bransonglobe.com LOCAL June 3-4, 2020 • 3 Consumers get online tool to shop for meats By Mary Schuermann Kuhlman, Courtesy of Public News Service JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - There’s a new tool to help both Missouri consumers and farmers affected by recent meat shortages. The Missouri Farm Bureau has launched a new database of farmers who sell their meat products directly to consumers. Over the past several weeks, many shoppers have been shocked to discover shortages of meats available for sale at their local grocers. However Kelly Smith, senior director of marketing commodities with the Missouri Farm Bureau, explains there’s no shortage of livestock. “There’s plenty of livestock, both beef, pork, lamb and poultry,” says Smith. “The bottleneck is at the commercial processing facilities. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are issues with having enough workers available to process the animals.” The directory is arranged by county, listing more than 500 farmers. It also includes processors that offer services, both to livestock producers and consumers. Find it online at mofb.org. Smith says the new directory seems to be very popular so far. “Within the first hour that we did a social media post and the website was live with this information, we got over 550 shares and about 2,200 looks at the website with that,” says Smith. “And it’s just been increasing since.” Smith said the directory is likely to expand to include other locally-produced foods. “We’re going to keep this as an ongoing project, just because of the issues that have been brought forward with national, regional and local supply chains,” says Smith. “Not only for meat, but other food products. We’ll probably have an opportunity to expand as we move forward.” Submitted to Branson Globe Kidney stones are common, but can disrupt a patient’s life when they keep coming back. That’s why Cox Medical Center Branson’s urology team is taking a new, comprehensive approach to help medically manage them. The Metabolic Stone Clinic From left, Cox Branson’s urology team includes Steve Berkstresser, PA, and urologist Dr. Jerry Givens. (Submitted to Branson Globe) aims to find the root cause of recurring stones by analyzing a patient’s medical history and their diet – a component often overlooked when putting together a treatment plan. “A person’s nutrition is a huge part of the puzzle,” explains urolever Missouri consumers and farmers have a new database of farmers who sell their meat products directly to consumers launched by The Missouri Farm Bureau. (Special to Branson Globe) New clinic tackles troubles with recurring kidney stones intake, ogist Dr. Jerry Givens. “Everything from protein salt use, calcium and fluid intake can affect stone development.” Givens says individuals with a history of multiple stones can get a physician’s referral to the clinic, which will perform full assessments on patients the first Wednesday of each month. Appointments take about 30 minutes and include a formal nutritional assessment and an indepth look at medical history. Patients will supply a 24-hour urine test, which Givens said is key to showing which factors in the person’s diet might be causing stones. “Our goal is to prevent stones in the first place so patients don’t have to keep having surgery,” Givens says. “We’ll pull together all our resources and come up with a treatment plan over the course of a few visits. There aren’t a lot of urology groups taking this comprehensive approach, so we’re really excited to be part of a plan that will give our patients answers and a better quality of life.” The Metabolic Stone Clinic is located in the Outpatient Center at Cox Branson. For more information, call 417-348-8080.
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