February
28, 2003February
28, 2003
The annual Breimyer Seminar on Ag Policy will return to a topic of 18 years ago -- rural communities -- on March 13 at MU.
The 1985 seminar looked at the challenges revealed in a then-new study, "Rural Missouri: 1995," said Bruce Bullock, senior member of the MU agricultural economics faculty. The 2003 topic will be "Rural Missouri: 2010." The Breimyer seminar provides a forum for citizens and leaders to discuss critical issues facing the state.
"We've dusted off the old report and find that rural communities are still facing most of the same issues," Bullock said. "We haven't made a new study, however we will have the recent Brookings Institution report on 'Growth in the Heartland: Challenges and Opportunities for Missouri.'"
That study, released in December, documents the impact of the national economic downturn on lower tax collections and increased demands for social services. The report addresses concerns of Missourians for fiscal efficiency and maintaining quality communities.
"The discussion will not attempt to predict what rural Missouri will look like in 2010," Bullock said. "We'll talk about the challenges that face us between now and then."
One topic high on the list is how local governments will fund services required by growing rural populations. The State of Missouri recently cut state funding shared with counties.
The annual seminar was started by Harold Breimyer, MU professor of agricultural economics, and continued throughout his retirement years. Breimyer died in 2001.
The seminar is funded in part by a trust started at the time of Breimyer's retirement and added to since. "The fund allows us to present a quality program for a reasonable registration fee," Bullock said.
"We'll use a format that Harold liked so much," Bullock added. "We will leave as much time for discussion by the audience as there is for invited speakers."
The program starts at 10 a.m. at the Adams Conference Center, MU School of Veterinary Medicine. The seminar concludes with an after-dinner speaker in the evening. A buffet lunch will be at noon. The $70 registration fee includes meals and breaks. For information, contact Joyce White.
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Eileen Yager,
yagere@umsystem.edu |
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