In order to grow massive amounts of corn and soybeans, two crops at the center of the U.S. food system, farmers in the Midwest typically apply hundreds of pounds of fertilizer on every acre they farm. This practice allows food companies to produce, and consumers to consume, a lot of relatively cheap food. But that fertilizer can leach through soil and wash off land, polluting our drinking water, destroying our fishing rivers, and turning a Connecticut-sized chunk of the Gulf of Mexico into an

Mold--it's an unsightly, unpleasant and often harmful nuisance that you probably don't want in your home. But for some Missouri renters with this unwelcome houseguest, they've found themselves having issues getting help from their landlords. Missouri Business Alert's Heidi Li reports on how the lack of standard mold regulations is affecting tenants.

There's a problem few are talking about when it comes to student debt. While the topic of undergrads taking out steep loans to pay for tuition costs often grabs the most attention, grad students face interest rates that are more than one third higher. But a group of students at the University of Missouri is trying to change that. Missouri Business Alert's Tatiana Darie spoke with the students of Grads Have Debt 2 about their efforts to achieve reform.

At the end of 2014, many Missouri United Way chapters came up short on their fundraising goals. Local charities felt the effects of low fundraising and different funding initiatives at the Heart of Missouri United Way in Columbia. Missouri Business Alert's Jacob Steimer reports on the impact that funding and program changes have had on mid-Missouri charities.

At the end of 2014, many Missouri United Way chapters came up short on their fundraising goals. Local charities felt the effects of low fundraising and...

Columbia's Parkade Center opened in 1965. It was built on a prime location off of Interstate 70 — a new freeway reshaping the American approach to commerce. Parkrade Center was once the premier shopping destination in mid-Missouri. However that changes after the Columbia Mall opened in 1985. After struggling to keep businesses and shoppers for years, the center has shifted its business model in the past decade, and its business appears to be improved and stabilized. Missouri Business Alert's

Startup weekend in Columbia starts on Friday, kicking off a fifty-four-hour boot camp at the Museao Building in south Columbia. People will work in teams to pitch and develop their business ideas with the help of mentors during the boot camp. At the end of the weekend, they'll present their business plans to a panel of judges, who will them select the winners. Missouri Business Alert’s Elizabeth Tharakan explores how Columbia’s Startup Weekend has recently become a springboard for health care

Jim Spencer, CEO of Newsy, received the Governor’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award earlier this month. Missouri Business Alert’s Maggie Angst caught up with Spencer, to find out where Newsy is heading. Newsy is a company that collects the day’s news stories from multiple news sources and produces videos that add analysis and context to the story. The videos are then delivered through the Internet to tablets, smartphones, computers, and even TV. Newsy was found in 2008, and this January, it was

President of Regional Economic Development Inc. (REDI), Mike Brooks, will retire at the end of September. Since assuming the role in 2009, Brooks has helped REDI focus its efforts on attracting new business, expanding existing business, as well as building an entrepreneurial-friendly environment. This week we sat down with Brooks, to talk about the importance of entrepreneurship to the local economy, and the challenges mid-Missouri faces in economic development.

Hailing a cab may become a thing of the past in Columbia, but local taxi companies and city rules might get in the way. Uber, a ride sharing service...