Magazine Issue: Winter 2019

Momentum Magazine >> Winter 2019

Articles

A snowboarder in mid-air performs a trick against a bright, cloudy sky. The snowy landscape is visible below, with trees in the background and a few people on the slopes.

Hidden Valley Ski Resort

Western St. Louis County might not seem like the ideal spot for a ski resort, but that’s exactly what it’s been since 1982. At Hidden Valley Ski Resort in Wildwood, Mo., fans flock to ski, snowboard and tube each year from around mid-December to mid-March. “One of the things that […]

A red basket filled with apples sits on a grassy patch in an apple orchard. Trees with green leaves line the background under a clear blue sky, creating a serene, natural setting.

Orchard Opportunity

After journeying from Romania to the United States, the Gradinariu family has put down deep roots in the Ozarks Radu Gradinariu was only 4 years old when his father, Cornelius, made a decision that would change the course of his family’s life forever. Living in Soviet-occupied Romania in the late […]

A conveyor belt pours grain onto a large yellow mound under a sky filled with grayish clouds. The scene is illuminated by warm sunlight.

Guessing Game

Commodity Outlook for 2019 is Clouded by Missing Government Data, Trade Concerns As the partial government shutdown stretches to historic length, farmers, ranchers, agricultural economists and agribusinesses remain cut off from key reports from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA was scheduled to release a collection of crop reports […]

A brightly lit oil rig stands on a vast, open landscape under a twilight sky. The structure is surrounded by equipment and containers, casting a warm glow against the blue and gray hues of the surrounding terrain.

U.S. Shale Oil Boom Reshapes Global Energy Paradigm

U.S. crude oil production hit new heights in October with output of more than 11.5 million barrels per day according to the latest data released from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) on Dec. 31. The United States has become the world’s new crude oil kingpin, surpassing Russia and Saudi […]

Close-up of a brown hen with reddish comb and wattle, looking to the left. The background is blurred with warm tones, suggesting a natural outdoor setting.

Discovery may help chickens muscle up

K-State Researchers Find Vitamin Compound that Boosts Growth A form of a vitamin associated with healthy aging in humans has been used by Kansas State University researchers to build muscle in chickens, a sign that could help the poultry industry meet future demand for its product. Muscle biologist and meat […]

A person holds a small fish above a large circular tank filled with brown water. The tank is surrounded by a blue and white patterned wall. A net with a metal frame is positioned nearby.

Shrimply the Best

Brothers Embrace Shrimp, Aquaculture to Differentiate Their Midwest Farm Pacific white leg shrimp suddenly find themselves plunged into darkness, they panic. The translucent crustaceans start jumping in their tanks, rumbling like thunder; some even launch themselves out onto the concrete floor of the tank room in a desperate attempt to […]

A group of people stands in a field in front of two large farming machines, one red and one green. The ground is covered with harvested corn stalks. Everyone is dressed casually, and the sky is partly cloudy.

Harvest Help

How a Community Came Together to Bring in a Farmer’s Final Crop Small communities, especially rural ones, are known to naturally come together when faced with misfortune. One northeast Missouri community recently demonstrated this phenomenon when volunteers pitched in to complete a farmer’s last piece of labor following his unexpected […]

Five Questions with Joey Massey

With four new faces on the MFA Oil Board of Directors since this time last year, what opportunities do you see as we enter 2019? The recent election results from our annual delegate meeting have introduced several new people to the board who bring their own perspectives and fresh ideas. […]

Three people smiling and holding a large ceremonial check for $16,415.22 made out to the Food Bank for Central & NE Missouri. The check is presented by MFA Oil, Big O Tires, and Jiffy Lube. The event date is November 16, 2018.

MFA Oil Employees Give Back

MFA Oil employees pledged to give $51,606 to four nonprofit organizations during the company’s annual Week of Giving campaign. More than 170 employees contributed to the fundraising effort which ran from Oct. 29 through Nov. 2 in support of Central Missouri Foster Care and Adoption Association, Children’s Miracle Network at […]

Map of Missouri counties, some highlighted in green and yellow. Green areas cover the western and parts of the central region. Yellow areas are sporadically scattered, mostly in the north-central region. The rest are unshaded.

Invasive Emerald Ash Borer Confirmed in Six More Missouri Counties

Foresters with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) have confirmed the presence of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in six more counties across Missouri. New detections have been confirmed in Caldwell, Gasconade, Harrison, Hickory, Webster and Wright counties. Since EAB was first detected in Missouri in July 2008, the exotic, tree-killing […]

Kertz Named MFA Oil Chairman

Marion Kertz, a farmer from Ste. Genevieve, Mo., has been elected chairman of the MFA Oil Company Board of Directors. Kertz was elected to his new role during the company’s December board meeting and will succeed Benny Farrell of Maryville, Mo. Kertz farms in both Missouri and Illinois with his […]

A glowing padlock icon is embedded within a network of blue circuitry, symbolizing digital security and data protection.

How MFA Oil Safeguards Your Personal Data

A number of high-profile data breaches compromised the private data of hundreds of millions of people in 2018. In what seemed like a weekly occurrence, company after company sent notifications to customers that their personal data may have been exposed to cyberthieves. From hotel giant Marriott to telecom provider T-Mobile […]