Farm tour begins in Portageville

Sunday, August 31, 2008

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Eighth District Rep. Jo Ann Emerson's upcoming 2008 Farm Tour of Southern Missouri agricultural production will provide a look at everything from dairy cows to the production of hydrogen as an alternative fuel.

This year, the annual Emerson Farm Tour will run from Tuesday through Sept. 5.

"The farms and ranches in Southern Missouri are not your run-of-the-mill agricultural operations. We have innovations at work here that are literally leading the world, and at the same time Missouri is bringing brand new crops and products to the market," Emerson said.

Emerson will visit the area Tuesday at the following times and locations: 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. at University of Missouri Delta Center Field Day at Rone Exhibit Hall in Portageville; 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at New Madrid Riverfront groundbreaking near the River Ampitheater in New Madrid; 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Tiller Dairy Farm in Matthews; 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Hamra Hydroponics Farm in Advance; and 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Butler County John Deere Implement Dealer in Poplar Bluff.

" My annual farm tour is just one of the ways I keep in touch with state-of-the art methods being used to make our part of the state competitive in agricultural markets around the world," Emerson said.

Stops on Emerson's tour include a meeting with timber producers, a visit to a winery and one to a greenhouse. Emerson will also join a briefing on biofuels production and the contribution this technology should make to American energy security.

"It is especially important to me to visit with our producers, researchers, and agri-business leaders one-on-one and see their operations firsthand. Agriculture is vital to our rural economy, and our farms and ranches are a source of great pride," Emerson said.

Emerson is a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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