Stay Strong, Stay Healthy Class To Be Held in Osceola
If you want to improve balance, strength and flexibility, come to the Stay Strong Stay Healthy classes. The program will be offered 4 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., Tuesdays, June 12 thru August 14 at the United Methodist Church on Hospital Hill in Osceola. Classes will be taught by Tammy Roberts, Nutrition and Health Education Specialist for University of Missouri Extension.
One of the best ways to keep your body and mind functioning at its best is to exercise. Regular exercise improves physical, emotional and mental health. Participation in regular strengthening exercises will help you to build muscle and increase bone density. This helps to prevent frailty and osteoporosis.
The types of exercises you will do in the Stay Strong Stay Healthy classes are easy to learn, safe, and effective. People benefit from strength training in many ways. Some benefits people experience include arthritis relief, improved balance, enhanced flexibility, weight control, stress reduction, decreased depression, reduction in risk for heart disease and help with maintenance of healthy blood sugar levels.
The great thing about the Stay Strong Stay Healthy exercises is that most people can do them. They are great if you are 29 or 89 years old. You change the amount of weights you use to make it work for your individual needs. Many people report they can tell they have increased strength or flexibility after just three weeks of doing the exercises.
The minimum number of participants is 10. Registration is $25 and is due by June 7. Some participants will need a physician’s approval to participate. Please call the Extension office at 417-646-2419 for more information or to receive a registration form.
Food Preservation Classes Will Be Held in Osceola
It won’t be long until many people will have more produce from their garden than they can eat. Spending some time now with that produce will make you glad you did when the winter winds start blowing. There is nothing like home canned green beans for dinner from your garden on a cold winter night. Better yet, how about a vegetable stew made from your garden produce? Participating in a University of Missouri Extension home food preservation class can help you do that and much more.
Classes will be held at 6:00 p.m., Tuesdays, June 12 thru July17 at the United Methodist Church, Hospital Hill, Osceola Missouri. There will be no class on July 3.
June 12- Pressure Canning Low Acid Foods – Be ready to start with fresh green beans and participate in the canning process until we take the jars from the canner.
June 19- How to Pickle- We will prepare and process dilled green beans. We will also discuss how to prepare and process fermented pickles and sauerkraut.
June 26- Salsa From Your Garden- We will prepare and process both a fresh tomato and fruit salsa.
July 10- Jams and Jellies- In this class you will make blueberry spice jam as well as freezer jam. Receive lots of tips on how to make sure your jams and jellies turn out perfectly.
July 17- Freezing and Dehydrating- Learn how to get the very best results when freezing your produce. See a dehydrator and learn the process of preparing food for dehydration and how to store dehydrated foods. This class is lecture and discussion with sampling.
In all classes participants will receive University of Missouri Extension guide sheets and other handouts so that you will have all of the information you need to get started at home. These are hands-on classes. Come prepared to roll up your sleeves and participate in each process from fresh produce to sealed jar.
Cost of the classes is $20 each or $80 for all five. Paid registration is due five days before each class. For more information or to register, call St. Clair County University of Missouri Extension at 417-646-2419.
MU Extension to Offer Ag Risk Management Program
MU Extension will be hosting an agriculture risk management conference entitled, “Women in Boots and Blue Jeans,” at the Lakeland Middle School in Deepwater on June 20th from 9:30 AM to 3:00 PM. The conference will consist of five presentations from agricultural professionals. Topics that will be addressed during the conference include marketing, estate planning, and crop and livestock insurance. Presentations for the conference will be made in-person and via interactive television (ITV). This event will be a great opportunity for farm women to network and learn about different risk management options and strategies. There is a modest fee for the conference, which will cover the conference materials and lunch. To find out more details about the conference or to register contact the Henry County MU Extension Center at (660)885-5556 or e-mail WiegelW@missouri.edu. The registration deadline for the conference is June 15th.
Don’t guess; soil tests save time, money
Soil testing is the best guide to the wise and efficient use of fertilizer and soil amendments, said Manjula Nathan, director of the University of Missouri Extension Soil Testing and Plant Diagnostic Services.
Whether you grow acres of row crops or have a vegetable patch in the backyard, a soil test will provide you with an analysis of nutrients and a set of recommendations for any improvements.
“We frequently get questions from customers like, ‘I apply fertilizer every year. How come my plants are not doing well?’” Nathan said.
“Most of the time the problem is they never have done a soil test, but have been guessing on fertilizer requirements,” she said. “They do not realize that by guessing they are wasting money by over- or underapplication, and the excess fertilizer can end up in streams, ponds and underground water, polluting the environment.”
Soil testing can be done through the extension office. The cost is $13 per sample. Soil testing publications
Century Farm applications available
The 2011 Missouri Century Farm program applications are available now and will be accepted through May 15. Century Farms are those owned by the same family for at least 100 consecutive years as of December 31, 2011. The line of ownership from the original settler or buyer may be through children, grandchildren, siblings, and nephews or nieces, including through marriage or adoption. The present farm shall consist of no less than 40 acres of the original land and shall make a financial contribution to the overall farm income. Missouri Century Farm
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