INTRODUCTION
Agriculture is BIG business in Missouri. As the leading industry in the state, agriculture leads the way through its diversity of food, fiber and fuel production. This diversity and central location, in addition to attractive business structures and low infrastructure costs, maintains Missouri as a prime location for agriculture and agri-business development and expansion in the future. More than 100,000 farms and 3,000 agribusinesses work together to make agriculture what it is today.
MAJOR COMPANIES
Anheuser Busch Agricultural Products Division
St. Louis, MO
Produces and enhances the quality of raw materials for the company's beers.
St. Louis, MO
Monsanto is headquartered in St. Louis and has locations around
the world. The locations are various administrative and sales offices,
manufacturing plants, seed production facilities, and research centers – all
part of the corporate focus on agriculture and supporting farmers.
St. Louis, MO
Nestle Purina PetCare is committed to making pets' lives better.
As the pace of change in pet care accelerates, their challenge is to lead with
fresh, innovative approaches to making the lives of dogs and cats better.
St. Louis, MO
Novus
is a leading developer of animal health and nutrition programs for the poultry,
pork, beef, dairy, aquaculture, and companion animal industries. Novus has more
than 25 locations around the world and clients in over 80 countries.
St. Louis, MO
The
Solae Company is an alliance between DuPont and Bunge Limited to bring more
great tasting, nutritious soy-foods to the marketplace. As more and more
consumers are discovering the many health benefits of consuming soy, a growing
number of food manufacturers have introduced new and innovative products using
Solae™ soy ingredients.
KEY FACILITIES AND RESOURCES
Considerable
start-up and commercialization assistance is provided by Missouri’s
incubators:
Missouri Agricultural and Small
Business Development Authority
Jefferson City, MO
The
Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority is a
seven-member bipartisan commission tasked with helping new and expanding
agricultural producers finance their operations and add value to their
products. The authority provides assistance through eight separate programs.
Columbia, MO
The
Missouri Alternatives Center's mission is to provide Missourians with timely
information about alternative agricultural opportunities, to evaluate diverse
enterprises, improve management decisions, increase economic returns and
enhance the quality of their lives.
Missouri Enterprise Business Assistance
Center
Rolla, MO
Missouri
Enterprise’s mission is to help Missouri businesses succeed. To do that, they provide
a broad range of hands-on business, technical and manufacturing optimization
services, delivered by an experienced, “been there, done that” staff and a
comprehensive network of public and private partners. The center has offices throughout the state.
Extension
offices throughout Missouri
Other
Missouri resources include:
Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City
The Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City is an association
that advocates growth and awareness of the food, fiber, agri-science and
related industries in the Kansas City region. Established in late 2003, the
Council's mission is to enhance greater understanding about this important
industry by joining together Kansas and Missouri agricultural organizations,
agribusinesses and other key leaders. This alliance includes more than 200
individuals, businesses and organizations associated with the extensive
agricultural and food industry.
Agricultural Leaders of Tomorrow (ALOT)
ALOT
is a two-year leadership program, attracting Missouri adults from across the
state, representing rural and urban areas, full-time farmers and agribusiness,
media, financial representatives and more.
The
Kansas City Board of Trade was founded in 1856 by a group of Kansas City
merchants. It served a function similar to a Chamber of Commerce. The Kansas
City Board of Trade was formally chartered in 1876. Located on the northern
border between Kansas and Missouri and the junction of two rivers, Kansas City
is situated in one of the most productive wheat-growing regions of the world.
Missouri Farmers Association (MFA)
MFA is a Midwest-based regional farm supply and
marketing cooperative serving more than 45,000 farmer/owners in Missouri and
adjacent states. Its 106 company-owned MFA Agri-Service Centers combined with
27 locally-owned MFA affiliates with 24 branch locations contrast nicely with its
approximately 400 independent dealers.
In 1981,
a group of forward-thinking executives who headed St. Louis-based corporations
and associations believed that an organization was needed to provide a forum
for interaction and discussion of important agricultural issues. This
organization has also been the impetus behind attracting agricultural companies
and associations to the St. Louis area and has played an important role in
helping government leaders better understand the importance of agriculture to
our nation. Agribusiness in the
St. Louis region accounts for 12% of
the total area economic output ($23 billion in total
sales) and
20% of the region's workforce.
This
organization brings together important and influential members of the
private sector, governments around the world, non-governmental
organizations, and academic and research organizations, as well as
individuals from every aspect of the agricultural value chain, in order to
reach positive action plans that will effect change, alleviate, and eventually
solve many of the economical and agricultural problems that face many
developing nations and people around the world. The World Agricultural Forum is
made up of the Board of Directors and two international advisory groups with
members ranging from all over the world. The World Agricultural Forum also
has several full-time staff members at the World Agricultural Forum
headquarters in St. Louis.
RESEARCH – ADVANCING THE INDUSTRY
Leading-edge agriculture research is being conducted at such renowned centers as:
university missouri columbia
university missouri st. louis
washington university
danforth science center
jefferson institute-columbia
fapri columbia
missouri veterinary medical school
missouri state university
southwest research experiment station
northeast missouri experiment station
state fruit experiment station
ASSOCIATIONS – SUPPORTING THE
INDUSTRY
Missouri
Farm Bureau (MFB) is the state's most effective organization working to improve
the quality of life for farmers, rural Missouri and all Missourians. The
respect for this organization is reflected in independent public opinion
surveys showing MFB to be the state's #1 organization with a positive influence
on public opinion. Organized at the grassroots, MFB has a local office in every
county and a county organization run by local members. By joining, members
become a part of their county Farm Bureau, Missouri Farm Bureau and the
American Farm Bureau Federation.
American Soybean Association (ASA)
For
more than 85 years, the American Soybean Association has met the demands of a
growing world. The American soybean farmer has a tremendous opportunity to
answer the call of agricultural needs throughout the world, and ASA is the
collective voice of 22,000 U.S. soybean producers.
National Corn Growers Association
The
National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is a national organization founded in
1957 and represents more than 32,300 dues-paying corn growers from 48 states
and the interests of more than 300,000 farmers who contribute to corn check-off
programs in 20 states.
American Hereford Association (AHA)
The AHA now registers all horned and polled Herefords. The breed
has adapted and flourished in every region of America and, as evidenced by the
white-faces seen coast-to-coast, has become the greatest influence in the
nation's beef production.
The
American Angus Association is the nation's largest beef registry association
with over 30,000 adult and junior members. Our goal is to serve the beef cattle
industry, and increase the production of consistent, high quality beef that
will better satisfy consumers throughout the world.
American International Charolais Association (AICA)
With more than 3,720 active members, the AICA is one of the most
dynamic and innovative breed organizations in the country. Members are
eligible to participate in a variety of livestock shows, industry conferences,
association activities, and educational meetings.
The Missouri Agri-Business and Commodity Associations
The state associations support growth in the following commodities:
Alpaca apple
aquaculture
beef
honey bison
blueberry corn cotton
dairy egg elk
equine farmers
market forest
products
goat grape landscape
and nursery
meat processors native
seed specialty
mushroom
nut growers organic peach
pet breeders pork
poultry
rabbit rice sheep
soybean burley
tobacco tree
farming
vegetable growers vintner’s
walnut wine