Located in the center of the heartland, Missouri is perfectly situated to help agribusinesses more effectively reach the end users of their products: farmers and producers. Missouri ranks as a top producer of soybeans, cotton and beef, in addition to having one of the best transportation networks in the country. The research going on at Missouri’s colleges and universities is moving the industry toward a more productive tomorrow.

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• Missouri is the headquarters for leading agricultural associations like the U.S. Soybean Export Council, the National Biodiesel Board, the National Corn Growers Association, and the American Soybean Association. These associations provide their members with networking opportunities, information sharing and marketing. 
• Research at the University of Missouri gave birth to the soy-based biodiesel industry.

• Missouri is:
  • 2nd in the U.S. for farms, with 108,000.
  • 2nd in the U.S. for cattle operations, with 59,000.
  • 5th in the U.S. for acres of soybeans planted and harvested with 191,149,000 bushels.
  • 6th in the U.S. for cotton planted and harvested.
  • 12th in the U.S. based on the value of agricultural product (NASS).
• Missouri has the 6th best transportation network in the nation based on value of goods shipped by air, land and water, the availability of air travel, and the quality of roads (CNBC).

Over 2,978 Agribusiness companies employ over 88,520 Missourians. These companies include:

American Italian Pasta Company: (HQ Kansas City)  American Italian Pasta Company is the largest maker of dry pasta in North America, offering some 300 different pasta shapes, everything from angel hair to ziti. Its consumer brands, such as Mueller's, Golden Grain, Heartland, R&R, and Mrs. Grass, are staples on supermarket shelves throughout the US, as well as overseas.

Bartlett & Company: (HQ Kansas City) The company's primary business is grain merchandising, but it also runs cattle feedlots, mills flour, and sells feed and fertilizer. Bartlett operates grain storage facilities, terminal elevators, and country elevators in the Midwestern US, including locations in Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, and Nebraska. Bartlett also operates flour mills and feed stores in the Midwest and along the East Coast; its cattle operations are based in Texas.

Bunge North America: (HQ St. Louis) Established in 1923, Bunge has become a leading exporter and domestic supplier of soybeans, corn, wheat, sorghum, canola, and rice in the United States. The company’s business has expanded into oilseed processing, edible oils and shortenings, and corn dry milling, with a product line that includes animal feed, breakfast cereals, snack foods, and breads.

Hiland Dairy Foods: (HQ Springfield) Hiland Dairy Foods is a joint venture between Prairie Farms Dairy and Dairy Farmers of America. Hiland's happy cows produce the raw material for butter, ice cream, fluid milk, cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products, all without artificial growth hormones. They are distributed in Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. The company, which has been in business since 1938, operates eight manufacturing plants located in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.

Monsanto: (HQ St. Louis) Monsanto helps farmers grow more crops by applying biotechnology and genomics to seeds and herbicides. It produces genetically altered seeds that tolerate Roundup (its flagship product) and resist bugs. Monsanto estimates that more than 70% of the world's herbicide-resistant crops bear its stamp. The company also produces Asgrow, DEKALB, Deltapine, and Seminis seeds. Roundup is the world's #1 herbicide.

MFA, Inc. : (HQ Columbia) Begun in 1914 when seven Missouri farmers got together to buy 1,150 pounds of binder twine, the agricultural cooperative MFA today ties together 45,000 farmers in Missouri and adjacent states. MFA, one of the US's oldest regional co-ops, supplies its member/owners with manufacturing, distribution, financing, and purchasing services. It runs retail service centers and works with independent dealers. MFA produces and markets beef, dairy, horse, and swine feeds, as well as soybean, corn, wheat, grass, grain, and alfalfa seeds.

Nestle Purina PetCare: (HQ St. Louis) Nestlé Purina PetCare is the world's largest pet food producer. Besides Purina, its brands include Alpo, Beneful, Cat Chow, Deli Cat, Dog Chow, Fancy Feast, Friskies, Mighty Dog, Pro Plan, Puppy Chow, Vital Balance, and others. It also makes cat and dog litter products under the Tidy Cats, Yesterday's News, and secondnature brands.

Ralcorp Holdings: (HQ St. Louis) Ralcorp is the top US maker of private-label or "store-brand" ready-to-eat and hot breakfast cereals. The company makes a variety of private-label cookies, crackers, peanut butter, ketchup, snack nuts, and candy in addition to branded products: Ralston Hot Cereal, Ry Krisp crackers, 3 Minute Brand Oats oatmeal, and Rippin' Good cookies.  In 2008 Ralcorp acquired the Post breakfast cereals business from Kraft Foods.

Solae Co.: (HQ St. Louis) Formed as a joint venture between DuPont and Bunge Limited in 2003, Solae develops, makes, and markets soy-based food ingredients. With more than 3,500 customers in 80 countries across the globe, the company manufactures soy protein that is used in a variety of beverages and meatless foods (V8 Splash smoothies, Gardenburgers, Mori-Nu non-dairy pie-fillings and pudding mixes, and Yves Veggie Cuisine deli slices and hotdogs). In addition to soy products for use in the food and beverage sectors, Solae makes soy-based polymers for use by makers of coated paper and paperboard.

Missouri has six community colleges offering Associate's degrees in Agribusiness related fields, while eight Missouri universities offer a Bachelor of Science or higher degree in Agriculture. Missouri is also home to the following agricultural research centers:

National Center for Soybean Biotechnology: (Columbia) The U.S. Congress selected the University of Missouri to host the National Center for Soybean Biotechnology (NCSB) based on their interdisciplinary research on soybean genetics, genomic, and related sciences. The ultimate goal of the NCSB is to provide innovative molecular approaches that can be applied toward soybean improvement.

University of Missouri Agriculture Experiment Station:  The Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station (AES) conducts research in agriculture, forestry, animal science and natural resources that benefits the citizens of Missouri. AES operates a system of farms, centers and forests around the state to meet the regional research and demonstration needs of agricultural producers and natural resource managers. Two such centers are the Bradford Research and Extension Center in Columbia and the Delta Research Center in Portageville, where researchers are studying soybean cropping systems, as well as weed, insect and disease control with an emphasis on soybean cyst nematode resistance.

University of Missouri Plant Transformation Core Facility: (Columbia) The goal of the Plant Transformation Core facility at the University of Missouri is to enhance both basic and applied research in plant biology for the public. Current research includes improvement of maize and soybean transformation, efficiency of RNAi in soybeans, and mapping mutant soybean lines.

University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry: (Columbia) The University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry (UMCA), established in 1998, is one of the world's leading centers contributing to the science underlying agroforestry. The mission of the Center is to support the long-term future of the family farm and play a part in the revitalization of rural America. The Center’s research focuses on two major themes: 1) Providing scientific evidence that documents many of the environmental benefits of agroforestry practices (e.g., improving soil, water and air quality); and 2) Demonstrating the viability of niche crop production to augment the economic opportunities on the family farm.

Donald Danforth Plant Science Center:  (St. Louis) Research at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center includes biofortification of foods and feeds, crop drought tolerance, genetic mechanisms to control pests and pathogens, and the development of plants as biorenewable resources.
 

Missouri Soybean Production Map