See also: Missouri Food Festiavals

MISSOURI: Food Facts and Trivia

FARMS & FARMERS
Missouri: approximate land area 43,974,665 acres
Farmland is 29,026,573 acres or 66.0% of total land
Organic agriculture accounts for about 31,336 acres
Number of Farms: 107,825
Principle Farm Operators:
Men: 95,071 Women: 12,754
(2013 - USDA Economic Research Service: www.ers.usda.gov )
[2007-2008 latest available data]

POPULATION & HUNGER
Missouri has a total population of: 6,010,688
Urban population: 4,395,932
Rural population: 1,614,756
Food insecure households*: 16.0%
Households with very low food security*: 6.7%
*Food insecurity - Limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or limited or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.
Very low food security - At times during the year, eating patterns of one or more household members were disrupted and food intake reduced because the household lacked money and other resources for food.
(2013 - USDA Economic Research Service: www.ers.usda.gov )
(Population & Food Security data: 2011)

Missouri is the 5th largest rice producer in the U.S., growing about 6.5% of the U.S. rice crop (2008).
More than half of Missouri rice farms are concentrated in Butler County in the southeast corner of the state. Commercial rice production began in the early 20th century as Arkansas rice growers expanded to newly cleared land. Missouri rice production is 99% long grain rice.

Soybeans are the largest cash crop in Missouri.

In 1875 a Grasshopper Plague in Missouri caused an estimated $15 million worth of damages.

The first ready-mix food to be sold commercially was Aunt Jemima pancake flour. It was invented in St. Joseph, Missouri and introduced in 1899.

Anheuser-Busch brewery in St. Louis, Missouri is the largest beer producing plant in the nation.

Washington, Missouri, is known as the Corn Cob Pipe Capital of the World.

In 2008 the Ice Cream Cone was designated as the Official State Dessert of Missouri.

In 2007 the Bobwhite Quail (Colinus virginianus) was designated as the Official State Game Bird and the Crayfish (also known as Crawfish and Crawdad) was designated as the Official State Invertebrate.

In 2005 the North American Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) was designated as the Official Amphibian

In 2003 the Norton/Cynthiana Grape (Vitis aestivalis) was designated as the Official State Grape.

In 1997 the Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) was designated as the Official State Fish and the Paddlefish or Spoonbill (Polyodon spathula) was designated as the Official State Aquatic Animal.

In 1995 the Missouri Mule was designated as the Official State Animal.

On July 3, 1985 the Honey Bee was officially declared the State Insect.

The official Tree Nut of Missouri is the Nut of the Eastern Black Walnut Tree (Juglans nigra).

The white hawthorn blossom is the Official State Flower.

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