Keeping your interest at heart: This is YOUR Department of Agriculture

The Department of Agriculture touches your every day life by protecting your food supply and the farmers who raise it. Agriculture is a big part of every Missouri community - in a lot of small towns, agriculture is the main industry. By providing a safe place for farmers to do business, we can ensure those communities continue to thrive.

Meet Zack Talbott: Grain auditor in our Grain Inspection & Warehousing division, who was raised on a farm in Southeast Missouri and keeps that in mind each and every day as he goes to work for Missouri farmers.

Click here to watch the video. 

Ag Matters: Growing up ‘rural’ shaped state ag director

Director of Agriculture Chinn authors a monthly column in Missouri Ruralist entitled Ag Matters. Below is this month's column.

I’m from rural Missouri, and proud of it. As we prepare to celebrate National Ag Week in March, it’s fitting to reflect on the life experiences we’ve had that ignited our passion for the industry. Most of us in agriculture come from rural communities, and the experience of living in those communities shapes us into who we become as adults. Those experiences have made me the leader I am today, and they are the reason I launched the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s MORE initiative to ensure the place we call home survives and thrives for our children and their children.

Growing up in a rural community taught me many valuable lessons that I’ve carried with me in life. I learned it’s important to have dedication, integrity and courage. My parents instilled in me a work ethic that emphasizes hard work and determination. If you start a job, you see it through to the end. I remember my dad telling me as a child, “If you do a job right the first time, you won’t have to do it a second time.” I think about those words when I’m doing a task I may not enjoy; they help motivate me to do a good job.

Click here to read the entire column. 

Get it while it's hot: funding opportunities

Program: Margin Insurance Premium Assistance

Deadline to Apply: Feb. 28, 2018

The Margin Insurance Premium Assistance program was established by the Missouri General Assembly to assist Missouri dairy farmers with the cost of their participation in the federal margin protection program. Eligible dairy farmers may be reimbursed up to 70 percent of their federal premium, excluding the USDA Farm Service Agency administrative fees. Dairy farmers applying for reimbursement will be required to submit full proof of federal premium payment for each year that reimbursement is requested. Applications will close on Feb. 28, 2018. Click here to learn more.

Program: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) 

Deadline to Apply: March 26, 2018

NRCS has announced the availability of CIG to stimulate the development and adoption of innovative conservation approaches and technologies. Applications will be accepted from eligible entities for projects carried out in the state of Missouri. A total of up to $150,000 is available for CIG in FY 2018. All non-Federal entities (NFE) and individuals are invited to apply, with the sole exception of Federal agencies. Projects may be between 1 and 3 years in duration. The maximum award amount for a single award in FY 2018 is $75,000. 

Applications must be submitted electronically through grants.gov by 5 p.m. on March 26. Click here to learn more.