to issue a written response to any concerns raised by the advisor. McCaskill also introduced a separate amendment today, along with Sen. Amy Klobochar (D-Minn.), which would allow the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to appoint farmers or ranchers to the EPA’s Science Advisory Board, doubling the number of members with a background in agriculture serving on the Board.

The Farm Bill currently being debated in the Senate would protect agriculture jobs and reduce the national deficit by $23 billion by streamlining and consolidating federal programs and ending unnecessary farm subsidies, while preserving important resources for farm and ranch families and strengthening the crop insurance program—issues which are critical to the livelihoods of Missouri’s farmers and ranchers.

McCaskill also renewed her support today for two other proposals that would bar the federal government from issuing future rules regulating farm dust and limit the ability of teenagers to work on family farms and ranches. McCaskill is also supporting an amendment to prohibit the EPA from requiring duplicative permits for pesticide use.

A copy of McCaskill’s amendment to boost the authority of the EPA’s farm policy advisor is available on her website HERE.

Jack Remembers -- Buckner Girls

When our schools were smaller, we knew most of the kids from Grain Valley, Odessa, Buckner and Blue Springs. The schools all looked alike. They were two-story brick buildings with all 12 grades and a gymnasium. Oak Grove was the only one that did not have a gymnasium in the school. Our gym was located in town in an American Legion Building. Buckner’s school was located on the southeast corner of Buckner-Tarsney Road and 24 Highway.
One night, Buckner had a basketball game with some other school. My cousin Kenneth Turner, who went to Grain Valley school and had a girlfriend in Buckner, was going to fix me up with one of the Buckner girls they knew. The game was just about over and we had made arrangements to meet the girls outside at Kenneth’s car. In the meantime, the girl’s older brother had gotten wind of the meeting and didn’t approve. He had paid the biggest farm boy in Buckner to wait outside for us. It was cold and there was snow on the ground. When we walked around the corner of that building into the dark, all I saw or felt was a big fist. My cousin was behind me, so when he saw me lying on the slick sidewalk, he thought I had slipped and fell. He picked me up, and you guessed it, that big old farm boy hit me again. I was on the ground getting ready to say, “Don’t pick me up again Kenneth, leave me down here!” The next thing I knew, he was down there with me. I guess the ol’ boy didn’t know which one of us he was supposed to get, so he nailed us both. I looked around and here came the girl’s brother with two more guys. The big guy was still there, no doubt waiting for his money.
One thing about going to school at Oak Grove, our superintendent and teachers taught us common sense. Common sense told me to get out of Buckner, which we did.
After that night, Buckner girls never did much appeal to me.
Jack can be reached at PO Box 40, Oak Grove, MO 64075, or jackremembers@aol.com. Visit www.jackremembers.com

Fireworks Law Signed by Governor Nixon

Gov. Jay Nixon today signed into a law a bill that removes a discrepancy between Missouri and federal laws on the labeling of commercial fireworks, and makes those fireworks that are legal under federal law now legal under Missouri law. Because Senate Bill 835 contains an emergency clause, it takes effect immediately, and brings clarity for communities and civic organizations that plan and sponsor Fourth of July fireworks displays.

“Celebrating America’s birthday with community fireworks displays is a time-honored tradition in towns large and small across Missouri,” Gov. Nixon said. “I greatly appreciate the countless volunteer hours that our civic organizations devote to making these community events successful, and this new law will help ensure that the displays continue to be both safe and enjoyable.” 

In 2009, the U.S. Department of Transportation changed the way it defined and classified fireworks for the purpose of labeling, shipping and possession. Those federal changes included the designations on the amount of explosives contained in the fireworks. Missouri law had referenced the old designated amounts, and had not been updated to reflect the new federal designations.

Gov. Nixon’s signing of Senate Bill 835 enacts the updates to Missouri law to reflect those previous changes in the federal law. The bill was passed by the General Assembly with the support of the Missouri State Fire Marshal.

McCaskill Takes Another Step to Protect Jobs, Resources for Missouri Farmers, Ranchers

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today continued her fight to ensure Farm Service Agency offices remain accessible for Missouri’s farmers and ranchers.

The Farm Bill being currently debated in the Senate would protect agriculture jobs and reduce the national deficit by $23 billion by streamlining and consolidating federal programs and ending unnecessary farm subsidies, while preserving important resources for farm and ranch families and strengthening the crop insurance program—critical to the livelihoods of Missouri’s farmers and ranchers.  

McCaskill has introduced an amendment that would  prevent the closure of a Farm Service Agency (FSA) office unless another office is located within 20 miles driving distance.  

“The Farm Bill is another one of those opportunities to ensure that the voices of families in our small towns and rural communities are heard in Washington,” said McCaskill, who was born in Rolla, Mo. “Not everyone in Congress knows what it means to be from rural America—but as someone who does, I plan to keep up my fight to protect jobs in our ag industry, to guard against any unreasonable regulations on our farm and ranch families, and to preserve access to crucial resources that our small towns rely upon.”

Farmers and ranchers visit FSA offices for assistance with various farm programs, including payment programs, loan services, disaster programs, and conservation programs. In the 2008 Farm Bill, Congress placed limitations on the ability of the Secretary of Agriculture to close FSA offices limiting closures to those offices within 20 miles of another FSA office to avoid placing unreasonable travel burdens on farmers and ranchers.

However, that legislation did not specify that the twenty mile requirement refers to driving distance, as opposed to distance measured in a straight line. Ignoring the clear intent of the 2008 bill, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is attempting to abuse this technicality to close down additional FSA offices in states across the country, including one in Morgan County that is a twenty-six mile drive from the next nearest office, but less than 20 miles away “as the crow flies.”

McCaskill has already been active on the Farm Bill, last week introducing an amendment ensuring that a program designed to increase broadband access in rural Missouri didn’t have its resources wasted through diversions to large metropolitan areas.

A copy of McCaskill’s amendment to protect Missourians access to Farm Service Agencies is available HERE.

McCaskill Supports Addition of Veterans’ Mental Health Providers

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill today released the following statement in response to the plan released by the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to make good on promises to hire nearly 2,000 workers nationwide to treat and assist military veterans requiring mental health services:

“Veterans in Missouri and across the country need to have access to the best possible care—period—and that’s especially important when we’re talking about issues of mental health. I’ve fought to increase veterans’ access to mental health care, and I’m thrilled that additional providers will be hired in Missouri.  But I’m not going to rest for a second until our veterans are receiving the care that they need and have earned.”

VA medical centers in St. Louis, Kansas City, Columbia, and Poplar Bluff are slated to receive additional mental health clinicians.  According to the VA, the number of additional staff to be added at each facility is based on the veteran population in the service area, the mental health needs of veterans in that population, and the range and complexity of mental health services provided in the service area.

McCaskill has been a champion for military veterans and servicemembers since coming to the Senate in 2006.  McCaskill has fought to increase funding for veterans health programs, and in 2009, helped pass the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act, legislation that enables advanced appropriations for Veterans Health Administration accounts in order to provide greater stability and support to critical veterans care programs.  In 2010, McCaskill introduced the TRICARE Mental Health Care Access Act, legislation intended to improve veterans' access to mental health services. The bill aimed to expand access to mental health services for military families and retirees by cutting through red tape that prevented licensed mental health counselors from participating in the TRICARE system. The change was signed into law as part of the Fiscal Year 2011 National Defense Authorization Act.

Read more about McCaskill’s work for veterans by clicking HERE.