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Change helps Monett farm survive
MONETT, Mo. – Fourth-generation farmer Mike Meier knows change will help his family’s Century Farm survive.The rotational grazing and breeding system he uses for his dairy herd works. Now he wants to apply those principles to beef cattle. “At 56, I wanted to go in a different direction,” he says.He wants to see how much profit per acre he can make by switching from dairy to beef cattle. He is building his cattle herd as he prepares to…
Ag workers at high risk of heat illnesses
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Agriculture workers are 20 times more likely than other workers to die from heat.Heat deaths are 100 percent preventable with water, rest and shade, says University of Missouri Extension health and safety specialist Karen Funkenbusch.
Soybean growers fund research, then share results at Show-Me Soy School
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Farmers spending their own dollars for soybean research at the University of Missouri will hear results July 14.Researchers share results with all farmers, not just those in the Missouri Soybean Association. Suppliers, agribusiness reps, educators and agency officials are welcome.
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Blindness helps man find opportunities for others in ag
MORRISON, Mo. – Jim Brinkmann’s blindness does not keep him from helping others with vision problems reach their potential.Brinkmann helps people with visual impairments succeed in agriculture, says Karen Funkenbusch, Missouri AgrAbility Project state director and University of Missouri Extension specialist. Brinkmann serves with Funkenbusch on the AgrAbility team. He is mid-Missouri district supervisor for Rehabilitation Services for…
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MU Master Gardeners build mini-greenhouses
VERSAILLES, Mo. – Ozark Prairie Master Gardeners know that good things come in small packages.That is why mini-greenhouses are growing throughout the Lake of the Ozarks region.The mini-greenhouses are the brainchild of Dan Britton, president of the Ozark Prairie Master Gardeners chapter in Morgan County.
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Plant turnips in late July
COLUMBIA, Mo. – An old Missouri saying advises, “On the 25th of July, sow your turnips, wet or dry,” said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.
46 to be inducted into the 4-H Hall of Fame
SEDALIA, Mo. – Forty-six Missourians will be inducted into the Missouri 4-H Hall of Fame at 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, at the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center on the State Fair Community College campus in Sedalia.The Missouri 4-H Foundation annually recognizes the work of 4-H friends and volunteers through its recognition and awards program, said Rachel Augustine, interim director of the Missouri 4-H Foundation.
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4-H community uses fair premiums to help ill 10-year-old
MARSHALL, Mo. – Fairgoers at the annual Saline County 4-H and FFA Youth Fair got more than they bid for this year. 4-H and FFA members and the crowd raised almost $10,000 for Haley Browning, a terminally ill 10-year-old from Marshall. Doctors found cancer after she had a seizure last year. She was airlifted to Kansas City, where doctors found a mass on a kidney.
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MU researcher finds pigweed in birdseed and pollinator mixes
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri researchers, under the direction of MU Extension weed scientist Kevin Bradley, are finding that pigweed seed is popping up in birdseed in alarming numbers.“It’s pretty shocking,” graduate student Eric Oseland told those attending the annual Integrated Pest Management field day recently.
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MU Extension guide offers help on hiring, keeping employees
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension recently released its 2017 Farm Labor Guide. Finding and keeping dependable workers is one of the largest challenges today for farm owners and managers, says MU Extension agricultural economist Joe Horner. “As farms grow in size, learning to recruit, manage and retain high-quality employees becomes even more critical.”
Art exhibition addresses sexual violence, Aug. 28-Sept. 21
“It Happened” features local and national artists who create work on the issue of sexual violence. These works, some including very personal stories, address the reality of rape and sexual assault on university campuses, at K-12 schools, and in communities regionally, nationally and around the world. This exhibition has been scheduled at the beginning of the school year because it is the period with the highest incidence of sexual…
Japan slaps high tariff on U.S. beef
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Japan says “Whoa, go slow” on imports of frozen beef from the United States. To safeguard their own beef farmers, Japan raised tariffs on U.S. beef from 38.5 to 50 percent.“This increases the price of U.S. beef for Japanese consumers,” says Scott Brown, University of Missouri beef economist. “Less foreign consumption increases beef supply here. In turn, that lowers prices all the way back to farms in Missouri.”
4-H national film festival attracts young filmmakers
JACKSON COUNTY, Mo. – Young people from nine states gathered in Independence, Mo., July 23-26 for the seventh annual FilmFest 4-H film festival. Of the 27 films accepted for screening, many were produced by the youth in attendance. In addition to film screenings, teens attended workshops geared toward them by film industry professionals.
MU Extension provides a tenfold return on funding
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A recently completed assessment of University of Missouri Extension found that with an annual investment of $86 million (2016), MU Extension generated dividends totaling nearly $950 million. The findings are part of a report developed by TEConomy Partners LLC. The report and other documents from a statewide needs assessment for MU Extension are available at https://extension.missouri.edu/programs/mu-extension-way.
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MU Extension 4-H youth 'show' businesses at state fair
SEDALIA, Mo. – Twenty-one 4-H youth got a taste of running a small business by selling original handmade items to Missouri State Fair visitors, Aug. 10-20.Through the Show Me 4-H Wares program, youth are encouraged to start and run their own businesses with skills learned through 4-H projects, says Steve Henness, University of Missouri Extension state 4-H youth specialist.
Double your gardening pleasure with a cool-season garden
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Recent weeks of mild temperatures remind gardeners that it is time to plant cool-season vegetables, said University of Missouri Extension horticulture specialist David Trinklein.
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Spirited tour highlights Missouri's white oak, wine and whiskey, Oct. 28
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri has it all: wine, whiskey and white oak.University of Missouri Extension will toast Missouri’s unique contributions to the wine and whiskey industry during the first White Oak, Whiskey & Wine tour Saturday, Oct. 28.MU Extension forester Hank Stelzer and MU Extension viticulturist Dean Volenberg lead the one-day tour through mid-Missouri.
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Soybean disease not usually seen in state shows in NW Missouri
Note: Revised to correct spelling of “sclerotinia.” COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension agronomy specialist Wayne Flanary says about 160 acres of soybean in northwestern Missouri show symptoms of sclerotinia stem rot. The MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic confirmed the disease, which can cause large losses in fields with high yield potential.
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Floral fireworks in the fall
COLUMBIA, Mo. When many garden flowers show the ravages of a long and sometimes brutal summer, dahlias are most spectacular, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.
Big meat supplies press prices, but consumer demand stays up
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Growing supplies of meat and dairy products apply pressure on farm prices through 2017 into 2019. With big supplies, strong consumer demand brings good news for producers.The offsetting result can be prices near or above last year’s prices.The outlook comes from a “Baseline Update for Livestock and Dairy Markets” from University of Missouri Extension economists.
Hog farmers defy supply and demand; price outlook stays above expectation
COLUMBIA, Mo. – This year, hog farmers dodged lower prices when they expanded sow herds and grew the second-largest pork supply since 2008.Prices stayed above expectation, say University of Missouri Extension economists. Growing exports and consumers’ love for bacon helped demand for growing supply.However, the economists caution, “At this rate, supply can outstrip demand.”
Chicken-wing demand helps farm prices; turkeys don’t share consumer taste shift
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Chicken wings helped poultry farm prices take off this year. Wing prices ran at least 30 percent above year-ago levels since late May, say University of Missouri Extension economists.Thighs and legs also sold well above a year ago. Dark meat leads demand, say Scott Brown and Daniel Madison.A trend to dark hasn’t helped turkey sales, however. “Chicken and turkey prices moved in opposite directions in 2017,” Brown says.
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MU FRTI staff member deploys to Hurricane Harvey
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Fire and Rescue Training Institute (MU FRTI) curriculum specialist Erin McGruder does more than just write about disaster response. McGruder, a member of FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Missouri Task Force 1 (MO-TF1), deployed to Texas as a technical information specialist in response to Hurricane Harvey’s devastating August landfall.
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MU Extension receives USDA tech grant for pastures
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension has received a $444,000 grant to create a mobile application to help farmers manage forage better. The Conservation Innovation Grant from USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services is one of 33 nationwide. It provides seed money to implement new ideas and techniques for conservation on private lands, says NRCS state conservationist J.R. Flores.
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Mum's forgotten cousin bursts with fall color
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The fall beauty, aster, gets its name from the ancient Greek word for star. And a bright and shining star it is, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.