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Talking Politics: Organic labels, right to work, and performance-based funding

Abbie Fentress Swanson/Harvest Public Media

This week on the show – New enforcement creates questions about whether organic certification is worth it for farmers. Plus, details about the likelihood of Missouri becoming a right to work state, and a report from Jefferson City about the possibility of Missouri switching to performance based funding for higher education.

Since the U. S. Department of Agriculture launched its federal organic certification program in 2002, the number of organic farms in the country has more than doubled. And to help ensure that consumers get what they pay extra for, the USDA next month will enforce closer oversight over these farms. But as Harvest Public Media’s Abbie Fentress Swanson reports, small family farms are questioning the cost and time that go into securing that USDA organic label.

A Right to Work bill in Missouri has never made it all the way to the Governor's desk… and Missouri Republican leaders say it would be difficult to follow Michigan's lead in passing a "right-to-work" law that prohibits union dues as a condition for employment.

Plus, a group of Missouri lawmakers is considering recommending performance-based funding for the state’s higher education system.  As Marshall Griffin tells us, 10 percent of an institution’s state funding could be based on performance standards.

For these stories, follow the links below.

Ryan served as the KBIA News Director from February 2011 to September 2023
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