The Big Picture

In Washington, policy focus is shifting to building for the future. On the rural front, agriculture has its swagger back. Anticipation of a return to normal is in the air. But for the economy and rural industries, there will be no going back to pre-COVID conditions. The combination of trillions […]

The tree dominates the Boone County river bottom, almost 100 feet tall with a canopy even wider and a nearly 24-foot-wide trunk.  This is the U.S. co-champion bur oak, aka the Big Tree. It has survived earthquakes, lightning strikes, floods and droughts in its nearly four centuries. It seems impossible […]

In spite of tight profit margins and challenging market conditions, farmland values are up. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2019 Land Values report revealed the average value of agricultural cropland was $4,100 per acre in 2019, up $50 per acre or 1.2% from 2018. The average value of pastureland was […]

Since 1985, the logo for Break Time convenience stores has become instantly recognizable to many Missourians. With its bold lettering and fluid typeface, the logo has long complemented the brand’s reputation for delivering friendly service. However, the opening of the newest Break Time store in Columbia symbolizes a new era […]

Last spring’s floods along the Missouri River and its tributaries ravaged dozens of levee systems, and many have yet to be repaired. As of May 1, at least 28 levees that are managed by the Kansas City District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers remain breached, leaving surrounding communities […]

Turkeys have starred as the main attraction of traditional Thanksgiving feasts for hundreds of years and their prominent place on the day’s menu precedes President Abraham Lincoln’s nationalization of the holiday in 1863. The birds have become so closely associated with Thanksgiving that the holiday is sometimes referred to as […]

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 […]

Farmers hoping for a quick resolution to the trade war between the United States and China may be kept waiting for the foreseeable future. The commercial conflict escalated when President Donald Trump instructed his administration to enact $200 billion of new tariffs on a wide array of Chinese goods by […]

As the summer temperatures rise, the crisp winds of fall and winter can seem impossibly far away. In the heat of the summer, it can be easy to put winter to-do’s, such as filling up your propane tank, on the back burner. But filling tanks now, rather than waiting until […]

For the first time in 35 years, soybeans are expected to be within reach of claiming the crown as the nation’s top crop. A poll of 21 trading firms and analysts conducted by Bloomberg predicts 2018 will be the year soybeans unseat corn as the top U.S. crop. The survey […]

Farmers looking for a reprieve from low commodity prices may have to continue waiting for market conditions to improve before they see any relief. Record harvests and increasing foreign competition have flooded global commodity markets with an oversupply of corn, soybeans and wheat. Until the surplus disappears, economists say it […]

Break Time unveiled its first truck stop in Moberly, Mo., in September. Located at the southern edge of the city where U.S. Highway 63 and State Highway M intersect, the store features many amenities for truck drivers, including: parking space for 25 tractor-trailers, a lounge, showers, laundry machines, free WiFi […]