New members elected to University Extension Council
Congratulations are extended to seven new council members who were elected to the Phelps County University of Missouri Extension Council following elections held county-wide on February 13-17, 2012.
New Council members are as follows:
District (County-East): Scott Alford, Victor Schaefferkoetter
District (County-West): Jo-Annie Chapman, Heath Pickerill
District (Rolla): Alfaye Jackson, Sherrie Senne, Barry White
New Council members will serve a two year term, effective March 1, 2012.
University of Missouri Extension aims to extend the education and information resources available through the University of Missouri to members of the local community. Council members play an important role in this process guiding the direction that programming takes in the county.
The Phelps County Extension Council meets at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of the month at the extension center. Open to the public.
Spring Brings Nasty Weather
Having a plan can help your family make it through any disaster with minimal stress. A comprehensive family disaster plan includes information about each family member, household pets, insurance and finances, the home itself and its contents. Most important, the plan outlines what each family member should do during an emergency and identifies safe places inside and outside the home.
University of Missouri Extension has created a disaster plan template to guide families through the development process. Creating a plan begins with a family meeting to discuss and decide how the family will respond to a disaster. Use this template to guide the process.
Family Disaster Plan (PDF)
Soil testing
Don’t guess. Soil tests save time and 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 $14 per sample and mailed to the lab every Friday with a turn around time of about two weeks. Soil testing publications
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