Farm Forum 2008 brings leaders in Missouri agriculture to MU campus
by Sara DeBold, posted March 14, 2008
A panel of leaders in Missouri agriculture spoke openly about their views on the state of the industry and fielded questions from students in the audience at Farm Forum 2008. The event, held March 11 in Monsanto Auditorium on the MU campus, was sponsored by Mizzou Collegiate Farm Burea.
Whitney Wallace, president of the Collegiate Farm Bureau, introduced the panel, and then turned the event over to moderator, Jim Spain, vice provost of undergraduate studies
The panel of experts included Don Copenhaver, president and CEO of MFA incorporated, Tim Kelley, state executive director of the Farm Service Agency, Don Nikodim, executive vice president of Missouri Pork Association, and Senator Bill Stouffer, chairman of the Senate Committee on Transportation.
The impact of high grain prices dominated the forum.
“Grain prices are high partly because ethanol is creating a demand,” Stouffer said.
All panelist tended to agree with the notion that ethanol is driving up the price of corn and that while this may be good for grain farmers, it is bad news for livestock farmers who depend on grain to feed their herds.
Nikodim noted the tremendous change going on in the agricultural world. While hog prices are the same, grain prices are up. He said that an average of $30 to $40 per hog is going out the window in feed costs.
“If we don’t have a record year there won’t be enough to supply ethanol and livestock, so who will get it?,” Nikodim said.
The impact of ethanol on rural Missouri was also a focus of the discussion.
“To say ethanol is solely responsible for the increase in corn prices is untrue,” Stouffer said. He believes that overall the rural economy is better at this time.
Copenhaver agreed that there is an overall positive impact on rural Missouri, but added that while ethanol has added jobs in certain communities others have been lost due to feed mills being closed. He also reminded the group that Missouri is the number two cow-calf state only behind Texas, and that farms are faced with herd liquidation due to the increase of grain prices.
Other topics addressed during the evening included the future of cellulosic ethanol, grocery prices and the future for young farmers.
“The future is unlimited,” said Stouffer.
