Press "Enter" to skip to content

Agriculture fears budget withholds could taint Nixon’s legacy

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Months before he leaves office, Gov. Jay Nixon’s budget withholds could be tainting his reputation with an important constituency – agriculture.

Commonly cited as the state’s number one industry, Nixon’s decision to withhold payments on a biodiesel program has angered the industry, especially the Missouri Soybean Association.

“It truly is unfortunate, knowing that all of our farmers have supported him over the past eight years and what our growers and our biodiesel plants actually give back to the state, and he feels compelled to continue to withhold these dollars that, frankly, is a debt that the state needs to pay,” said Gary Wheeler, the association’s executive director.

gary wheeler
Wheeler

The soybean association said the state owes $9.6 million to Missouri’s Qualified Biodiesel Producer Incentive Fund. But, despite the legislature including that money in the budget the last four years, Nixon has withheld it.

“They need to pay the bills to an industry that is over a billion dollars in economic development and that’s specifically to the biodiesel industry,” Wheeler said. “That’s 2,600 jobs – that’s not indirect, that’s direct – on an annual basis and gives our soybean farmers an additional market when the market is not taking care of them.”

Soybean farmers feel especially hurt because they’ve supported Nixon, Wheeler said.

“Quite frankly, it’s embarrassing to me and the growers that have supported him – I’ve supported him and our team has supported him,” he said. “And he’s just not helping us out. We’ve supported his administration. I kind of feel bad for the department of Ag. They’re stuck in the middle here. He’s got a great director over there that’s done his best and everything in his power that he needed to do.”

After initially withholding millions of dollars, last month Nixon began to release some funds. But those were mostly education dollars, not the biodiesel funds the agriculture industry had hoped to see.

Wheeler said he understands the importance of funding education – he has two children in Jefferson City schools – but he feels there’s a debt that’s not being paid.

“I appreciate what he’s done for education,” he said. “But that is not debt. Those are new dollars. Those are new dollars that are given to those programs. This is debt that needs to be paid.”

The farmers’ patience is wearing thin and Nixon’s legacy with them could be taking the hit.

“Quite frankly, the farmers of the state are tired of it,” Wheeler said. “He can no longer tout his good credit rating across the board. He can do it with the creditors, but as far as the farmers and the biodiesel industry, he still owes a debt and he hasn’t done it yet and he hasn’t done it for the past 4 years. Shame on him.”

Just as painful for the farmers, they’ve seen no indication that the funds could be released. Attempts to get information have been rebuffed.

“We have tried to reach out to the administration and as always, everything is always hush-hush until something’s released,” Wheeler said. “It’s his style. It’s something that he’s always done – so unfortunate.”

At this point, the association could be holding out hope that the next governor. They have endorsed Attorney General Chris Koster, who they believe will do better for them.

“We sure hope that the governor leaves a legacy that he’s always touted and preached before he leaves his office,” Wheeler said. “And that’s to pay his debts to the farmers of this state. Real simple.”