While we have celebrated National AgDay since 1973, never have its core values been more important. By the year 2050, the world will have grown almost 30%. To feed this population and prevent a wave of starvation not seen in modern times, we will need to fend off radical environmentalists, federal bureaucrats, and other enemies of agriculture, while empowering our agricultural industry.
My vision for Missouri is working with farmers, universities, and businesses to make Missouri known as the number one agribusiness state in the country, creating a huge range of jobs that cannot simply be outsourced to China or Mexico.
Many of the resources we need are already in place. We have the second most farms of any state in the union. We have the Danforth Plant Science Corridor in the eastern half of this state and the Animal Health Corridor in the west. We have navigable portions of both the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. We have north-south railroad access through Kansas City Southern. Missouri has unparalleled potential when it comes to the mission of feeding the world.
By fighting back against federal overreach, we can keep the Washington bureaucrats off our Missouri soil, and let Missourians get to work.
By fostering a farm-friendly, business-friendly regulatory environment, we can make this state a better place to lay down roots than it has ever been.
And by continuing to invest in the agricultural sciences and technologies of the future, we can ensure that Missouri remains at the cutting edge of this field.
AgDay is a chance to celebrate agricultural achievements. But it can also be a chance to imagine what we can accomplish together in the coming years.
*Catherine Hanaway is a former federal prosecutor and candidate for Governor of Missouri. This opinion piece was written in celebration of National Ag
