Magazine Issue: Spring 2019

Momentum Magazine >> Spring 2019

Articles

A Change in Leadership

At the MFA Oil Company Board of Directors meeting on April 24, a decision was made to take the leadership of the cooperative in a new direction, and Mark Fenner was relieved of his duties as president and CEO. Jon Ihler, MFA Oil vice president of sales and marketing, has […]

A woman kneels on grass in a sunlit forest, smiling at two German Shepherds sitting in front of her. She is holding their leashes and appears to be engaging with them. The background features trees and a clear sky.

Caring Canines

There’s something almost magical in the way dogs can bring smiles and joy to people, young and old alike. Just ask Diane Hudson, a veteran MFA Oil dispatcher who has worked in the company’s corporate office in Columbia since 1981. In her spare time, Hudson trains her beloved pooches to […]

A close-up of a black and white cow with ear tags in a barn. Another cow stands in the background. The barn has an open view of a grassy field under a cloudy sky.

Making Milk Great Again

As Barb Shatto strolls through the freestall barn where dozens of her family’s dairy herd are busy feeding, she occasionally pauses to greet friendly cattle. “How are you doing this morning?” she asks while bending down to affectionately scratch behind the ears of a curious Holstein. This ritual plays out […]

A rural scene is heavily flooded, with water nearly submerging a road sign for South 111. In the background, bare trees and farm buildings are partially visible. Sandbags and a muddy bank are in the foreground, highlighting the severe flooding.

‘A Constant Nightmare’

Flooding and Questionable River Management Priorities Put Farmers in a Tough Spot Doug Shepherd made a final attempt to harvest his stranded soybeans in mid-April, but he was forced to concede the remnants of last year’s crop were a lost cause. Shepherd’s fieldwork has been bogged down by seeping water […]

‘Green New Deal’ would be a raw deal for Missouri farmers

Suppose the “Green New Deal”—endorsed by several presidential contenders—becomes the law of the land. How would a law that bans fossil fuels touch the lives of real people in Missouri? To take just one example, how would it affect Missouri farmers? Under this plan, the federal government would commit to […]

A landscape view of a prairie fire with flames spreading across dry grass and up a hill. The sky is a gradient of pink to orange at sunset, contrasting with the darkened, charred land in the distance.

Rejuvenated by Fire

Each spring, infernos blaze across large swaths of the Flint Hills, consuming everything in their path. While fire would be cause for concern in most areas, on the nearly 10,000 square miles of rocky, unplowed prairie that stretch from eastern Kansas to northern Oklahoma, the flames are a necessity. The […]

A large pig stands in a muddy field, surrounded by a group of piglets. The piglets are various shades of pink and brown, and some are playfully interacting with the adult pig. The ground is covered in straw and patches of grass.

Pigs on Pasture

Raising Heritage Breed Hogs Outdoors Links Past and Present for Norton Farms For the Norton family, tradition runs five generations deep in the rolling hills just outside Plattsburg in northwest Missouri’s Clinton County. Since 1884, the family has followed the same farming formula for success. “You need to be diversified,” […]

Sunrise over a lush green field with rows of plants. The foreground shows close-up details of leaves, while the background features trees silhouetted against the orange and yellow hues of the sky.

Test for SCN, soybean’s silent killer

Data from MU researchers shows soybean cyst nematode (SCN) field populations are becoming more virulent on commercial soybean cultivars, says University of Missouri Extension plant pathologist Kaitlyn Bissonnette. Testing fields for SCN is typically conducted once harvest is completed; however, spring is not too late to send soil samples for […]

‘A Focus on Ag Literacy’

When Scott Stone began his career as an ag teacher at Centralia High School in rural Centralia, Mo., 21 years ago, three out of every four students came from a farming family. Now, only 15 percent of his students come from the farm. As the demographics of his students have […]

All in the Family Farm

It’s not uncommon for Jay Collins to put in 13-hour days on his diversified farm in Lentner, Mo. There’s so much to be done—raising row crops, running a cow/calf operation and managing contracted swine facilities—that it takes a full family effort to keep the operation going on a daily basis. […]

IMO 2020 Could Disrupt Distillate Markets

The International Maritime Organization (IMO), which regulates global shipping, is set to roll out new regulations at the start of next year to reduce sulfur content in fuels used by shipping vessels. You may be wondering what bearing oceanic cargo ships have on a farm cooperative here in the Midwest […]

Four women are engaged in quilting activities. Two women in the foreground are sewing on machines, while two women in the background hold up colorful quilts, smiling. The scene appears lively and cheerful.

Bundles of Love

On any given Tuesday, a jovial group of women can be found sewing blankets, infant clothing and accessories in a Hartville, Mo. church. The women share two passions—sewing and giving back to their local community. These ladies make up the Southwestern Missouri Chapter of Newborns in Need, an organization devoted […]