STRICTLY BUSINESS: (POP) CORN ON THE COB: `MADE IN MISSOURI' FOOD LIST IS ALMOST ENDLESS

Story's Gourmet Foods can be found on supermarket shelves throughout the nation. One of the big varieties in the Story line, produced in Mississippi County in Southeast Missouri, is microwave popcorn that can be "popped on the cob."

Wicker's Food Products at Hornersville, specializes in barbecue sauce, marinade and steak sauce.

Indian corn and gourds are produced at the Lanpher Pumpkin and Gourd Farm near Advance and at Gibbons's Fresh Farm Produce deeper in the Bootheel at Senath.

My Daddy's Cheesecake in Cape Girardeau specializes in cheese cake and other desserts that are available throughout the United States.

Esicar's Smokehouse Inc. in Cape Girardeau is noted for its smoked ham, bacon and sausage.

The list of food products and other quality goods "Made in Missouri" is almost endless, and the Missouri Department of Agriculture's (MDA) AgriMissouri Program is designed to create consumer awareness of the state's products.

"You've heard of brand loyalty when shopping," said Brenda Hatfield, coordinator of the Domestic Marketing Program for AgriMissouri. "But what about state loyalty?"

The MDAs want Missouri consumers to select Missouri food products when they grocery shop.

"When consumers purchase Missouri products, they're guaranteed to get quality goods at reasonable prices," said Sally Oxenhandler of the MDA's public relations department.

Popcorn a major business

Popcorn is a big business in Southeast Missouri.

Story's Gourmet Foods started experimenting with popcorn a number of years ago, selling to popcorn companies. The company added it to its gourmet line during the late 1980s.

One of the big varieties in the Story line is the microwave product that can be popped on the cob.

"We leave the corn on the cob," said a company representative. "When you're ready to pop it, you butter the corn on the cob, place it in the microwave and pop it."

About 60 percent of the corn pops off the cob. What remains can be eaten as (pop) corn on the cob.

Another big packager of popcorn is Gilster-Mary Lee Popcorn, with facilities at McBride, between Perryville and Chester, ill.

Gilster-Mary Lee produces thousands of microwave popcorn a day, including some major brands -- Paul Newman's Own, President's Choice, IGA, Kroger, Hyde Park and Gilster's own brand, Hospitality.

Vital agricultural industry

Popcorn, decorative gourds, gourmet ham and other meats, fruits and vegetables all help make agriculture a vital industry in Missouri. Oxenhandler added that the money spent by local consumers for locally produced products goes to "support our state's farmers, ranchers and others who work in the state's agricultural industry."

Consumers throughout the area were reminded of "Made in Missouri" products last weekend, with an MDA insert found in the Southeast Missourian newspaper.

The insert, included in a half-dozen of the state's major newspapers -- St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, Cape Girardeau -- listed examples of Missouri-made products found in grocery stores, along with some money-saving issues. Products ranged from baked items to ethnic products to pet foods, introducing shoppers to a wide array of unique foods and beverages produced or processed in the Show Me State.

"This (insert) is a handy way to acquaint consumers with the state's food products," said John L. Saunders, department director. "Once people try our state's products we hope they become brand loyal and build sales for Missouri companies."

Showcasing state's products

The insert also includes a coupon for the AgriMissouri Buyer's Guide, an 8-x-10, 60-page booklet that provides a complete list -- more than 500 -- of all products produced in the state.

Agriculture is Missouri's No. 1 industry and largest employer.

Over the past three years, more than 106,000 farms in Missouri have produced more than $5 billion in farm products, which include soybeans, corn, hay, cotton, grapes, apples, fruits and even tobacco.

Sales of agriculture products in the Southeast Missouri area have increased during the past decade, to more than $600 million annually, up 14 percent from a decade ago.

The number of U.S. farms has increased this year to 2.07 million, with horse owners and small-scale suburban farmers helping to boost the total, says the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The number of farms in the nation fell under the 2-million mark in 1981, the first time since before the Civil War that the United States had fewer than 2 million farms.

Farm acreage remains virtually unchanged at 972 million acres. The average farm size dipped to 469 acres from 471 last year.

Missouri is second on the list of states with the most farms.

Texas has the most farms at 202,000, up 2,000 from a year ago, and Missouri followed with 106,000 farms, up 1,000 from last year. Iowa is third with 100,000 farms, down 1,000 from 1994.

Farms in Southeast Missouri have followed the state and national trend in size and number.

Fewer, but larger, farms

Mechanization is allowing farmers to handle more land with the same labor, and the trend has been to fewer and larger farms.

A report by Southwest Missouri State University's Center for Social Research, reveals that the number of farms has dwindled in the 22-county area of Southeast Missouri by nearly 9 percent over the past decade, from 15,127 to 13,817. At the same time, the average size of individual farms has increased by 30 acres.

Southeast Missouri farm acreage has increased over the past decade, but only slightly -- from 4.41 million to 4.44 million acres.

The 2-year-old report shows 1,365 farms in Cape Girardeau County, comprising 266,557 acres, for an average size of 195 acres a farm.

This is about half the farms that were in the county in 1900, when 2,576 farmers had about 348,000 acres in agricultural use, for an average of 136 acres.

Bootheel farms boast some of the larger farms in Missouri. With only 340 farms listed, the Mississippi County average is 762 acres; New Madrid County farms average 695 acres; Pemiscot County farms average 653 acres; and Dunklin County farms average 445 acres.

Missouri farm facts

Missouri ranks high in many agricultural categories:

Second in beef cattle, about 2.3 million.

Second in hay production, 3.8 million acres.

Second in number of farms, 106,000

Fifth in milk cow operations, about 230,000 head.

Sixth in rice production, 117,000 acres, mostly in Bootheel area.

11th in corn production, 2.4 million acres..

11th in cotton production, 335,000 acres, all in Bootheel area.

11th in grape production, 2,350 tons.

12th in winter wheat, 1.3 million acres.

12th in milk production, about 3 billion pounds.

14th in egg production, 1.6 billion eggs.

15th in ice cream production.

16th in red meat production, more than 650 million pounds.

Other Missouri farm facts:

Five percent of the U.S. hog operations are in Missouri, about 3 million head.

Six percent of U.S. cattle (beef, dairy, calves), 4.8 million head.

Seven percent of U.S. turkeys, about 21 million.

Seven percent of U.S. soybeans, 4.3 million acres.

Eight percent of U.S. grain sorghum, 720,000 acres.

New sparkling water flavors

Schnucks Markets Inc. has introduced new packaging for its private label Schnucks Super Soda and added three new flavors to its line of Schnucks Natural Springs sparkling water introduced in 1993.

Schnucks Super Soda is produced in 11 flavors, headed by Schnucks cola and diet cola. The new look features new labels and updated colors.

White grape, tropical and strawberry are the new sparkling water flavors, which also includes five other flavors, including blackberry, raspberry and peach.

Schnucks operates 90 supermarkets in Kansas, Illinois, Indian and Missouri, including two in Cape Girardeau.

B. Ray Owen is business editor for the Southeast Missourian.