Easy use of DNA data enhances cow herds growing quality beef
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Beef-cow herd owners will learn new ways to raise better calves at three University of Missouri meetings in March. The sessions lead producers from proven breeding to new uses of DNA.MU Extension animal scientists David Patterson and Jared Decker will lead the ReproGene Meetings.Management of fixed-time artificial insemination allows more live calves and more uniform calf crops.
Most of Missouri remains in drought
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Most of Missouri remains in a drought, according to a map released Feb. 8 by the National Drought Mitigation Center.The drought affects livestock farmers facing dwindling hay reserves. Row crop farmers are eyeing the situation with caution as planting season nears.
Missouri Dairy Profit Seminars set at 5 locations
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension, Missouri Dairy Association and Multimin USA will hold the 2018 Missouri Dairy Profit Seminar at five locations throughout the state Feb. 19-23, said MU Extension veterinarian Scott Poock.The event is free for dairy producers, but lunch reservations are required. A fee of $20 is required for non-dairy producers. This will be a good opportunity for producers to learn of several ways to…
Alliance plans fescue schools to teach replacing toxic grass
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Ways to replace toxic tall fescue pastures keep improving as renovations move across the Fescue Belt from Missouri to Georgia.Five grazing schools in five states in March will clarify a complex system, says Craig Roberts, University of Missouri Extension forage specialist.
Choose your tax preparer wisely
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Exercise caution if you pay someone to do your taxes, says University of Missouri Extension personal finance specialist Andrew Zumwalt.Most tax return preparers are professional and honest, but not all, he says.
Advice for choosing a tax preparer
If you pay someone to do your taxes, be careful. Most tax return preparers are professional and honest, but some are not.
Beware of tax scams
Don’t fall victim to tax scamsThese schemes take several shapes, ranging from promises of large tax refunds to illegal ways of “untaxing” yourself. The IRS suggests that you remember three important guidelines:
Paying to borrow your own money is a bad deal
The ball at Times Square had barely touched bottom before the ads for tax-refund loans began broadcasting across the country. But getting tax refund money just a few days earlier can cost you.
Downtown Hannibal business cooks up success with MU Extension
HANNIBAL, Mo. – In her 20s, Linda Studer had a dream of opening a business in historic Hannibal.
EPA extends deadline for poultry and livestock facilities
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension agricultural engineering specialist Teng Lim advises poultry and livestock producers to be aware of an approaching deadline that could affect their operations.
Compost bedded pack barns offer cow comfort and higher production
MACOMB, Mo. – Happy, healthy cows give more milk.Southwestern Missouri dairy farmers find that cows housed in compost bedded pack barns are healthy, happy and produce more milk, says University of Missouri Extension dairy specialist Ted Probert.
Flood-related resources from MU Extension
News releases, publications and more. News releases
Pig disease on upswing in U.S.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Pork producers need to know what to do if a vesicular disease strikes their operation.The Seneca Valley virus (SVV) disease is on the upswing in the United States, says Corinne Bromfield, University of Missouri Extension veterinarian.The Swine Health Information Center reported that diagnostics labs had seen more than 60 cases of SVV from January to June 2016. They reported only 20 cases in the previous 30 years.
Soybean disease not usually seen in state shows in NW Missouri
Note: Revised to correct spelling of “sclerotinia.”COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension agronomy specialist Wayne Flanary says about 160 acres of soybean in northwestern Missouri show symptoms of sclerotinia stem rot. The MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic confirmed the disease, which can cause large losses in fields with high yield potential.
Prepare for disease outbreaks in livestock operations with written plan
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A written plan to respond to disease outbreaks for your livestock operation is like insurance. You hope you never need it. You may never need it. But if there is an outbreak, the economic survival of your livestock operation might depend on having that plan.Planning and prevention are the best insurance against an outbreak, says University of Missouri Extension economist Ray Massey.
Good ration affects cow profits, MU field day to tell of nutrition
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri beef producers have it good when it comes to feed resources, says Eric Bailey, University of Missouri Extension nutritionist.On Sept. 21 at the MU Thompson Farm, Spickard, he’ll share his good news. Bailey, new to Missouri, can tell what cow owners face in New Mexico, Texas and Kansas. “I’ve seen lots of prairie hay with no nutrient value at all,” Bailey says.
Joe Lear returns to NW Missouri as new MU Extension regional director
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Changing jobs from director of enterprise server technology at Kansas State to regional director for University of Missouri Extension might sound like an odd career move, but Joe Lear is not new to extension nor to northwestern Missouri.
Train employees, others before livestock disease outbreaks occur
COLUMBIA, Mo. – One small breach of protocol can lead to a disease outbreak and financial loss for livestock producers.An MU Extension team teaches livestock producers throughout Missouri to follow protocols that protect animal and human health, food and the environment.The team received USDA Extension Education funding to offer a series of biosecurity workshops in Missouri recently.
Facebook to farm
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Women livestock farmers can help build their business through Facebook in a few minutes each day, says Amber Henry of Henry Meat Co. of De Soto. She also serves on the Jefferson County University of Missouri Extension Council.Henry showed women at MU Extension’s recent Pearls of Production workshop how to build a following of loyal customers.Facebook is “a vitally important marketplace,” she says. And it does not take…
Tax refund advice: Save some, spend some
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Income tax refunds are ready to roll out. You might want to hold on to some of that cash.Refunds are wages you earn throughout the year and should be thought of as hard-earned money rather than found money, says Andrew Zumwalt, personal finance specialist with University of Missouri Extension.For the wise, a refund windfall is a chance to stash some of the cash in an emergency fund. Use some to pay down high-interest…
4-H community uses fair premiums to help ill 10-year-old
MARSHALL, Mo. – Fairgoers at the annual Saline County 4-H and FFA Youth Fair got more than they bid for this year. 4-H and FFA members and the crowd raised almost $10,000 for Haley Browning, a terminally ill 10-year-old from Marshall. Doctors found cancer after she had a seizure last year. She was airlifted to Kansas City, where doctors found a mass on a kidney.
Farm bill action possible in early 2018 if Congress keeps much of present law
COLUMBIA, Mo. – There’s an open window for passing a farm bill in early 2018, says Scott Brown, University of Missouri policy analyst. But potential passage gets tough by late spring.Getting action depends on Congress quickly agreeing to pass a farm bill much like what exists.Mostly, farmers are pleased with current legislation, Brown told the MU Crop Management Conference. But every commodity group has ideas for tweaks to their parts…
Improved drone technology gives farmers edge in scouting fields
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Drones are higher in quality and lower in price than they were just a few years ago when farmers began using them, says University of Missouri Extension natural resources engineer Kent Shannon.