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Missouri Ag directors highlight livestock disease successes

Most of Missouri’s former ag directors gathered recently to talk about their challenges and successes — with livestock disease control at the top.

Jim Boillot was Missouri ag director in the mid-seventies and again in the early ‘80s, “The brucellosis was in place when we got there but brucellosis eradication was a major emphasis of the department. Missouri had just completed the cholera eradication program and brucellosis was front and center.”

Lowell Mohler was at the helm in 2001, ’02 and ’03, “I was fortunate to be director when we went brucellosis-free in the state. We had a big celebration. We’re still brucellosis-free. It meant a lot to the beef industry and it still does today and I was really proud that we were able to accomplish that.”

Mohler said he was “unlucky” to be ag director when the 9-11 terrorist attacks happened but it propelled Missouri agriculture toward better biosecurity…

“And it completely changed in a few days the total way we did food safety. Ag terrorism was a big issue. The threat of hoof and mouth disease. A lot of things that were unknown.”

Mohler said Missouri became one of the leading states to have an agri-terrorism program in place.

The directors were invited by current Missouri ag director Richard Fordyce to share their stories at the recent Governor’s Conference on Agriculture.