Today, Franiak will be the first to formally announce his candidacy in this race at the VFW Post 7628 building in Ozark, MO, at 6:30 p.m. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with reporters and guests welcome to attend.

“This region deserves a dependable conservative voice to represent it. I will proudly stand for our flag, for our men and women in uniform, and for the rights we cherish in these United States,” declared Franiak. “It took serious prayer and consideration to put my name out there to run, but I believe it’s time to stand up for our freedoms in all levels of government. I am 100% invested in this district’s future!”

Franiak is a local businessman and craftsman who specializes in cabinet building and kitchen/bathroom remodeling. A stage four cancer survivor, Tom and his wife, Donni, were the recent co-chairs of the 2023 Cattle Baron’s Ball, a charity event hosted by the American Cancer Society that raises funds for individuals and families in the community impacted by cancer.

“Beating cancer has by far been the hardest battle of my life. We are so thankful for organizations like the American Cancer Society that help make that fight a little easier, which is why I’m so passionate about giving back to those in need. As a state representative, my goals are to provide greater access to resources for those facing intimidating medical diagnoses and ensure that families don’t go broke to receive life-changing help.”

Franaik has mentioned election integrity, pro-life and pro-gun policies, and quality education as core issues for his campaign. Additionally, he looks forward to opportunities to cut taxes and wasteful spending in the state capitol and guarantee our constitutional rights are preserved here in Missouri.

“I have stared down stage four cancer and won. I am not afraid of the socialist tactics of ‘cancel culture’ and intimidation through defamation. I will fight each and every day for our freedom of speech, our right to bear arms, and our religious liberties. I will not be silenced, and I will not stand idly by as woke ideology attempts to overthrow our conservative rural values here in Southwest Missouri. I believe the Lord has kept me on this earth to do His will, and I will not waver from this path I feel called to travel.”

Tom and Donni are the proud parents of two adult children and spend their free time enjoying the great Ozark landscape and loving on their five grandchildren.

Tom Franiak has retained Axiom Strategies to serve as consultants on his campaign.

The post Press Release: Ozarks businessman Tom Franiak to run for open state house seat appeared first on The Missouri Times.

Keith Baxter is a cattleman in Rogersville, Mo. he’s dealt with the effects of the drought first-hand.

“It’s kinda been a one-two punch for us down here,” Baxter said of rising fertilizer and gas prices coinciding with the wet spring and summer drought. “We couldn’t lay as much fertilizer as we wanted, and then we ran out of pastures for grazing.”

Baxter, like many cattlemen in Missouri, has been forced to feed his winter food reserves to his cattle during the summer, meaning he will likely be forced to scrape by come the cold months.

Baxter even resorted to letting his nearly 200 cattle forage for food, letting them wander to find anything green.

“We had to keep close tabs on the herds … we had issues with cattle getting out,” he said. “Obviously they’re going to go look for something green to eat instead of hay.”

Logan Brittingham is a row crop and cattle farmer in Poplar Bluff, Mo.. He farms with his grandpa on their family-owned farm, something he’s done since he was 13.

“It was a real wet spring, all the crops were late getting in … about a month late,” he said. “It’s just been a rough year for farmers, we’ve seen the two extremes … it’s affected every farm around my area.”

Brittingham hasn’t culled his heard yet, though he plans to, depending on how hay cutting goes.

Brittingham owns about 100 cattle and farms rice and soybeans as well, for him, the financial impact of the drought has been twofold. Brittingham was forced to sell cattle recently as a result of the drought.

“My irrigated land has been fine,” he said. “But my dryland — it’s gonna be an insurance farm this year.”

The financial impacts have been felt by both producers and consumers, as high gas prices, fertilizer and a lacking, oversaturated market have put many farmers in a tight spot.

“Even when we make profit, it’s just moving dollars around,” Baxter said of the high overhead costs associated with farming this year. “They’re (the consumers) spending a lot more money too, but it ain’t going to me — trust me.”

“The cost of everything, across the board, has come up,” Brittingham said.

Thankfully, some rain has mercifully made its way to the southern part of the state. Although Rogersville is still considered to be dealing with a severe drought and Poplar Bluff is dealing with a moderate drought, according to the federal drought tracker. 

Even while still dealing with severe drought issues, Baxter thinks things are starting to look up in Rogersville.

“The pressure has backed off a bit,” he said.

Baxter attributes the improvement of conditions as much to the rain as he does to the support of his rural community.

“Our local co-op has supplied support,” Baxter said. “We’re lucky to be surrounded by other family farms, sharing hay and helping each other.”

Characteristic of a farmer, Baxter feels optimistic about how he and the farmers around him will handle the lasting impacts of the drought going forward.

“This ain’t the first drought we ever been through down here,” he said. “It don’t make it easier, but we know what to do … It’s a good time to find out that you have good neighbors.”

Featured Image Courtesy of The High Plains Journal (Reagan Bluel)

Matthew McFarland

I’m a journalist hailing from the Detroit area. I love to tell investigative stories with a focus on everyday people.

You can contact me by email at matthew@missouritimes.com

The post Southern Missouri cattlemen give their input on a “tough year for farmers” appeared first on The Missouri Times.

Recent rains have helped much of the state, but the overall amount of the state experiencing a form of drought has increased.

Areas around Joplin and Springfield, Mo. continue to battle extreme drought conditions. Drought has also started to impact Nothern Missouri, an occurrence not previously seen this summer. Areas around St. Joseph, Mo., Kansas City and the northern border of Missouri are currently experiencing moderate drought, according to the federal drought tracker.

Although rain has indeed helped much of the state when it comes to hay and crops, much of Missouri has still yet to experience the long and consistent rain needed to replenish soil conditions.

According to the report, the cattle market is beginning to see some normalcy, something cattlemen have sorely missed the past few months. The recent rains have given hope to those who have not culled their herds yet.

Crop reports are also optimistic for all three of Missouri’s largest crops.

Corn production is forecast at 525 million bushels, 4% below last year’s production. Corn bids continue to rise after taking a small dip at the beginning of the month.

Soybean production is forecast at 287 million bushels, up 4% from 2021. Soybean bids also rose in the middle of the month.

Except for the St. Louis area, which took a sharp dip compared to other areas.

Wheat production is forecast at 43.6 million bushels, up 37% from the previous year. Wheat bids have started to climb after a large plummet at the beginning of the month.

It seems with heavy rains in the past month and some more consistent ones in the near future, farmers may be able to breathe a small sigh of relief as both the cattle market and the crop market seem to be coming back to normal.

Featured Image Courtesy of Alisha Shurr

Kelton Turner

Kelton is a 2023 graduate of the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies. He is a native of mid-Missouri and likes to write politics at both the state and federal levels. Kelton joined the Missouri Times in April 2022

www.themissouritimes.com

The post Agriculture industries start to stabilize, drought conditions still persist appeared first on The Missouri Times.

Despite boasting Missouri’s number one crop in both acreage and monetary value, Missouri Soybeans hasn’t had a major presence at the fair for several years. That will change this time around, MoSoy will have its own set-up in the “Mizzou building” at the state fair, continuing the close relationship between The University of Missouri and MoSoy.

“Soy touches our lives every day,” Baylee Asbury, director of outreach and education for Missouri Soybeans said. “We want to make sure consumers are realizing how much of an impact it has.”

Missouri Soybeans will be all over the fair, complete with revamped branding and a new approach to connecting with consumers. MoSoy will have activities designed to engage young fair-goers and farmers alike in their space at the Mizzou building. The soybean organization will also provide the bio-diesel fuel used to power tram cars that will transport fair-goers around the grounds.

The new branding and approach coincide with the recent launch of MoSoy’s new revamped website. For Missouri Soybeans, the fair will be a tremendous opportunity to increase traffic to its newest tool.

“Our farmers have really invested in our new website and approach,” Asbury said. “They’ve invested, so we need to make sure it’s being used.”

MoSoy’s stand at the fair will be equipped with I-pad stations and QR codes all designed to lead consumers back to the website. The website focuses on making Missouri Soybeans a resource rather than just a farmer organization.

With 1,000s of visitors on the horizon, the state fair will give Missouri Soybeans a massive opportunity to gain momentum with its new branding and increased online presence.

“The Missouri State Fair is a great place for consumers to ask questions face to face,” Matt Wright, president of the Missouri Soybean Association said. “It is also a tremendous opportunity for us to share more about how much we care not only about the products we produce, but also about the land on which we grow them.”

MoSoy overhauled its social media presence last year, well before unveiling the new website.

However, as an organization that primarily supports farmers, Missouri Soybeans is being careful not to abandon the “boots on the ground” approach that is necessary when working in agriculture.

“We will continue to push our online presence, but also our on-the-ground presence,” Asbury said. “Our eyes are set on innovation.”

Featured Image Courtesy of the Missouri State Fair

Matthew McFarland

I’m a journalist hailing from the Detroit area. I love to tell investigative stories with a focus on everyday people.

You can contact me by email at matthew@missouritimes.com

The post Missouri Soybeans increases state fair presence, focuses on online branding appeared first on The Missouri Times.

The new hotline, called the AgriStress Help hotline, is a “free and confidential service available to Missouri producers and rural families seeking mental health support,” according to a press release. The number associated with the 24/7 hotline is (833) 897-2474.

AgriStress is meant to service farmers who are in need of a quick way to access mental health help related to the stress from their farming duties. 

“We know producers take pride in their ability to handle challenging circumstances, which can lead to a stigma around seeking mental health support,” Chris Chinn, director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture said. “But, it’s okay to need help. Our goal is to ensure free, confidential support is available for Missouri farmers, ranchers and rural community members through the AgriStress Helpline.”

The hotline has been in the works since earlier this year, when Gov. Mike Parson and the Department of Agriculture began looking for companies to operate a call center. 

The decision came after a troubling survey in 2021 from the American Farm Bureau Federation questioned farmers about their mental health and the stigma surrounding it. The survey allowed the participating farmers to pinpoint the issues they think are causing intense stress in their lives. 

According to the survey, the four biggest stressors that impact farmers’ mental health are financial issues, fear of losing the farm, uncertain future and the state of the farm economy. 

The survey also states that 60% of farmers were experiencing more mental health issues in 2021 than the year before. 

The survey also says that more farmers are becoming aware of the mental health resources available to them and that farmers are utilizing these resources more often. Still, there is still a lot of ground to cover when it comes to making sure farmers are able to seek mental health resources. 

Data shows that rural suicides in Missouri are on a steep incline. According to a joint study that included the Missouri Farm Bureau, the Missouri Department of Mental Health and the University of Missouri, the rate of rural suicide deaths increased by 78% to 21.3 suicides per 100,000 people in 2017.

 “Combined, the latest data from CDC signal the rate of rural suicide deaths in Missouri is 18% higher than the nonrural rate — and it’s growing 50% faster,” the study states.

“Stratified by gender and urbanization, rural males have the highest rate of suicide deaths in the state at 35.6 per 100,000 residents,” the study adds. This statistic is almost double the statewide rate of 18.8 per 100,000

According to the Department of Agriculture, almost 90% of the farms in Missouri are family owned. Many of the farms have been operated through generations of family. Additional stress is added for family-owned farmers, as losing a farm is more than losing a business venture, it means losing land that has been passed along for generations.

The hotline is arriving amid a difficult year for crop farmers and cattlemen. A severe drought in the southern half of the state has forced cattlemen to make hard decisions about culling cattle in the face of a spiraling beef market, causing many to take a severe loss in the middle of the year. 

According to the Department of Agriculture, they have partnered with a group known as Agrisafe, a nonprofit organization that specializes in rural mental healthcare, in order to specialize the AgriStress hotline to suit the needs of farmers and other members of rural communities.

By involving Agrisafe, the department hopes to ensure that the mental health professionals of AgriStress will be more well-suited to serving the needs of rural producers than the average mental health professional.

While not a fix-all solution, there is hope that this hotline will be able to start tearing down some of the mental health inequalities found in rural areas around the state. According to the joint study, all 99 of Missouri’s rural counties have a shortage of mental health professionals.

 The Department of Agriculture has more information on its website here.

If you are suffering a mental health crisis, call or text 988.

Featured Image Courtesy of the Missouri Coalition for Behavioral Healthcare

Kelton Turner

Kelton is a 2023 graduate of the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies. He is a native of mid-Missouri and likes to write politics at both the state and federal levels. Kelton joined the Missouri Times in April 2022

www.themissouritimes.com

The post AgriStress hotline seeks to curb increasing rural mental health issues in Missouri appeared first on The Missouri Times.

Drought conditions still persist in many parts of Missouri according to the report, with almost 3/4th of the state experiencing some sort of drought. Parts of Southern Missouri are still experiencing extreme drought conditions.

These conditions are likely to change by next week’s report as parts of Missouri, specifically the St. Louis area, experienced very heavy rains and flash flooding this week. Much-needed rain is also in the forecast for many parts of the state.

The hay crop continues to see some issues, following its troubling trend from the last report.

According to the report, 90% of the state’s hay has been cut. This is mostly due to persisting drought conditions, which has led many hay growers to cut their hay earlier than usual.

There is no hay shortage, supplies remain moderate and hay is relatively easy to access for those that did not grow or did not grow enough.

The cattle market also continues to see its fair share of issues as well. The amount of culled cattle in the state continues to rise according to the report. This rise is mostly due to weather conditions, as cattlemen cull their livestock at the market to ensure they can feed their herd over the coming fall and winter months.

The report also includes information regarding some of Missouri’s biggest crop markets.

Soybean bids are showing a slight climb in bid prices after dropping sharply for a few days straight. The bids for soybeans for the month have been very volatile.

Wheat bids have sharply declined over the past few days after a brief period of climbing. Wheat saw a steep decline two weeks ago, like soybeans, wheat has been very volatile in July.

Corn bids have been on a steady decline for most of the month, this week’s report is no exception.

Overall, the bids for Missouri’s crops are on the decline and have been for a large portion of the month.

Overall, the report is a look into how a summer drought has negatively affected some of Missouri’s largest industries and their relationships with each other. Hay and cattle are still in turmoil, although the full effects of the summer heat have yet to be seen.

The next weekly report will also include data that takes into account this week’s intense rainfall and even flooding in some areas, which will surely affect some of the agriculture industries in the state.

If you are in need of hay, go to the Department of Agriculture’s hay directory.

Featured Image Courtesy of the Missouri Department of Agriculture.

Kelton Turner

Kelton is a 2023 graduate of the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies. He is a native of mid-Missouri and likes to write politics at both the state and federal levels. Kelton joined the Missouri Times in April 2022

www.themissouritimes.com

The post Summer drought spurs decline in Missouri’s agriculture industries appeared first on The Missouri Times.

Parson signed the order Wednesday afternoon at a press conference flanked by Chris Chinn, Dru Buntin and Sara Parker Pauley; the directors of the Missouri departments of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Conservation respectively.

The executive order will call together the three departments to form the Drought Assessment Committee and decide the best course of action for drought relief.

Parson urged proactivity as the Southern part of the state faces severe drought. According to the federal state drought tracker, around 50% of Missouri is experiencing a moderate drought with over half of that 50% experiencing a severe drought. The drought spreads from Oregon to Boone Counties, covering a vast swath of the state.

“As a farmer myself, I know the heartache a drought can bring, especially in the middle of July,” Parson said at the press conference. “We’ve learned from past experience, the more proactive we are, the better we can help our farmers and citizens lessen the impact of even the most severe droughts.”

The departments of Natural Resouces and Conservation will work together to provide water to farmers supplied from state parks and conservation areas.

Missouri farmers have faced an uphill battle all year, facing high fertilizer and fuel costs. A drought of this scale enveloping the southern portion of the state could have dire economic impacts for many farmers.

The drought is impacting the cattle indrustry particularly hard, forcing cattlemen to decide between culling their cows now and selling into a saturated market or hope for enough rain to produce sufficient hay for cattle feeding.

“Livestock producers are having to make difficult decisions about selling livestock because there is no pasture in many areas. Grain farmers are watching their crops wither before pollination. Conditions are difficult for many Missouri farmers and ranchers,” Chinn said.

Parson suspended administrative rules and offered some avenues to financial relief for Missouri farmers. No specific spending or program for drought relief was announced besides the formation of the Drought Assessment Committee and a special session of the Soil and Water Conservation Commission on July 25.

Parson and the three directors stressed the importance of community assistance to administration during times of drought, helping the state monitor the drought and provide assistance accuractely and efficiently.

“Our partners are doing a great job helping us assess drought conditions across Missouri,” Buntin said. “We’re also relying on help from our citizens in reporting and submitting photographs of the conditions they’re seeing locally.”

Citizens can report drought conditions to the Condition Monitoring Observer Reports system.

The Parson administration doesn’t see drought conditions improving soon. Regardless of when the rains come, Parson stressed the importance of continued support to farmers through the coming months.

“This will not go away with the first rains that come,” Parson said. “This will affect these farmers in the fall, it will affect them in the winter becuase of the conditions … anytime you’re feeding livestock in July in a great amount, you know that’s problematic.”

The administration doesn’t see as much of a threat to drinking water as there was in the 2018 drought that rocked most of Northern Missouri. Southern Missouri’s access to natural water sources is expected to curb the danger of that possibillity. Parson did encourage “common sense” when it came to citizen water conservation, especially in Southern and Mid-Missouri, the hardest hit areas.

The Governor has reached out to U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt to see what federal resources may be available to the state.

“The persistent drought conditions we’re seeing in many parts of the state are a huge concern for farm families. We need to be sure farmers and producers are able to recover quickly, especially given the global food challenges we’re facing,” Blunt said in an email exchange with the Missouri Times. “I will continue to be in touch with Governor Parson, Directors Chinn and Pauley, and other state and local officials to help support response efforts.”

Featured Image Courtesy of the National Drought Mitigation Center

Matthew McFarland

I’m a journalist hailing from the Detroit area. I love to tell investigative stories with a focus on everyday people.

You can contact me by email at matthew@missouritimes.com

The post Parson signs executive order, Missouri’s drought response goes into action appeared first on The Missouri Times.

According to the state drought monitor, the southern portion of the state and a swath of the middle portion have been classified as abnormally dry, or dealing with a “moderate drought”. Parts of Carter, Oregon, Ripley and Howell counties, which sit on the Missouri-Arkansas border, have been classified as dealing with severe drought.

63% of the state is showing signs of drought. 

The drought has had effects on hay growth in particular, according to the Missouri Department of Agriculture’s weekly market report released earlier this week. The hay market itself is still stable, with hay not being too hard to find or buy. 

The real issue is that many farmers use the hay they cut to feed their livestock, including cattle.

“The bad part is dryness is causing some (cattlemen) to either already think of feeding something now or the more common solution is starting to cull cows and reducing herd size,” the report states.

This statement echoes the problem many cattlemen are facing across the state this summer. Should they cut hay and cull their herd? Or, should they wait for the possibility of more rain to cut hay later and keep their herd population?

For many farmers, it can be a tough choice. 

The cattle market has become oversaturated with supply. An influx of culling cows from neighboring states also experiencing drought and the high number of cattle being culled within Missouri borders has caused the market to take a significant hit. This makes culling cattle a risky, and potentially costly choice. 

“Many producers are being forced to reduce herd size as there just isn’t enough grass to maintain inventory levels, and feeding this early in the year isn’t feasible given lower hay production,” the report states. “The market took a big hit mid-week.”

Waiting for rain can be just as risky, as the drought has shown no signs of letting up in some parts of the state. 

“There have certainly been years, without question, when people have had to start feeding hay in August. But to start feeding hay in June or the first of July, that’s pretty tough,” Christi Miller, communications director with the Missouri Department of Agriculture said. Miller and her Husband raise cattle in Miller County, near Eldon

“That’s hard to keep going all year long. If you’ve got to start feeding your hay and then hope that it lasts all through the winter — so that’s pretty tough,” she added.

Miller and the Department of Agriculture are aware of the difficult decision many cattlemen are facing in parts of the state. The choice to cull their cattle and sell for cheap in a saturated market or risk running out of food for their bovines.

“So now you have to make that decision — Do you feed hay? Do you find find a place where there is grass, something to feed those cows or do you send them?” Miller said. “The market is not quite as good, so nobody wants to give their cattle away. When there’s a rush on the market prices drop, so that’s a challenge for our producers too.”

When asked about what a farmer should do when faced with an ugly reality such as this, Miller invoked the classic philosophy many farmers are known for. Their optimism in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. 

“Farmers are the ultimate optimists, right? We’re the eternal optimist, whether we put a seed in the ground or we breed cows, or whatever we do, we’re always eternal optimists,” she said. “We’re in it because we love it. I mean, people in agriculture do it because they love it or you don’t stay in it for very long. So we certainly love it, but it is difficult decisions.”

The fix to the problem may not be as simple as getting a few inches of rain on any given day. While a big one-day downpour would be welcome, it would take a longer, sustained period of rainfall to produce an amount of hay that would put farmers’ minds at ease, Miller said.

The Missouri Department of Agriculture offers a hay directory, available to any farmer that needs hay. The purpose of the directory is to help any farmer in need of hay by helping them find available hay close to them. While not a fix-all solution, the directory is still a valuable resource to get hay to farmers that need it, and possibly save them from having to make hard decisions.

Gov. Parson is also stepping in, which is no surprise considering the former Polk County Sherriff owns and operates a cattle operation near Bolivar, Mo., in the southwest region of the state.

“​​This administration, the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Conservation are watching the drought situation across Missouri very closely,” Parson said. “We are ready to act if the situation worsens. As a farmer, I know the harmful effects a drought can have on farmers and Missouri agri-businesses, and as Governor, I will do what I can to assist in any way possible.”

The new drought index for Missouri will release later this week, providing new data on the ongoing conditions. The trend doesn’t seem to be stopping, as heat and dry weather are predicted to rage on through the end of the summer.

Editor’s Note: Gov. Parson announced a press conference regarding the drought at 3:45 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. The press conference will be held in the Governor’s Office in the Capitol building and will take place Thursday at 2 p.m.

Featured Image: Courtesy: Gov. Parson Facebook

The post Missouri’s drought forces cattlemen to make tough decisions, Parson “ready to act if situation worsens” appeared first on The Missouri Times.

Senate District (SD) 20’s seat will be left for the taking as would-be incumbent Sen. Eric Burlison, R-Greene County, leaves to seek election to the U.S. House of Representatives.

The district, which is comprised mostly of the suburbs and rural areas around Springfield, has some areas that lean Democrat, but is on the whole strongly Republican.

Burlison won election to the Senate by a landslide in 2018, garnering nearly 74% of the vote. Six of the eight House Districts in Greene County are occupied by Republicans.

The district was heavily impacted by redistricting. Prior to redistricting SD 20 entirely encircled Springfield, including the Southern suburb of Nixa, Mo. within its boundaries.

The district now sprawls over the Northern part of Springfield’s metropolitan area, stretching as far west as to include Lamar, Mo., and as far east as to include Marshfield, Mo.

An interesting two-man race has developed in the Republican primary for SD 20. A proven legislator, Rep. Curtis Trent of Springfield, and a Springfield businessman with strong fundraising numbers, Brian Gelner, have thrown their hats into the ring to represent SD 20.

No Democrats are running in the district, according to the Missouri Ethics Commission, meaning the Republican primary in SD 20 essentially serves as the general election.

Rep. Curtis Trent

Trent starts off campaign season with political pedigree and connections to SD 20. Trent has polled well with area voters, garnering over 60% of the vote in his three successful elections to represent House District (HD) 133.

Trent will be glad to see that all of HD 133 falls within SD 20 even after redistricting.

Trent comes with six years of legislative experience in the House dealing with a variety of issues. Trent sees himself as a generalist with experience in various forms of legislation and thinks that would bode well for him as a Senator.

“It’s what I’ve already been doing, I’ve already touched on a wide range of issues. And so I think it’d be a natural feel from that viewpoint,” Trent said. “You have to deal with pretty much every issue in the Senate, far more than you do in the House.”

Trent served as the Chairman of the General Laws Committee in the House for two years, giving him familiarity with a wide range of issues.

Trent has focused on that generalist approach in his platform, citing his previous policy and legislation to let voters know where he stands. Though his main platform focus is business.

“I want to make sure that Missouri has a favorable business environment, through things like port reform and tax reform, make sure that we’re able to attract good, family-supporting jobs to our area. Both manufacturing and agriculture,” Trent said. “I grew up on a small family farm. My dad was a mechanic. So I grew up in a small farm-small business environment. I know what it’s like for families to struggle to make ends meet. And I know how hard inflation and other problems from (Washington) D.C. are affecting Missouri families.”

“I believe that we should use the Missouri Senate to mitigate the worst effects of D.C. mismanagement. And that’s the perspective I want to bring to Missouri’s Senate,” he added.

Trent relayed the sentiment of wanting to work with everyone in the Republican caucus as well as getting away from the personal attacks that have plagued the upper chamber in recent sessions.

“I try to be a consensus builder. I try to be someone who’s respectful and listens to and engages in dialogue with other individuals who have different views,” Trent said. “I think that people like that style, and would like to see more of that kind of style.”

Trent is expected to do well in grassroots campaigning given his history in the area. However, Trent was slightly outraised by Gelner during the second quarter, despite getting significantly more support from Political Action Committees (PAC).

Trent received 16 contributions from PACs in the second quarter, according to the Missouri Ethics Commission. This dwarfs Gelner’s six PAC contributions in the same time period.

Regardless of what campaign contributions might say, Trent thinks he connects to the average voter in SD 20 very easily.

“In my experience, going door to door, and talking to people and seeing the makeup of the district, I think the district is very conservative,” Trent said. “I think that is the voter base that you have to prevail with in order to win — the folks that are very conservative, they’re very concerned about the direction of the country.”

“I share all those concerns. That’s my record in the House, fighting on all those issues. I think I’m a perfect fit politically for the community concerns and the values of the people of the 20th district.”

Trent’s Campaign Finances

Second Quarter Contributions: $51,075.00

Debts: None

Cash on Hand: $78,265.00

Biggest Contributor: Ozark Gateway Leadership PAC, $2,500

417 PAC Second Quarter Contributions: $38,750.00

417 PAC Cash on Hand: $41,140.49

Brian Gelner

Gelner is the political outsider in this race. A successful businessman, Gelner is the owner and president of Heart of America Beverage and Crown Distributing, both businesses specialize in beverage distribution.

Gelner was galvanized to join the SD 20 race after growing unhappy with dysfunction in politics. Gelner specifically highlighted the dysfunction in the Missouri Senate during a contentious Spring session, characterized by bickering between the Senate’s conservative caucus and the rest of the Republican supermajority.

“Politics is so dysfunctional right now, (Washington) D.C. is a complete disaster. Jeff City is getting worse and worse,” Gelner said. “Obviously, this year in Jefferson City, the Senate was unfunctional. At best.”

“I do tell everyone, there’s a 0% chance I’ll join the conservative caucus — not because I’m not conservative — but I just think they were self-serving and caused a lot of problems this year. That’s not good for Missouri, in the long term,” he added.

Gelner brings a multi-faceted platform, focusing on workforce development, tax reform, rural infrastructure and education.

“The 20th district has a lot of rural parts to it, I think we need to be looking at broadband expansions, I think that would be something that would help those people out. Obviously, access to health care is another,” Gelner said. “In these rural communities, if you have access to health care, if you have broadband, you have the opportunity to get a lot of people moved out there.”

Gelner views the telehealth system as a great opportunity to provide equitable health care access to rural constituents.

“I think telehealth is a big opportunity in the Springfield area. Mercy and Cox are the two big hospital systems. And I’ve talked to both of them about how they’re trying to access more telehealth — that could be through schools, it could be through clinics, or other things. I think that’s an opportunity for sure,” Gelner said.

“We need to realize there are no silver bullets on any of these answers. These are all very complex problems we have. So I think we need to be looking at a lot of different things and see what works and not be afraid to try something new. And if it doesn’t work, then obviously we readjust to go back from there,” he added.

Gelner views himself as a people person, and thinks he can work across the aisle to achieve many of his legislative goals. He thinks his experience as the Chairman of the National Beer Sellers Association has given him the ability to listen to different ideas and accomplish goals cohesively.

“Things like workforce development, I think that would go across both party lines,” Gelner said. “We need more investments in the OTCs of the world, two-year schools, trade schools, a whole bunch of different organizations like that.”

The people-person approach may be working out for Gelner. He’s consistently out-raised his competition despite getting less PAC support. A glance at Gelner’s second quarter campaign finance filing shows many more individual contributions than Trent, though his biggest monetary contributions still come from PACS.

“I’ve done well in fundraising and I was told early on that grassroots was my competitor’s strength … I feel like our grassroots has really come on the last month,” Gelner said. “We’ve got the door knocking going full-blown, and a lot of people want to help me in a lot of different directions besides just money. So I do feel really excited that — I feel like I’ve closed that gap, if not taking the lead in grassroots.”

Gelner’s Campaign Finances

Second quarter contributions: $56,226.00

Debts: None

Cash on Hand: $236,997.16

Biggest Contributor: eight-way tie, four PACS, four individual donors, $2,400 each

Missouri Common Sense PAC Second Quarter Contributions: $31,000.00

PAC Cash on Hand: $118,476.00

All campaign finance information courtesy of the Missouri Ethics Commission

Featured Image Courtesy of @Missouri_Mapper on Twitter

Matthew McFarland

I’m a journalist hailing from the Detroit area. I love to tell investigative stories with a focus on everyday people.

You can contact me by email at matthew@missouritimes.com

The post Primary Previews: Senate District 20 appeared first on The Missouri Times.

Taylor Burks, Kalena Bruce, state Sen. Rick Brattin, R-Cass County, and Mark Alford all took stances on several important issues throughout the debate.

The first issue the candidates debated centered around illegal immigration and inflation. Moderator Austin Petersen asked the candidates if they would support supplying jobs to immigrants if it meant inflation going down.

Brattin took a strong stance on spending, viewing inflation as a problem to fix with budgeting instead of immigration programs.

“It has nothing to do with the wave of immigrants coming here illegally and has everything to do with a reckless out-of-control government that is spending money — not budgeting,” Brattin said of the inflation problem. “I think that the move needs to be looking at our spending and our budgeting. We’re at $30 trillion in debt, I hardly think an influx and pouring in of illegal immigrants into our nation is the answer.”

Bruce acknowledged the support to the workforce that migrants and immigrants can provide, advocating for Congress to make it easier for those workers to achieve citizenship and to be able to work with less red tape.

“Congress, farmers, ranchers, manufacturers, we need a reliable workforce. We need the migrant workforce that is used to doing those jobs, because there are a lot of those jobs that Americans simply don’t want to do,” Bruce said. “We need folks that have been in our country for generations, they need a path to citizenship.”

“But at the end of the day, we have to close the borders… we have to cut back our spending. It’s a two-pronged question. But there’s not going to be one answer to fix the inflation issue. But I do believe immigration reform has to happen,” she added.

Burks chose to focus on inflation instead of immigration. Highlighting his strong belief in fiscal conservatism.

“I’m the only candidate on the stage who hasn’t taken federal handouts that kicked off the inflation that we’re seeing, when we saw trillions of dollars spent in PPP and government handouts over the last three years,” Burks said. “You need a congressman who’s gonna go to Washington, DC, and fight for fiscal conservatism.”

Bruce was quick to rebuttal Burks’ point about government handouts, believing that the assistance the federal government provided to small businesses during the pandemic was a necessity.

“I think that that program was essential. And making sure small businesses — specifically in rural America — could stay afloat when our government, specifically the Biden administration, shut us down,” she said.

Alford took a strong stance against illegal immigration, putting the completion of former President Donald Trump’s border wall as one of his main priorities.

“Ladies and gentlemen, there is a crisis at the border, and television does not portray it adequately,” Alford said. “We’ve got to finish President Trump’s wall. We must deport illegal aliens. We have enough jobs here in America for Americans to fill.”

Another issue that garnered some insightful debate came from a question by moderator Mike Mahoney. Mahoney asked the candidates how they would balance their concerns about Chinese-American tension with the fact that China supports a large part of Missouri’s economy.

Alford focused on building jobs domestically, allowing both Missouri and America to be less reliant on China.

“We’ve got to build more jobs here in Missouri and in the United States, where we are not importing things from China,” Alford said. “They’ve (China) slowly crept their way into each and every one of our homes, into your phones, and into your televisions with a grip that we have not seen before … there is a power in that economic grip, we have to break that grip.”

Brattin support a Trump-esque “strong arm” approach to Chinese-American relations.

“We have to realize, yes, we depend on them, but they also depend on us so much more heavily. And having that strong arm approach, I think just like Trump did really put them (China) back on their heels,” Brattin said. “We keep selling them our debt, we keep doing these things that put us at a competitive disadvantage. We also have to look at the human rights that they continually violate, I mean, they literally have slave labor over in China.”

Bruce took her focus to manufacturing and tax policy.

“What we have to do is bring more manufacturing right here in Missouri, we are set up perfectly here in Missouri, we have the infrastructure to support it, we have the waterways, we have the rail, and we are set up to have some of the strongest manufacturing right here at home in Missouri,” Bruce said.

“We need to be using and bringing more manufacturing here at home. And doing so by strong fiscal policy … We have to be able to provide businesses competitive playing field so that they will quit exporting things to China,” she added.

Burks believes that China is America’s most dangerous foreign threat, and wants to bring the focus back to the states.

“This is a serious foreign policy issue because the most serious threat that this country faces overseas is China. The United States military has conflict with China in our strategic defense policy in the next five years,” Burks said.

“When we’re looking at conflict, whether its economic or actual military conflict with China, our concern is going to be — what is our manufacturing or production capacity? How are we going to compete with a country where we’ve built their infrastructure? We need to focus on this country and being prepared for when that conflict occurs with China,” he added.

The last question the candidates debated on came from moderator Scott Faughn. Faughn asked the candidates what they would do to give Missourians relief from high gas prices.

All four candidates put a focus on domestic energy independence.

Brattin focused on pushing the Biden administration, believing that a “red wave” will take over Congress come November.

“I think we’ve got to push on him to enact energy independence, to start that the drawback of what’s occurred to making gas go up to five bucks a gallon. I think that’s what we have to show that we’re willing to take it on and fight that fight,” Brattin said. “You’ve got to work with people to ensure you have the best and most fiscally sound America-centric policy — like pipelines and drill here drill now that sort of thing.”

Bruce focused on opening up the Keystone XL pipeline, which President Biden closed down at the beginning of his administration. She also characteristically focused on farmers and ranchers.

“We’ve got to be energy independent, this failed policy that we’re having shoved down our throats right now is obviously not working,” Bruce said. “We’re going to need all types of energy to continue on and be a strong America with the prices that Americans can afford.”

“Farmers and ranchers can be a big part of that, we have lots of research and lots of development in the biofuel space. And that’s going to be an important part of making sure we have clean affordable energy for the American people,” she added.

Both Burks and Alford put their focus on the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) and how the EPA’s regulation can harm domestic energy independence.

Burks zeroed in on administration inconsistencies and how they harm America’s oil production.

“Our energy companies are not going to invest in domestic production for this country. So long as every two years with a new Congress, or every four years with a new president, they’re threatened with shutdowns for our domestic production,” Burks said.

“We have to be an all of the above energy policy. And every time we flip the switch with a new Congress or new administration and start back at zero, it makes the United States weaker and drives up our prices at the pump.”

Alford aimed his crosshairs squarely at the Biden administration with his response.

“The F-150 is a model of a truck and it shouldn’t be what it costs to fill it up,” Alford said. “This is not the fault of President Trump. It’s not the fault of anyone but President Biden. I feel President Biden — the first thing he did was to demonize fossil fuels and continue his march towards trying to get in line with the crazy wacky climate change people.”

“He put the onus on and really targeted the fossil fuel industry, but he put the crosshairs on the backs of families like yours and farmers who are struggling.”

The debate, which was hosted by the Missouri Times, will be aired Sunday at 5 p.m. on KMOS, mid-Missouri’s PBS station. Kansas City’s PBS station will air the debate on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.

The full debate can be viewed here.

Featured Image: From left to right, Mark Alford, state Sen. Rick Brattin, R-Cass County, Kalena Bruce and Taylor Burks attend a debate hosted by the Missouri Times in Warrensburg, Mo. on July 15. (Brady Hays/The Missouri Times)

Matthew McFarland

I’m a journalist hailing from the Detroit area. I love to tell investigative stories with a focus on everyday people.

You can contact me by email at matthew@missouritimes.com

The post CD 4 candidates debate on immigration, Chinese relations and energy independence appeared first on The Missouri Times.