About. AMAZING Cornbread, Winter Chili & Apple Pie, Each week our listeners get the very latest food and travel information, We produce homemade videos of healthy, easy to make recipes. Kraft Foods, the multinational conglomerate that makes countless grocery products in addition to cheese, is about none of that, however. And, if you really love cheese, youll want to show it, right? Have a heart and stop ripping The hearts outta lower income families and homeless Honestly the government needs to get get a solvent to get the glue off there wallet and crow bar to Open it Help your people andRead more . In Springfield, Missouri, limestone mines deep in the ground store over one billion pounds of cheese. Sappington African American Cemetery State Historic Site, Teaching American History Black Wall Street: Men and Women Entrepreneurship. It was a tricky balance to strike. Only about 300 million pounds of it belongs to the USDA. But because milk has a pretty short shelf life, it couldnt do much with the actual liquid product. For general tour information questions, call the information desk (April through October) at 573-245-6576; select option 6 after the greeting; then option 2. Information Privately owned.The one-hour tours head a quarter-mile into the cave where you'll be about . Many areas of the state are underlain by soluble carbonate bedrock, such as limestone or dolomite, that can be easily dissolved by water. But what many people don't know is that one of the most prolific "tenants" is Kraft Foods, which stores millions of pounds of cheese and related products in the former mine. Since Missouris known as the Cave State, boasting more than nearly 7,500 caves, its only fitting that theres at least one cave-themed daytrip. Guests are then invited to experience an underground cheese cave tour where they will enjoy a tasting of 7 cheeses, accompanied by wine, and tapas including freshly made jam. Jeep-drawn trams equipped with pull-out ramps make Fantastic Caverns a natural adventure accessible to all individuals, regardless of physical limitations. Other pseudonyms soon to follow were Panther Cave, then Saltpeter Cave 1830-1848 because of the abundance of bat guano. We present hard-hitting topics and interviews without the same old political spin. Giant wheels of grassy and nutty delight live in our Alpine Cave, where our cheeses are kept moist and cool until theyre ready for their Murrays debut. Everyone loves mac n cheese, especially cheese lovers, right? Swiss Valley's award-winning cheeses are now available for order through The Cheese Cave. How much government cheese is left? Whats better than cheese? McKelvey Vineyards will be hosting the first annual Missouri Artisan Cheese Festival. Attraction Spotlight: Meramec Caverns. 400,000 square feet of Velveeta, buried deep within the earth. With over 730 recorded caves, Shannon County holds the title for most caves for a single county in Missouri. Dress for the weather, no matter what time of the year you visit. "There's an enormous energy saving being underground if you are going to refrigerate space because you're not dealing with the temperature fluctuation of the outside environment," said John Griesemer, President and CEO of the group that manages the facility (via KTVI). They describe their herd as the finest grass-fed cows in Southwest Missouri. Here's your chance to visit the chilly stone caves underneath their Cambridge store to see the . The . (NO BEST OFS EVER!). Onondaga weekday morning tours are often full with school and civic groups from April 15 through May and in September. As the boyhood home of Mark Twain, Hannibal is famously known as the setting for Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Missouri's caves range in length from 20 feet to more than 30 miles of mapped passage. 1090, Purdy, MO 65734. Find words related to caves and cave life in these fun Cave and Karst Word Searches. Daniel Dunklin's Grave State Historic Site, Teaching American History Black Wall Street: Men and Women Entrepreneurship. For more information, contact the park at 573-245-6576. The caves are part of an all-encompassing, state-of-the-art enterprise that combines Murray's aging, distribution, R&D, and administrative functions under one roof, and they're home to a lot of cheese. In the latest cold storage report, the USDA shows a little less than 1.5 billion pounds of cheese in storage, along with 355 million pounds of butter, 211 million pounds of pecans and just less than a billion pounds of french fries (it stores a lot of stuff!). Todays daytrip will take you on a tour of Bluff Dwellers Cave, which also features some fun amenities, before you head to a cave-themed restaurant for a delicious bite to eat. The warm mood of the holidays extends inside America's Ride-Thru Cave where temperatures linger at 60 degrees all year. Top Trip Ideas. Minerals are the building blocks of rocks, like the limestone of Fantastic Caverns. In 1949, the USDA introduced the Dairy Product Price Support Program, later known as the Milk Price Support Program. To qualify, a group must consist of 10 or more people and reservations must be made two weeks to seven months in advance. Instead of selling out its stores of dairy products when market prices climbed to 125 percent of the support price, it would leave it up to the secretary of agriculture to decide when to release the product. The hike and tour collectively cover about 2 miles round trip. Love cheesecake? This is especially true during the 1980s. What do you think? Feast Your Eyes: Kraft's Massive Underground Cheese Cave Photo: Kraft's Massive Underground Cheese Cave in Springfield, Missouri, , lies a cheese cave of industrial proportions, a, Empathy: A Hard Look at a Touchy-Feely Subject, The 2014 GOOD Gift Guide to Beautiful Books, Gender In Sports: Leveling The Playing Field. Okay, maybe theres something just a tad better than cheese, and that is the following seven cheese wonderlands in Missouri, where you can enjoy cheese samplings, stock up on your favorite cheeses, and discover new cheeses you might never have tried before. When summer fades into fall, Fantastic Caverns is still an ideal destination continuing into the holiday and winter travel season. Not only that, but if the secretary of agriculture decided to hold on to stores past the previous 125-percent cutoff, stocks would keep accumulating. With the Simms Brothers "discovering" the cave on that cold snowy day the first name was Simms Cave. Cap your meal off with some homemade ice cream. Prepare for heat, humidity and thunderstorms. The address is 3610 E. Kearney St., just east of U.S. 65. Thank you! Missouri is home to caves of vast shapes, sizes, and difficulty levels. When you visit these four tour caves, you can help reduce the risk of spreading the fungus to bats by not wearing any clothing, footwear, accessories or equipment that has been in any other cave. Trained guides will lead you over electrically lighted paved walkways and provide information about geologic wonders such as the King's Canopy, the Twins, and other unusual speleothems. Please call at least 48 hours in advance of your reservation to request an adjustment to your tour reservation. IS GRAPHENE OXIDE IN FOOD, WATER AND JABS? The cheese cave can store up to 10,000 cheeses and has a tasting area with seating of up to 40 people. The cave temperature is 57 F (13 C). Best. Now, Theyre Spurring Tourism. So it moved to the next phase: getting rid of the automatic sell triggers. It is centrally located (at least, as centrally located as you can get in the U.S. and still be in a populated area). Green Dirt Farm is located at 1099 Welt St., Weston, MO 64098. The cave maintains a steady temperature of 56 degrees Fahrenheit. Samples are often available, so you can try before you buy. Prices are $10 for adults, $8 for ages 13-17 and $6 for ages 6-12. And it seems that enterprising companies and individuals have found a way to leverage that to make a buck for at least a century. Of course, that's a bare-bones explanation of a complicated process with multiple variables. Fantastic Caverns, just northwest of Springfield, Missouri, is one of more than 7,300 documented caves that dot the Missouri landscape, and more are still being discovered. While tracking an animal, the famer's bloodhound disappeared into a small hole at the base of a bluff. One of those "thirsty Germans" was Adolphus Busch. Modern innovation opens the door to cave science and history. However, the city also has a rather unique industrial park: a repurposed limestone mine, which now offers millions of square feet of storage space. The government purchased the milk dairy farmers couldn't sell and began to process it into cheese, butter and dehydrated milk powder. . As a teenager, her family sent her to Europe where she became focused on French and Italian cuisine. Peter Smith 02.03.11 Deep under Springfield, Missouri, lies a cheese cave of industrial proportions, a 2-million-square-foot. That wasnt so great either. Fantastic Caverns is a show cave located in Springfield, Missouri, and the a cave in North America to offer a completely ride-through tour, which lasts 55 minutes and is held in a Jeep-drawn tram. And, at least for now, the goal is to help peopleboth farmers and low-income consumerswith that stash. For an adventure in nature, make your way to this beautiful nature preserve in Missouri. How involved you'd like to be is up to you. Stock up on an assortment of cheddar cheeses and Monterey Jack cheeses. "The tour guide was very knowledgeable and very, "Being able to go inside the caverns was an amazing. Food Nation Radio has won two news awards for content. The government began accumulating cheese in the 1970s, when the Department of Agriculture bought dairy products in bulk to help stabilize the prices . A portion of those boxes includedyou guessed itcheese and other dairy products. The dairy market would stabilize, producers would have steady income and prices for the products would eventually rise. We work closely with advertisers and stations to ensure their success. Travel and tourism are inextricably part of the fabric of the Ozarks culture and economy. This fresh, compelling nationally-syndicated weekend program includes information for homesteading, traveling, gardening, taste tests, and in a twist, listeners hear what restaurant servers say about customers. The massive. Love Missouri? As a Louisiana foodie, all I know about the topic is that if anyone got t heir hands on government cheese, it was a celebration, because it was so tasty.!! We give our listeners, advertisers and stations a LIVE SHOW. You take milk from a cow, sheep, goat or another mammal, expose it to bacteria and/or mold, wait until it's solid, and then eat it. Located near Stanton, Missouri, Meramec Caverns is a 4.6-mile-long cavern system offering guided cave tours, family-friendly outdoor activities, and lodging and campground options. Some of the entrances are steep, with stairways or ramps that lead . Cheese Cave is a lava tube located in Gifford Pinchot National Forest just southwest of Trout Lake, Washington. Cool Parks gear for sale. But there's also trains and ghost tours and caves and so much more. The USDA has kept cheese and other dairy products in cold-storage caves for decades. Springfield's caves provide at least one factor in that equation: the temperature inside is about 60 degrees, according to KTVI, and artificial refrigeration does the rest. America's Ride Thru Cave may not be inhabited by humans but the cave system does have a thriving ecology of small critters that call it home. Fantastic Caverns is Open 362 Days a Year. Stay tuned for some cheesy emails. It bought millions of pounds of cheese, butter and dry milk from producers who would otherwise have lost a lot of money if they only relied on their regular retailers. With over 7,000 caves documented in the state's karst topography, tourists and locals can explore Missouri's most beautiful and extensive underground caverns. There is a very delicate ecosystem beneath our feet. Kraft is, however, not the only company to lease space in the former mine, and indeed, not even the only food or dairy company. But it kept hoarding cheese and still does so to this day. email:Elizabeth@FoodAndTravelNation.com Today, the underground of Missouri holds more than just government cheese. Thanks to the abundance of dolomite and limestone in the area, caves in Missouri are formed quite easily. Missouri is made for daytrips (and road trips, if we have more time). When the price of dairy products sunk too low for farmers, the USDA would offer to buy up the excess at a stable rate. Human history adds up to little more than a few ticks on the geologic clock by which caves count their age. It also doesnt help that milk production naturally rises in the spring calving season, but demand for milk is generally at its highest in the fall, when the school year starts again. Website: https://cumberlandcaverns.com. In our Natural Rind Cave, cheeses are left to sit with minimal intervention, so that they can develop and ripen to become their Murrays best. Fisher Cave - Meramec State Park, Sullivan, MO - 39.53389 N, 91.33806 W This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Create your own terrariums and monitor water quality. That number, though, pales in . Whether its beer or brine, the cheeses in our Washed Rind Cave are scrubbed with salty solutions to imbue them with fresh, unique flavor. A set of caves along Interstate 435 offered a convenient cold-storage option. McDowell's Cave 1848, then changed to Mark Twain Cave in 1880 after . Springfield Underground is so expansive that 18-wheelers can (and do) drive through it hundreds of them each day, picking up and/or dropping off the goods that are stored in there. Guests may encounter extremes in weather conditions during this tour. The cave temperature is 57 F (13 C). Unscrupulous people bleached the eggs to remove the lion and sold them on the black market. The limestone present in the Ozarks has cracks and voids that allow water to permeate and pass through it. You might say Springfield, Missouri, is the cheese capital of America, not because it's known for great cheese but because the USDA maintains a hoard of 1.4 billion pounds of cheese in caves . Walking tours of these otherworldly caves entwine the unique history of Grundy County, the geology of cave science, and the mythology of cave lore. So, yes, the government really does hoard billions of wheels of cheese in caves underneath Missouri. The tour begins at the campground showerhouse and includes a short one-third mile walk up Deer Run Trail to the cave's entrance. This is a lantern tour that lasts approximately two hours. COPYRIGHT 2023 MURRAY'S CHEESE. The rest is owned by private companies and stored by the USDA. The cave tour itself lasts about an hour and 30 minutes. There isn't. The four are Onondaga Cave and Cathedral Cave at Onondaga Cave State Park, Fisher Cave at Meramec State Park , and Ozark Caverns at Lake of the Ozarks State Park. Tours of Onondaga Cave be reserved online on our reservation website or by visiting the park. Pimento Mac & Cheese is game day food at its finest. Why is the government in the habit of hoarding cheese? Warm up this winter with spicy slices of Brooklyn Cured Hot Sopressata. Caves provide habitats for unique species. Lets hear it for cheese! That nearly 1.5 billion pounds of cheese? The rest is owned by private companies and stored by the USDA. And as with calming market prices, government cheese can also shoot prices up. As dairy farmers produced more and more milk, stockpiles . These Gardens Started When Travel Slowed. Regardless of the weather outside, visitors can sit back, relax and get away from it all by boarding Jeep-drawn trams and experiencing the natural beauty of Americas Ride-Thru Cave. 1,522 Views, DESTINATION UNDERGROUND CHEESE CAVES IN MISSOURI, Food and Travel Nation DESTINATION UNDERGROUND CHEESE CAVES IN MISSOURI I really had no idea that this was talking place, and I appreciate the information. Arkansas Cave Access & Hours of Operation. Group rates are available. Although, again, whatever else is stored there is a matter of confidentiality. In Rural America, Right-to-Repair Laws are the Leading Edge of a Pushback Meet the Modern Graziers Who Broke Into Regenerative Agriculture, No Farmland Required, 7 Smokable Plants You Can Grow That Arent Marijuana, Sustainable Farmers See Promise in New Financing Options, New Solar Panels Allow Farmers to See the Light, The Buzzy Edible Insect Trend is Gaining Traction in the West. There's yet anotheras well in Kansas City. The karst terrain of the Ozarks provides habitat for unique life. In other words, the flavor, aroma, and texture of the cheese represents the best natural elements of the place where it was made: the grass the animals ate, the soil in which the grass grew, the coolness of the cave in which it aged, and so on. Turn Thai Chicken Leftovers Into Lemongrass Soup. Fort Rock Cave. With the COVID shit still going on and gas going through the roof people cant make ends meat. Derrick Cave. If youre the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the answer is obvious: in a series of caves outside Springfield, Missouri. People are very recent additions to this picture. Fantastic Caverns Get ready for your trip to one of Missouri's State Parks. is the government in the decades-long habit of hoarding cheese in the first place? The Caverns offers daily cave tours that include one of the largest underground rooms in the world at over 3 football fields long and a behind-the-scenes tour of the music venue. The USDA buying up cheese prevented the prices from dipping too lowbut the department also put a ceiling on how high the prices could climb. Create your own cave treats following these simple recipes. . The cave can get cold so a sweater or light jacket is recommended. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. Onondaga also is one of the most accessible of the caves. According to USDA statistics, the average American eats 34.1 pounds of cheese every year and is projected to eat 36.5 pounds by 2024. It wasn't until five years later that the first exploration took place: twelve women from Springfield, answering a newspaper ad seeking explorers, ventured into the cave. WHY DID MONSANTO CREATE ALUMINUM RESISTANT SEEDS? Create your own cave. Because this activity includes hiking up Deer Run Trail, it is more strenuous than the Onondaga Cave tour. Postal Service keeps rare stamps there. Then, check out these eight amazing cheesecake shops in Missouri. Create your own limestone-inspired fossils in the form of sugar cookies. Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and several other states also have many caves. Click here to read more. Deep under Springfield, Missouri , lies a cheese cave of industrial proportions, a 2-million-square-foot refrigerated warehouse called Springfield Underground. A limited number of pet crates are available to rent for $5. Osceola Cheese Company is located at 3700 MO-13, Osceola, MO 64776. Jacob's Cave 57 Caverns & Caves Geologic Formations By 911bruceb And lastly, hands down, Jonna was without question the most impressive tour guide I have experienced, in a lifetime. Missouri is known as the Cave State, boasting more than 7,500 caves and counting. But their purpose has shifted over the years. Photograph byChristoph Morlinghaus (who also explores parking lots and greenhouses), via Wired. . And as spring turns to summer, with temperatures rising outside, the cool comfortable 60 degrees of the cave becomes a welcomed respite. Dairy farmers do get help from todays government purchases; its just hard to quantify that help.. That became a political football, how to handle the release of stocks, Brown says. Save 10% on your first order by signing up for our newsletter! Of course, Kraft doesn't just store cheese there according to a 2001 report in Good, they also store Lunchables, Jell-O, Oscar Mayer-branded meats, and other perishable products there too. There are huge rooms filled with calcite deposits and some reaching a height of 30 ft. One can spot wildlife and claw marks on the walls and ceilings if one looks at it closely. Missouri has had the title of being The Cave State for many years. But most folks werent very happy with that kind of operation, and it was costly [for the government].. They ink stamped a lion on each egg they sold. What are your favorite cheese wonderlands in Missouri? Children under 6 are free. Seven days a week we offer complimentary samples of over 175 varieties of cheese and several varieties of wine including Missouri wines. Create your own miniature aquifer in a cup. Cant they give it to needy families and homeless people. That nearly 1.5 billion pounds of cheese? Edgewood Creamery is located at 5888 Farm Rd. For instance, if a person with a lower income were to receive a pound of cheese for free, that might not have any impact on their planned grocery purchase, as they might not have been able to afford cheese at all without help. Elizabeth takes us to Springfield, Missouri where deep under the streets of the city lies a big, enormous, almost unbelievable stash of CHEESE! Click here for operating dates and tour times. Go from mild to wild with our Easy-to-Expert Ski Level Cheese Board. to distribute to families struggling in a tight economy. A local food company promotes its "cave-aged" cheese. During these months, you may want to plan for a weekend tour or call the park office prior to your visit to check the schedule. Get more stories delivered right to your email. If you want to tour some caves here in the Ozarks, check out some of these popular spots. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Well, nothing really, at least to those of us who could eat cheese all day long. The creamery uses of a natural and balanced rotational grazing system and operates in a sustainable manner. Located in the heart of the country, Springfield Underground has been solving our customers problems with unique spaces for over 50 years. Exciting Adventures. Tags cheese cave trip Destination Unknown elizabeth dougherty food and travel natiion food nation radio missouri cheese caves, DESTINATION UNKNOWN CHEESE CAVES UNDER NYC Food and Travel Nation DESTINATION UNKNOWN , Your email address will not be published. A slice of Kraft cheese is going to be less about terroir and fastidious attention to fine craftsmanship, and more about cost-saving and long-term shelf life. And. Harmys Cheese Store & More is located at 6378 Osage Beach Parkway S, Osage Beach, MO 65065. Join us for classes online! , later known as the Milk Price Support Program. Water flowing through the limestone passages of Fantastic Caverns, began as rainwater. Springfield, Missouri, a city of about 170,000 in the southwestern part of the "Show-Me State," has been nicknamed the " Queen City of the Ozarks ." For decades, travelers on Route 66 passed through the community, and indeed, Springfield considers itself the "Birthplace of Route 66 . Sorry, there are no refunds on combo tickets.). We are very social media conscious and stay in touch with our audience. These limestone caves in Springfield, Missouri are home to the United States' largest stockpile of its 1.2 billion-pound surplus of cheese, built up through subsidies by the US government. Descend into the depths of Onondaga Cave State Park and drop into a world of wonder: towering stalagmites, dripping stalactites, and active flowstones help make the cave a National Natural Landmark and illustrate why Missouri is often called "The Cave State.". The latest about our Missouri cave, and other Fantastic Caverns news. Fantastic Caverns is America's Ride-Thru Cave! As visitors board a comfortable Jeep-drawn tram and tour America's Ride-Thru Cave, they begin a journey back in time. Among the best caves to visit in Missouri, the Smallin Civil War Cave offers an hour-long guided tour focusing on the geology, history, and mythological significance of the 1/2 mile long cavern. Contact 1-573-346-2676. Springfield Underground contains 3.2 million square feet of leasable space free from exposure to the outdoor elements, Buildings range in size from 50,000 - 400,000 square feet, The ambient temperature of the former limestone mine is a constant 62 degrees, Springfield Undergrounds on-site refrigeration maintenance crew manage the temperature of refrigerated buildings ranging from -20F to 55F, Immediate accessibility to I-44 and US-65, home|advantages|history| contact | available space | careers, recruiting@erlengroup.com3610 E. Kearney St. Springfield, MO 65803. Paisley Caves. Find cave animals in these photos. Although the current iteration of cold storage isnt intended to stabilize market prices, it can still have that effect. Experience History Aboard A Guided Trolley Tour Of St. Louis, Missouri, Few People Know About This Missouri Nature Area With Some Of The Midwests Largest Glades, Missouris Worlds Of Fun Has A Brand New Roller Coaster Thats Opening In 2023, This Candy Store in Missouri Was Ripped Straight From The Pages Of A Fairytale, It Should Be Illegal To Drive Through Columbia, Missouri Without Stopping At The Broadway Diner, Few People Know The Real Reason Missouri Is Called The Show-Me State, Enjoy Everything Branson Has To Offer With A Stay At One Of These 10 Missouri Rentals, Countless Celebrities Have Loved This Iconic Missouri Diner For Decades. Should the government ever need to get rid of its stores quickly, perhaps stocking up on some sourdough bread and nice butter would help. Contact our Wholesale Team today for information on ordering for restaurant menus, hotels, and more. About the show: Food And Travel Nation with Elizabeth Dougherty is the fusion of food and travel. That nearly 1.5 billion pounds of cheese? Althoughthe four caves were formed the same way, with mildly acidic rainwater eating away porous bedrock, each has its individual displays ofpencil-thin soda straws, flowing drapery and giant columns were stalactites and stalagmites meet. Let us know in the comments! That's the company's portal to a different world 3.2 million square feet (73 acres) of leasable space in a 60-degree environment. Just heat and eat! The cheese and butter and dry milk would pile up, and then the USDA would have to scramble to deal with them before they spoiled. Boyd Cave. Check it out and report on it Dr Mercola. Our sinkholes connect the toured portion ofFantastic Caverns with the lower level of the cave system, which is a sanctuary for unique cave species. Location: 1437 Cumberland Caverns Rd, McMinnville, TN, 37110. Access to the caves varies. Long known as the "Cave State," Missouri is a popular destination for cave tours and spelunking. June 15, 2022 Grilled cheese party in Missouri, anyone? OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. Embark on a tour of the charming Green Dirt Farm. MALONE: Dan Callahan worked here in the 1970s and says one day, the U.S. government rented a ton of cave space, and a ton of cheddar cheese started to show up. Required fields are marked *. Plants and trees help filter stormwater run-off and prevent erosion. Cost: Ranges from $18.95 to $100+ depending on the type of tour you would like to do. Authentic Attractions. Stormwater run-off can easily pick up pollutants and cause erosion. Tours follow a paved walkway with a stainless steel railing, and electric lights are switched off and on to illuminate the way. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The dairy market would stabilize, producers would have steady income and prices for the products would eventually rise. There's a reason Missouri was called The Cave State for decades. Stroll past walls brimming with cheese, stocking up on all of your favorites. Must see! The answer to that question has two parts: why it started; and why its still doing it. Photography by dibettadifino, Shutterstock. With approximately 7,500 recorded caves in the state, Missouri has become known as the Cave State. The USDA has a large presence in Kansas City, Missouri, and when it found itself with millions of pounds of surplus dairy and needed a safe, climate-controlled place to put it all, it started to search locally. Less than eight miles separate the two attractions, which means less gas used and more time to explore. Destination Unknown It was a significant enough purchase that it drove cheese prices higher. The wholesale prices of cheese jumped dramatically, which Brown calls an unintended consequence of the governments food assistance efforts. Maybe the next person comes along, and they could have afforded half a pound. Experience the ultimate date night treat with our Cheese Tower for Two. Where are the cheese caves in Missouri? But their purpose has shifted over the years. You can easily grow your own crystals using sugar, salt or alum. One of Missouri's most well-known caves is Fantastic Caverns. Since Missouri's known as the Cave State, boasting more than nearly 7,500 caves, it's only fitting that there's at least one cave-themed daytrip. An above-ground pump sends 13,000 gallons of chilled brine through the system every day, keeping the warehouse at a cool 36 degrees. . There's a reason Missouri was called The Cave State for decades. Fantastic Caverns is pet friendly. Then, once the prices of dairy products hit 125 percent of the support price, the USDA would start selling off its stash in bulk. There are about 6,400 documented caves in Missouri, with several of the state's famous show caves in the Ozarks. Preservation efforts ensure the cave will be available for future generations to explore. Join the conversation in the comments! But they didnt buy that half a pound because the government gave them a whole pound, Brown explains.