A sold-out crowd of about 400 people gathered to hear Gov. Mike Parson speak at the 106th annual Cape Girardeau County Farm Bureau annual meeting and dinner, held at the Jackson Knights of Columbus Hall Thursday night.

"It isn't hard to be passionate about agriculture," Parson said, since he and his wife Teresa both grew up on dairy farms.

Beyond that, Parson said, "Agriculture is the heart and soul of who we are as Americans," adding he will continue to uphold the interests of people in agriculture.

Parson noted Missouri's contributions to agriculture. One in 10 Missouri jobs is in the agriculture industry, he said, which employs 400,000 people on more than 100,000 farms in the state.

Parson also recently invited agriculture leaders in the state to the Governor's mansion for a working dinner, which he said had not occurred in 30 years.

"It's good to bring everyone together," he said.

Parson said he recently met President Donald Trump, and spoke to him about Missouri's infrastructure, workforce development, even tariffs.

"I do think he wants what is best for our country," Parson said.

Parson said there are several secondary nations overseas that have not been tapped into as trade partners, and he wants to foster relationships there.

He said "strong negotiations" with an undisclosed foreign country to sign a trade agreement are in the works, and expects an announcement soon.

"I'm not a big fan of handouts," Parson said, adding that his conservative values run deep within him. "I am happy to help you if you need help," and he'll gladly provide tools, but it is up to individuals to be the mechanic.

Parson mentioned the executive order he signed Wednesday, granting assistance to farmers in 49 counties in a serious drought.

"It felt good to do something to help farmers," Parson said, adding that the day he signed the bill, it rained in the drought-affected counties.

"I should have signed it a week earlier," he said.

Parson identified key areas he wants to focus on during his time in office: infrastructure, workforce development and agriculture, but, he said, the most important thing is to pass on to the next generation the same opportunities he and everyone in the room has had to live the American dream.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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