Agriculture

Students are learning about aquaponics and hydroponics at Ranken Technical College in Troy, Missouri. Nearly double-digit growth is expected in the indoor farming industry over the next decade, but high energy costs remain a challenge.

“How do we create conditions where it makes more sense for a company to either stay in St. Louis, or move here, if they want to do something related to agtech?” the innovation district’s executive director said.

The fifth National Climate Assessment says a warming climate, increasingly extreme weather and drought are threatening the Midwest’s economy and health.

While dispensary workers see progress, marijuana manufacturing employees say they are stuck in a ‘gray area,’ unable to unionize because they may be considered agriculture workers.

Traditional farming practices such as tilling and monoculture — cultivating a single crop — have come under fire in recent years for their role in harming soil and exacerbating climate change.

Lincoln University in Jefferson City and Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla are two of the 33 campuses nationwide that will be part of a $262 million effort to recruit and train the next generation of agriculture workers.

The region’s growing geospatial and established agriculture and plant sciences sectors put it in a unique position to drive the innovations that will help farmers adapt to new climate conditions while reducing carbon emissions at the same time.

Farmers got a slightly smaller percentage of what consumers spent on food in 2022 than the year before, according to the most recent report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In most cases, Thanksgiving staples return cents on the dollar to farmers.

Huge swaths of Missouri and Kansas have continued to be stuck in a months-long drought.

Drought has affected several pumpkin-producing states, including Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. But rain arrived at the right time to produce a bumper crop in parts of the Midwest.