![Forage producers must get back to the basics of farming to reset post-drought pastures, says University of Missouri Extension agronomist Terry Halleran. Photo courtesy of Terry Halleran.](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/20230313-hay-1.jpg?itok=d3gkuayi)
![Forage producers must get back to the basics of farming to reset post-drought pastures, says University of Missouri Extension agronomist Terry Halleran. Photo courtesy of Terry Halleran.](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/20230313-hay-1.jpg?itok=d3gkuayi)
Get back to the basics on post-drought pastures
CLEVER, Mo. – Recurring drought calls for forage producers to get back to the basics of farming, says University of Missouri Extension agronomist Terry Halleran.“Practice standard farming practices to rebuild pastures following drought,” he says. Halleran spoke March 7 at the Christian County Livestock and Forage Conference in Clever, Missouri. Southwestern Missouri livestock producers have been especially hard hit from drought in…
![Eldon Cole standing in front of a field with a cow](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/2023/eldoncole-cow-604x376.jpg?itok=SiMdtDEd)
A livestock legacy lives on
An Eldon Cole Memorial Fund has been established to recognize the late Eldon Cole’s long career as an Extension livestock specialist, according to James Preston, chief development officer with the Office of MU Extension and Engagement. The University of Missouri Board of Curators recently approved naming a new livestock facility at the Southwest Research, Extension and Education Center (SW-REEC) in Mount Vernon in honor of Cole.
![Missouri commuters story map from All Things Missouri.](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/20230313-atm-1.png?itok=XZtgCaUN)
All Things Missouri: A free online tool for accessing, analyzing and visualizing state, local data
COLUMBIA, Mo. – All Things Missouri (www.AllThingsMissouri.org) is a free online resource that can help media outlets enhance their reporting and storytelling by providing context and insights, identifying trends, and enabling comparisons among geographical areas.
![According to University of Missouri Master Gardener coordinator David Trinklein, right, Missouri Master Gardeners last year donated a total of 133,208 hours of volunteer service to their communities. Photo by Linda Geist.](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/20230310-mg-1.jpg?itok=cDGgeSsr)
Extension Master Gardener program turns 50
COLUMBIA, Mo. – 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the first Extension Master Gardener program at Washington State University. What began with 300 volunteers in Washington state has grown to more than 84,000 volunteers across the country, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist and state Master Gardener coordinator David Trinklein.To commemorate the event, March 20-26 of this year has been designated National Extension…
Neighborhood Leadership Academy awards 20 mini-grants
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Neighborhood Leadership Academy has awarded 20 mini-grants totaling $46,805 to groups across Missouri. The grants, ranging from $380 to $2,500, support neighborhood initiatives including community gardens in schools and parks, neighborhood gatherings to build community and programs to improve the mental and physical health of neighborhood residents.
![Karisha Devlin trains Annie’s Project facilitators on the MU campus, Columbia, Mo.](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/20230309-ap-1.jpg?itok=OmZtyJrD)
MU joins celebration of Annie's Project
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension is celebrating the 20th year of Annie’s Project, a national nonprofit to educate and empower women in agriculture.
Be ready to manage spring flush
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Get a head start on pastures for the year with good management of spring flush, says University of Missouri Extension state forage specialist Harley Naumann.Early decisions determine pasture health for the rest of the season, Naumann says.
![This wheat sample shows symptoms of wheat spindle streak mosaic virus. Yellow lesions run parallel to the leaf veins, leaving spindle-shaped markings on some leaves. Photo by Peng Tian.](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/20230308-wheat-1.jpg?itok=J-29bCTt)
MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic offers free wheat virus tests
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri Plant Diagnostic Clinic will offer free screening for five wheat viruses this spring.A partnership of MU Extension’s Integrated Pest Management and Field Crop Pathology programs allows the clinic to waive the usual fee of $65 per sample.
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Join the Missouri 4-H goes mobile movement
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri 4-H has taken a big step forward in communicating with 4-H’ers across the state by launching the Missouri 4-H app. When downloaded, it not only gives the user access to the statewide app but also lets users choose county-specific apps.
![4-H youths identify cuts of meat at the 2023 Missouri 4-H State Meats Judging Contest.](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/20230307-mj-1.jpg?itok=hmNsPF2q)
2023 Missouri 4-H State Meats Judging Contest
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri Extension 4-H State Meats Judging Contest drew 45 competing 4-H members from across the state last month. Held in partnership with the MU Meat Science program, the competition provided youths the opportunity to hone their judging skills and explore career and educational opportunities, said Maria Calvert, MU Extension state 4-H agriculture educator. Results – Junior division (ages 8-13)…
![Missouri’s state bird, the eastern bluebird, is one of many wildlife species that can benefit from a wildlife habitat improvement plan. Photo by Noppadol Paothong, Missouri Department of Conservation.](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/20230306-ebb-1.jpg?itok=kx_rxrMB)
Now is time to enjoy wildlife and plan to improve habitat
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Spring is just around the corner and, with the final doldrums of winter, many Missouri wildlife species are showing an abundance of activity, says University of Missouri Extension state wildlife and fisheries specialist Bob Pierce.“This time of year provides many opportunities for conducting management practices on your property and also for getting outdoors and observing wildlife,” Pierce says.
![Cool Wave yellow trailing pansy. Courtesy Ball Horticultural Company.](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/pansyCoolWave.jpg?itok=R3PDmHke)
Pansy: The smiley face flower
COLUMBIA, Mo. – “If ever there was a flower that brings a smile to people’s faces, it has to be pansy,” said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.This delightful, cool-loving garden flower bears blotched petals that resemble a face smiling back at those who admire it. Midwesterners enjoy pansy’s unique palette of colors and delicate fragrance in spring and fall, Trinklein said.
![In the 1840s, the potato famine triggered mass starvation and migration of people from Ireland. Today, there is no shortage of potatoes or ways to prepare them. Photo by Michele Warmund.](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/20230202-spd-1.jpg?itok=SzSH5Ov7)
Keep your eyes peeled for colorful St. Patrick's Day spuds
COLUMBIA, Mo. – It’s no blarney, potatoes are a staple for St. Patrick’s Day meals, along with corned beef, cabbage and soda bread.
MU experts offer HACCP training for food processors
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri will hold food safety training for food processors March 29-31 on the MU campus in Columbia.Lakshmikantha “Kantha” Channaiah, MU Extension state specialist in food processing, and Andrew Clarke, MU Food Science program coordinator, will lead the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) training.
MU Extension Feedlot School set for March 22-23, Kirksville
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Missouri cattle producers interested in feeding out their cattle are invited to attend a two-day University of Missouri Extension Feedlot School, March 22-23 in Kirksville.
![Broadband survey flyer.](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/20230228-MOinternetSurvey-2.png?itok=5NPRxd3j)
Survey to help guide state broadband efforts
COLUMBIA, Mo. – To guide the state’s internet expansion and training efforts, the Missouri Office of Broadband Development and University of Missouri Extension are conducting a brief online survey on household internet access and use.The anonymous survey, which takes about six minutes to complete, is at muext.us/MissouriInternetSurvey.
Registration open for fescue workshop
MOUNT VERNON, Mo. – Registration remains open for the March 23 Alliance for Grassland Renewal workshop at the University of Missouri Southwest Research Center in Mount Vernon.The one-day workshop brings nationally known experts on toxic tall fescue to Missouri. They will tell how to renovate toxic tall fescue pastures and integrate novel fescue varieties into grazing systems, says Gene Schmitz, MU Extension field specialist in…
![Girl holding a chicken at a fair](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/2023/bauer-scholarship604.jpg?itok=8SF2iGV1)
Sowing the seeds to grow
Kahlil Gibran once shared, “Education sows not seeds in you, but makes your seeds grow.” The love of agriculture was planted in 4-H alumni and Mizzou freshman Emma Bauer at an early age on her farm in St. Charles, Missouri. In between Emma’s 4-H paths of growing vegetables in her garden and caring for her chickens, Emma nurtured dreams of studying Animal Science with the goal of becoming an animal nutritionist.
MU Grape and Wine Institute expands as interest in winemaking grows
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Interest in Missouri winemaking exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the University of Missouri Grape and Wine Institute (GWI) has responded to meet the demand.
![Black vultures feed on dead animals but can also gang up and prey on calves, piglets, lambs and newborn goats. Photos courtesy USDA National Wildlife Research Center.](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/20230224-vultures-1.jpg?itok=SGLL-kVb)
MU Extension guide has tips on controlling black vulture damage
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri’s growing population of black vultures has led to increasing attacks on vulnerable livestock. Black vultures often inflict damage to the eyes and tongues of young livestock, kill and feed on domestic fowl and scar animals that survive.
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Show-Me MO Success podcast: Setting your roots in business
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Missouri Small Business Development Centers offer personalized and extensive services from knowledgeable and helpful professionals. In the latest episode of “Show-Me MO Success,” the University of Missouri’s Business and Community Extension podcast, listeners hear an example of how a Columbia business is working with the SBDC to develop and grow.
Veterinary prescriptions required for antibiotics in the coming months
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Several antibiotics used in cattle and other livestock will require a veterinary prescription in the coming months. This change represents the final phase of the Food and Drug Administration’s efforts to bring all medically important antibiotics approved for use in animals under veterinary oversight by June 11, 2023.
![Teen leaders learned about this year's Ag Innovators Experience (AIE) challenge in February at a national training in Columbus, Ohio.](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/20230220-aie-1.jpg?itok=jBjTXwXp)
Missouri 4-H youths participate in Aerial Ag Challenge
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Twenty-two Missouri 4-H teen leaders will teach others how to use their critical thinking skills to help solve a real-world agriculture challenge through the 2023 4-H Ag Innovators Experience Aerial Ag Challenge. The teen leaders will conduct 45-minute activities in the spring and summer at a variety of 4-H events and summer camps throughout the state, says Maria Calvert, University of Missouri Extension state 4-H…
![Group photo of Home Pioneer Group with certificate.](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/2023/home-pioneer-group604.jpg?itok=qf0wuILG)
Small-town Missouri 4-H Club grows to more than 100 members
The small town of Atlanta, Missouri, is known for its love for high school sports — and 4-H. Located in Macon County in the northeastern part of the state, the Home Pioneer 4-H Club has grown from 23 members to now more than 100 in just nine years. Despite the challenges of COVID and other competing activities for modern families, 4-H is alive and well here.
Create and Exhibit Public Art as Part of Lawn Art With Neighbors (LAWN) April 22 – May 7
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The fourth annual Lawn Art With Neighbors (LAWN) Exhibition is the perfect opportunity to create a public art display for your neighbors to enjoy, or to create something with your neighbors to enhance where you live. The 2023 version of Lawn Art With Neighbors (LAWN) is set for April 22 to May 7. LAWN is a public art opportunity accessible to all community members and all art forms.