One of the things I enjoy most about being a state senator is the chance to visit local industries and businesses. This is especially true for those family businesses that have been operating for generations. I had an opportunity recently to tour two different agribusinesses to learn about their impact on federal, state and local economies.
Several elected officials, including myself and members of my staff, along with other invited guests, were treated to a local farm tour, sponsored by the Lafayette County Farm Bureau and the Santa Fe Agri-Leaders. The day brought us face-to-face with Lafayette County’s, and Missouri’s, largest industry: agriculture.
We started off the day by touring one of the largest dairy farms in the state, Heins Dairy Farm, owned by Paul and Cindy Heins. The Kansas City area goes through an average of 10 tanker-loads of milk per day. Heins Dairy Farm provides at least one of those tankers.
This business is run on an eco-friendly program, using a water cycling system that benefits both livestock and surrounding fields. The water used in the milking parlor is drained to a lagoon system that, in turns, irrigates the fields, promoting healthy growth for the feed crops. Heins Dairy Farms also implements another new-age technology. Each of its dairy cows is on a 20-hour milking rotation and is tagged with information scanned by a computer every time the animal is brought in for milking, including typical production and monthly veterinarian visit results, all in an effort to maximize production without harming the animal. This also allows the farm to follow of the health of the animal to better track the quality of the final product.
We also visited GR Farms, a family-run grain production business, owned by Garrett and Cara Reikhof. The white corn grown on this farm is transported from Lafayette County primarily to Mexico, where white corn chips and tortillas are made. Some are shipped back to the United States. This farm is not like the farms of the past. This was certainly a technologically based operation. We were walked through the process of taking soil samples to determine what nutrients the soil required for maximum production, and the very precise program used to keep from overplanting.
There was also a very intricate system of keeping track of each bushel harvested in order to ensure a quality product. Use of high-end equipment has become prevalent in this industry. I was lucky enough to get to ride in one of the auto-guided tractors at GR Farms. While there is an operator in the cab, the points are set in the tractor’s computer system using GPS points, allowing the tractor to practically drive itself. I was definitely amazed to see the advancements that have been made in agricultural technology. It is always beneficial to see these things in operation, to get hands on and up close in order to better understand the business.
Both of these fine Missouri businesses are the future of our state’s No. 1 industry. The technology and the details that go into the production and harvest of each product are phenomenal. But one of the most amazing facts that I learned from this experience is that each of these businesses, these family-run farms, not only provides a product for consumption by citizens of our state and beyond, they provide the same high-quality product for their own families. They make certain that their product is good enough for their own dinner tables, as well as the consumers’. I applaud the efforts they put forth and would like to thank the many people who organized this farm tour and allowed me and my colleagues, as well as our guests, to see firsthand the work that goes into the family farming business.
As always, please feel free to contact me or my staff with any questions or concerns at any time. We look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions and trying to answer any questions you may have. You can reach us by phone at 866-277-0882 (toll-free) or 573-751-2272, or by fax at 573-526-7381. |
