Lexington News

The USDA recently released an early outlook suggesting a slightly more positive year for U.S. agriculture in 2026, according to Missouri Ag Connection.

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe spoke to students at the University of Missouri last month about the future of agriculture during a forum moderated by U.S. Farm Report host Tyne Morgan, a native of Lexington and a Mizzou alum. Mizzou Collegiate Farm Bureau connects MU students with the Missouri Farm Bureau by hosting a forum each spring, and Kehoe spoke at this year’s forum. Kehoe discussed high costs for farmers, low commodity prices and the evolution of agricultural technology. Despite the many challenges, Kehoe expressed optimism about the future of agriculture in Missouri. “Agriculture families across this country, specifically this state, they somehow figure out how to get through, because they’re resilient, because they’re hard workers, because they are the best human beings that I’ve ever met,” he said. Students from the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources were in attendance and asked Kehoe questions about the importance of agriculture in Missouri. “Agriculture is one of the things that saved me as a kid,” Kehoe said during the forum. The youngest of six kids, Kehoe is a first-generation farmer and bought his first farm by 19 and owned cattle by the time he was 21. “Agriculture is changing rapidly with technology, automation, and data,” Morgan said. Morgan asked Kehoe how he thinks agricultural education — from K-12 through universities — will need to evolve to prepare the next generation. “Technology is something that this younger generation is going to be way better at than old people like me — that is going to be the key to production,” Kehoe said. Kehoe left the students with one piece of advice. “In agriculture, I really do believe our best innovators come from people who aren’t afraid to try, who weren’t afraid to fail, and weren’t afraid to try again,” Kehoe said.

Limited resources in the agricultural sector are common pressure points for modern farm operations. Whether the resource is land, labor, water, or capital, lack of assets can cause strain. But there are practical ways to ease the pressure, and most solutions work best when combined with other methods.