[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to Missouri Corn Talk, your Go to weekly agriculture podcast delivering timely updates on market development efforts, consumer outreach and the partnerships helping strengthen Missouri agriculture. I'm your host, David Geiger. Summer is a busy time of the year for Missouri Farmers Care. From the Missouri State Fair to Busch Stadium and communities across the state, agriculture is finding new ways to connect with consumers while giving back through programs like Drive to Feed Kids. Joining us today is Ashley McCarty, executive director of Missouri Farmers Care. We'll talk about what's ahead at this year's Missouri State Fair, the continued success of the St. Louis Cardinals partnership and recognize farmers who are leading the way through environmental stewardship. Ashley, thank you so much for joining us. And there's a lot happening over the next few weeks. Let's start off with Missouri Farmers Care.
What is that? Remind folks of the mission that you all have.
[00:00:52] Speaker B: Yes. Missouri Farmers Care is a coalition of the agriculture groups across the state. We stand for the men and women in our communities that are making a difference in farm fields and on ranches every single day and work to connect with consumers and talk about agriculture, the value of agriculture in each of our communities, both as building strong communities and looking forward to economic development opportunities that are built around agricultural opportunity.
[00:01:20] Speaker A: Now the State Fair is a really good time for agriculture to have interactions with folks who normally aren't in agriculture. And there's hundreds of thousands of visitors that are expected to attend the Missouri State Fair this year that has a unique opportunity for farmers to connect directly with those folks. What exactly are you all doing at the State Fair and how can farmers continue to build relationships like that?
[00:01:45] Speaker B: Yes, so building trust starts with relationship and conversations and Missouri Farmers Care seeks out those opportunities to connect with consumers where they are. We love this 11 day celebration of the best of Missouri agriculture that happens in Sedalia at the State Fair. It's also one of the highlights of the year at Missouri Farmers Care. It is the culmination of our drive to feed kids and this is agriculture's effort to stand in the gap between the productivity of our farm fields. We are top 10 in the nation in over 10 different commodities. So Missouri agriculture is a $93.7 billion powerhouse and so we celebrate that and the fair is a celebration of that. And we also recognize and tend to those neighbors in our communities that don't see that abundance on their dinner tables. And particularly the children of Missouri that are facing hunger on a regular basis can't do much about that on their own. At the State Fair we will have hundreds of of FFA members come together, they will pack 250,000 meals over two different days. It is one of the most powerful afternoons that you can experience. It definitely builds your faith in the future of young people who understand their part in community and understand how they can make a difference. It also is a testament to partnership, every partnership. And thanks to partners across Missouri Agriculture, Missouri corn growers and many others.
They've seen needs of our food insecure neighbors in communities and have been tackling those needs for many years now. And so we're thrilled. We will probably end up over 750,000 meals, pushing a million meals that we will be delivering to communities in every single corner of the state so that as kids are preparing to go back to school and learn and thrive, they have a little bit brighter day and an opportunity to be as productive, healthy and happy as they can be.
[00:03:43] Speaker A: I'm glad you brought that up because it is a really great opportunity for folks to see that in person, but also to participate. If someone listened to this and thought, man, that's something I'd like to do as well, what are some ways that they could get involved with Drive to Feed Kids or perhaps even do the volunteering opportunity at the fair like you mentioned?
[00:04:03] Speaker B: Yes. So we have volunteer opportunities not only at the fair, but around the state as well. And so tuning in Missouri Farmers Care social media is a great way to see those opportunities at the State Fair. The food drive that happens on Tuesday, August 18th is the best way for fair goers to get to take part. It is $2 Tuesday at the Missouri State Fair. So with a donation of two canned food items or $2, fairgoers get in for just $2 themselves. That's a partnership with the State Fair, Department of Agriculture and our agriculture groups that raise tens of thousands of meals that day alone. You see families, children, seniors and others packing in their bags of non perishable food items or making very generous donations at the gate. And that alone makes a huge difference in the Drive to Feed Kids. So that would be one of our invitations. There's always an opportunity to give. If you feel like we can attest that these resources are being shepherded and steward, well, there's plenty of opportunities to give. @mofarmerscare.com we also have four H&FFA chapters that take take Food Drive and fundraising opportunities to communities throughout the state. And we're proud to see them recognizing local needs and addressing them at the local level.
[00:05:19] Speaker A: As we mentioned, the State fair is a great way to interact with folks who aren't normally Engaged with the farm. But you could also describe the state fair as a big giant classroom for folks who are learning about agriculture. So speaking on that, tell me about agriculture education on the move, how you all are reaching the next generation and what Missouri farmers care is doing there.
[00:05:42] Speaker B: Yes. So ag education on the move doesn't stop. It is an education program that does not stop just because it's summer. So particularly throughout the month of June, many children in communities across the state have been in summer school. And we have taken learning to those summer school classrooms. So we have 10 hands on lessons, meeting state standards and curriculum. So we're coming in and augmenting learning that our children need to know and, and doing that with some agricultural context. So they get to germinate seeds, they get to make corn, plastic seed butter, and so many more talk about soil and science and technology and the values that farmers and ranchers have to care for our land, our livestock and our communities. And so agro education on the move has just wrapped up its biggest summer ever, reaching thousands upon thousands of Missouri kids through summer school. But we're not done yet. The work doesn't stop. We are getting ready to launch into fall. And so peace, particularly in fall, we partner with FFA chapters throughout the state and those bright future leaders of agriculture that are FFA members in their schools go into elementary classrooms and teach their third graders. I can tell you the smiles on those third graders faces as those high schoolers walk in and share what they're passionate and knowledgeable about in agriculture is a highlight of our days. And getting to see the difference that they are already making in sharing some agricultural context to children in rural, urban and every community in between across the state. And so ag education is certainly on the move. And thanks to partners like Missouri Corn, students get to better understand how farmers produce food, fuel and fiber from a very early age to help them become very well informed consumers.
[00:07:30] Speaker A: You've mentioned a few partnerships. Now we definitely want to make sure we note one more partnership that continues to go on in the state and that's the, the partnership you have with the Cardinals. What is going on with Cardinals right now and what are you excited about as we move forward into August?
[00:07:47] Speaker B: Yes. So summer continues to be synonymous with baseball season. And we get to connect with St. Louis Cardinals and now Kansas City Royals fans across every part of Missouri as they're cheering on their teams and rooting for them. We get to go in and talk with those consumers. They generally love the fact that farmers are there, they're talking to them they get to ask questions, have authentic conversations, get to connect with the people that are raising their food, fuel and fiber. And we just are so thankful for that opportunity to get to connect with consumers across the state as we share the impact that agriculture has in their daily lives, in the livelihood of their community, and in our building on our strengths into the future. And so those campaigns are still going full steam and it's a fun, light hearted way to bring, you know, Captain Cornelius running around Busch Stadium, for instance. It's a fun, light hearted way for people to realize the impact of agriculture in their lives. And so we have had so many farmers take a night off and go into the stadiums and get to talk to consumers. And we just appreciate their time and effort because consumers are interested, right? It's, it is so much more fruitful to get to look at each other and have a conversation than how people alternatively may only have an opportunity to Google a question. And so agriculture is trying to be available everywhere where consumers are. We know how important it is that they understand what we do. And we're able to explain the values, technology, the innovation, the stewardship that we use to care for our land and the products that come off of our farms and ranches. And so we're proud to tell that story and lean into any opportunity that we have to do so. It's a busy summer and the opportunities are abundant.
[00:09:38] Speaker A: A very busy summer with lots of opportunities. Ashley, once again, can you give us the details to know how to participate in any of the things we've spoken about today?
[00:09:49] Speaker B: Yes. So we've just touched on a lot. Information can be found on our Missouri Farmers care
[email protected] and follow Missouri Farmers Care on social media and you'll see the activities that we're doing that partners make possible. And so I just want to say a huge thanks to Missouri Corn and the other commodity groups that are in this state that it's a diverse partnership. It's a long standing and strong support of Missouri agriculture that makes a lot possible and we're here to continue building on that success into the future.
[00:10:22] Speaker A: Ashley McCarty with Missouri Farmers Care. Thank you so much for your time talking to us today.
[00:10:28] Speaker B: It's always a pleasure. Thank you.
[00:10:30] Speaker A: Thanks for listening. This Missouri Corn Talk podcast is made possible by the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council and the Missouri Corn Growers Association. If you'd like to become more involved with Missouri corn, visit mocorn.org to learn more about membership, corn roots leadership and opportunities to help engage in the issues impacting today's corn industry. I'm David Geiger.
