My Fellow Missourians:

All federal and state government offices observed Martin Luther King Day on Monday, Jan. 16.  It was nice to have Monday as a holiday because it gave me the opportunity to do some work at the ranch and tend to the animals after several days of icing, rain and cold temperatures.  I would like to give a big thank you to the Missouri Department of Transportation and all the county and city road crews who worked long hours keeping most of main roads open for travel during the ice storm.  Their hard work and dedication is greatly appreciated and helped keep Missouri citizens safe over the weekend.  As well, I am very grateful to all the electrical linemen who worked overtime to prevent long power outages.  There were a few power outages throughout the district, but they were short-lived thanks to these linemen and their quick response time.

Agriculture and forestry contributions in District 125:

On Tuesday, before I headed to Jefferson City, I had the opportunity to meet with the Benton County Commissioners and presented them with some information about becoming an Agri-Ready County administered by Missouri Farmers Care (MFC).  Agri-Ready County designation, a voluntary program with MFC, recognizes counties that actively support Missouri agriculture through establishing an environment and county policies conducive to agricultural business success.  A participating county adopts a policy that states they will not adopt any regulations or ordinances stricter than what the current Department of Natural Resources statutes require. Receiving this designation provides counties with extensive networking and resources to promote, encourage and equip existing and new business entities to expand, locate and do business in Agri-Ready designated counties.

I want to share some very interesting statistics that were published in a newly released study by the Missouri Department of Agriculture on Economic Contributions of Agriculture and Forestry:

Overall agriculture and forestry contributions to Benton County:

Agricultural, forestry and related industries support 1,087 jobs in Benton County. Additionally, these industries contribute $131.3 million in sales, which translates to $76.7 million in added value to the area after $54.6 million worth of inputs are purchased. Of this $76.7 million, $33.1 million is comprised of labor income. Tax revenues generated by the agricultural, forestry, and related industries in Benton County are $10.5 million.

Overall agriculture and forestry contributions to Cedar County:

Agricultural, forestry and related industries support 1,183 jobs in Cedar County. Additionally, these industries contribute $104.5 million in sales, which translates to $40.5 million in added value to the area after $64.0 million worth of inputs are purchased. Of this $40.5 million, $22.1 million is comprised of labor income. Tax revenues generated by the agricultural, forestry, and related industries in Cedar County are $7.4 million.

Overall agriculture and forestry contributions to Hickory County:

Agricultural, forestry and related industries support 528 jobs in Hickory County. Additionally, these industries contribute $49.2 million in sales, which translates to $25.4 million in added value to the area after $23.8 million worth of inputs are purchased. Of this $25.4 million, $13.2 million is comprised of labor income. Tax revenues generated by the agricultural, forestry and related industries in Hickory County are $4.1 million.

Overall contributions to St. Clair County:

Agricultural, forestry and related industries support 935 jobs in St. Clair County. Additionally, these industries contribute $76.3 million in sales, which translates to $43.0 million in added value to the area after $33.4 million worth of inputs are purchased. Of this $43.0 million, $20.9 million is comprised of labor income. Tax revenues generated by the agricultural, forestry, and related industries in St. Clair County are $6.2 million.

Governor Greitens’ first annual State of the State address:

Similar to the Opening Day Address given by the House Speaker, Governor Greitens’ speech focused on the need to make Missouri a Right-to-Work state in order to promote job creation and economic growth. Greitens echoed the Speaker’s words as he called for a ban on lobbyist gifts to legislators; tort reform to make Missouri’s court system fair for all litigants; a reduction in the regulatory burden that too often stifles job creation and economic growth; and education reform that includes education savings accounts for children with special needs.