Do spring safety check on and off the farm
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Planting season brings increased risk of physical injury and mental stress among farmworkers and families, says University of Missouri Extension safety and health specialist Karen Funkenbusch. Before heading to the fields, review basic safety lessons with workers and family members, she says. Rural roadway safety
Keeping Missourians up to speed
When Ron Brown was approached to check out University of Missouri Extension’s Master Gardener program, he thought the opportunity to expand his already extensive gardening knowledge would only help as he worked in his home garden and a community garden in Ferguson, Mo. But Brown wasn’t sure what to expect since he hadn’t been in a classroom in years.
Bold goal, bold future: Doubling the value of Missouri agriculture by 2030
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension’s bold goal for a bold future takes the old adage “go big or go home” to another level. What is the bold goal? Double the value of Missouri agriculture by 2030 while sustaining the state’s natural resources.
Data sheets document UM System's impact
COLUMBIA, Mo. – County-level data sheets on the impact of the University of Missouri System are at www.umsystem.edu/ums/sc/datasheets. The printable two-page PDFs have been updated with data for FY 2020.
Missouri land values continue to grow
COLUMBIA, Mo. – All classes of Missouri land values grew steadily in the past year, according to the University of Missouri Extension’s annual survey of farmers, rural appraisers and agricultural lenders.Ray Massey, MU Extension agricultural economics professor, heads the survey efforts.
Missouri farmer spreads MU Extension mission to beginning producers
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri’s array of soils and topography allows producers to grow an extensive list of vegetables, from leafy greens to cucurbits. Springfield farmer Curtis Millsap is one of many producers who benefit from University of Missouri Extension guidance on commercial horticulture. Since 2003 he and his wife, Sarah, have been working with MU Extension, particularly horticulture specialist Patrick Byers.
Free hotline offers counseling, referrals for Missourians in crisis
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missourians in crisis can take advantage of a free 24-hour hotline for stress counseling as well as information and referrals on legal, financial, crisis/disaster and personal health topics. Individuals can seek help by phone or live online chat.
Connecting to Careers
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Scott Hoad was at a low point this spring, trying to piece together a decent living after being laid off from a job painting commercial aircraft. Then Hoad crossed paths with Amy Patillo, a University of Missouri Extension labor and workforce development specialist based in Springfield.
The Power of Partnership
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri has launched MU Community Connect, a platform designed to improve opportunities for connection between the university and various populations in the communities they serve.
Cultivando la Inclusividad
En base a la población, Estados Unidos es el segundo país de mayor población hispana del mundo, según el U.S. Census Bureau (censo americano). Si contamos todas las personas bilingües y aquellos que su lengua nativa es el español, Estados Unidos tiene mas gente de habla hispana que España. ¿Cómo pueden los especialistas de MU Extensión asegurarse de poder servir a la población hispana en Missouri?
Cultivating Inclusivity
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. – By population, the United States is the second-largest Spanish-speaking country in the world, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Counting both bilingual and native speakers of Spanish, the U.S. has more people who can speak Spanish than Spain itself. How do MU Extension specialists make sure they serve Missourians who speak Spanish?
Missouri 4-H holds virtual livestock judging contest
COLUMBIA, Mo – The 2020 University of Missouri Extension State 4-H Livestock Judging Contest took place virtually Sept. 12-13. More than 100 youths from across the state applied their evaluation and communication skills in this contest.Youths involved with the livestock judging program develop key life skills to aid in their future career success, says Maria Calvert, state 4-H agriculture and natural resources educator.
FireUP Your HR for Small Business
Seize the opportunity to develop real-time human resource (HR) tools in order to get better results and gain a distinct competitive edge.
Streaming through a pandemic, Creative Edge - Cape Girardeau, MO
Wray founded Creative Edge in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, in 1999, largely as a real estate marketing agency. His primary goal was to build a company that helped businesses “create their edge in the marketplace.” The company now produces nearly 50 real estate TV shows across the country. Recently, Wray added a Creative Services division that works with other industries, including agriculture, health care, and manufacturing. At the end of…
UM System Health Care Finder: Helping to identify and solve local health care needs
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The new University of Missouri System Health Care Finder aims to increase Missourians’ access to health care and boost the state’s health care outcomes.
MU Extension: Do not plant seeds you did not order
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension horticulturists are asking the public to report unsolicited seed deliveries.MU Extension horticulturist Robert Balek notes that there have been reports from around the country of people receiving small padded envelopes of seed that they did not order. The seeds appear to originate from China.
MU Extension announces '4-H Goes Online'
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Starting this fall, Missouri 4-H will be able to reach more youths and families across the state through an easy-to-use online learning platform called Canvas that brings 4-H project-based learning directly into the home.
Broadband is a necessary utility. Let’s treat it like one.
Editorial by Marshall Stewart, University of Missouri vice chancellor for extension and engagement, and chief engagement officer for the University of Missouri System.
Nanova — Columbia
Updates to Nanova’s story:
New COVID-19 tracking tool monitors continuous 14-day trends as nation, states reopen
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A new tracking tool developed at the University of Missouri provides a continuously updated 14-day snapshot of new cases of COVID-19 in every county in the nation, helping the public monitor trends in cases as local stay-at-home restrictions are lifted and other measures are gradually repealed.
MU Extension offers Wednesday town hall meetings online for farmers, gardeners
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension is offering online town hall meetings led by agronomy, livestock and horticulture specialists.“MU Extension has long served as a trusted and necessary resource to help Missourians get food on the table and gardens in the backyard,” says Lee Miller, coordinator of MU’s Integrated Pest Management program. “We’ll strive to continue this even through COVID-19.”
MU CARES launches COVID-19 Testing Dashboard
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri’s Center for Applied Research and Engagement Systems (CARES) has launched the COVID-19 Testing Dashboard, an online mapping and charting tool that provides a graphical look at COVID-19 testing in each state. Testing rates and positive test rates are important indicators for the prevalence of COVID-19 in populations as states move toward easing physical distancing restrictions and allowing…
Why small business owners need to understand copyrights
People see the little copyright sign daily, but do they ever stop to think what it really means? We see it in books, music or any published work as we go through our day. We might hear about copyright occasionally in news dealing with who really owns a certain piece of work, art or even a product.
Your business income statement has a few surprises
Many small business owners take their financial statements and put them on the back burner. This lack of attention can result in the business owner being caught in a cash flow crunch or, worse, waking up one day to ask, “Where has my money gone?”
How to protect your valuable business ideas
Every business has ideas it has developed to do things more efficiently. It may be that a business owner has come up with a way to produce a product in a manner competitors cannot copy. Better yet, the owner may have devised a variation on an existing product that makes it more durable in the marketplace. The creation of a business customer list is another example of a valuable development.