When grass seed heads appear, hay quality drops
COLUMBIA, Mo. – So far, it’s a bad hay year. Cool weather, lack of sun and dry soil slowed grass growth.Dry matter per acre is about one-third of what we expect this time of year, says Rob Kallenbach, University of Missouri Extension forage agronomist.He spoke to regional extension specialists in a weekly teleconference.“There’s hope,” he adds. “With warmth and rain, we can still grow lots of good hay. It will take management to make…
Pruning winter-damaged evergreens
COLUMBIA, Mo.– The long, harsh winter coupled with last fall’s drought caused a lot of damage to evergreen trees.
Well owners need to regularly test water
COLUMBIA, Mo.– If you use well water for cooking and drinking, you should regularly test the water for contamination, says a University of Missouri Extension water quality specialist.“Bacteria is one of those things that is easy to control, but it is something you need to check for,” says Bob Broz. “The best time to test a well for bacteria is in late spring or early summer during wet weather.”
MU tool helps farmers decide on pasture insurance
COLUMBIA, Mo.–Is pasture insurance right for your farm? The answer could be yes, no or maybe.University of Missouri Extension recently launched an online tool that can help farmers decide if purchasing pasture, range and forage (PRF) insurance makes sense for their operation.MU Extension agricultural economist Ray Massey says that unlike most crop insurance, PRF is based on rainfall rather than yield.
AgrAbility program from MU helps farmers after injury
BETHEL, Mo –Chris Allen wanted out of the bed. He argued with hospital staff that he needed to go home to harvest crops, feed cattle and cut firewood to heat his farmhouse. The lifelong Shelby County farmer had a brain aneurysm that resulted in a life-threatening hemorrhagic stroke on his farm in August of 2010. But the thought of crops in the field nagged at him while he was a patient at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis and…
AgrAbility program helps horse trainer begin ride of his life
NEW FRANKLIN, Mo. – Zane Volkmann always wanted to be a horse trainer.A serious accident weeks before his senior year of high school slowed his gait, but it didn’t throw him.He cinched up his saddle and began the ride of his life. “You just pick your lip up off the ground and go ride,” he said.
Deep tillage buries seeds of weeds that can’t be killed by herbicides
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Deep-six weed seeds to control pigweeds and other herbicide-resistant pests in soybean fields.“I’m not advocating a return of moldboard plowing,” said Kevin Bradley, University of Missouri weed scientist. “Burying weed seeds with deep tillage does provide one more tool in dealing with resistant pigweeds.”
Drones draw interest to crop scouting and other new farm uses
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Remote sensors can play a big part of farming in the future. Those sensors can be on a 10-foot pole or a satellite 250 miles out in space.The sensors of most interest at an agriculture technology fair, July 17, were on an unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone, that looks like a toy helicopter. Farmers and agribusiness came to see, learn and do.
Building beef cow herd requires quality management and genetics
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Rebuilding a beef cow herd to capture record-setting high prices is more than saving heifers to breed.Dave Patterson, University of Missouri Extension beef specialist, said heifers need management – and new breeding technology.Producers who do it right benefit in the long term. Patterson spoke to a national meeting of the American Society of Animal Science in Kansas City, July 23.
Don’t turn up your nose at turnips
COLUMBIA, Mo. – You may not be able to squeeze blood from a turnip, but you can easily grow this tasty and nutritious vegetable.Turnip is an ancient vegetable that’s been cultivated for thousands of years. While turnips can be found in European cuisine, David Trinklein, horticulture specialist for University of Missouri Extension, says turnips don’t often show up in American cuisine.“Turnip is an underappreciated and under used fall…
Aid for ailing plants
COLUMBIA, Mo. – If you have the sniffles or a bad infection, a visit to your doctor can usually put things right. Plants can get sick too and the University of Missouri Plant Diagnostic Clinic is where you can turn for help.
Teachers learn energy lessons to pass on to students
Columbia, Mo. – Sara Johnson, a biology teacher at Montgomery County High School, has some new lessons about energy for her students this fall.
How much rent should I get for my farm?
LINNEUS, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension’s upcoming Farm Lease Program helps landowners and renters make decisions about renting farm ground.
Wear a helmet when horseback riding
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Horse trainer Zane Volkmann calls his riding helmet an “anti-watermelon cracker.”Volkmann, who suffered a brain injury two years ago while riding, spent part of his summer college-related internship encouraging horseback riders to wear a helmet.His most recent appearance was at a safety expo sponsored in part by University of Missouri Extension. He also talked about helmet protection in the agriculture safety booth at…
Crop sensors improve nitrogen application
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Sensor-guided nitrogen application can save corn producers money and increase yields, says Peter Scharf, University of Missouri Extension soil scientist.Scharf showed how crop sensors diagnose variable nitrogen needs at a recent farmer technology field day at MU’s Bradford Research Center. In the last decade, on-farm demonstrations have been carried out in more than 100 cornfields and a dozen cotton fields in Missouri.
Power take-off devices can rip safety out of a farm
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Donnie Summers of Lathrop, Missouri, distinctly remembers the day his father’s overalls got caught in a power take-off (PTO) of a silage cutter. The revolving device ripped his coveralls off and even pulled one sock out of his work boots.
Different distillers grains may change feed rations
COLUMBIA, Mo.– Ethanol plants are getting more efficient at extracting fuel from corn, and that can affect the quality of distillers grains, a byproduct of ethanol production often used as an economical feed alternative for hogs and poultry.“They are doing some further extraction to get more of the corn oil out of distillers grains,” says Marcia Shannon, University of Missouri Extension swine specialist. “So we’re getting a little bit…
Can the woolly bear caterpillar predict the weather?
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The woolly bear caterpillar (Pyrrharctia isabella), often called the “weather worm,” is said to predict what Old Man Winter has in store. Folklore says the narrower the reddish-brown band on the caterpillar, the more severe the winter. But the width may be a better indication of the previous winter and spring than a prediction of the upcoming winter.
Prevent insects from infesting stored grain
COLUMBIA, Mo. – As corn yields exceed commercial storage space, farmers will likely store some of this year’s crop in on-farm bins and in unconventional ways.Stored grain attracts insects, and producers should take measures to protect their investment from insect damage, says Wayne Bailey, University of Missouri Extension entomologist.
Armed to farm
FULTON, Mo. – Cody Waters of Fulton is armed to farm. He is one of 300,000 veterans expected to return to Missouri in the next decade, according to University of Missouri Extension state health and safety specialist Karen Funkenbusch. She works with the growing number of veterans who want to return because of the quality of life in rural Missouri.
Using GPS tracking to improve pastures
In this video news story, University of Missouri researchers use GPS technology to understand the complexities of a cow's appetite. This knowledge may help livestock producers graze cattle more efficiently.
Free online tool helps growers with nitrogen application decisions
COLUMBIA, Mo.– The Useful to Usable (U2U) climate initiative recently launched a new online decision-making tool, Corn Split N, that helps farmers and crop advisers manage the application of in-field nitrogen for maximum crop yields and minimum environmental damage.
Picking pretty poinsettias
COLUMBIA, Mo. – No flower says Christmas like the poinsettia. Now is the time of year when these colorful plants adorn mantels, tables and hallways across the country.Originally from Mexico, poinsettia is the most popular potted plant in the United States. Every year poinsettia sales contribute more than $200 million to the U.S. economy, and in a very short time.
Tiptoe through the history of mistletoe
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Hanging mistletoe is a holiday tradition around the world. But have you ever wondered why we steal a kiss because we’re standing under some shrubbery?
Harvesting timber can provide multiple benefits
COLUMBIA, Mo.– Selling timber can be very profitable. While it depends on the quality of the timber, prices are higher than they’ve ever been.“A standing tract of timber can bring anywhere from $300 to $700 per acre when it is harvested,” says University of Missouri Extension forestry specialist Hank Stelzer.