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Serving those who served
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri System supports military veterans with a variety of services and resources to help them on campus, in their communities and in their careers. Starting in March 2025, a new UM program will help veterans start their own businesses and obtain SBA veteran-owned business certification.
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NW Extension team wins big at Extension & Engagement Week
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension hosted its annual Extension & Engagement Week Oct. 21-23. The event brought together community leaders, educators and administrators from across Missouri to celebrate and strengthen the university’s mission of public engagement and outreach.
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Notes from an Osher donor
Q: How did you first get involved with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute program at the University of Missouri?
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Heroes to Hives offers veterans training, camaraderie and purpose
EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, Mo. – Military veterans like beekeeper Kit Smith find comfort and knowledge through the Heroes to Hives program offered by University of Missouri Extension. The U.S. Navy veteran, who is legally blind, began attending Heroes to Hives field days and online training sessions when MU Extension started offering the program in 2021.
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MU Extension releases enterprise budgets for 2025
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension has released its latest crop and livestock enterprise budgets tailored to help Missouri farmers and ranchers plan for a productive 2025. MU Extension specialists have updated 38 budgets for farmers working with row crops, beef, swine, dairy, sheep, goats, forages and more. Region-specific budgets have also been developed for southeastern Missouri crops like cotton, peanuts and rice.
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Learn how to grow a new business in hydroponics
ST. PETERS, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension horticulturists will teach a workshop on hydroponics Wednesday, Dec. 4, in St. Peters. Hydroponics, an alternative method of growing fresh foods, uses a nutrient solution in a climate-controlled environment rather than soil, said Eli Isele, MU Extension horticulture specialist and coordinator of the event.
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Mow or compost leaves for best results
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Some gardeners take a hands-off approach to leaves in the fall. But leaves allowed to remain on lawns can pack down to form a tight mat that prevents sunlight from reaching the grass, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein. Leaves also trap and hold moisture, which increases the potential for disease.
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Crop conference sheds light on 2024 corn issues
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Farmers and crop advisers can expect to get an “earful” at the annual University of Missouri Crop Management Conference, Dec. 4-5 at a new location, the Columbia Hilton Garden Inn and Conference Center.
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Gardeners can save money, trouble with fall soil test
COLUMBIA, Mo. – If a little is good, a lot must be better. That’s often the approach home gardeners take when plants and flowers don’t do well, says University of Missouri Extension soil scientist Manjula Nathan. But adding more fertilizer and topsoil without testing the soil may be a waste of money. It also can be bad for the environment because excess nutrients often leach into water supplies.
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Enrollment opens for climate-smart farming payments
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Enrollment for incentive payments for regenerative grazing and climate-smart fieldscapes begins Nov. 1, says Rob Myers, director of the University of Missouri’s Center for Regenerative Agriculture. The program is part of a $25 million USDA grant to the University of Missouri.
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Why are some spring plants blooming now?
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension horticulturists are fielding questions about plants that are blooming and leafing out of season. MU Extension horticulturist Debi Kelly, who serves as the state extension Master Gardener coordinator, says she’s noticed many social media postings about spring-blooming flowers and shrubs, especially irises and lilacs, budding and blooming in fall.
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Zombie bugs, creepy crawlers aren't just for Halloween
COLUMBIA, Mo. – For Halloween, University of Missouri Extension urban entomologist Emily Althoff celebrates the creepy qualities of some insects and fungi.
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Free winter cattle feeding, pasture management workshop Nov. 21 in Lockwood
STOCKTON, Mo. – “As cattle producers prepare for winter, nutritional management and hay feeding are important topics,” says Patrick Davis, University of Missouri Extension livestock field specialist. Depending on availability of forage resources, some cattle producers may be meeting animal nutrient needs with new supplement strategies. Since hay and supplementation are expensive, efficient utilization to meet animal nutrient needs is…
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Clover Gala celebrates 75 years of the Missouri 4-H Foundation
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Missouri 4-H Foundation’s 75th anniversary celebration, the Clover Gala, raised more than $117,000 on Oct. 5 in Columbia, drawing participants and supporters from across the state.
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MU Extension offers free farm tax workshops
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension will offer free tax workshops in December to help farmers, ranchers and landowners to work better with their tax professional.
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MU Extension has new guide on biosecurity for sheep producers
Biosecurity practices on sheep farms can prevent diseases from spreading among the animals and to workers, says University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist David Brown.
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MU Extension hosts farm lease workshop
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension will offer a farm lease workshop Nov. 12 in Kirksville to help Missouri landowners and renters create equitable leases. MU Extension agriculture business specialist Mary Sobba says participants will learn about trends in farm leases, different types of leases and what to include in an equitable lease, with a focus on crops leases.
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Avoid applying fall anhydrous in northern, central Missouri
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension state nutrient management specialist John Lory advises against fall application of anhydrous ammonia anywhere in Missouri. Fall application increases the risk for substantial losses in the period between fall and when the corn needs the nitrogen in June and July. Instead, preplant and side-dress applications to minimize potential losses of applied nitrogen, he says. Apply into cold soil
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Women Owning Woodlands to host chain saw safety events in November
COOK STATION, Mo. – The Missouri Chapter of Women Owning Woodlands will hold events on chain saw safety in November, says University of Missouri Extension natural resources specialist Sarah Higgins.
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SW Missouri Show-Me-Select sale offers high-quality spring-calving heifers on Nov. 15
STOCKTON, Mo. – “The Missouri Show-Me-Select (SMS) Replacement Heifer Program educates cattle producers on heifer development strategies in the areas of management, reproduction and genetics to create a reliable source of quality replacement heifers,” says Patrick Davis, University of Missouri Extension livestock field specialist.
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Drought in SW Missouri worsens with no rain in forecast
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Drought continues to plague southwestern and west-central Missouri as pastures dry and cattle producers start to feed hay well ahead of schedule. “The latest update from the U.S. Drought Monitor depicts increasing severity and coverage of drought conditions across Missouri,” says Zachary Leasor, University of Missouri Extension climatologist.
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Is Missouri's farmland market cooling down?
COLUMBIA, Mo. – After years of record-breaking farmland prices in Missouri, is stabilization on the horizon? Data from the latest Missouri Farmland Values Opinion Survey hints at slower growth in Show-Me State farmland values.
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Missouri Good Neighbor Week documents more than 31K acts of neighboring
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The tally is in, and 31,129 acts of neighboring were documented this year as part of the fourth annual Missouri Good Neighbor Week, Sept. 28 – Oct. 4. The goal had been to reach 20,000 acts.
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MU Extension offers tips for planning for disasters
LANCASTER, Mo. – Disaster preparedness can be as simple as having an emergency backpack to throw into your car or as complex as estate planning documents. University of Missouri Extension community development specialist Darla Campbell says recent hurricanes and fires across the United States point to the need to be prepared for a disaster.
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Missouri 4-H State Fashion Revue
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The 2024 Missouri 4-H State Fashion Revue on Saturday, Oct. 12, hosted 72 youths representing 26 counties across Missouri. Top finishers at the 2024 State 4-H Fashion Revue Constructed Casual