Kristofor Husted

With a new farm bill, farmers may have access to fewer dollars for conservation. For 27 years, the popular Conservation Reserve Program has transformed small parcels of land, contributing to cleaner water, more habitat for migrating birds and less soil erosion. But as Harvest Public Media’s Amy Mayer reports from Iowa, the program has been enrolling fewer acres in recent years and it’s not just budget cuts that could make it smaller still.

For the month of April, Missouri employers added more than 12,000 new jobs while the state’s unemployment rate dropped to 6.6 percent.

Coming up we’ll hear about the new grocery store opening up show in downtown Columbia. But first, more than 20 years after being listed as an endangered species, the pallid sturgeon is just treading water in the Missouri River. Manmade channels, impounds and dams, commercial fishing and environmental contaminants all had been fingered in the demise of the species.

Early this morning, Columbia police officers arrested MU employee Tyler D. Hack at the 1100 block of West Broadway for burglary and sexual misconduct.

Hack, 29, is listed as an assistant teaching professor in MU’s Parks, Recreation and Tourism department.

Officers say Hack entered a neighbor’s home through an unlocked door while the victim was sleeping. The victim woke up to Hack fondling his genitals.

“He recognized Hack because he lived in the area and he called the police at that time,” says Columbia Police Public Information Officer Latisha Stroer.

 Photo 3: Members of the communities surrounding Fort Leonard Wood gathered Tuesday to discuss the U.S. Army proposal to remove troops from the fort. Under the proposal, the fort could lose as many of 4,000 of its troops.Edit | Remove

Eight Missouri counties received an “F” grade in The American Lung Association’s recent“State of the Air” report card. The latest report was released Wednesday – grades U.S. counties and cities on air quality. 

Out of the 17 counties with enough data available to issue a score, only Boone County received an “A” grade. And here’s the list of the counties that failed: Clay, Clinton, Jasper, Jefferson, Perry, St. Charles, St. Louis, and St. Louis city. Researchers used air quality data between 2009 and 2011 for the grading.

The pork business certainly has its challenges. Hog farmers continually grapple with high feed prices, environmental hiccups and criticism from animal welfare groups. But some producers are creating a path to profitability by pursuing smaller, more specialized markets. From Iowa, Harvest Public Media’s Amy Mayer has the story of Eden Farms.

Note: This story is meant to be a listening experience. Click the play button above to hear it.

Hostess. Nordyne. Fuqua Building Systems. AP Green.

The shutdown of all these plants signaled the loss of hundreds of Missouri jobs. Now imagine if it was just one powerhouse plant that helped define a city – a city known for its innovation and production.