Missouri Governor Matt Blunt addressed a big crowd in St. Louis at his annual ag conference. It was also the Gateway NAMA meeting in conjunction with the St. Louis Ag Club on January 7.

During the Governor’s speech he talked about several initiatives he’s proposed to assist farmers in the state. They include:

Expanding Missouri Dairy Farms
Gov. Blunt announced his plan to establish Dairy Parlor Renovation Grants to help expand Missouri dairy farms. The grants will help producers at older dairies with the costs of parlor renovations for more efficient milking, allowing them to grow their herds.

New technology and a “parabone” design allow producers to cut their milking time in half. The governor is calling for $200,000 to help producers make needed renovations in the first year. The grant will require producers to share 50 percent of costs and will be awarded up to $10,000 per grant.

Enhancing Infrastructure to Support Agriculture
The governor will also recommend $4 million in new funding for Port Authority capital improvement projects. The projects support infrastructure critical to growing Missouri agriculture needs.

Supporting the Future of Agriculture
Gov. Blunt announced his plan to establish the Farm Legacy Exchange Program, which will help keep Missouri’s farming industry strong for future generations by facilitating succession planning. The Farm Legacy Exchange Program will match beginning farmers with farmers nearing retirement to help form a working relationship and strategy to transition farming responsibilities and designated assets from existing farmers to beginning farmers.

The Farm Legacy Exchange Program addresses a growing need as the average age of working farmers has risen to 60. In addition, the program will help young farmers address the rising cost of production land through collaboration with experienced farmers considering phasing out their operations. The governor’s new program will match veteran producers ready to retire with younger producers based on a survey of each farmer. The program will provide estate planning, legal contacts and access to all the financial incentive programs administered through the Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority.

The Farm Legacy Exchange Program is a collaborative effort among the Missouri Department of Agriculture, the Missouri Farm Bureau, University of Missouri-Extension, Farm Credit Services, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the International Farm Transition Network.

Governor Blunt’s speech at the luncheon was recorded. To hear the speech visit the Gateway NAMA web site at www.gatewaynama.com.

Nearly 30 Badger NAMA members traveled to Johnson Creek to learn how they could harness the latest innovations in communication technology to effectively attract their target audience in the “Trends in Communication Technology” Seminar on Wednesday, December 12^th.

The seminar kicked-off with a presentation by Michelle Branzolewski of K-Kom Marketing Communication, which highlighted the fundamentals of successful website development and marketing, in order to convert website visitors into customers.

Steve Van Dinter, CEO of EZSchoolAlert.com, followed by walking members through the evolution of technology and outlining how tools such as e-mail, text messaging, blogs and message boards are being used to reach distinctive audiences. Social networking and virtual mediums, such as Facebook and Second Life, are up and coming mediums attracting today’s youth and will be essential for reaching them as consumers in the future.

The final presentation, by John Gilbert, Vice President and Director of Digital Solutions Group with Bader-Rutter & Associates, focused on building brands through digital solutions. Digital technology offers a unique opportunity to encompass personalization, customize content delivery and allows cross-media delivery, which in return, increases response rates and increases customer purchases and retention.

A panel discussion and audience question and answer session rounded out the morning’s presentations.