Missouri's governor signed executive orders in mid-March requiring state regulatory agencies to discuss and coordinate regulatory endeavors.

In a kickoff of National Agriculture Week activities (March 17-23), Missouri's Governor Bob Holden visited the central Missouri farm of the Hilgedick family and then toured a central Missouri winery, Thornhill Vineyards. The governor had a three-pronged purpose: to recognize traditional farming; to highlight the increasing contributions of a growth industry--agritourism; and to announce his executive order which is crafted to ease the regulatory burden on agriculture.

His executive order stems from recommendations made by the Governor's Task Force on Agriculture. MFA's president and CEO, Don Copenhaver, serves on the task force. Members of the task force held hearings throughout the state this past summer. After the hearings, task force members made a series of recommendations on how government could strengthen the state's farm sector.

"As task force members traveled the state," said Gov. Holden, "they heard time and time again of farmers' frustrations with adhering to government regulations. This order requires interagency cooperation when promulgating rules and addresses one of the key concerns in agriculture today: balancing agricultural production with environmental regulations."

That attempt at balance won the approval of the Hilgedicks. Wayne Hilgedick and his sons, Terry and Ricky, raise cattle, corn, soybeans, wheat, alfalfa and watermelons on 1,300 acres in the Missouri River bottoms near Hartsburg. From their perspective, the debate over Missouri River policies must include a strong emphasis on agriculture as a necessary participant.

The governor said no one should overlook value-added agriculture. And agritourism, he said, is an excellent example of value-added agriculture. "As Wayne Hilgedick said, 'The grapes you'll see at Thornhill are a lot more valuable as wine than as grapes.' I want to point out how insightful that statement is. Thornhill winery is a model of a value-added enterprise," said the governor.

Thornhill Vineyard in Hartsburg is one of Missouri's 36 wineries. Those wineries account for 2.5 million visitors each year. Bob and Diana Holland own and operate Thornhill. The enterprise bottles and sells about 5,000 gallons of wine a year.

The governor stressed that U.S. agriculture today exists as part of a global economy. As such, said the governor, U.S. agriculture should not be hindered by regulatory decisions that keep agriculture and family farms from prospering.