Gift this article
Share this article paywall-free.
Gov. Mike Parson is seen at his cattle farm near Bolivar, Mo., on Sept. 8, 2018.
JEFFERSON CITY — Republicans who control the levers of government in Missouri placed a big bet on the state’s cattle industry during the recently ended legislative session.
In a state where the governor, the lieutenant governor and the Senate’s chief budget writer each have cattle operations back home, at least $70 million in direct spending has been earmarked for the ranching industry in the coming fiscal year.
The overall $50 billion spending plan, which is under review by Gov. Mike Parson, includes $43 million to build a new veterinary medical diagnostic laboratory at the University of Missouri designed to benefit livestock producers and companion animal owners.
“The laboratory space is also vital in the event of a foreign animal disease outbreak in Missouri and the Midwest,” said Missouri Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Christi Miller.
Mizzou also is receiving $25 million for a so-called meat laboratory, which Miller said will process all types of livestock, not just beef.
In addition, lawmakers approved $1 million to create a national cattle registry and database for multiple breed associations.
“This national database will allow small breed associations to enhance genetics and add value to their livestock,” Miller said.
The spending on the beef industry comes as Missouri ranks among the top three states in the nation for cow and calf production and beef cows behind Texas and Oklahoma.
And given who runs the state, it’s not a surprise that there is a focus on meat.
When he’s not living in the Governor’s Mansion near the Capitol, Parson is tending to a small cattle operation on first lady Teresa Parson’s original family farm in Bolivar.
Parson, a third-generation farmer, primarily raises Angus, which is the predominant breed in Missouri. During his 2020 campaign for governor, the emcee for a number of his stops on a statewide tour was Mike Deering, executive vice president of the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association.
Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe is newer to the cattle business. After building a successful business career, Kehoe launched a beef cattle production business on the Gasconade River in Phelps County. A political action committee raising money for Kehoe’s 2024 bid for governor received a $20,000 contribution from the cattlemen’s association in March.
Meantime, Sen. Lincoln Hough, a Springfield Republican who chairs the powerful Senate Appropriation Committee, owns and operates a family cattle ranch, which he started more than 20 years ago. Hough also is a former member of the state board of the cattlemen’s association and a current board member of the Greene County Farm Bureau.
The largesse of state money going to the beef business this year isn’t an anomaly and isn’t limited solely to the state’s rural areas.
In recent years, St. Louis Lambert International Airport has used state money to build a 40,000-square-foot animal export facility, equipped with pens to house livestock, feed, water and bedding.
There also are sick pens used to separate sick livestock from healthy groups. To assist with loading, there are alleyways and two chutes set up to maneuver the livestock.
In 2021, the state put together a $36 million package of incentives and local subsidies to land a Wisconsin-based American Foods Group beef processing facility in Wright City. The complex is currently under construction near Interstate 70.
That same year, the state also laid out money to Swift Prepared Foods to open an Italian meat processing facility in Columbia.
And lawmakers this year also expanded the sources of funding for a student loan program for veterinary students.
The measure increases the number of qualified applicants who may be awarded loans under the Large Animal Veterinary Student Loan Program from six to 12 per academic year and allows the Department of Agriculture to increase the loans beyond 12 if it receives private grants or donations.
Further, the loan amount each student may receive is increased from $20,000 to $30,000 for each academic year, and from $80,000 to $120,000 in total.
The budget also calls for a continuation of a grant program for the state’s smaller meat producers, designed to boost the processing of cattle beyond the large, national companies that have slaughterhouses in the state.
Agriculture accounts for a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide every year, and the biggest single contributor within that is livestock.
Political Fix
Our political newsletter featuring local and national updates and analysis.