News

Federal cuts have unintended consequences

Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe says a reduction of federal workers at USDA could have unintended consequences on Missouri agriculture.

“I’m very much for making sure government operates as efficiently as it can, but you have to make sure that while you do that, you don’t sacrifice public safety and/or initiatives agriculture families rely on heavily.”

Kehoe says some poultry barn inspectors have been eliminated at a time when Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza continues to spread. At the end of February, USDA says there have been 11 affected flocks in Missouri.

He tells Brownfield that was part of a discussion Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds had with USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins on behalf of Missouri at the recent Governor’s Conference in Washington D.C.

Hear the interview with Governor Kehoe.