February Articles

Researcher doubles bluegill growth rate

February 27, 2002

A University of Missouri researcher has found feeding bluegill like they eat in nature can double their growth rate. The feeding program is like when pond fish have times with a little food followed by times when there is lots of food.

The feeding method takes advantage of compensatory growth. In nature the result is animals grow abnormally fast after a food shortage. This may create a bluegill food market.

Robert Hayward, MU associate professor of fisheries and wildlife, said, "here's the kicker, we've been able to cause fish to grow twice as large in the same amount of time as fish fed all they want to eat every day.”

The restricted diet does no harm to the fish, he said, since data shows long periods of very low food are common for fish in nature.

Bluegill is considered an up and coming species for food markets, Hayward told producers at the Missouri Aquaculture Association's Annual conference.

For the food market, you must get the bluegills up to half a pound, which is a good-sized bluegill. To make it economical, you must do that within two years. “With conventional feeding, bluegills reach this size in about three years,” he said.

There are two species in Hayward's research - pure bluegills and a hybrid cross between bluegill and green sunfish. The hybrid was thought to be the faster growing of the two.

Side-by-side lab tests for 300 days showed the growth of bluegill far exceeds that of the hybrid. Hayward said male bluegills are the fastest growers by far and represent the best prospect for a commercial food market.

MU researchers are working on ways to separate males. One way is to simply size-separate; males are larger when they are two to three inches long.

A more high-tech way is sex reversal. The sex of the fish is not determined until they are 40 to 70 days old and can be changed by certain environmental cues, Hayward said. Treating with male hormones has worked in some fish to change the sex from female.

Missouri now has a small bluegill industry stocking recreational ponds. Hayward thinks there is a consumer market for the larger bluegill meat that would be Missouri pond-raised.

The flesh is good to excellent and most people know bluegill, especially in the Midwest.

The source for information in this article is Robert Hayward, MU associate professor of fisheries and wildlife, (573) 882-2353 haywardr@missouri.edu. This article was edited by Jim Jarman, Agronomy Specialist, (573)642-0755 from the Callaway County Extension Center. All University of Missouri Extension programs are open to all.

The Thomas Jefferson Institute will be hosting sunflower workshops across Missouri during March. This is a response to a current worldwide shortage of sunflower oil creating strong markets. Three informal sessions have been planned to discuss advantages, crop performance and markets. The closest one to Callaway County is at the Greenley Research Center, 1 mile east of Novelty on Highway 156 this Friday, March 1, 2002 beginning at 12:00 p.m. Please contact the Jefferson Institute at 573-449-3518 for more information. Meals will be provided at all meetings.

Subsurface drainage systems may boost NE Missouri yields 

February 20, 2002

Experiments in northeast Missouri last year indicate subsurface drainage systems in claypan soils can boost yields significantly, and further tests to refine the system could make it profitable for some producers. 

Kelly Nelson directs the MU Drainage and Sub-irrigation (MUDS) research project at MU Greenley Memorial Research Center near Novelty, Mo. Kelly spoke at the Audrain County Soils and Crops Conference last month. In experimental plots near Palmyra, Mo, drainage tiles were installed at the topsoil-claypan interface at a field day sponsored by Port Industries, spacing the rows of tiles 50 feet apart. 

"We need to identify the optimum spacing," Nelson told the Audrain County audience. "From what we saw, a 50-foot spacing appears to be too wide. Above the drain tiles, we had 13 bushels more per acre than we did between the rows 25 feet away.  Additional research was initiated in 2001 to evaluate 20, 30, and 40 ft drain tile spacing." 

Extension research at Ohio State University has shown subsurface drainage systems can boost corn yields by up to 50 bushels per acre and boost soybean yields by 44 percent. Nelson said the reasons are many. Drainage increases aeration, which promotes root growth and nutrient availability and can help reduce the impact of field operations on compaction. It can reduce the incidence of disease that are usually associated with wet areas in a field. 

Drainage can be either on the soil surface or subsurface, but surface drainage leads to more topsoil runoff - a problem anywhere but a great concern in northeast Missouri, where a relatively thin topsoil layer rests atop the impervious claypan. In addition, a subsurface system can serve a dual purpose, draining the soil when it is wet and recharging it during drought periods. The research is utilizing the drain tiles as a water source or subsurface irrigation 

Another reason that producers might want to consider drainage tiles in their fields is the pushing of planting dates earlier and earlier. When we get hit with a lot of rain, farmers are often holed up in the house or the shop wondering when it is going to dry out. With a drainage system, we can get out in the fields in a timely manner. 

Nelson measured soil temperatures at various points in the experimental plots. He discovered that the soil near the tiles warmed up more quickly after a rainfall - up to 4 degrees warmer during the day, and that is when a lot of the growth takes place. 

Laboratory analysis of the plants nearest the tiles indicated those plants contained more nitrogen in their leaf tissue. There was greater nutrient uptake, and therefore more in the plant, when the site was drained. 

The cost of a subsurface drainage system depends largely on site location and tile spacing. Kelly estimated the 50-foot spacing cost $400 per acre to install, while drainage tile rows installed at 25-foot intervals would cost about $600 per acre. 

The source of information for this article is Kelly Nelson (660) 739-4410 and Jim Jarman, Agronomy Specialist, 573-642-0755. 

A quick look at the Senate passed Farm Bill: $45 billion in spending over the next 5 years; conservation spending doubled; limits subsidy amount a farm can receive; pork and other products are required to be labeled with their country of origin; meatpackers are banned from owning or controlling hogs and other meat animals within 14 days prior to slaughter; $8.4 billion for domestic nutrition programs; private financing for food sales to Cuba permitted; and subsidy rates boosted for grains along with a safety-net program when prices are low. The differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill will be worked out by Conference Committee. The source of this information is Kelly R. Dyer, Ag. Business Specialist at the Johnson Co. MU Extension Center.

2002 Private Pesticide Applicator Training

February 13, 2002

Training for private pesticide applicators will begin this month.  Typically, farmers may need to use a Restricted Use Pesticide commonly referred to as a "RUP". A pesticide classified as a RUP has been judged by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to have special handling needs. These needs may are not serious enough to have the pesticide removed from the market. Still, some method is needed to insure these pesticides are handled and applied properly. Private Pesticide Applicator Training (PPAT) is the answer. 

Since 1974, approximately 40,000 private applicators have been trained and licensed to apply RUPs in Missouri. After going through training a farmer is "certified". Certified applicators are licensed so they can legally buy, apply and supervise the application of RUPs. Licensed, certified applicators have to recertify or renew their training every 5 years. The Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA), the lead agency for pesticides in Missouri, informs County Extension Centers of expiring certified applicator licenses. This way the applicators can be kept informed of their certification status. Private applicators can recertify at any time. But, if they let their certification expire and do not recertify within 90 days, they must take the certification training again.

Pesticide applicator training, certification, licensing and recertification are intended to help answer public concerns over potential pesticides human health and environmental effects. Also, new laws and regulations, which govern pesticides and their use, make a certification and recertification program essential. For example, there have been changes in the Worker Protection Standards and the Endangered Species Program, plus new legislation, called the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA)

The private applicator program covers 13 specialty categories in private applicator training including: the principles of pest control, pesticide labeling and formulations, environmental concerns, harmful effects and emergency response, pesticide handling, application equipment, calculations for proper application, transportation, storage, disposal, cleanup, and the effects on the human body.

The trainings for first time applicator certification or those with an expired license will be held:  Thursday, February 21, 2002 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the Callaway Extension Center, 5803 Co. Rd. 302, Fulton MO., Call (573) 642-0755;

Thursday, February 28, 2002, 2002 beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Cole County Extension Center, 2436 Tanner Bridge Rd, Jefferson City, MO., Call (573) 634-2824;

Thursday, March 7, 1999 beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Courthouse basement, Mexico, MO., Call (573) 581-3231; and

Wednesday, March 13, 2002 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the High School in Westphalia, MO., call (573) 897-3648.

                        Please call the listed telephone number for reservations.

The latest RUP information is available electronically over the Agricultural Electronic Bulletin Board (AgEBB) at: http://agebb.missouri.edu/, click on the “Pesticide Applicator Training” and then the “Missouri Restricted-Use Pesticide List” hot links. Other important information on pesticide application is located at this site. For further information, you can call your local University of Missouri Extension centers at: (573) 642-0755 – Callaway County, (573) 581 3231 – Audrain County, (573) 634 2824 – Cole County, and (573) 897 3648 – Osage County.

This article was written by Jim Jarman, Agronomy Specialist, at the Callaway County Extension Center and will hold the training sessions.

New Central Hotline for U.S. Poison Control Centers. 

February 6, 2002

Americans for the first time can use a single toll-free telephone number to reach a poison control center anywhere in the nation. Officials launched the national hotline, 1-800-222-1222, and applauded it as an overdue joining of the country's 65 separately run poison centers. Callers dialing the number will be automatically linked to the closest poison center.

Missourians do have their own St. Louis’ Cardinal Glennon Memorial Hospital as our poison control center. It can be reached directly at 1-800-366-8888. Still, if you are away on vacation or a distant friend or relative calls about a poisoning emergency, the national number can literally be a lifesaver.

The nation's first poison centers opened in 1953, and since then a number of centers have opened independently. Until now, national poison prevention education was slowed by the by the way poison centers developed according to Dr. Alan D. Woolf, the president of the American Association of Poison Control Centers. Our 65 centers had more than 130 telephone numbers.

The new number is part of a $21.2 million federal effort to update poison control centers across the country. Centers field calls on around 2.2 million suspected poisonings a year, mostly involving young children. About 3 out of 4 poisonings can be safely handled at home with the help of a poison center aide. Although, 700 to 800 calls made to centers each year-end in death.

Representative Edolphus Towns (D-NY) said that the new national hotline would ``help save lives and prevent costly trips to emergency rooms.'' Towns wrote the House bill that led to congressional approval of the poison control centers' new money.

Half of all calls to poison centers involve preschool-age children, though calls involving adults or elderly persons tend to be more serious. A print and radio-based education campaign will urge children to avoid household poisons and urge parents to post poison control numbers near their phones.

Household cleaners and chemicals make up the bulk of poisonous substances in homes, though perfumes, medications, pesticides and spider and animal bites can also lead to poisoning. Members of the public can obtain stickers, magnets, and other promotional materials by calling the toll-free number.

Private Pesticide Applicator Training (PPAT) materials include an emergency number handout. This handout is available to anyone needing the above toll free telephone numbers plus others to aid with pesticide or other chemical emergencies. To further aid in pesticide safety, a PPAT session for agricultural producers needing to apply Restricted Use Pesticides (RUP) will be held at the Callaway Extension Center February 21, 2002 beginning at 6:30 p.m.

This original article by Todd Zwillich was modified for Missouri and Callaway County by Jim Jarman, Agronomy Specialist (573) 642-0755.

Return to Callaway County Extension Home Page
	Jim Jarman, jarmanj@missouri.edu Agronomy Specialist, (573) 642-0755 Site maintained by: Jen Pauley, pauleyj@missouri.edu Last update: 04/27/06