Vandivorts win MFB Excellence in Agriculture Award
Jason and Lacy Vandivort, of Elsberry, won the Missouri Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Excellence in Agriculture Award during the organization’s 102nd annual meeting at the Lake of the Ozarks.

The Vandivorts were recognized for their involvement in Farm Bureau, agriculture and their community by MFB President Blake Hurst during the annual YF&R breakfast. The couple received a $500 check from the Missouri Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture and a $500 check from Ford Motor Co. They also won a trip to Phoenix, Ariz., to represent Missouri at the American Farm Bureau Federation YF&R Excellence in Agriculture Contest.

YOUNG FARMERS EXCEL: MFB President Blake Hurst (left) presents Lacy and Jason Vandivort of Elsberry with the Missouri Farm Bureau Excellence in Agriculture Award during the annual convention.

The Vandivorts own and manage a small cattle farm near Elsberry, and both work off the farm. Jason is a vocational agriculture instructor and FFA advisor at Elsberry High School. Lacy is a billing clerk for Coastal Carriers Truck Lines. Both are active with the Elsberry FFA alumni and Lincoln County Farm Bureau. They have two children: Jacob, 6, and Lexie, 4.

Cauthorn leads Missouri Farm Bureau Young Farmers
Clarissa Cauthorn, of Thompson, is the new chairwoman of the Missouri Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers (YF&R) Committee. Cauthorn and her husband, Andrew, care for a cow-calf herd on their row-crop farm, where they also grow corn, soybeans and wheat. Andrew works full time on the farm with help from his father, John, while Clarissa works full time as a sales representative for Beck’s, the hybrid seed company.

Clarissa served on both the Missouri Farm Bureau YF&R Committee and the organization’s State Resolutions Committee. She is a past YF&R discussion meet state winner and a national top four Collegiate Farm Bureau discussion meet winner. The Cauthorns are active Farm Bureau members. Locally, Clarissa is an Audrain County Farm Bureau board member. She is also the county Cattlemen’s Association treasurer, and on the county Agribusiness Committee and Mexico FFA Advisory Board. Before graduating from the University of Missouri in 2015, she handled meat and marigolds as manager of both the University’s meat lab and flower shop.

ON THE FARM: Malaysia's Minister of Agriculture Dato' Sri Abdul Shabery bin Cheek (right) visited the farm of Missouri Corn board member Mark Scott and his family during an October U.S. Grains Council trade team visit. The stop showcased modern U.S. corn production practices and the technology used to raise the crop, as well as allowing Abdul Shabery to see the corn harvest and quality firsthand.

Malaysia Minister of Agriculture visits Scott Farms 
A delegation led by Malaysia Minister of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Dato' Sri Ahmad Shabery bin Cheek visited Missouri Corn board member Mark Scott's farm near Wentzville to get a firsthand look at U.S. corn production.

Their mission was to investigate the possibility of importing more U.S. corn into Malaysia. The country is among the highest per capita consumers of poultry on the planet, driving its leaders to seek out U.S. corn to maintain its position as one of the most efficient poultry producers in the region. In the fiscal year 2016 marketing year, Malaysia imported 182,448 metric tons of feed grains in all forms from the U.S. As a result of the Malaysian delegation's visit to the U.S., the U.S. Grains Council expects U.S. farmers to be in a better position to export corn to Malaysia.

IN THE BIN: A group of Taiwanese feed millers and buyers visited Missouri for an in-depth look at corn and corn co-products in conjunction with the 2016 Export Exchange, held in Detroit. More than 200 international buyers and end users from more than 35 countries attended the three-day event to meet, build relationships and attend educational sessions.

Taiwanese group focuses on distillers grains
Taiwan ranks as the 11th-largest importer of dried distillers grains (DDGs), and a group of Taiwanese feed millers and buyers descended on Missouri for an in-depth look at corn and co-products.

The group visited Consolidated Grain & Barge and discussed transportation at its St. Louis headquarters. The team also toured Center Ethanol in Sauget, Ill., and stopped at Rehmeier Farms in Augusta (Mo.,) to see today's hog production and discuss this year's corn crop. MFA Inc.'s Wentzville location and a tour of Monsanto Co. rounded out the visit to provide a complete picture — from seed to elevator to export — for corn and DDGs. The U.S. Grains Council has been advising consultants to promote higher inclusion rates of DDGs in feed. This visit allowed the team from Taiwan to become more familiar with the production, quality, application and transportation of distillers grains and corn, as well as build relationships.