About The Mississippi River Hills
Association
Our Mission:
The MISSISSIPPI RIVER HILLS
ASSOCIATION (MRHA) works to promote, protect, enhance and market the
agricultural products, foods, wines, arts, crafts, sites and
services within the region.
Who are we?
The MISSISSIPPI RIVER HILLS ASSOCIATION (MRHA) was
formed March 2007 with the election of its first board of directors.
We are a state and federally recognized not-for-profit 501(c)6
corporation..
The MRHA is governed by a Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors is elected by the membership at the Annual
Membership Meeting in March of each year. The Board is
comprised of representatives from each county (Jefferson, St.
Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Perry, Cape Girardeau, and Scott) and from
each stakeholder group (artisans,
hospitality and tourism, local governments, food producers,
retailers of locally produced goods, and wineries and vineyards).
What are we doing?
The
MISSISSIPPI RIVER HILLS
is a distinct ecological
region surrounding a scenic section of the
Mississippi River. The Association is comprised of
stakeholders working together to develop a regional identity, and
using that identity to expand and market the products of this
region. This unique approach combines support to small-scale
entrepreneurs with a “buy local” philosophy and European-style
appellations (literally, “the name of the place,”). We like to say
that the project is like great art – we can’t always describe it
neatly, but we know what it is.
History
The region began organizing
as the pilot of the Missouri Regional Cuisines Project (MRCP) in
2005. The MRCP, founded by Dr. Elizabeth Barham at the University
of Missouri, seeks to market Missouri wine and food products using
distinct labels of origin based on ecological regions of the state. Labels of origin have been
used for centuries in European countries to identify food and wine
products based on the region in which they are produced -- allowing
the consumer to distinguish among the unique tastes and attributes
of products from different areas. This identification of Missouri
products will mean greater recognition and economic opportunities
for our state's food producers, tourism industry, and rural
communities.
Late in 2005, the regional
group, which was comprised of Extension personnel and regional
stakeholders, applied to what is now the ExCEED program at the
University of Missouri. The region was accepted in to the first
year’s cohort group of five regions. ExCEED
uses “multi-disciplinary and geographically based
teams to facilitate entrepreneurship as a rural economic development
strategy in selected communities throughout Missouri.” With the
ExCEED designation came a grant that funded the start-up of the Mississippi
River Hills Association.
The Mississippi River Hills Association was incubated at a
University of Missouri Extension office, which provided office space
and other forms of support. Through the initial ExCEED grant, a
part-time coordinator was secured to manage the day-to-day
operations of the MRHA. A board of directors oversees the
continued development of the project. A team of Extension
faculty provides technical assistance, and works closely with the MRHA board on developing and providing resources and educational
programs to the regional stakeholders.
Underpinnings
Vision
The MISSISSIPPI RIVER HILLS
ASSOCIATION strives to enhance the economic, cultural, historical,
and educational value of the region.
Core Values
-
Preserving and protecting our unique regional identity
-
Honoring regional customs, culture, and traditions
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Strengthening the regional economy by supporting entrepreneurship,
agriculture, and by developing
rural and specialty tourism markets
-
Promoting conservation of the environment
-
Preserving and sharing the beauty and history of the region’s
natural and agricultural landscapes
-
Sharing information and resources locally and with other regions
Long-Term
Goals
-
Increase
regional cooperation & communication
-
Change the views of economic
development to one that encourages and supports entrepreneurship
-
Increase viable career opportunities
for youth
-
Increase the number of successful
entrepreneurs
-
Increase the amount of visitors and
tourists, and of repeat visitors
-
Encourage research that will benefit
the region
-
Increase the number and quality of
economic relationships between producers, retailers, and
consumers.
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