Started in 1901, the Missouri State Fair has since become an annual tradition, and is a yearly celebration of Missouri’s agriculture, fine art, and food, among other things. This year, however, the festival reached national attention after video surfaced showing a rodeo clown at the fair dressed as President Obama. On the video, an announcer is seen asking the audience if they wanted to see "Obama run down by a bull." The stunt has been heavily criticized, with some calling it racist.

This week on Intersection, broadcast live from the festival, we'll speak to the fair's director about the rodeo incident. We'll also talk about the state fair in general, hear from young farmers, and got an insider’s view of some of the competitions. Throughout the show, we’ll also present some sights and sounds of the festival, which runs through Aug. 18th.

Special thanks goes to Harum Helmy and Kristofor Husted for editorial assistance, and I-LAND Internet Services for technical assistance.

1st segment panelists:
Mark Wolfe, Missouri State Fair Fair Director
David Dick, livestock superintendent

How much do you know about the food you eat? With all the competing information out there, what sources can you really trust? And how much do you really want to know? Intersection teams up with Harvest Public Media to talk about the obstacles that get in the way of discovering the truth about our food, in particular looking at the beef industry.

Panelists:
Peggy Lowe, Harvest Network analyst, Harvest Public Media
Ray Massey, extension professor, MU Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics
Mike McGraw, projects reporter, The Kansas City Star

A trade deal that Gov. Jay Nixon signed with Chinese officials in October is expected to significantly increase exports between now and 2014. We explore the current state of business relations between Missouri and China, and discuss how they might expand even more in the future.

Panelists:
Tony Clayton, president, Clayton Agri-Marking, a company that exports hogs and horses to China and elsewhere
Wen Ouyang, co-director, Confucius Institute at the University of Missouri
Handy Williamson, vice provost of International Programs at MU.
Rosemary Gallant, principal commercial officer at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing (joining the program by phone)

As drought conditions ravage much of the Midwest, we hear how farmers are being affected and discuss how they’re responding. Discussion includes perspective on the weather situation, as well as explanation of how well farmers might be covered by insurance.

Panelists:
Patrick Guinan, extension assistant professor, Atmospheric Science, University of Missouri
Raymond Massey, extension professor, Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Missouri
Steve Wright, vice president, Missouri Farmers Union
Lonnie Duckworth, president, Missouri Cattlemen’s Association (joining the program by phone)