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New food and beverage task force for Missouri

Missouri Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe signed an executive order today establishing the Missouri Food Beverage and Forest Products Manufacturing Task Force.

Kehoe tells Brownfield the task force will help the state keep up with a growing global food demand.

“Food demand is going to double in the next 30 to 40 years as we said,” Kehoe said. “So, there are other states who are already working on different task forces to try to figure out how they can be a leader and certainly we don’t want it be left behind. Missouri’s a leader and we’re going to continue to be a leader in agriculture.”

Missouri director of ag Chris Chinn says the task force will look at ways to grow the state’s food production and increase the number of locally processed food products.

“The food and beverage task force is going to set forth a committee that’s going to look at three key areas in the state of Missouri for opportunities to grow agriculture that’s going to, one: create jobs,” Chinn says. “Keep some of the products that we grow here in Missouri right here at home.”

Kehoe says the task force will be made up of farmers and ranchers, members of commodity groups, House and Senate ag committee chairs, University of Missouri staff and state ag department leaders.