Natural resources

Features

Evaluating habitat of white-tailed deer on Your property

White-tailed deer are one of Missouri’s most valuable resources, and many Missouri landowners, hunters and deer enthusiasts are interested in managing their properties to improve habitat conditions for them.

Tornado Alley shifts eastward this storm season

Tornado Alley will probably see slightly fewer tornadoes this storm season, while areas to its east will see a more than average number of tornadoes. Watch the video.

Fire danger is based upon burning index

The burning index takes into account the fuel moisture, relative humidity, wind speed, temperature and recent precipitation. The burning index is the basis for fire suppression crew staffing levels.

Extended drought can put fish ponds at risk

Resources threatened by this year's drought include ponds that depend on surface runoff for water.

A burning question

Crafting a tool to inform fire management.

High-grading brings down health, value of woodland

Unsuspecting woodland owners selling timber often fall victim to a practice known as "high-grading" — cutting the best trees and leaving the rest.

News

• MU hosts international elderberry symposium, June 9-14
  Tuesday, May 21, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo. – More than 120 international horticulturists, botanists, biochemists, food scientists, economists and farmers will attend the First International Symposium on Elderberry, June 9-14 at Stoney Creek Inn in Columbia.
  
  Media available: photos
• Thousand cankers disease threatens Missouri walnut trees
  Monday, May 20, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri’s black walnut trees could be in trouble if thousand cankers disease (TCD) moves in from bordering Tennessee.
  
  Media available: photos
• MU website tracks risk of nitrogen loss
  Friday, May 17, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo.– Grain producers can track rainfall and risk of nitrogen loss during spring on a website from a University of Missouri plant scientist.
• Wet spring puts plants at risk if hot, dry weather arrives
  Friday, May 17, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo. – The excessive spring rains could put plants at risk when Missouri weather turns dry and hot.
• Stick with normal hybrid corn maturities for now
  Thursday, May 16, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo. – Corn growers should stick with their normal hybrid maturities rather than switch to earlier-season maturities through the end of May, says a University of Missouri Extension corn specialist.
• To raise quality, make hay before seeds set
  Thursday, May 16, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo. – “Don’t delay making hay,” says Rob Kallenbach, University of Missouri Extension.
• April and May set weather records
  Thursday, May 16, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo. – Lots of rain, low temperatures and even snow set weather records in April and May in Missouri.
  
  Media available: audio; photo
• Topsoil lost to rainfall costs farmers money
  Tuesday, May 14, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo. – As rainfall increases, the amount of topsoil decreases. So does the amount of grain the land can produce.
  
  Media available: photo
• MU bobwhite quail/native pollinator field day set for June 20
  Monday, May 13, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo.–The University of Missouri’s Bradford Research Center will host a bobwhite quail and native pollinator field day Thursday, June 20, 1-7 p.m.
• Slow-growing pastures need more warmth, not added fertility, says MU forage specialist
  Friday, May 10, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo. – After a long, slow start, pasture grass just needs more time and warm weather.
• MU agronomist: Plant now, add nitrogen later
  Tuesday, May 7, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo. – The wettest first quarter of the year since 2008 has delayed nitrogen fertilizer applications and corn planting.
  
  Media available: photos
• Spring comes late to the dance
  Friday, May 3, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo. – Talk about being all dressed up with nowhere to go. Too many Missouri gardeners are watching spring days slip away because of cool, wet weather, which has delayed the gardening season well past the frost-free date.
  
  Media available: audio; photo
• Cold, snow at start of May could injure corn seeds
  Thursday, May 2, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo. –Plummeting temperatures in Missouri could mean poor stands of corn and seed damage.
• Drenching rains, low temps dampen corn planting
  Friday, April 26, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo. – It’s too early to call it too late to plant corn, says a University of Missouri cereal crops specialist.
  
  Media available: photo
• Parts of Missouri still facing drought
  Monday, April 15, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo. –While much of Missouri was drought-free at the end of March, other parts are still in moderate to severe hydrological drought, said Pat Guinan, climatologist for the University of Missouri Extension Commercial Agriculture Program.
  
  Media available: audio; photo
• Cool soils delay early corn planting
  Wednesday, April 10, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo.– Missouri farmers itching to plant corn find that soil temperatures are well below the 13-year average, according to University of Missouri Extension specialists.
  
  Media available: photos
• Tornado Alley shifts eastward this storm season
  Monday, April 8, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo. - Tornado Alley will probably see slightly fewer tornadoes this storm season, while areas to its east will see a more than average number of tornadoes, says a climate expert at the University of Missouri.
  
  Media available: photos; video
• Mark your calendars for MU field days
  Monday, April 8, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo.– Whether you’re a seasoned farmer or this spring is your first in the field, the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) field days will offer ample opportunities to learn about techniques, tools and technology that you can employ on your farm.
  
  Media available: photos
• In-between crops
  Tuesday, April 2, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo. — They have intriguing names such as hairy vetch, pearl millet and birdsfoot trefoil. Collectively known as cover crops or green manure, they've been used for years to increase soil productivity by fixing atmospheric nitrogen into soil, making it available for cash crops such as corn and saving farmers money on input costs.
  
  Media available: photos
• Snow can present challenges for livestock
  Wednesday, March 20, 2013
  NEW LONDON, Mo.– Spring is here, but parts of Missouri still aren’t through with winter weather.
• MU weather stations provide real-time data across the state
  Tuesday, March 19, 2013
  MONROE CITY, Mo. –Monroe City boasts the newest of the state’s automated real-time weather stations operated by University of Missouri Extension’s Commercial Agriculture Program, said Pat Guinan, MU Extension assistant professor of climatology.
  
  Media available: photo
• Drought damage: Which trees will survive?
  Monday, March 18, 2013
  GALLATIN, Mo. – Last year’s drought left many of Missouri’s trees and shrubs in trouble. As spring arrives, we’ll learn what survived and what did not.
  
  Media available: photos
• The beginning of 2013 brings drought relief to Missouri
  Monday, March 18, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo. – Last year’s high temperatures and long-term drought conditions left Missouri with a major soil-moisture and surface-water deficit. But as the adage goes, “Don’t like Missouri weather, just wait and it will change.”
  
  Media available: photo
• Committee searching for nutrient reduction strategies
  Tuesday, February 12, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo.– Nutrient loads can cause problems with water quality. That’s why the Missouri Nutrient Reduction Strategy Committee is working to decrease the amount of nutrients that end up in the Mississippi River.
• Six feet under, the drought lives on
  Thursday, February 7, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo.– Even if the Midwest gets normal rain and snow, it will take almost two years for soil moisture deep in the earth to recharge and sustain normal crop growth, said a University of Missouri soil scientist.
  
  Media available: video
• Atrazine has a huge impact on Missouri economy
  Tuesday, January 22, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo.–Atrazine, presently used on more than 85 percent of the corn acres in Missouri, is considered one of the most effective and least costly herbicides in use. University of Missouri Extension is helping farmers and communities manage atrazine runoff so the herbicide remains available.
• Emergency farm loans available after USDA disaster designations
  Friday, January 11, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo.– Thirty-one Missouri counties are among almost 600 counties across the U.S. that have been designated by the USDA as primary natural disaster areas due to drought and heat. Farm operators in these counties are eligible for low-interest emergency loans from USDA.
  
  Media available: video
• Cropping system strategies to mitigate drought
  Tuesday, January 8, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo.– Producers can take steps to reduce the impact of drought, should we face another shortage of rainfall in 2013, says a University of Missouri plant scientist.
• When do farmers need energy audits on their farms?
  Thursday, January 3, 2013
  COLUMBIA, Mo.–In general, it’s a good idea for farmers to look at energy use on their farm every five years and consider opportunities to reduce energy consumption, says Don Day, energy extension associate for University of Missouri Extension.
• Expect 8 Percent Meat Price Increase in 2013 Due to Drought’s Impact on Livestock
  Thursday, August 9, 2012
  COLUMBIA, Mo. – The livestock industry is taking a direct hit by this summer’s drought, and that will impact consumers’ wallets next year, says a University of Missouri agricultural economist.
  
  Media available: video
• Turning food waste into energy
  Thursday, May 10, 2012
  COLUMBIA, Mo. – America is not only a land of big waistlines, but also of big waste when it comes to food.
  
  Media available: photos; video
• Use shock chlorination to disinfect contaminated wells
  Thursday, April 28, 2011
  BLOOMFIELD, Mo. – Heavy rains and rising rivers may flood wells. “Wells could be contaminated with bacteria, viruses or parasites that can make you ill,” said Van Ayers, an MU Extension agriculture and rural development specialist.

Websites

The following are general-interest natural resources Websites from the University of Missouri. Browse the menu on the left for sites on more specific natural resources topics.

• Agricultural Experiment Station
• CARES - Center for Applied Research and Environmental Systems
  Aids interested public and private parties in learning about and managing our resources.
• College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
• CPAC - Community Policy Analysis Center
  Provides research, outreach and training to support improved policy decisions in Missouri communities.
• Missouri Master Naturalist
  A community-based natural resource education and volunteer service program sponsored jointly by the Missouri Department of Conservation and MU Extension.

Publications

The following are general-interest natural resources publications. Browse the menu on the left for more specific natural resources publications.

• DVD21, Brazilogy: T-Shirt Cantata, Adventures of the Amazon Queen, and The Hammock Variations DVD

You may be interested in these related publications:

• MP205, Extension Publications Catalog