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Farm technologies discussed at annual Delta Center Field Day
Guiding the Future of Delta Agriculture was this year’s theme for the 57th Annual Fisher Delta Research Center Field Day. The annual event occurred on Friday, August 31 in Rone Hall at Lee Farm.
Prior to the three farm tours on Soybeans, Rice and Cotton, farmers and folks from throughout the regional tri-state area came to the Appreciation Breakfast and heard small speeches and words of encouragement from state and federal elected leaders.
Starting out the breakfast program included an invocation from Pastor Missy Rose, a presentation of colors by the 1221st transportation unit and VFW District 15 Commander Billy Becker.
Portageville High School student and FFA president Maggie Frakes performed the National Anthem.
Introductions of the guest speakers was Jason Bean, Delta Center Advisory Board Chairman.
The first speaker was Missouri Governor Michael Parson.
He began talking about two topics that is largely on his mind. Infrastructure and Workforce Development. However, he highly encouraged all to study up on ballots that will be presented before the voters in November, especially Proposition D, or the Fuel Tax.
“Make sure you understand it! The fuel tax is more that just roads and bridges, it is about air ports, river ports, waterways and the utilities,” he said.
The last time the Missouri state leaders made a big push for a fuel tax or infrastructure was two decades ago under Governor John Ashcroft.
“What we have done so far is loosen up weight limits allowing farmers to move more grain toe the markets.”
The new law took effect August 28, extends that surplus to trucks carrying livestock on state roads.
It also will allow some log trucks to transport their loads twice as far as current law allows, to within a 200-mile radius.
And farmers will be allowed to exceed weight limitations by up to 10 percent during harvests of crops including corn, wheat and rice. The law doesn’t specify harvest start and end dates.
Easing weight restrictions on trucks at harvest time is not unheard of, although any short-term reprieves typically stemmed from an immediate need.
In October 2014, then Gov. Jay Nixon issued a waiver that allowed trucks carrying farm commodities to exceed their licensed weight by 10 percent on non-interstate highways for 60 days. The move was spurred by heavy rain that hampered time-crunched farmers from harvesting and transporting their crops.
His second point was on Workforce Development. “Right now we have a shortage of qualified people to take on jobs that are in our state,” Parson said. “We need too step it up and train our young men and women. Out of the jobs available, 16.5 percent of the new jobs available require a post secondary education. We need to help education our students, high school and college, in the sciences and technology, and a lot of that can happen here at the Fisher Delta Center.”
“We have to work together to get agriculture and another, better level,” the Governor said.
U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill was the second speaker. she began with how the tariffs are hurting farmers all over. “These tariffs are damaging to Missouri agriculture. I am not afraid to say out loud , these tariffs are damaging, and there will be a long hangover,” Senator McCaskill. “This pain that is being felt by Missouri farmers, especially the youngest farmers and the smallest farmers. We have got to come together on this.”
Senator Roy Blunt then shared a few remarks on his work in Washington and what he sees as the next steps needed to harness productivity and expand opportunity in rural communities.
“Having access to broadband is as important as the telephone was to jobs and education 70 years ago,” Blunt said. “Whether it’s a farmer using precision agriculture or a student doing research, it’s important that we get broadband access to every corner of our state and I’ll continue working to do that.”
Blunt voted for the Senate-passed Farm Bill and the Department of Agriculture funding bill, both of which include dedicated resources to expand rural broadband. Blunt is also working to expand the USDA Rural Utilities Service, which provides grant and loan funding for infrastructure improvements in rural areas, including the deployment of broadband infrastructure.
Turning to trade, Blunt said he was encouraged by the progress on NAFTA negotiations, but will be carefully reviewing the details of any final agreement. “We have to continue to open more markets for our products, not close them,” Blunt said. “But we also have to ensure fair treatment, and that means robust enforcement of our trade deals and consequences for violations.”
Blunt continued, “Whether it’s getting our Missouri products to markets around the world or courting a manufacturing plant to locate jobs in America, the first two questions you ask are, ‘can we pay for the utility bill,’ and ‘does the transportation system work for what we want to do?’”
Citing location as one of Missouri’s greatest competitive advantages, Blunt announced that he will be voting for Proposition D, the transportation ballot initiative that would provide funding to help pay for critical road and bridge projects. “Transportation matters, and it’s even more important to us than most states,” said Blunt.
Since the gas tax was last increased in 1996, Missouri has added 2,500 more miles of road and is now home to the seventh largest highway system in the nation. Since highway construction projects are generally funded on an 80 percent federal / 20 percent state cost share, Proposition D would enable Missouri to potentially receive more than a billion dollars over the next four years that would otherwise go to other states.
As a national transportation hub – including highways, railways, and waterways – the future of Missouri’s economy is directly tied to the strength of its infrastructure. The world price of grain, Blunt gave as an example, is the market prices less what it costs to get it there. The better the transportation network, the more competitive every Missouri industry will be, especially manufacturing and agriculture.”
Additional speakers included congressman Jason Smith, Lt. Governor Mike Kehoe, Attorney General Josh Hawley, Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, State Treasurer Eric Schmitt, and Chris Chinn, director of Missouri Department of Agriculture.
Shortly after the breakfast, the three research tours on Soybeans, Cotton and Rice began.
In the past there has been an FFA educational section for area high school students. This year, they will have their own field day of sorts. The Ag Education Day will be held in Rone Hall at Lee Farm on Wednesday, Oct. 18.
“This is a new way for our team at the Center to give back and help educate the young adults in our High School Ag Programs,” said Trent Haggard, director of the Fisher Delta Research Center. “This will include time in-the-field and indoor sessions, where they will be learning and experiencing Bootheel agriculture, trained regarding farm safety, and informed of the many great agricultural career opportunities that exist in Southeast Missouri and beyond.”
