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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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MU Tomato Festival is Sept. 5 at Jefferson Farm and Garden
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri invites tomato lovers and gardeners to its 2024 Tomato Festival. The free event is 4-7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, at the MU Jefferson Farm Extension and Education Center, 4800 New Haven Road, Columbia.
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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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USDA Business Builder grants applications accepted through Oct. 15
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Small and diverse food and farm entrepreneurs are invited to apply for more than $3.7 million in Business Builder grants that will support projects in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and northwestern Arkansas.
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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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MU Extension offers native warm-season grass seed production workshop
COOK STATION, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension offers an opportunity to learn about native warm-season grass seed production at a workshop at the MU Wurdack Extension and Education Center on Oct. 25. MU Extension agricultural business specialist Rachel Hopkins says forage producers can learn from field demonstrations on harvesting and seed cleaning at the one-day event. The workshop also will cover regulations, testing,…
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Boone County landowner to host two-day woodland event
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Doug Butler of Boone County will welcome visitors to his Missouri Century Farm to see a mature bottomland stand of walnut as part of the Oct. 11-12 Woodland Owners Conference. During the two-day event, participants will learn how to work with foresters to manage sites for income today while retaining trees that will produce quality wood and income in the future, says Brian Schweiss, University of Missouri Extension…
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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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Management Intensive Grazing School is Oct. 1-3; register by Sept. 26
STOCKTON, Mo. – “Efficient forage management and utilization is important to the profitability of a livestock operation,” says Patrick Davis, University of Missouri Extension livestock field specialist. The best way to promote efficient forage management and utilization in a livestock operation is by incorporating management intensive grazing practices.
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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…
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How hair shedding scores can help select cattle for heat stress
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Selecting for cattle with heat tolerance can improve a producer’s profitability. An updated University of Missouri Extension publication, “Hair Shedding Scores: A Tool To Select Heat Tolerant Cattle,” explains how to score for hair shedding and seek lower scores for better heat tolerance. The publication is available for free download at https://extension.missouri.edu/g2014.
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Enroll steers in the Missouri Steer Feedout by Oct. 10
STOCKTON, Mo. – “Adding value to a cow-calf operation is important to its sustainability,” says Patrick Davis, University of Missouri Extension livestock field specialist.
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Proper outside large round bale storage reduces hay losses
STOCKTON, Mo. – “As hay season continues, I see a lot of large round hay bales being stored outside,” says University of Missouri Extension livestock field specialist Patrick Davis. If hay is not stored properly outside, farmers can see significant dry matter and quality losses. Factors that contribute to these losses include:
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What to do when wildlife treats your garden like a buffet
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Pest control is an important part of establishing an attractive garden. Insects, diseases and weeds are formidable foes, but the damage they inflict often pales compared to the destruction perpetrated by some of our four-legged “friends,” said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.
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How-to guide for buying a horse
Have you always wanted a horse but don’t know where to start? An updated University of Missouri Extension publication offers guidance. “Buying a Horse” is available for free download at https://extension.missouri.edu/g2835. “Purchasing a horse should be well planned and carefully thought out,” said Shawn Deering, MU Extension livestock specialist. For most people, a horse is a significant investment and should not be rushed.