Momentum
Why I Farm
Oliver Farms While most family farms have a long history, the Oliver family is breaking ground with their first-generation farm, Oliver Farms. Bill Oliver started farming in the 1990s, during his high school agricultural education courses. Fifteen years ago, Laura came on board, turning the farming project into a family […]
Cattlemen Have a Beef with Fake Meat
Missouri Bans Misrepresentation of Meat Missouri has become the first state to ban alternative-meat products from being marketed as meat. The state’s lawmakers approved legislation outlawing foods originating from sources other than livestock or poultry from using the term “meat” on product labels. The surge of interlopers vying to compete […]
Critters Drive Sustainable Success At Jowler Creek Vineyard and Winery
Fields of corn and soybean are common sights on the short drive from Interstate 29 to Jowler Creek Road in rural Platte County, Mo. A different kind of crop grown in rows soon comes into view as tires crunch the gravel of the road. An unpaved driveway leads the way […]
5 Questions with Benny Farrell
How would you describe yourself and your farming operation? I was born and raised in northwest Missouri and have been farming here my entire life. I represent the fifth generation of my family to do so. My wife, Nancy, and I raise corn, soybeans and cattle with our two sons […]
Propane: Get It While It’s Hot
Summer is here, and it is officially barbecue season. Propane fuels grills across the country, but the pursuit of a perfectly grilled pork chop isn’t the only reason to purchase propane this summer. It is never too early to start getting ready for winter. As we came out of last […]
Mark Fenner Named Outstanding CEO Communicator
On June 5, Mark Fenner, president and CEO of MFA Oil, was awarded the Outstanding CEO Communicator award by the Cooperative Communicators Association (CCA) in Fort Worth, Texas. Fenner was presented the award at the CCA annual institute. A panel of judges from the association reviewed each nominee and their […]
Fordyce to lead Farm Service Agency
MFA Oil congratulates Richard Fordyce, a longtime member of the cooperative, for his appointment to serve as the administrator of USDA’s Farm Services Agency by the Trump administration. Fordyce will oversee the agency’s effort to support agricultural production across the country through a network of 2,100 county and 50 state […]
MFA Oil Foundation Supports Youth Sports Programs
Youth sports are as American as apple pie. Participation in activities such as youth sports has proven time and time again to be a positive outlet for kids to develop healthy lifestyles and learn the importance of setting goals, working as a team and how to win and lose with […]
Accounting and Finance Department Embodies Fiscal Responsibility
For nearly 90 years, MFA Oil has built a reputation of conducting its business with steadfast financial integrity. The foundation of this commitment is rooted in the cooperative’s principles, which calls for fiscal responsibility and to do the right thing, ethically and morally, at all times. These sentiments, which have […]
Humbly Failing Forward
It wasn’t long after my last Momentum article titled “No Pain, No Gain” that we came to the realization perhaps we (I) underestimated the severity of some of the pain. You see, when you implement a new accounting system for the first time in 27 years, you expect to have […]
Black Cows, Big Dreams
From pasture to plate, Gourley Land & Cattle Co. offers premium beef When Billy Gourley Jr. says he manages from the ground up, he couldn’t be more literal. At Gourley Land & Cattle Co. based in Ozark, Mo., success starts in the soil. “If you have good soil, you’ll have […]
Disconnected
Lack of Access to High-Speed Internet Hampers Rural Communities The digital divide separating rural Americans from their urban neighbors has left the far-flung communities across the country cut off from the economic, educational and social opportunities high-speed Internet provides. While recent advancements in Internet technology have transformed the ways people […]