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Missouri Rural Crisis Center

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Missouri Rural Crisis Center

Missouri Rural Crisis Center (MRCC) is a statewide farm & rural advocacy organization.

The Missouri Rural Crisis Center (MRCC) is a statewide farm and rural membership organization the supports and fights to keep Missouri family farmers, good food, and rural communities.

08/31/2026

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐌𝐑𝐂𝐂 𝐝𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫? 𝐖𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐟𝐟 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐬.

From June to August, MRCC hosted 7 farm-focused conservation field days. This summer, we took our MRCC farmer members to visit farms in 6 counties so they could see, firsthand, how others incorporate conservation practices on their land.

What did we see? We saw farmers using warm- and cool-season grasses to increase forage and extend the grazing season. We checked out watering and fencing systems, native plantings and prairie strips. We explored nutrient and pest management practices, a solar irrigation pond and the use of high tunnels to lengthen the growing season for specialty crops.

If you’re thinking about adopting new conservation practices on your land, you should join MRCC - then next time you can tag along and stand in the fields where these practices are making a difference, see the results and talk to the farmers yourself.

𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿? 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸. Join MRCC to stay in the loop.

𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝘄𝗮𝗴 𝗯𝗮𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀?
Scroll through for a summer field-day photo dump ... and a peek at the swag.

See comments for join link.

08/28/2026

𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙖 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙞 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙨, 𝙗𝙞𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚.

That’s one big takeaway from Saturday's 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 field day.

Missourians from 10 counties joined us in Chillicothe for a full day of learning about native plantings, from large prairie plantings to backyard patio pots. We took a hayride to visit prairie strips and an entire field planted into prairie, learned about applying for EQIP cost-share to institute conservation practices on your land, and explored Poosey Conservation Area.

We stopped by Doug Doughty’s prairie strip and heard it teeming with insects. We saw swallowtails, along with native grasses like Big bluestem with deep fibrous roots that hold the soil and nutrients in place, and native forbs such as purple coneflower with a deep taproot that is drought tolerant.

“When it comes to the nutrients on our land, we should have the same sense of urgency we have with keeping our livestock in,” said Doug, a farmer in Livingston County and firm believer in the benefits of prairie strips.

Ethan Hoerr, a Farm Bill Wildlife Biologist with Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever, took us into the prairie for a hands-on plant ID lesson and talked about CRP and wildlife habitat. “Have us come out to your property, walk around and see what’s possible. The goal is side-by-side wildlife and farming.”

Samantha Anderson of the Missouri Department of Conservation discussed opportunities available at Poosey: hiking, camping, fishing, single-track biking and birdwatching. She invited everyone to the 39th Annual Fall Driving Tour at Poosey on Oct. 18.

We also heard from Lilly Germeroth of the Missouri Prairie Foundation, who reminded us that only 7% of Missouri’s total land area is public land. “That’s not enough for our wildlife to survive on.” Her point: Private landowners have responsibility for sustaining wildlife, too.

While the task of replanting native species may seem overwhelming, Lisa San Diego of the Missouri Department of Conservation reminded us that it doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing.

“Even a little bit helps. Any native substitute you can make – even pots in your backyard, patio or balcony – can help the urban wild bee population. You can replicate the function of a prairie on a small plot.”

Huge thanks to all of our speakers, partners and everyone who spent the day learning with us.

08/27/2026

Have you RSVP'd yet for the People's Hearing on A.I. Data Centers in Jefferson City? Join us at 1:00 PM on September 16th as we gather from around the state and pack the rotunda to let lawmakers know we're not just watching- we're standing up and speaking out.

RSVP here: https://bit.ly/Peoples-Hearing

08/22/2026

What a day! We had a stellar lunch of Patchwork Family Farms (of course).

Then, we learned about how even a few native plants make a huge difference for wildlife.

We can all take small steps
to be stewards of the land. Just a few plants in your backyard or a container of native plants on your patio can make a huge difference for native pollinators. We’re heading home with seeds, stories, information and inspiration!

08/22/2026

Talk about wide open spaces - it’s a lovely day to visit planted prairie at MRCC member Doug Doughty’s farm. Prairie with a Purpose is underway! Stay tuned. We’ll bring you along.

08/20/2026

"Kinda chic" ways we take action

08/18/2026

𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘆? 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲? Please join the Missouri Rural Crisis Center at the Daniel Boone Regional Library at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 24, for a community dialogue about what’s really at stake and how together we can build real power to fight for real futures for our community.

08/14/2026

We sent off one 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘄𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 yesterday.

This summer, Zoë Clark archived 6 of MRCC’s historic scrapbooks, digitizing yellowed newspaper clippings, farmer thank-you notes, photos and a Farm Aid donation check from Willie Nelson. These scrapbooks - which tell the story of who we are - are now safely preserved for future generations.

Zoë also:
- Oversaw the data receipt and analysis on a survey of 1,485 Montgomery County residents to gauge views on data centers
- Recorded the data on each response, including one favorite, the “NO NO NO Data Centers” poem
- Organized and inventoried our No Data Center T-shirts into neat sales bundles
- Did anything we asked
- Listened to audio books while scanning our historical scrapbooks

And if that wasn’t enough – between her audio books and free time spent reading at home, Zoë completed 45 books this summer.

Of course, we asked for her top 3.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘺 by Robin Wall Kimmerer
𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘏𝘦𝘳 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘥 by Elizabeth Comen
𝘖𝘯𝘤𝘦 & 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 by A.R. Capetta and Cori McCarthy

Thank you, Zoë, for spending your summer helping us preserve our past and ensuring we could move data quickly to build power with people on issues across the state! We sent her off with a belly full of "tacos for the table" and an award for her leadership as an Exemplary Intern. We are going to miss you! Best wishes pursuing pharmacy school.

08/13/2026

Some of the "kinda chic" things we do.

08/11/2026

We took a field trip and had a field day. You can, too!

Come walk the prairie with us, see conservation in action, learn about prairie strips and native plantings, and take home ideas for your own farm or back yard.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐮𝐠. 𝟐𝟐 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐋𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐇!

Last week, we visited MRCC member Doug Doughty’s farm to check out his prairie strips and get ready for our upcoming “Prairie with a Purpose” field day (check out the photos and notice the nice breeze at the lunch pavilion).

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞: 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐀𝐮𝐠. 𝟐𝟐, 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞

𝟗:𝟑𝟎 𝐭𝐨 𝟏𝟏:𝟒𝟓 𝐀𝐌 - Prairie Strip / Planted Prairie Field Day (visit Doughty’s farm along with planted prairie at the Poosey Conservation Area)

𝐍𝐨𝐨𝐧 - Lunch & Learn with FREE LUNCH provided by MRCC (Poosey Conservation Area informational session - learn what Poosey has to offer; lunch served at the Indian Creek Pavilion at Poosey)

𝟏 𝐭𝐨 𝟑 𝐏𝐌 - Conservation at Home Workshop with snacks & drinks provided (learn about native landscaping and establishing a pocket prairie) - session held at conservation pavilion

Choose the morning prairie walk, afternoon workshop or both. Park at Poosey for both events. Trailer transportation provided between the farm and the conservation area.

Please register to let us know which session(s) you will attend. Directions will be provided after registration.

𝐓𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 call MRCC at 573-449-1336, email [email protected] or look for the registration link in the comments. Or, contact us if you have questions about the event and would like us to send more information.

**Sponsored by the Missouri Rural Crisis Center, Missouri Prairie Foundation and Missouri Department of Conservation.

Address

1906 Monroe Street
Columbia, MO
65201

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

573.449.1336

Website

http://www.morural.org/

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08/31/2026

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08/22/2026

08/20/2026

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