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MU Extension selects winner, finalists for NW County Council of the Year
NORTHWEST MISSOURI – The University of Missouri Extension County Council of the Year award is a recognition given during Extension and Engagement Week, held each October, to build relationships between MU Extension, campus, and community partners. The award recognizes the central role Extension Councils have in:
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Show-Me MO Success podcast: MO Pac Lumber looks to the future
FAYETTE, Mo. – When Bucky Pescaglia began thinking about retiring from his family business, MO Pac Lumber, after nearly 50 years, he Googled “I need help with doing a strategic plan for my business,” and the Missouri Small Business Development Center came up. He contacted the Missouri SBDC and was connected with business counselor Paul Zacharias.
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Missouri 4-H'ers celebrate summer's best story at the State Fair
SEDALIA, Mo. – The Missouri State Fair offers an opportunity for members to exhibit their skills in the 4-H Building, their showmanship in the livestock arenas and their character through demonstrations. For many, this is a culminating experience that affects youths beyond just the premium and ribbon.
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Angelo tops State 4-H Dairy Judging Contest
SEDALIA, Mo. – Lexi Angelo earned high individual honors at the State 4-H Dairy Judging Contest held Aug. 17 at the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia.
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Missouri growers are sweet on honey of a berry
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. – The 2024 “Miss Congeniality” of Missouri backyard fruits might be honeyberry. Honeyberry’s ability to thrive in conditions that often challenge blueberries makes it a promising choice for gardeners seeking a productive and low-maintenance fruit, says University of Missouri Extension horticulturist Tamra Reall. This crowned jewel of a bush grows in a variety of soils and resists disease and pests.
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The woods: Missouri's other place to shop for food
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Look no further than your local woods for fresh, flavorful fruits and nuts, says University of Missouri Extension horticulture specialist Kelly McGowan. In the woods, you’ll find a colorful and tasty assortment of edible delights, including wild strawberry, gooseberry, raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, plums, mulberry, elderberry, grapes, persimmons, pawpaws and nuts, McGowan says.
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Show-Me MO Success podcast: Choose Greater Health supports brain injury survivors
FULTON, Mo. – After Paige Speers suffered a brain injury when blood clots cut oxygen to her brain, her recovery experience made her want to help others. Learning to live a healthier lifestyle and to find doctors who support those decisions led Speers to create Choose Greater Health, a community for brain injury survivors and caregivers and a directory of medical professionals.
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September is Falls Prevention Awareness Month
September is Falls Prevention Awareness Month, a time to draw attention to risk of falls among older adults.
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Farm management series 'On My Own' offered this fall
A program to help women landowners and operators understand agricultural leases and the value of land and agricultural activities will be offered this fall in a series of evening events. University of Missouri Extension will hold “On My Own” classes on various weeknights at locations throughout the state from Oct. 15, 2024, through Feb. 25, 2025. There are also two opportunities for taking the class online.
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Early preparation equals a successful breeding season
MOUNTAIN GROVE, Mo. – Breeding season will be here before we know it. Is your herd prepped for success? Here are steps you can take to maximize your breeding season. Schedule pre-breeding exams
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4-H College and Career Pathways Conference helps youths find their voices
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension’s 4-H Center for Youth Development welcomed 50 middle- and high-school-aged 4-H’ers at its 22nd annual 4-H College and Career Pathways Conference on the MU campus this July.
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MU Extension offers listing of farm apps
TROY, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension’s website lists numerous apps to help in decision-making on the farm, says MU Extension agricultural engineering specialist Charles Ellis. “These apps can help you make objective decisions to better manage your crops and livestock,” Ellis says. “By entering information from your farm, you can get answers specific to your operation.”
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Registration open for Strong Couples program
HARRISONVILLE, Mo. – Community members may enroll in Strong Couples, a free program offered by University of Missouri Extension that offers practical strategies for improving conflict resolution and enhancing relationship satisfaction.
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Mizzou professor makes a global impact through MU Extension partnership
COLUMBIA, Mo. – To an outside eye, the classroom packed with faculty members and community leaders would have looked like a run-of-the-mill training or seminar. But for Wilson Majee, an associate professor of health sciences and public health with the University of Missouri College of Health Sciences, that lively discussion represented a full-circle experience.
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Hang the moon with twilight gardens
MARYVILLE, Mo. – Twilight gardens delight the senses of sight and smell by adding another dimension to the gardening experience, says Gwen Funk, University of Missouri Extension horticulture specialist. Also known as moon gardens, twilight gardens use white flowers and plants to capture reflected moonlight. “The use of the color white showcases how we can, with planning, extend our garden enjoyment into the evening,” Funk says.
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Report: Missouri forests play role in long-term carbon storage
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A new report from the University of Missouri School of Natural Resources outlines the critical role of forests in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in plant material.
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Iris math: Divide and multiply to add beauty
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Few flowering perennials provide more enjoyment for less effort than iris. With colorful blooms that rival those of orchids in intricacy, irises grow easily in the garden. Seemingly, without a care in the world, they rarely require the gardener’s attention to thrive.
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MU, MDC offer free testing for oak diseases
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension’s Plant Diagnostic Clinic, in partnership with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), will offer free testing for all common oak tree diseases in 2024.
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Swine specialist says biosecurity biggest protection from H5N1 in pigs
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Earlier this year, highly pathogenic avian influenza infected dairy cattle in some states, though not in Missouri. Could the disease affect pigs? Cory Bromfield, University of Missouri Extension swine veterinarian, said that it could happen. Low-pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in circulating swine strains five times from 1999 to 2015. Bromfield spoke about influenza in pigs at the recent Missouri Swine…
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Late planting, wet harvest require special storage attention
TROY, Mo. – Corn planting in 2024 was a tale of two seasons, early and late, requiring special attention to drying and storage, says University of Missouri Extension agricultural engineering specialist Charles Ellis. Planting got off to a good start this year. Then Missouri averaged more than 6 inches of rain in April, about 2 inches above normal. Parts of western Missouri received more than 10 inches of rainfall.
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Elections, apocalypse, bourbon and more in Osher fall lineup
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Drones, bourbon and apocalypse are among the many topics on offer this fall from the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Missouri. A program of MU Extension, Osher@Mizzou provides affordable noncredit courses and other educational, cultural and social gatherings for adults age 50 and up, says Jennifer Erickson, educational director for Osher@Mizzou.
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Happy-Go-Lucky 4-H Club memories and memorabilia
A package recently arrived at the Missouri 4-H Foundation’s office in Columbia. Inside was a 1930s-era 4-H cap and a perfectly preserved sewing project — a gingham checked coat hanger cover with precise pink stitching spelling out the initials R.C. The items, along with a memoir, “Blossoming in the Show Me State,” chronicle the early years of Ruth Collins McQuerry, who grew up on a farm in northwestern Missouri.
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First case of corn stunt confirmed in Missouri
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension specialists have confirmed the first case of corn stunt in Missouri. The disease, which is transmitted by an insect, was found in southwest Missouri.
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MU Extension highlights education, innovation at award-winning Soybean Festival
NORBORNE, Mo. – “Soy Much More for ’24!” rang true for this year’s Norborne Soybean Festival, Aug. 1-3 in Carroll County. For over 40 years, this festival has built civic pride, forged greater community bonds and celebrated the area’s number one industry – agriculture, said University of Missouri Extension engagement specialist Chelsea Corkins.
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Stockpile tall fescue to save on labor, cost and time
MONTGOMERY CITY, Mo. – Start stockpiling tall fescue in mid-August for healthier, more profitable cattle, says University of Missouri Extension field specialist in agronomy Rusty Lee. Stockpiling fescue extends the grazing season and reduces the need to feed hay. “Winter feed costs are the cattle producer’s biggest single expense,” says Lee. The best way to reduce that expense is to let cattle graze longer and feed hay for a shorter…