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Better numbers, better farm
WARSAW, Mo. – Handling farm finances wisely means knowing some key numbers that indicate the health of your operation.
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MU Extension offers beef feeding financial tool
POTOSI, Mo. – A risk management strategy for buying or retaining cattle is the goal of a new tool from University of Missouri Extension. The Beef Feeding Profitability Tracker, developed by MU Extension agricultural business specialist Rachel Hopkins, is a free Excel spreadsheet tool that lets producers track input costs of groups of cattle.
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Are insects the future of food?
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – More than a quarter of the world’s population already eats insects as a protein source. You may find these unusual delicacies in your future, too, says University of Missouri Extension field horticulturist Tamra Reall.
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Experts urge biosecurity in poultry flocks
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Strict biosecurity is urged in Missouri poultry operations to prevent the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), which has been confirmed in five southwestern Missouri counties. Federal officials have confirmed HPAI in commercial poultry flocks in Newton, Jasper, McDonald, Lawrence and Barry counties.
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Missouri Master Gardener class offered at Lake of the Ozarks
LAKE OZARK, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension will offer Extension Master Gardener training at the Lake of the Ozarks, says MU Extension agronomist and Lake Area Master Gardener program coordinator Rudra Baral. Sessions are 6-9 p.m. Mondays, March 24 to June 23, at the Lake Ozark Fire Protection District training room, 1767 Bagnell Dam Blvd., Lake Ozark.
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Master Gardener classes offered in NW Missouri
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension will offer Master Gardener training at two northwestern Missouri locations along the U.S. 36 corridor, says MU Extension horticulturist Gwen Funk. Both sessions are offered Tuesdays and Thursdays from March 4 to April 17. One course runs noon-2:30 p.m. at the Buchanan County MU Extension Center in St. Joseph. A second is offered 6-8:30 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Cameron.
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This Valentine's Day, be a love bug
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Valentine’s Day isn’t just for humans, says University of Missouri Extension urban entomologist Emily Althoff. Missouri insects need and deserve love, too. Insects affect the environment with major roles in pollination, pest control, decomposition and the food web, Althoff says. “Ensuring insects are happy and healthy is important to sustaining our environment as well as agriculture.”
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Candy is dandy, except for pets
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Your furry friends likely share your fondness for Valentine’s Day chocolate and other seasonal confections. But candy, especially chocolate, is anything but sweet for your pet, says University of Missouri Extension veterinary toxicologist Timothy Evans. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center ranks chocolates as the seventh top pet toxin.
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Garden Steward program begins in KC area
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension and the AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP program offer a free basic gardening class in the greater Kansas City area. MU Extension horticulturist Tamra Reall said the Extension Garden Steward program gives prospective gardeners the basics of gardening in a five-week evening class. The program is free for residents in Jackson, Clay and Platte counties.
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MU Extension holds food safety training for processors
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension will hold food safety training for food processors March 24-25 on the MU campus in Columbia. Lakshmikantha “Kantha” Channaiah, state extension specialist in food processing and an assistant professor in the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, will lead the HACCP (hazard analysis and critical control points) training.
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Early-career lenders can strengthen skills at MU Ag Lenders School
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Agricultural lenders seeking to sharpen their skills are invited to register for the University of Missouri Agricultural Lenders School, June 2-5 in Columbia. MU Extension agricultural economist Ryan Milhollin says the school is tailored to help early-career lenders and those new to agricultural loan responsibilities develop the knowledge and confidence to serve farm clients effectively.
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Master Naturalists study rare bats in NE Missouri
INDIAN CREEK, Mo. – Members of the Mississippi Hills Missouri Master Naturalist chapter, located in the Hannibal area, are excited about a growing population of an endangered bat species that inhabits two locations in northeastern Missouri.
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Master Naturalists: Improving Missouri's environment for 20 years
HANNIBAL, Mo. – For the past 20 years, Master Naturalists have conducted educational projects and volunteer community service to improve Missouri’s environment. Master Naturalists are drawn to everything in nature from birds and bats to bees and trees.
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10 tips to keep the romance in relationships
COLUMBIA, Mo. – If you had to name the most important thing in your life, what would it be? Chances are it would be a relationship: with your significant other, children, parents, some other family member or good friends. Relationships are not just important in the “feel good” sense. They also have a strong impact on our mental and physical health, says Kale Monk, a University of Missouri associate professor and state extension youth…
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Colorful flowers, sweet treats and relationship tips for Valentine’s Day
There’s more to Valentine’s Day than roses and chocolate. Bouquets and floral arrangements are often used to say simply “I love you” or “thank you,” but, as University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein explains, people have used floriography, the language of flowers, to express a variety of sentiments and messages.
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The language of flowers blossoms on Valentine's Day
COLUMBIA, Mo. – More than a century ago, the floral delivery service FTD adopted the slogan “Say it with flowers.” It turns out you can say quite a bit with flowers, notes University of Missouri Extension state horticulturist David Trinklein. Floriography, the language of flowers, refers to communicating cryptically through the meaning or symbolism of certain flowers and flower colors.
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Fall for strawberries, the fruit of love
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Strawberries are a delectable treat any time of year, but in February they are known as the fruit of love, says University of Missouri Extension horticulturist Michele Warmund. Long before the celebration of Valentine’s Day, the strawberry symbolized love and fertility due to its shape, color and wealth of seeds on the fruit surface.
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Heart-shaped leaves can add to a Valentine’s Day gift
COLUMBIA, Mo. –While roses steal the show on Valentine’s Day, many plants produce heart-shaped leaves that can be a part of a bouquet or gift. One of the best known and easiest to grow or buy is the heartleaf philodendron, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein. “This vining plant produces shiny green leaves with perfect heart shapes,” he said.
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Applications open for Missouri Century Farms
COLUMBIA, Mo. – If your farm has been in your family since Dec. 31, 1925, you can apply to have it recognized as a Missouri Century Farm. University of Missouri Extension, the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, and Missouri Farm Bureau sponsor the program. The application deadline to be recognized as a 2025 Missouri Century Farm is May 1.
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Food safety tips for Super Bowl parties
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Super Bowl Sunday is the second-largest food consumption day in the U.S. after Thanksgiving, and game day comes with supersized food safety risks. “Food safety risks are high because perishable food often sits out for hours during Super Bowl parties,” said Lakshmikantha “Kantha” Channaiah, University of Missouri Extension food safety specialist. “And that can lead to foodborne illnesses.”
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Farm succession workshop set for Feb. 27 in Macon
MACON, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension will offer a farm succession work to help farm families start the process of moving the farm business from one generation to the next. The workshop will be 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, at FCS Financial in Macon. During the workshop, MU Extension specialists will cover family roles, communication and transition planning. Participants will have the opportunity for discussion…
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MU Extension in Howell County to host intensive Hay School on Feb. 21
WEST PLAINS, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension is offering a day of learning in Howell County for farmers who grow hay and livestock producers who buy hay.
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Frost-seeding legumes pays big dividends
HERMITAGE, Mo. – Frost-seeding legumes now can pay big dividends later, says University of Missouri Extension field specialist in agronomy Terry Halleran. Frost-seeding is a low-cost method of broadcasting legumes over frozen ground into an existing pasture. Legumes offer many benefits but require proper management, says Halleran.
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Forage workshop set for March 20 in SW Missouri
MOUNT VERNON, Mo. – Beef producers can learn fall and winter grazing options after a lack of fall moisture and how to improve meat quality during a free workshop March 20 at the University of Missouri Southwest Research, Extension and Education Center near Mount Vernon. The workshop covers other timely grazing topics such as warm season forage options for growing and finishing beef during summer heat, says MU Extension state forage…
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Prune fruit trees in midwinter
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The best time to prune fruit trees in Missouri is midwinter, according to University of Missouri Extension horticulture specialist Debi Kelly. “There are many reasons to prune fruit trees, and you want to do it before bud break in the spring,” said Kelly, who held a workshop on pruning Jan. 25 at MU Jefferson Farm and Garden in Columbia.