Agricultural Business
Agriculture is BIG business in Missouri. As the leading industry in the state, agriculture leads the way through its diversity of food, fiber and fuel production. This diversity and central location, in addition to attractive business structures and low infrastructure costs, maintains Missouri as a prime location for agriculture and agri-business development and expansion in the future. More than 100,000 farms and 3,000 agribusinesses work together to make agriculture what it is today.
MAJOR COMPANIES
Anheuser Busch Agricultural Products Division St. Louis, MO
Produces and enhances the quality of raw materials for the company's beers.
Monsanto St. Louis, MO
Monsanto is headquartered in St. Louis and has locations around the world. The locations are various administrative and sales offices, manufacturing plants, seed production facilities, and research centers – all part of the corporate focus on agriculture and supporting farmers.
Nestle Purina PetCare St. Louis, MO
Nestle Purina PetCare is committed to making pets' lives better. As the pace of change in pet care accelerates, their challenge is to lead with fresh, innovative approaches to making the lives of dogs and cats better.
Novus International St. Louis, MO
Novus is a leading developer of animal health and nutrition programs for the poultry, pork, beef, dairy, aquaculture, and companion animal industries. Novus has more than 25 locations around the world and clients in over 80 countries.
Solae Company St. Louis, MO
The Solae Company is an alliance between DuPont and Bunge Limited to bring more great tasting, nutritious soy-foods to the marketplace. As more and more consumers are discovering the many health benefits of consuming soy, a growing number of food manufacturers have introduced new and innovative products using Solae™ soy ingredients.
KEY FACILITIES AND RESOURCES
Considerable start-up and commercialization assistance is provided by Missouri’s incubators:
Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority Jefferson City, MO
The Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority is a seven-member bipartisan commission tasked with helping new and expanding agricultural producers finance their operations and add value to their products. The authority provides assistance through eight separate programs.
Missouri Alternatives Center Columbia, MO
The Missouri Alternatives Center's mission is to provide Missourians with timely information about alternative agricultural opportunities, to evaluate diverse enterprises, improve management decisions, increase economic returns and enhance the quality of their lives.
Missouri Enterprise Business Assistance Center Rolla, MO
Missouri Enterprise’s mission is to help Missouri businesses succeed. To do that, they provide a broad range of hands-on business, technical and manufacturing optimization services, delivered by an experienced, “been there, done that” staff and a comprehensive network of public and private partners. The center has offices throughout the state.
Agriculture Extension Service Extension offices throughout Missouri
Other Missouri resources include:
Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City
The Agricultural Business Council of Kansas City is an association that advocates growth and awareness of the food, fiber, agri-science and related industries in the Kansas City region. Established in late 2003, the Council's mission is to enhance greater understanding about this important industry by joining together Kansas and Missouri agricultural organizations, agribusinesses and other key leaders. This alliance includes more than 200 individuals, businesses and organizations associated with the extensive agricultural and food industry.
Agricultural Leaders of Tomorrow (ALOT)
ALOT is a two-year leadership program, attracting Missouri adults from across the state, representing rural and urban areas, full-time farmers and agribusiness, media, financial representatives and more.
Kansas City Board of Trade
The Kansas City Board of Trade was founded in 1856 by a group of Kansas City merchants. It served a function similar to a Chamber of Commerce. The Kansas City Board of Trade was formally chartered in 1876. Located on the northern border between Kansas and Missouri and the junction of two rivers, Kansas City is situated in one of the most productive wheat-growing regions of the world.
Missouri Farmers Association (MFA)
MFA is a Midwest-based regional farm supply and marketing cooperative serving more than 45,000 farmer/owners in Missouri and adjacent states. Its 106 company-owned MFA Agri-Service Centers combined with 27 locally-owned MFA affiliates with 24 branch locations contrast nicely with its approximately 400 independent dealers.
St. Louis Agri-Business Club
In 1981, a group of forward-thinking executives who headed St. Louis-based corporations and associations believed that an organization was needed to provide a forum for interaction and discussion of important agricultural issues. This organization has also been the impetus behind attracting agricultural companies and associations to the St. Louis area and has played an important role in helping government leaders better understand the importance of agriculture to our nation. Agribusiness in the St. Louis region accounts for 12% of the total area economic output ($23 billion in total sales) and 20% of the region's workforce.
World AG Forum
This organization brings together important and influential members of the private sector, governments around the world, non-governmental organizations, and academic and research organizations, as well as individuals from every aspect of the agricultural value chain, in order to reach positive action plans that will effect change, alleviate, and eventually solve many of the economical and agricultural problems that face many developing nations and people around the world. The World Agricultural Forum is made up of the Board of Directors and two international advisory groups with members ranging from all over the world. The World Agricultural Forum also has several full-time staff members at the World Agricultural Forum headquarters in St. Louis.
RESEARCH – ADVANCING THE INDUSTRY
Leading-edge agriculture research is being conducted at such renowned centers as:
UNIVERSITY MISSOURI COLUMBIA
UNIVERSITY MISSOURI ST. LOUIS
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
DANFORTH SCIENCE CENTER
JEFFERSON INSTITUTE-COLUMBIA
FAPRI COLUMBIA
MISSOURI VETERINARY MEDICAL SCHOOL
MISSOURI STATE UNIVERSITY
SOUTHWEST RESEARCH EXPERIMENT STATION
NORTHEAST MISSOURI EXPERIMENT STATION
STATE FRUIT EXPERIMENT STATION
ASSOCIATIONS – SUPPORTING THE INDUSTRY
Missouri Farm Bureau
Missouri Farm Bureau (MFB) is the state's most effective organization working to improve the quality of life for farmers, rural Missouri and all Missourians. The respect for this organization is reflected in independent public opinion surveys showing MFB to be the state's #1 organization with a positive influence on public opinion. Organized at the grassroots, MFB has a local office in every county and a county organization run by local members. By joining, members become a part of their county Farm Bureau, Missouri Farm Bureau and the American Farm Bureau Federation.
American Soybean Association (ASA)
For more than 85 years, the American Soybean Association has met the demands of a growing world. The American soybean farmer has a tremendous opportunity to answer the call of agricultural needs throughout the world, and ASA is the collective voice of 22,000 U.S. soybean producers.
National Corn Growers Association
The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is a national organization founded in 1957 and represents more than 32,300 dues-paying corn growers from 48 states and the interests of more than 300,000 farmers who contribute to corn check-off programs in 20 states.
American Hereford Association (AHA)
The AHA now registers all horned and polled Herefords. The breed has adapted and flourished in every region of America and, as evidenced by the white-faces seen coast-to-coast, has become the greatest influence in the nation's beef production.
American Angus Association
The American Angus Association is the nation's largest beef registry association with over 30,000 adult and junior members. Our goal is to serve the beef cattle industry, and increase the production of consistent, high quality beef that will better satisfy consumers throughout the world.
American International Charolais Association (AICA)
With more than 3,720 active members, the AICA is one of the most dynamic and innovative breed organizations in the country. Members are eligible to participate in a variety of livestock shows, industry conferences, association activities, and educational meetings.
The Missouri Agri-Business and Commodity Associations
The state associations support growth in the following commodities:
| ALPACA | APPLE | AQUACULTURE |
| BEEF | HONEY | BISON |
| BLUEBERRY | CORN | COTTON |
| DAIRY | EGG | ELK |
| EQUINE | FARMERS MARKET | FOREST PRODUCTS |
| GOAT | GRAPE | LANDSCAPE AND NURSERY |
| MEAT PROCESSORS | NATIVE SEED | SPECIALTY MUSHROOM |
| NUT GROWERS | ORGANIC | PEACH |
| PET BREEDERS | PORK | POULTRY |
| RABBIT | RICE | SHEEP |
| SOYBEAN | BURLEY TOBACCO | TREE FARMING |
| VEGETABLE GROWERS | VINTNER’S WALNUT | WINE |
