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.
Back-to-back soybean: Don’t do it
COLUMBIA, Mo. – More farmers are looking at a practice long frowned upon: planting back-to-back soybean.Don’t do it, says University of Missouri Extension soybean specialist Bill Wiebold. Expect lower yields and higher erosion if you don’t rotate soybean with corn. Risk of disease, insects and nematodes also increase.Falling corn prices and steady production costs tempt some farmers to choose continuous bean over a soybean-corn…
Don’t guess on garden fertilizer
COLUMBIA, Mo.– Don’t add fertilizer to your garden unless you know what the soil needs.
Sanitize tools for good garden hygiene
COLUMBIA, Mo.– Just like surgeons and dentists, gardeners should work with clean tools.
Start running fans in grain bins
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Raise the temperature and run fans in grain bins now to avoid condensation and mold.Keep your stored grain in condition by increasing the temperature inside the bin to the outside monthly average temperature in May, says University of Missouri Extension entomologist Wayne Bailey.
Coleus: Garden color without flowers
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Coleus, which produce exquisite leaves that come in a wide variety of colors and patterns, can add sparkle to any landscape.
Gaillardia: Drought-tolerant color in the garden
COLUMBIA, Mo. – While not a leading star on the ornamental stage, gaillardia can comfortably fill the supporting actor role in your garden.
Growing sweet peppers
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The colorful sweet pepper is the Christmas ornament of the vegetable garden, bearing fruit that ranges from red, orange, yellow and white to purple and chocolate black. Growing A member of the nightshade family, the sweet pepper is a relative of potato and tomato. Like its cousins, it is easy to establish if started using plants rather than seeds. It can’t tolerate cool weather, so wait until the danger of frost has…
Tree trimming can cut your hearing
COLUMBIA, Mo. – One of spring’s routine home maintenance jobs—tree trimming—can quickly cut your ability to hear. It takes less than 30 minutes of operating a chain saw without hearing protection to cause permanent damage, says Bob Schultheis, University of Missouri Extension natural resource engineering specialist.
North America's nearly forgotten native vegetable
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. — If you’re looking for low-maintenance perennials that can take the heat in the summer and the cold in the winter, native plants should be at the top of the list. Yet gardeners often don’t consider natives for the vegetable garden, says a University of Missouri Extension horticulturist.
Deliver plant nutrients throughout the season with organic matter
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. — Increasingly, gardeners are interested in finding out how to grow vegetables without using synthetic fertilizers.
MU receives national Conservation Innovation Grant
COLUMBIA, Mo.— The University of Missouri has received a Conservation Innovation Grant from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to fund a three-year study of nutrient management.
No farm bill leaves uncertainty for farmers
COLUMBIA, Mo.–Congress adjourned until after the November elections without action on a new farm bill. That presents farmers with a great deal of uncertainty moving forward. University of Missouri Extension agricultural economist Scott Brown says that after many months of negotiations and listening sessions, Congress failed to advance new farm policy.
Biomass crops benefit marginal soils
COLUMBIA, Mo.—Bioenergy crops can be a good match for areas of fields that have lost productivity. Crops such as switchgrass and miscanthus can help soil, improve water quality and provide alternative revenue, says Newell Kitchen, a soil scientist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service and adjunct professor at the University of Missouri..
Tallying Tiger tailgate trash
COLUMBIA, Mo.— Mark Morgan’s work as an associate professor of parks, recreation and tourism at the University of Missouri has taken him places ranging from streams in the Ozarks to jungles in Vietnam. Early one Sunday morning in September, his work brought Morgan and some of his students to a line of dumpsters in the shadow of Memorial Stadium on the MU campus.