Governor Parson Establishes National Agriculture Week in Missouri

Missouri is the global leader in agtech. To highlight the state’s tremendous innovation and success in this field, Governor Mike Parson proclaimed this week National Agriculture Week in Missouri. Governor Parson choose this week to highlight agriculture in Missouri in order to line up with the nationwide celebration of National Agriculture Day, which falls on March 23rd.

“Missouri is ranked among the top tier of states in agriculture production, which remains the backbone of our state’s strong economy,” said Governor Parson. “Agriculture plays a key role in Missouri’s economic development, and I’m proud as a farmer myself to do my part in ensuring agriculture thrives for the next generation. Our workforce development and infrastructure initiatives will build on our state’s strong agricultural traditions and pay dividends to our future farmers.”

Missouri is home to 95,000 farms, employs nearly 400,000 people in food & agriculture jobs, and has an estimated economic impact of $88.4 billion annually. Agriculture remains the state’s number one economic driver, supporting both rural and urban communities from farm to fork.

“Farmers, ranchers, and food & agriculture workers have worked tirelessly over the last year, and we’re excited to celebrate them,” said Chris Chinn, Missouri’s Director of Agriculture.  “Their hard work maintains the state’s position nationally and ensures a future in agriculture for the more than 100,000 students in Missouri FFA and Missouri 4-H.”

Missouri’s agtech industry is leading the way with innovative technology and research in plant science and animal health that is transforming agriculture. Across Missouri, leading agtech organizations including the Danforth Plant Science CenterBayer CropScience, Boehringer Ingelheim, the Missouri Botanical GardenYield LabDuPontBASFBunge, and more are developing innovative technology that is transforming agriculture.

The only question is: what can we grow for you?

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