by Rebecca French Smith, of Columbia, Mo., a multimedia specialist for the Missouri Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization.

Writing is often a journey of small steps that at times doesn’t end up where you think it will when you begin. National Ag Day is March 25, and as I sat down to write a piece on all that it means, I came across the winning essay of this year’s National Ag Day Essay Contest by Clara Knipp from Tipton, Mo. It was not the first step in my journey, but it inspired me and, as a result, altered my path.

A couple of Sundays ago, a speaker reminded me of how much we really have in our part of the world, and that those not so far from us, in some South American countries for example, get by on much less. We have abundant food and purchasing it uses less than 10 percent of our budgets. In countries like Egypt and Pakistan, more than 40 percent of the household budget goes to buy food. We have clothing and fuel available whenever we might find the need to purchase them. So much of what we have comes from the labors of those in agriculture.

The Agriculture Council of America (ACA) was established along with the National Ag Day program more than 40 years ago and is “dedicated to increasing the public awareness of agriculture’s vital role in our society” — a daunting task today. The organization encourages and supports active involvement of those in agriculture to tell ag’s story.

In 2012, agriculture contributed more than $9 billion to Missouri’s economy, up from $7.5 billion in 2007, according to the most recent Census of Agriculture, performed by the USDA. The value of ag production was generated just by farmers. When you combine it with the hundreds of thousands in the ag industry, those that process, transport and ultimately deliver food, fiber and fuel to the store for us to buy, the economic value increases significantly.

So taking a day as a nation to appreciate agriculture seems appropriate. In March each year we celebrate. This year’s theme, though, gives a nod to the other 364 days we should acknowledge: “Agriculture: 365 Sunrises and 7 Billion Mouths to Feed,” which brings me to Ms. Knipp’s essay.

Ms. Knipp’s thoughtful insight into that theme also included steps, steps that can accomplish a seemingly impossible task, like landing on the moon. Her approach to feeding the world involved small steps by many people, by all of those involved in agriculture. Through farmers, researchers and educators, she writes, we can meet the challenge. She contends that we all have small steps to take that when combined will achieve that seemingly impossible task of feeding the seven billion mouths on the planet.

In celebration of National Ag Day, events will be held all over the country, with many of the “official” ACA events occurring in Washington, D.C. Most of us are anything but nearby. So how can you participate? What can your small step be? It’s actually pretty simple — as simple as thoughtful consideration of where the food on your plate comes from and how it’s grown, appreciate the hard work that goes into getting it from a farm to your home and be amazed and inspired by this industry we call agriculture.

– See more at: http://www.mofb.org/NewsMedia/CuttotheChase.aspx#sthash.1fTC2Dt4.dpuf

ST. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say three elephants escaped from their handlers at a circus near St. Louis and damaged several vehicles in the parking lot before they were recaptured.

Television station KMOV reports that the female elephants escaped from the the children’s ride section of the Moolah Shrine Circus at the Family Arena in St. Charles.

TV station KSDK says the circus issued a statement saying the handlers were able to occupy the animals and that “they are now resting comfortably in their compound at this time.”

Police say that the animals also damaged the venue’s loading door.

FULTON (AP) – Federal nuclear regulators considering a request for a 20-year license extension for a central Missouri nuclear plant said the facility has had little environmental impact and is cheaper than other energy options.

Environmental coalition disputed those findings at a public meeting Wednesday where the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission discussed an environmental impact statement for Ameren’s Callaway Energy Center.

The Missouri Coalition for the Environment encouraged the NRC to hold off on granting the extension until questions about future storage of radioactive fuel rods are answered.

Coalition director Ed Smith says the plant’s cooling pool is expected to reach its capacity in six years, and Ameren hasn’t said how it will handle the spent rods after that.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Two more Missouri men have been sentenced for roles in a fraud that cost Cargill Inc. $2 million.

U.S. District Judge Gary Fenner sentenced 40-year-old Bob True Beisly III of Nevada to about three years in prison for wire fraud and mail fraud and ordered him to repay about $560,000 to Cargill Inc., owner of a feed mill in Butterfield.

The Joplin Globe reports Jeffrey Hobbs of Exeter pleaded guilty to wire fraud last year and was sentenced earlier to about three years in prison. Prosecutors say Beisly persuaded Hobbs to create scale tickets for fictitious loads of corn delivered to the mill.

KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) — A woman wanted by federal authorities for 18 years has been found and arrested in Key West.

Michelle Singleton failed to appear in federal court for sentencing on charges of payroll check fraud in 1996. A federal fugitive warrant was issued for her arrest.

According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, a detective recognized Singleton as a woman he had seen several times in Key West. Investigators went the houseboat where she was living and questioned her about her identity.

Investigators say Singleton told officers she had obtained a birth certificate with the name Harris a month after fleeing Kansas City.

She was taken into custody on federal fugitive charges.

KEN THOMAS, Associated Press

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is encouraging college students to ensure that the so-called millennial generation is what she terms the “participation generation.”

Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, are helping open an annual meeting of college students who seek to tackle challenges around the world.

Joining them Friday night at Arizona State University is the state’s senior Republican senator, John McCain. Bill Clinton jokes that McCain is a good friend but, as Clinton puts it, “we permit him to deny it at election time.”

McCain was the GOP’s 2008 presidential nominee. Hillary Clinton is considering a presidential campaign for 2016.

The weekend Clinton Global Initiative University is drawing more than 1,000 students from about 300 colleges and universities to the ASU campus in Tempe.

HOUSTON (AP) — Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. says the number of rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. declined by six this week to 1,803.

The Houston firm said in its weekly report Friday that 1,473 rigs were exploring for oil and 326 for gas. Four were listed as miscellaneous. A year ago there were 1,746 active rigs.

Of the major oil- and gas-producing states, Louisiana gained five rigs, California increased by three and North Dakota and Pennsylvania each rose by two. New Mexico and Utah were up one.

Texas declined by 10, Oklahoma by three and Ohio and West Virginia by two. Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas and Wyoming were unchanged.

The U.S. rig count peaked at 4,530 in 1981 and bottomed at 488 in 1999.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – A group of Missouri law enforcement officials are asking state lawmakers to create special armed-offender dockets for courts in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas.

A task force led by Attorney General Chris Koster issued the recommendations Friday as part of a report on curbing urban violence. The report asks the Legislature to consider special dockets that would prioritize violent offenses committed with firearms.

The group also asked law enforcement to boost cooperation and make better use of surveillance technology. It also recommended salary increases for county sheriffs.

Koster says Missouri’s two largest cities each had more than 100 homicides last year. City officials and police department representatives from St. Louis City, Kansas City and St. Louis County joined Koster on the task force.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City-based aerospace manufacturing company has announced plans for a $12 million expansion.

May Technology and Manufacturing, which makes parts for aircraft including the B-2 bomber and Boeing 777 airliner, is planning to almost double the size of its Kansas City operation and invest $7 million in new equipment.

May Technology now employs 120 people and hopes to add up to 30 employees over the next couple of years. The company also hired 20 new workers last year.

Work on the expansion is expected to begin immediately.