{"id":5318,"date":"2009-12-22T11:30:11","date_gmt":"2009-12-22T17:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.sustainablog.org\/?p=5318"},"modified":"2009-12-22T11:30:11","modified_gmt":"2009-12-22T17:30:11","slug":"missouri-department-of-agriculture-responds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/missouri-department-of-agriculture-responds\/","title":{"rendered":"The Missouri Department of Agriculture responds…"},"content":{"rendered":"
Editor’s note: <\/strong>This morning, I was pleasantly surprised by a response from Dr. Jon Hagler<\/a>, Director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture, to Sunday’s post on the Governor’s Conference on Agriculture<\/a>, and the issues that have been raised by activists concerning the proposed agenda for the event. With permission, I’m publishing his response… I hope you’ll chime in with your thoughts.<\/em><\/p>\n Dear Editor,<\/p>\n It has been said that the fields of progress are often sown with the plow of discontent. With these words in mind, I feel it necessary to respond directly to your readers and their recent interest in and discussion of the Missouri Governor\u2019s Conference on Agriculture<\/a>.<\/p>\n As I stated elsewhere, with respect to the Governor\u2019s Conference agenda, the Department attempts to strike a balance, albeit an imperfect one, among all segments of agriculture. The topics for this year were determined by the level of interest expressed to us from various individuals and groups and the availability of presenters.<\/p>\n We at the Missouri Department of Agriculture are proud of our efforts on behalf of small farms and local foods. This past year, the Department hosted no less than 9 conferences on localized agriculture and related areas and our staff presented at an additional 9 conferences or workshops. I personally have participated in numerous private meetings on this topic and have made local food initiatives one of the Department\u2019s top priorities.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n