BY REBECCA FRENCH SMITH, Missouri Farm Bureau
There are those of us who are of the persuasion that it’s never too early to start thinking about sweet corn. Why, it’s almost an ant-and-grasshopper story. Right now, farmers and gardeners across Missouri are planting. Some of them are planting sweet corn. Sweet corn is not a major crop in the state, though there are a few farmers who grow enough to share and sell. In fact, only 2,325 acres were harvested in Missouri in 2012 according to the most recent Ag Census.

Even so, sometime in July, for the past few years, my kitchen has been taken over by a small section of the Sweet Corn Preservation Society. This group has only a handful of members — me, my husband and our boys. We are but a small club in a larger, albeit unorganized, consortium that husks, blanches, chops, bags and freezes this fresh, savory treat so that we might enjoy it when the cold wind blows outside.

Because of our affinity for sweet corn we have grown it. I say “grown” in the past tense because to grow sweet corn is to learn certain lessons about nature, wildlife and your willingness to share. You see, raccoons and squirrels love sweet corn too, and they also wait in great anticipation for the summer’s first fruits.

Farmers use a variety of tactics to stave off the “thief in the night” onslaught as the sweet corn begins to ripen. Electric fences, moving the garden annually or just growing enough to feed everyone are some common solutions. For us, moving the garden isn’t possible, nor is growing enough for “them” and us. We have a garden fence that keeps out everything that doesn’t climb, and since the sweet corn was the only thing the thieves were interested in climbing the fence for, we abandoned that crop.

Raccoons know, like we do, when the corn is about ready, as apparent by the trail into the woods of corn stalks, husks and cobs. Trust me. Nothing is more frustrating than looking forward to picking the first harvest of corn for dinner, only to find that the raccoons beat you to it. Not only did they beat you, but they rubbed it in your face by leaving the cobs and husks behind for you to clean up. Something just isn’t right about that.

So our little society now travels to southeast Missouri to buy our sweet corn from a farmer who is particularly adept at growing it — best we’ve ever had, especially since we don’t have to battle the wildlife for it. Sadly, we have been out of our frozen stash since November. Is it July yet?

Rebecca French Smith, of Columbia, Mo., is a multimedia specialist for the Missouri Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization.
– See more at: http://www.mofb.org/NewsMedia/CuttotheChase.aspx#sthash.6fAlJHrl.dpuf

NORTHFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Kraft Foods Group is recalling some of its cottage cheese products.

Company officials say some ingredients used in Knudsen Cottage Cheese, Breakstone’s Cottage Cheese, Simply Kraft Cottage Cheese and Daily Chef Cottage Cheese were not stored in accordance with proper temperature standards at a California, manufacturing facility. Kraft says that might have created conditions that could lead to premature spoilage and food-borne illness.

Kraft voluntarily recalled 1.2 million cases of the cottage cheese as a precaution. The products have a date between May 9 and July 23 stamped on them.

Anyone who purchased these products should not eat them. They can be returned to the stores where they were bought for exchanges or full refunds.

For more information about the recall, call Kraft at 1-800-396-6307 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. EDT.

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – As part of National Small Business Week, U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) received the “Hero of Main Street” award from the National Retail Federation (NRF) for his efforts to support local retailers and small businesses in Missouri and across the nation.

“Retailers and small businesses on Main Street support one in four jobs in Missouri,” Blunt said. “I’m honored to receive this award and I’ll continue working to ensure our retailers have the opportunity and tools they need to create jobs and economic growth in communities across Missouri and the nation.”

“NRF salutes our retail advocates in Congress for their dedication and proven commitment to public policies that support prosperity on Main Street,” National Retail Federation President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Retailers are the heart and soul of our communities, and we are pleased to acknowledge lawmakers like Senator Blunt who have consistently supported a pro-economic growth policy agenda to ensure a thriving Main Street and a healthy and vibrant retail sector in Missouri.”

The retail industry in Missouri supports 859,441 jobs and is directly and indirectly responsible for 18 percent of Missouri’s growth domestic product (GDP).

NRF recognized Blunt for his consistent support of the retail industry’s top public policy priorities including, but not limited to, patent reform, sales tax fairness, the federal minimum wage, and reforming the Affordable Care Act.

By Mike Sherry
KHI News Service
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Representatives from a broad spectrum of agencies and organizations, including hospitals and courts, are crystallizing plans they hope will help solve a health problem in Kansas City, Mo.

The issue is that people who are high, drunk or in psychiatric crisis clog emergency rooms and tie up first-responders although their needs are more suited to mental health intervention, according to organizers.
And now, two work groups tackling the problem have tentatively set July 10 as the day for a local summit of perhaps as many as 80 participants to devise a test for a new approach. Planners hope to use about $3.5 million in state funds for a pilot project that, they said, is included in a fiscal 2015 budget pending before Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon.

The hope is that the pilot project will lead to a permanent facility staffed by personnel who can address mental health crises and then connect patients with community-based services. One aim is a site that will assist police officers and ambulance personnel, much like the reconstituted Rainbow Mental Health Facility in Kansas City, Kan.

A potential joint effort by the work groups coalesced earlier this year.

Emerging ideas

According to participants in the ongoing discussions, several thoughts are emerging about a crisis stabilization center in Kansas City and for related services that also would help the target population:

● The facility should include staff members who can handle minor injuries and treat patients with dangerously high blood-alcohol content levels.

● The facility should have a short-term unit for people who need to sober up.

● Long-term housing is a critical part of the mix.

● More police forces in the region should have some officers specially trained to handle mental health crises.

● Hospitals across the region should try to track people who show up often in emergency rooms – the so-called “frequent fliers.”
As for the center itself, Kansas City Municipal Judge Joseph Locascio said the key is providing emergency personnel a central point where they can take people who appear to be suffering from a mental illness or substance abuse issue. Then, he said, mental health professionals can determine the next step.

“You don’t ask the police to make these decisions on the street,” he said.

Locascio, who presides over Kansas City Municipal Court and its specialty docket for substance abusers, heads up an ad hoc committee focused on addressing the need on the Missouri side of the metropolitan area.

Michael Dunaway is leading a bistate work group focused largely on the emergency room issue. He is senior vice president of the Kansas City Metropolitan Healthcare Council, which includes about 45 hospitals throughout the region.

“We are fully prepared to roll up our sleeves to help make this a collaborative initiative,” he said.

It remains to be seen where a permanent facility might be located and who would cover operation costs.

Dunaway said financial contributions from the various organizations interested in the services likely would cover the cost of running the facility. He expressed confidence that the groups would find a better way to serve this population.

“We will come up with a solution for this,” he said.

Dunaway and others also expressed an interest in seeing how things take shape at the Rainbow facility, which reopened April 7 through a partnership between area mental health centers and a substance-abuse assistance organization.

Looking to Rainbow

State officials closed all but six of Rainbow’s beds in 2011 after federal surveyors cited the hospital for being understaffed and the state fire marshal found safety violations.

The revamped facility reopened in April with three units, each with a 10-person capacity: a sobering unit for stays of up to six hours, a crisis-observation unit for stays up to 23 hours, and a crisis-stabilization unit for stays of up to 10 days. The center is designed so patients can move among the units as needed.

Figures provided by the facility show that in its first month of operation it logged about 100 patient visits, including 13 people treated in the crisis-stabilization unit.

Approximately 60 percent of the patients arrived via law enforcement personnel. Officials said other patient sources include friends, family and referrals from other agencies.

The big difference between the old Rainbow and the new Rainbow, staffers said, is that the facility reopened as an outpatient center where patients can choose whether to stay.

Staff said some former patients now have sought treatment on their own and that they behave better because it’s not something that is being forced on them.

“This is a different option for those individuals that just don’t fit in the state hospital equation,” said Executive Director Sharon Sawyer.

She said patient counts are increasing by the week as the word gets out that the facility is available. The gradual increase is good, Sawyer said, because it allows them to work out the kinks as they go along.

Her advice to the advocates on the Missouri side – if and when they open a facility – was to expect the unexpected.

“You think you can anticipate everything,” Sawyer said. “But you just can’t.”

JEFFERSON CITY (AP) – Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon fared fairly well in this year’s legislative session when it came to his proposed state spending plan. But the Democratic governor’s remaining top policy priorities were dismissed by the Republican-led Legislature.

Nixon set out to expand health care coverage to low-income Missourians and stop an income tax cut plan. He lost on both.

Republicans rejected his call to accept federal money under the federal health care law to grow the Medicaid program. And they overrode his veto of a tax cut that could cost about $620 million annually once fully implemented.

The governor did secure a funding increase for basic aid to public schools, although not as much as he wanted. Lawmakers also accepted his bonding proposal to build a new mental health facility at Fulton.

JEFFERSON CITY (AP) – Missouri lawmakers have approved funding for capital needs on college campuses and state facilities and even endorsed a half-billion-dollar sales tax proposal to bolster money for transportation.

After rejecting previous bonding proposals and a tax increase to pay for infrastructure needs, the state’s Republican-led Legislature proved more receptive during its annual session that wrapped up Friday.

The final score card includes money for construction of a new building at the Fulton State Hospital and a bonding package for renovation and maintenance needs at state facilities and on college campuses.

Voters also will decide later this year on a three-quarters-of-a-cent transportation sales tax increase, which is expected to raise $534 million annually.

Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey says Missouri’s infrastructure needs aren’t going away.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill has named Capitol Hill veteran Anna Laitin as her new Legislative Director.

Laitin joins McCaskill’s staff after more than a decade working in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House, as a leading staffer on issues surrounding consumer protection and government oversight and accountability. McCaskill’s former Legislative Director Stephen Hedger recently accepted a new position at the White House as Special Assistant to the President and Senate Legislative Affairs Liaison.

“I’m thrilled to have Anna leading my legislative staff-her years in the trenches, fighting to strengthen accountability and bolster the rights of consumers, make her a perfect leader to advance those same goals for Missouri families and businesses,” said McCaskill, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, and the Subcommittee on Financial & Contracting Oversight. “I’m also confident that Stephen will prove as invaluable a leader to the President’s team as he was to mine, and I wish him the best in his new position.”

Laitin most recently worked for the Senate Commerce Committee-a position from which she drafted legislation and led Senate investigations under the jurisdiction of McCaskill’s Consumer Protection panel. She also previously worked for the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, where she worked on issues surrounding consumer protection and financial reform-and for the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, where she helped lead investigations into the activities of several federal agencies.

Laitin will serve in McCaskill’s Washington, D.C. office as the Senator’s chief policy advisor and will lead McCaskill’s legislative staff.