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.

𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐮𝐩!Medicare’s annual Open Enrollment runs Oct. 15 to Dec. 7.Dur...
10/13/2026

𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐮𝐩!

Medicare’s annual Open Enrollment runs Oct. 15 to Dec. 7.

During this time, you can:

- Make changes to your existing coverage
- Enroll in a new plan
- Join, switch or drop a Medicare Part D prescription drug plan

Don’t wait. It’s time to start reviewing your coverage and prescription needs so you can choose the option that works best for you.

Questions? If you’re already enrolled, contact your Medicare navigator or call 1-800-633-4227 to reach the official Medicare help line. Or, access free and confidential Medicare counseling services thru Missouri’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program by calling 1-800-390-3330.

Are you in northeast MO? Come join us this Sunday in Monroe County for "Data Centers 101: The View from Rural Missouri" ...
10/07/2026

Are you in northeast MO? Come join us this Sunday in Monroe County for "Data Centers 101: The View from Rural Missouri" from 3-5 PM! We'll dive into all the big questions we get from data center development pathways and the potential impacts of data centers, to the tax structure and what questions you should be asking local decision makers when a data center is proposed in your community. See you soon!

We’re feeling empowered after Rhonda Perry won Empower Missouri's 2026 “Sustaining Impact on Rural Advocacy” Award.Rhond...
10/07/2026

We’re feeling empowered after Rhonda Perry won Empower Missouri's 2026 “Sustaining Impact on Rural Advocacy” Award.

Rhonda, MRCC’s Executive Director, was one of seven people/organizations honored for their work in sustained advocacy during 's 125th anniversary celebration last week. A fifth-generation farmer, Rhonda has been advocating for farmers and rural communities since the Farm Crisis of the 1980s, building coalitions and organizing people to stand up for their land and for the economic future of their communities.

In presenting the award, Sarah Owsley, Empower Missouri’s Policy and Advocacy Director, called Rhonda “smart, strategic and focused.”

We think they left out “stubbornly committed.” Congrats, Rhonda. Well-deserved.

And congratulations to Empower Missouri on their milestone anniversary and their 125-year fight to eliminate poverty and secure justice for all Missourians through their public policy reform efforts and coalition building.

𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫: 𝐎𝐧 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲Wowee! We’re still feeling energized by y’all who came to the Capitol for the People’s Hear...
10/01/2026

𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫: 𝐎𝐧 𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲

Wowee! We’re still feeling energized by y’all who came to the Capitol for the People’s Hearing on A.I. Data Centers.

There’s power in organizing – power in organized people. When farmers, workers, neighbors and concerned citizens come together to make their voices heard and demand a say in decisions affecting their communities, they change the calculation of what’s possible!

Today, we’re celebrating every person who showed up, was visible and spoke out to show the legislature the strength of our movement and our convictions.

When we come together, our voices carry!

We intend to win, and we want you on our team. Become an MRCC member today to join the fight against data centers. (See comments for membership link.)

We’re back — and feeling more energized than ever. Farm Aid is about so much more than music.While Farm Aid artists used...
09/29/2026

We’re back — and feeling more energized than ever.

Farm Aid is about so much more than music.

While Farm Aid artists used the stage to shine a spotlight on the pressures choking family farms, MRCC was busy offstage making sure Missouri farmers were part of the conversation.

MRCC’s Rhonda Perry joined an 𝐴𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐺𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑛 podcast panel to talk about rising farm foreclosures and the fight to protect farmland from data center development. Rhonda also did an interview with Nebraska Farmers Union member and Uproot Center content creator Edison McDonald, while MRCC board member and farmer Noah Earle joined radio host Dallas Wayne for a live interview on the SiriusXM classic country channel “Willie’s Roadhouse."

MRCC’s message mirrored the message the musicians shouted from the stage: Farmers are facing rising production costs, especially for fuel and fertilizer, increasing bankruptcies and growing pressure to give up their land for data centers.

“When farmers can’t make it, we lose access to food, businesses lose customers and communities lose people and land that can’t be replaced,” said Farm Aid Founder Willie Nelson. “Farmers aren’t any different from the rest of us. They want a fair chance to make a living, take care of their families and improve the land they love.”

Farm Aid was born out of the farm crisis of the 1980s, but the issues that brought farmers and musicians together haven’t disappeared. Farmers are still fighting for a fair chance to make a living so they can build a future for our rural communities.

The musicians had the stage but we found some microphones, too, and together, we turned up the volume for our family farmers.

One minute you’re sitting in a panel with Jesse Welles and the next minute he’s onstage and you’re slinging pork. Welcom...
09/26/2026

One minute you’re sitting in a panel with Jesse Welles and the next minute he’s onstage and you’re slinging pork. Welcome to Farm Aid where the pork is a-flowing, the crowd is a-bumping and our farmer stories are a-being told.

We’re not just headed to a concert. We’re going home! Four decades ago, MRCC was already deep in the 1980s farm crisis ...
09/25/2026

We’re not just headed to a concert. We’re going home!

Four decades ago, MRCC was already deep in the 1980s farm crisis fight when Farm Aid energized our advocacy with a $10,000 donation check signed by Willie Nelson. MRCC used money from those early Farm Aid donations to launch a farmer hotline to provide foreclosure guidance, legal advice, attorney referrals and emergency assistance with food and utility bills.

We attended the first Farm Aid in Champaign, Illinois, in 1985. A year later, in 1986, we loaded two buses full of Missouri farmers and farm advocates and headed to Farm Aid II, held in Austin, Texas.

We’ve been going ever since – and each year, it’s like coming home as we gather with our people, talk farm policy, build connections and celebrate the resilience of family farmers.

Rural Missouri isn’t a blank canvas for A.I. data centers. It’s where we grow our food, raise our families and build our...
09/22/2026

Rural Missouri isn’t a blank canvas for A.I. data centers. It’s where we grow our food, raise our families and build our futures.

The Pew Research Center reported in April that 67% of planned data centers nationwide are slated for rural areas. Missouri farmers and rural residents are paying attention, and they showed up at the Capitol last week to make their voices heard during the “People’s Hearing on A.I. Data Centers.”

Ozark County farmer Wren Haffner (pictured) relies on an aquifer for perennial agriculture. Haffner wants a moratorium “until we can ensure that our farms, our farmers and those on rural wells are fully protected” for future generations.

New Florence farmer Bob Ridgley farms fifth-generation land. It’s where his cattle graze and his grandchildren tote fishing poles to their favorite pond. But a data center nearby could change all that. “Our way of life and the future for my children and grandchildren is being threatened by those who claim to have our best interests at heart.”

MRCC stands with farmers and rural Missourians to protect our farms, our water and our future. Join us as we keep organizing, speaking up and pushing for a moratorium until common sense protections can be put in place.

𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝟑𝟕𝟎 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝟱𝟯 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐥 𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 for the People's Hearing on A.I. Data Ce...
09/18/2026

𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝟑𝟕𝟎 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝟱𝟯 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐥 𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 for the People's Hearing on A.I. Data Centers.

And that’s just the people who could show up to make their voices heard in the middle of the week — thousands more are organizing in their own communities. Sure, we’re from different backgrounds and we all have different reasons for being in this fight. Some are worried about their farmland, water and energy bills, lack of transparency and even concerns about A.I. itself. But we’re united on one thing: Missourians want a moratorium on data centers until we have common sense protections in place.

Today is a really special day-- it's Rhonda's birthday! For 35 years, she has put her blood, sweat, tears and whole hear...
09/18/2026

Today is a really special day-- it's Rhonda's birthday! For 35 years, she has put her blood, sweat, tears and whole heart into building MRCC into the organization we are today. She has poured so much into each of us as her team and you as our members and supporters.

Enjoy a few of our favorite Rhonda moments (from serious to silly) from over the years & join us in celebrating our one-of-a-kind fearless leader! Happy birthday, Rhonda!

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

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