Events

Keller Named Pennington Seed’s Employee of Month

From Linda Perkin Pennington Seed, Inc. Training/Publications

Sandra Keller has been named Pennington Seed’s Employee of the Month for December.

Keller was nominated by her manager, Jeff Chambers, who wrote in his nomination: “Sandra has learned many new things since she started here. She has learned all the processes in the Mulch Plant and has pretty much worked in every position on every line. She has helped with the development of our SOP’s and job description for the different positions in the Mulch Plant. She has also spent time in various other departments learning their processes to help get an understanding of how all the departments work together and depend on each other. She is always willing to help wherever and whenever needed. Sandra has also worked on every shift when needed just to help get the job done. Sandra has been a hard worker and is an asset to our company.” Keller first came to Pennington Seed as an intern during her junior year of college at the University of Central Missouri (UCM). She interviewed with Keith Hankins and Don McGee, and worked the summer of 2017. During that time, she spent time in the seed lab learning seed identification, rate of purity, and other tests conducted in the lab. She also worked in the coater room and small package area. During fescue harvest, she worked at the El Dorado Springs buying station with Brian Hubbard and learned those procedures as well. During the remainder of her studies, she kept in contact with Pennington Seed and during breaks at school would come back and help wherever she was needed. After graduation in May 2018, she applied for a position as a managerial trainee and started working in June at the Harwood buying station during harvest. Since that time, she has been in the mulch department, but has been outsourced to many different departments including small package, the return center, and distribution. “Knowing how different departments operate helps me understand that what we do in the Mulch Plant affects other departments,” says Keller.

Keller graduated from UCM with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural sciences with an emphasis in horticulture. She met her husband, Chance Keller, while he was working at Pennington Seed and she was an intern. The couple were married on Nov. 16, 2019.

Keller was raised and attended school in El Dorado Springs. One of her favorite things is catching an expected or unexpected extra hour of sleep and anything that relates to the outdoors.

She thanked Jeff Chambers for nominating her and for being a “reasonable and understanding manager who takes into account that life happens.” She also thanked Keith Hankins for “showing me support and encouragement while I was a college student looking for work.”

Lockwood Library’s Story Time Celebrated on New Year’s Eve

From Lockwood Library

For story time on New Year’s Eve, the Story Time kids heard Happy New Year, Pooh! and The Night Before New Year’s. The kids decorated New Year party hats and made party shakers to ring in the New Year. On January 7, National Law Enforcement Officers day was observed with a Springfield officer leading the story time.

We hope you have begun a great New Year, and come see us soon!

Adults, we are starting a Blue January so come in and see which books are on display!

Calendar of Events

Lockwood Farmers Market Each Thursday

The Lockwood Farmers Market is held every Thursday afternoon from 2-6 p.m.

Report Your Controlled Burns

If you are planning to do a control burn, please call 417-637-1911 and report it before you begin.

Greenfield Group of Alcoholics Anonymous

Weekly meetings are every Monday: from 7-8 p.m. These are open meetings and all are welcome. Every Thursday, from 7-8 p.m. is the women only meeting. All meetings take place at First Christian Church, 409 College Street, Greenfield, Missouri, across from the high school. For more information call: 417535-6032.

Jammers Music and Dancing at Sunshine Center

Every Monday is Jammers Session of music and dancing at the Sunshine Center in Ash Grove from 6-8:30 p.m. Sunshine Center is located at 310 N. Perryman Avenue.

Dade County OATS Transit Schedule

To schedule a ride in Dade County, call the Springfield OATS Transit Office at 800-770-6287. • To Springfield: first Monday each month • To Bolivar: third Monday each month • To Greenfield/Lockwood: first, third, fourth Thursdays each month • To Lamar: second Thursday each month

Closed on Holidays. OATS Transit provides transportation for the rural general public, individuals with disabilities and senior citizens. Fares may apply.

For more information about how to ride, please visit www.oatstransit.org, and click on the Bus Schedules tab to see the schedule and fares for each county.

Greenfield TOPS Meetings

TOPS MO No. 0672, Greenfield, holds weekly meetings at St. Patrick Catholic Church on State Highway H, Greenfield. TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) is a weight loss support group whose mission is to support members as they take off and keep off pounds sensibly. The chapter meets at 4-6 p.m. Tuesdays. Everyone is welcome. For further information, contact Renae Brown, 417-860-4769 or Sandra Lowrance, 417-682-1973.

Breastfeeding Moms’ Program, 4th Wednesdays

The program is being held on the fourth Wednesday of the month at Live Well Health and Fitness Center, 409 W. Water Street, Greenfield. It starts at 10 a.m. with a breastfeeding class and giveaways, followed at 10:30 a.m. with the Breastfeeding Support Group Walk in the gym on the walking trail (bring strollers). There will be snacks and giveaways. at 5:30 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. It will be closed from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. for lunch.

Story time will be held each Monday at 10:30 a.m.

Check out the library’s Facebook page to keep up on all the happenings at the Miller Library. The staff would like to thank Miller and the surrounding communities for their continued support.

Drug Recovery Graduation Jan. 15

The Dade County Adult Drug Committee is proud to announce their 11th graduation ceremony. Please join Judge David R. Munton and the Dade County Adult Drug Court Team for a commencement celebration Wednesday, January 15, 2020 at 5 p.m., in the Circuit Courtroom, Dade County Courthouse.

DAR To Meet Jan. 18, Bolivar

The Matilda Polk Campbell Chapter/Daughters of the American Revolution will meet on Saturday, January 18, 2020 at the Open Hearts United Methodist Church in Bolivar. The guest speaker will be Rod Gates. The meeting begins at 1 p.m.. Prospective members and those interested in finding out more about DAR are welcome.

95th Annual Dade County Forage & Crops Conference Jan. 23

no later than January 16. Topics include: Alternative Grazing: Cover Crops and Warm Season Forages - Joni Harper, MU agronomy; Balancing Nutrients on the Farm: Synthetic vs. Litter - Peter Scharf, MU fertility; Supplementation During Environmental Stress: Drought, Excessive Rainfall, Low Quality Hay - Eric Bailey, MU beef.

Senior Center Gun Raffle, Feb. 3

The Dade County Senior Center is raffling off a Henry 22 rifle, lever action with a Tosca scope (has been fired). Tickets are $1 each and may be purchased at the senior center located at 58 N. Allison, Greenfield or from members of the center. Call 417-6372626 for more information. Drawing will be February 3, 2020, at the center.

Private Pesticide Applicator Training, Feb. 6

Private Pesticide Applicator’s training Thursday, February 6 at 2:30 p.m. in the Dade County Extension office in Greenfield. Cost for materials is $25. This training is for producers of agricultural commodities, 18 years or older, wishing to renew or receive their private pesticide applicator’s license in order to buy and apply restricted use chemicals on their own land. License holders need to renew their license every five years. Call the Dade County office at 417637-2112 to register.

Narconon Now Offers Addiction Screenings

Missouri Gov. Parson Reviews Successes of 2019 in State, Region

From Office of Missouri Governor Michael L. Parson

As 2019 comes to a close, Governor Mike Parson highlights the state’s many successes and accomplishments over the past year.

“From economic and workforce development to rebuilding our state’s infrastructure, 2019 has been an exciting year for Missouri,” Governor Parson said. “We’ve had some big wins worth celebrating and have shown what major progress we can make by working together for the people of Missouri. We are proud of all that we’ve accomplished in 2019 and look forward to another successful year in 2020.”

Strong Economy

Currently at 3.1 percent, Missouri’s unemployment rate has remained at near-historic lows throughout 2019 and has been below the national unemployment rate for 40 consecutive months. The African American unemployment rate in Missouri has dropped from over 10 percent in 2015 to 5.9 percent today.

Governor Parson and Kansas Governor Laura Kelly came together to end the years-long economic border war between Missouri and Kansas, costing an estimated $330 million in incentives over the past decade.

Also this year, the General Assembly passed a state budget that for the first time in over a decade left more than $100 million on the bottom line. Thanks to additional tax cuts at the state and federal level, real incomes are rising faster than any time in recent history.

Economic and Workforce Development

Over the last year, Missouri has grown by nearly 40,000 new jobs and secured several major business investments across the state, including General Motors’ recent announcement of a $1.5 billion investment in its Wentzville facility.

Boeing secured a $16 billion contract to build the T-X trainer in St. Louis; Bayer announced it will bring 500 new jobs to Creve Coeur; and agriculture giant Bunge announced the relocation of its global headquarters from New York to the St. Louis metropolitan area.

On the other side of the state, Kansas City, Missouri, landed two divisions from the USDA and over 500 new jobs for the first time in our nation’s history. Briggs & Stratton is creating 130 new jobs in Poplar Bluff; Purina invested $115 million to expand its factory in Bloomfield; and Nucor Steel is close to beginning operations at its $250 million steel mill in Sedalia, among others.

Over 42,000 Missourians are signed up to receive customized training assistance through the Missouri One Start program, and over 600 applications have been received for the Fast Track Workforce Incentive Grant program. Missouri also officially reached 10,000 new registered apprenticeships this year, ranking the state second in the nation for new apprenticeships. The state also ranked second in the nation for the number of completed apprenticeships in FY 2019.

Infrastructure

In July, Missouri received an $81.2 million Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to build a new I-70 Missouri River Bridge at Rocheport.

Receipt of the grant triggered $301 million in state bonding, authorized by the General Assembly during legislative session, to repair or replace another 215 bridges across the state. The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) recently issued the first series of bonds at a true interest cost of 1.25 percent.

In addition to the bonding plan, the Missouri legislature included $50 million in general revenue in the FY 2020 state budget to repair or replace approximately 45 bridges throughout the state and another $50 million for a transportation cost-share program.

This $50 million cost-share investment will ultimately lead to nearly $150 million in new infrastructure and an economic impact of approximately $350 million.

In all, the bold infrastructure proposals put forward this year have netted $1 billion in new projects for the state.

Government Reform Governor Parson’s first reorganization of state government took effect in August, impacting one quarter of state agencies and hundreds of state employees.

The reorganization moved several divisions from the Department of Economic Development to other state agencies in an effort to better align functions of state government, increase efficiency, and improve customer service to all Missourians. These changes reduced the agency’s size by 75 percent, representing the most significant reorganization of state government in decades.

As part of Governor Parson’s plan to improve state government, a state prison was also successfully consolidated this year at an annual savings of $22 million that was reinvested in increased pay for Department of Corrections staff. Other state employees were also given a much-needed pay raise.

Under Governor Parson’s leadership, Missouri has invested in building the state workforce’s skills and capabilities to better serve Missourians through such programs as The Missouri Way, the Missouri Leadership Academy, and MOLearning.

Since Governor Parson took office, he has made a total of 397 appointments to various boards and commissions, as well as county offices and department and division directors. He has also made 20 judicial appointments in 2019.

Health and Public Safety

Governor Parson signed several Executive Orders this year aimed at improving the health and public safety of Missourians.

To help curb rising healthcare premiums and increase access to health insurance, Governor Parson signed Executive Order 19-13 in July creating the Missouri Health Insurance Innovation Task Force.

In March, Governor Parson signed Executive Order 19-04 creating the School Safety Task Force, and in October signed Executive Order 19-18 to address the youth vaping epidemic in Missouri.

Executive Order 19-18 directed the Departments of Health and Senior Services, Elementary and Secondary Education, and Public Safety (DPS) to use existing resources

Walnut Grove Elementary Names December Students of the Month

Front row, left to right: second grade (Woody) - Addison Bowers and Draven Campbell; second grade (Arnall) - Sophie Sawyer and Oskar Ashby; first grade, Josie Carpenter and Blaine Keeland; kindergarten - Oliver Palmer and Kaiya Martinez. Back row: fifth grade, Aubrey Hailey and Madalynn Russell; fourth grade, Levi Hains and Ian Risaliti; third grade, Alexa Kelley and (not pictured)

Ashlyn Renteria. (Photo courtesy Walnut Grove R-V School District)

‘Governor Reviews’

Continued on page 5

Pennington Seed Celebrates End of Year With Employee Awards

From Linda Perkin Pennington Seed, Inc. Training/Publications

Pennington Seed employees celebrated the Christmas season with a meal for each shift. First shift met in the mulch department at noon for their meal and awards program. Keith Hankins opened with a thank you to all employees for “making the company successful.”

The awards program started with recognition of the “Employees of the Month” for the 12 months of 2019. Brock Fleeman was recognized for recently receiving the “You Can Count On Me” award at the companywide managers meeting in Chilton, Wisc. One of the drivers, Eli McKeehan, was recognized for the appreciation he received from a customer and his outstanding job of representing Pennington Seed.

Royce Sutton, safety manager, presented awards to the seven departments with no reportable accidents during 2019. Those departments were: coater room, fescue plant, maintenance, return center, office, seed lab, and warehouse.

J.B. King, distribution operations, presented drivers with bonuses for no accidents during 2019. Those drivers were: Jerry Jones, Brandon Chandler, Eli McKeehan and Pete Gloodt. The group had collectively driven over 331,000 miles covering six states.

Next, employees were recognized for their years of service by Hankins who said, “It’s our people that make Pennington successful and a fun place to work. All those years represent experience, perseverance, and hard work.” 35 years of service - David King; 30 years of service - Don McGee, Kevin Neill, and Mark Shull; 25 years of service - Debra Matthews, Darrel Mayfield, Joe Reed, and Gerri Torres; 20 years of service - Anthony Benson, Kim Mai, Coleen Mervin, Katrena Wright; 10 years of service - Courtney Harrison; 5 years of service - Jeff Chamber, Tara Cope, Tim Fowler, James Huff, Myra Rochwick, Patty Evermon, Katie Powell, Eli McKeehan.

Second shift employees also met in the mulch plant and ate their meal at 7 p.m.

Bruce Carpenter provided the music and Nard’s Kitchen of Dadeville provided the food for first and second shifts.

Third shift employees had breakfast together at the Backwoods Restaurant, in Greenfield.

At left, Keith Hankins addresses first shift employees of Pennington Seed during their noon-time Christmas holiday meal, thanking them for “making the company successful.” The meal for first and second shifts was provided by Nard’s Kitchen of Dadeville, third shift had breakfast at Backwoods Cafe in Greenfield.

Top right, Pennington Seed drivers Jerry Jones, Brandon Chandler, Eli McKeehan, Pete Gloodt were awarded bonuses for safe driving, with over 331,000 miles collectively and safely driven by the group. Bottom right, David King was recognized for his 35 years of service at Pennington Seed, shown here being congratulated by Keith

Hankins. (Photos courtesy Pennington Seed)