The MFA tower off of Paris Road entered the starting stages of demolition Tuesday afternoon.
MFA Agri Services has closed five centers across Missouri since 2019, including: Bronaugh, Columbia, Essex, Fulton and Springfield.
The tower stood in Columbia since the 1960s, where residents say it became a beacon of familiarity around the area.
Due to harsh winter weather in Missouri last week, the American Red Cross canceled 81 blood drives.
American Red Cross Regional Communications Manager Joe Zydlo said the weather caused a shortage of nearly 2,100 blood donations in the state and parts of Illinois. It just hit us all in one week, Zydlo said. We have to collect almost 600 donations a day, so if we re losing close to 2,200, that s almost four days without collecting. Â