Implementing A Youth Futures SPIN Club in Lincoln County
The Issue Troy Middle School teachers are offering a curriculum related to career readiness through an elective class. Troy is a small town in the county of Lincoln in the St. Louis area. It is a “bedroom” community where most of the adult population live in Troy but work outside the county.
Iris, goddess of rainbows, splashes color over spring gardens
COLUMBIA, Mo. – According to Greek mythology, a golden-winged goddess named Iris traveled on a rainbow to bring messages from gods to mortals. Legend has it that colorful flowers sprung up at the end of the rainbow wherever she stepped.
Blanket your flower beds with colorful gaillardias
COLUMBIA, Mo. – “While not a leading star on the herbaceous ornamental stage, Gaillardia can comfortably fill the supporting actor role in your garden,” said David Trinklein, state horticulture specialist for University of Missouri Extension.Commonly called “blanket flower,” this colorful perennial produces daisy-like flowers that come in shades of yellow, orange, red, purplish, brown, white or bicolored.
Get more hydrangea with these simple steps
HILLSBORO, Mo. – One of summer’s most showstopping bloomers is easy to transplant and propagate, says University of Missouri Extension horticulturist Debi Kelly.Hydrangeas burst with blooms summer and fall in colors ranging from blues and white to lavender and pinks.Bloom size varies on this low-maintenance perennial shrub, which tolerates almost any type of soil, sun or shade, although it prefers partial sun.
Missouri 4-H Foundation awards $87K in scholarships
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Missouri 4-H Foundation is awarding scholarships totaling $87,000 to Missouri 4-H youths to help further their education.
Boost your blossoms by deadheading
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. – Deadheading flowers can help gardeners get more bang for the buck, says University of Missouri Extension horticulturist Tamra Reall.Removing faded and dead blooms costs nothing but time and encourages plants to put their energies into forming new blossoms instead of producing seed, says Reall. Additionally, deadheading gives the plant a tidier, more vibrant appearance.
It's time to remove fescue seed heads to reduce toxins
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri forage producers should begin removing seed heads from tall fescue grass pastures soon to reduce toxic endophytes that thwart herd health and profits, says University of Missouri Extension state forage specialist Craig Roberts.
MEDIA ADVISORY: University of Missouri Career Accelerator kickoff event
WHAT: University of Missouri Career Accelerator Kickoff EventWHEN: 2-4 p.m. Thursday, May 18, 2023WHERE: Bradford Farm, 4968 S. Rangeline Road, ColumbiaCONTACTS:Sarah Rielley, business and community senior program coordinator, MU Extension, 573-882-0380, edwardssar@missouri.edu
Know the signs of stress
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The theme of 2023 Mental Health Awareness Month is “Look Around, Look Within,” says University of Missouri Extension health and safety specialist Karen Funkenbusch.Surroundings affect mental health, says Funkenbusch, who works with MU Extension groups to promote mental health awareness in rural Missouri.
MU Extension biosecurity trailer demonstrates Danish entry system
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A biosecurity trailer developed by University of Missouri Extension shows how poultry, swine and all livestock producers can implement a Danish entry system, a cost-effective way to reduce the transmission of pathogens when showering in and out is impractical or unavailable.
Cut hay now and cut it high for best yield, persistence
COLUMBIA, Mo. – It’s time to make the first cutting of hay in Missouri, says University of Missouri Extension state forage specialist Craig Roberts.Waiting too long leads to poor-quality feed for livestock next winter. For best quality, harvest hay in May before seed heads pollinate, says Roberts.
Mowing hay low may cost money, time
GALENA, Mo. – There are many reasons to avoid cutting low when mowing hay, but money is the main one, says University of Missouri Extension agronomist Tim Schnakenberg.
MU Extension updates custom rates for Missouri farm services
COLUMBIA, Mo. –University of Missouri Extension has published a summary of custom rates for farm services in Missouri based on a statewide online survey and solicitations by extension specialists.MU Extension asked farmers, agribusiness firms and land improvement contractors to provide rates they charged or paid in 2022 for custom services, minus the cost of materials applied.
Flood-related resources from MU Extension
News releases, publications and more. News releases
MU tools help cattle producers with on-farm finishing budgets
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Many consumers want to buy locally produced beef, and University of Missouri Extension economists can help producers deliver.Beef producers who want to finish their cattle on their farms now have access to new resources from MU Extension beef specialists to determine their finishing budgets.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri faces the largest shortage of behavioral health care providers in the U.S. Each of Missouri’s 99 rural counties is a designated Mental Health Professional Shortage Area, with just 3.7% of the recommended supply filled, says University of Missouri Extension health and safety specialist Karen Funkenbusch.
Time to scout for ergot
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension state forage specialist Craig Roberts says now is the time to check for ergot in the seed heads of grasses. Ergot can cause severe illness in livestock, especially cattle and horses. One early sign is yellow syrup drops called honeydew in flowering seed heads. Honeydew hardens and turns into dark ergot bodies, which look like mouse droppings and are up to 10 times the size of the grain.
Groups work together for a blooming Blue Springs
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. – Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas City, the Blue Springs Historical Society Museum and University of Missouri Extension horticulturists have teamed up to make Blue Springs bloom with activities in 2023, including free classes throughout the growing season.
Show-Me MO Success podcast: Gina's Vegan a Go Go and MU Extension
COLUMBIA, Mo. – When Gina Overshiner turned her passion for vegan cooking into a food truck business, she turned to University of Missouri Extension’s Missouri Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for advice. To celebrate Small Business Month, the latest episode of “Show-Me MO Success,” MU Extension’s Business and Communities podcast, tells the story of one startup owner’s journey and the assistance she received from SBDC along…
Online program teaches gardening basics
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension and AmeriCorps offer a weekly “Become a Garden Steward” program.MU Extension horticulturist Tamra Reall says the program is a great way to learn gardening basics and meet others in the community with similar interests.
June 6 workshop covers '300 Days Grazing' system
WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Livestock producers can learn to use native grasses and other forages to improve profits at a June 6 conference in Warrensburg.The conference, at the University of Central Missouri’s Prussing Farm, features keynote speaker Shane Gadberry of the University of Arkansas, who will speak on the 300 Days Grazing system developed in Arkansas.
Magnolia flowers tantalize the senses
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Several species of ornamental magnolias grace the Missouri landscape with colorful flowers from March through mid-June.“In addition to showy, prolific blooms, magnolias’ sweet, citrusy floral fragrance permeates the air and beguiles the senses,” says University of Missouri Extension horticulturist Michele Warmund.
MU Extension to partner on 5-state regional food business center
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri, through MU Extension, will partner with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on a $25 million award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to create the Heartland Regional Food Business Center, which will foster more vibrant, resilient food systems throughout a five-state region.
Leave the leaves after blooms fade
COLUMBIA, Mo. – What winter-weary heart is not thawed by the arrival of sunshine-yellow daffodils and colorful tulips? Unfortunately, once their blooms fade, these harbingers of spring are often relegated to afterthoughts, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.After spring bulbs flower, their greatest work lies ahead, and they need care to ensure that they will return in full glory next year.
MU Weed Science confirms HPPD-resistant waterhemp
COLUMBIA, Mo. – There is still time to manage resistance to HPPD-inhibiting herbicides in corn this year, but the window is shortening, according to University of Missouri Extension weed scientist Kevin Bradley.