business beat

Dairy settlement doesn't deliver reform

Peggy Lowe — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 23:30:00 +0000

When a group of small farmers in the southeastern U.S. banded together to sue a powerful dairy cooperative a few years ago, many hoped that the case would bring big changes to the milk industry.

But the recent settlement of the case involving Kansas City-based Dairy Farmers of America Inc., resulted in little long-term reform, even as the farmers received some monetary damages.

Rural Mo. town: Population zero

Kristofor Husted — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 22:43:44 +0000

The most recent U.S. census shows the nation’s population is in flux. While some cities across the country are growing, many small towns are dwindling. KBIA’s Lukas Udstuen takes us to Goss, one of the smallest towns in Missouri. You might miss it if it weren’t for a few road signs marking its location along Route 24 in Monroe County. And you’re most likely out of luck if you stop in Goss for directions because the 2010 Census reported the town has zero residents.

Check out more details about how Goss came about and see an audio slide show here.

Why EPA and USDA are tweaking standards

Kristofor Husted — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 23:20:00 +0000

Later, we check in with a revised Environmental Protection Agency standard that could help some wastewater treatment facilities struggling to comply with part of the Clean Water Act’s deadline.

Drought hurts fish farmers; USDA open to helping women, Hispanic farmers

Kristofor Husted — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 23:42:23 +0000

Coming up we’ll take a look at how the drought affected an outdoor industry completely dependent on water. But first, the United States Department of Agriculture is currently accepting claims from female and Hispanic farmers who believe the agency discriminated against them in farm loan or loan servicing programs. As Harvest Public Media’s Amy Mayer reports, the claims process is complex—but the payouts could be large.

Beef checkoff feud exposes divide within cattle industry

Peggy Lowe and Frank Morris — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 22:30:00 +0000

This story on the American beef industry is part of a special reporting series from Harvest Public Media. Check out the rest of their stories at harvestpublicmedia.org.

When Allen Berry brought his 11 yearlings to the Green City Livestock Market in central Missouri last month, he paid into a fund that at first blush, seems a bargain.

Program teaches financial lessons to foster care youth

Dalton Barker — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 21:01:59 +0000

Foster care can be difficult for many reasons: stress on the family, forced assimilation into a new environment for the child and a lack of resources can create problems for those in the system. But what you don’t always hear about is what happens to the kids who age out of the system at 18.

These teenagers are often thrown into an adult world with adult problems, including how to make ends meet. But, one St. Louis foundation is helping teach the former foster children the financial lessons to succeed after foster care.

Grappling with beef waste; fostercare kids learn financial lessons

Kristofor Husted — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 20:46:37 +0000

Had a hamburger lately? The cow it came from likely passed through a feedlot – a huge farm that fattens cattle before they’re slaughtered. The thousands of cattle housed at a feedlot produce tons and tons of waste. That manure can be used as a valuable fertilizer. But if it’s not properly disposed, it could lead to an environmental disaster. In Day 4 of Harvest Public Media’s series, America’s Big Beef, Jeremy Bernfeld reports.

Drought kills Christmas trees while some post offices kill morning hours

Kristofor Husted — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 22:53:52 +0000

Now that Thanksgiving has passed, many people have begun to deck the halls, gorge on delectable dishes, and send out greeting cards. Well, that last one might become trickier for some rural residents soon. That’s because the United States Postal Service is moving ahead to reduce the hours of thousands of post offices across the country. Jennifer Davidson has this report from a rural Ozarks community.

Rural post offices prepare for reduction of hours

Jennifer Davidson — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 22:44:24 +0000

A tiny post office sits in Pomona, Mo. It’s a very small, white plaster concrete building with a flagpole to the side.

Pomona is in a rural area in south central Missouri. This is one of the many post offices across the United States in an effort to save money by the US Postal Service.

“I think all of the smaller offices in this area—they’re all going to that, because, you know, there’s a lot of lag time,” says Anna Carnefix, the postmaster relief for the Pomona office.

Christmas trees suffer through drought

Pat Blank — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 21:41:30 +0000

In the Dr. Seuss book, it was the Grinch who stole Christmas. But for some Midwest tree growers, it may be the drought that eventually steals the holiday.

Danny Moulds, who owns Kris Kringle’s Trees just north of Cedar Falls, Iowa, said the hot dry summer took a harsh toll on newly planted seedlings. “We did lose about 15,000 Christmas trees in a 46-acre farm,” Moulds said. “And with the fir trees we didn’t lose just the little ones we planted this year, we (also) lost last year’s.”