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Chinn on challenges and silver linings in pandemic

The Director of Agriculture in Missouri says one of the biggest challenges in the pandemic for agriculture has been the lack of broadband capability in rural areas. Chris Chinn was a guest on the Danforth Science Center Ag Tech Next series, “You know, we’re missing out on some of the latest and greatest technology in business innovation, in health care, in making sure that our farms can access the most recent updates for our farm equipment.” She says too many farmers have to drive 20, 30 miles just to get wifi.

On the bright side, Chinn says the shift to smaller meat processors from the early days of the pandemic created consumer demand that hasn’t gone away. The state legislature authorized CARES Act funding for those processors, “Twenty-Million dollars to help these local small and medium sized processors to be able to expand their operations in some cases or maybe just buy more equipment so they can process their animals through and get their customers’ needs met.”