MU Extension guide, spreadsheet help estimate farmland values
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Buyers and sellers who need an estimate of the value of a piece of farmland may not always find it feasible to get an appraisal, particularly one that reflects the land’s historical value needed to calculate taxes and settle estates.
Farm management news and notes from MU Extension
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Farm work in Missouri has hit its stride. The following news and notes from University of Missouri Extension can help you keep yourself, your farm and your family and business relationships healthy during this demanding time of year.Gauge a fair rate to pay for custom farm servicesKnowing whether to own farm equipment or hire a custom operator to apply pesticides or other inputs often comes down to cost.
Summer food safety tips
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Summer is a time for enjoying fresh fruit and vegetables and outdoor picnics. Don’t let food safety mistakes spoil the fun.Food safety doesn’t begin in the kitchen, or even the market, says Londa Nwadike, extension food safety specialist for the University of Missouri and Kansas State University.
Helping Midwesterners celebrate freedom — safely, Powder Monkey Fireworks - Weldon Spring, MO
“The last two years were our best two years,” said Chris Sander, owner of Powder Monkey Fireworks in three Missouri locations: Weldon Spring, Cape Girardeau and Bowling Green. Not many businesses can say that about sales during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Highly toxic poison hemlock in full bloom
COLUMBIA, Mo. – It is as if a florist painted Missouri roadsides, hillsides and pastures with white spring flowers. But those flowers are poison hemlock, a weed that is highly toxic to humans and animals, says University of Missouri Extension weed scientist Kevin Bradley.
Report shows how broadband adoption will help grow rural economies
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A recent analysis shows how expansion and adoption of internet services in three northwestern Missouri counties could help grow their economies in the decade ahead.
MU Extension offers alerts for key insect pests
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri’s Pest Monitoring Network offers free text alerts to notify farmers when insects are active in specific locations, says MU Extension entomologist Kevin Rice.The six key insects currently affecting agricultural crops are Japanese beetle, brown marmorated stink bug, black cutworm, corn earworm, fall armyworm and true armyworm.
Plant a peck of sweet peppers
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Bearing fruit ranging in color from red, orange and yellow to purple, white and chocolate-black, sweet peppers are the Easter eggs of the vegetable garden, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.
Leadership in action: Calming traffic, building community
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – At a community movie night in the West End neighborhood in St. Louis, Lisa Potts was alarmed at how many cars were speeding and running stop signs along Hamilton Avenue, the neighborhood’s main thoroughfare. “I remember thinking that we definitely needed a traffic-calming initiative on this street because otherwise someone is going to get run over for sure!” said Potts, a West End resident for 20 years.
New Region B training coordinator appointed at MU FRTI
Region B Training Coordinator: Charlie Peel of Clark, Missouri.
Gardeners, baseball fans swing into summer
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Whether you are a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals or the Kansas City Royals, you can show your true colors in a baseball-themed garden this summer, says University of Missouri Extension horticulturist Michele Warmund.
Noller named interim state director of Missouri SBDC
JOPLIN, Mo. – Sherry Noller has been appointed interim education director for University of Missouri Extension’s Business Development Program and interim state director for the Missouri Small Business Development Centers.The appointment, effective June 1, follows the retirement of longtime Missouri SBDC leader Greg Tucker, who joined the Missouri SBDC team in 2000 as a business counselor in Jefferson County.
Land-Grant Society highlights donor impact on MU Extension and 4-H
University of Missouri Extension hosted its first Land-Grant Society reception this April to honor donors to MU Extension and the Missouri 4-H Foundation. The event recognized 19 individuals and couples who attended, as well as the more than 70 donors currently eligible for Land-Grant Society membership.
10 Missouri small businesses prepare to “Elevate” beyond the second stage
Ten second-stage Missouri small businesses are learning from experts and each other how to move to the next level. Selected from across the state and representing the advertising, construction, health care, manufacturing, and retail trade industries, the following businesses are participating in the 2022 Elevate program supported and led by the Missouri Small Business Development Centers (SBDC).
Gladden a late-summer garden with gladiolas
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Few flowers bring more late-summer gladness than gladiolas, says University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.Their colorful flowers are known botanically as spikes. Individual flowers on the spike are called florets. “Glads are somewhat unique in that the florets on the spikes all point in the same direction,” Trinklein says.In Missouri, glads grow as annuals, but some species grow as perennials in…
MU Extension specialist wins 5 national awards at Neighborhoods USA conference
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – “I was a great neighbor until I discovered that I was not,” says David Burton, community development specialist with University of Missouri Extension in Greene County. “I don't throw loud parties. I mow my yard regularly. I clean up my leaves. I even pick up after my dog when I take him on a walk.”
Becoming an Engaged Neighbor Begins With Learning Names of Nearest Neighbors; MU Extension Chart Can Help
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The vast majority of Americans do not know the names of their nearest neighbors, do not speak to those neighbors and do not know a personal fact about them. Most Americans have never had a conversation with their neighbor. Maybe they grunt when they pass on the street or wave when pulling out of the driveway, but that is its extent.
Avian flu numbers drop as summer nears
COLUMBIA, Mo. – With avian influenza numbers dropping, bird lovers can continue to enjoy feeding their feathered friends with little risk, says Robert Pierce, University of Missouri Extension wildlife and fisheries specialist.Fewer reports of dead and sick birds point to an end to the current outbreak of avian influenza, Pierce says. Rising summer temperatures also will likely lead to a decrease in avian influenza.
Water, shade help prevent heat stress in cattle
COLUMBIA, Mo. – This is the time of year when cattle producers need to pay extra attention to heat stress in their operations, says University of Missouri Extension beef specialist Eric Bailey.
Great landscapes begin with quality topsoil
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Quality landscapes begin with quality topsoil.Topsoil is the top 3-10 inches of the soil. Most surface soils have higher organic matter content than subsoil, but not all surface soil is ideal for gardens or lawns, says Manjula Nathan, director of the University of Missouri Extension Soil and Plant Testing Laboratory.
Poppy: A remembrance of fallen heroes
COLUMBIA, Mo. – “In Flanders fields the poppies blow / Between the crosses, row on row … .” So begins “In Flanders Fields,” written in 1915 by John McCrae, a Canadian poet and military physician.“The hauntingly eloquent words of McCrae helped to immortalize poppy as one of the most recognized symbols honoring soldiers who have died in combat,” said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.
On patrol for critter control
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Pest control in the garden might conjure images of a season-long battle with bugs, weeds and diseases. But sometimes four-legged “friends” such as deer, rabbits and squirrels can inflict far more damage, says University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.
Beyond the show ring
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Nineteen youths from across the state came to Columbia on May 5 to compete in the first Missouri FFA Swine Facility Management Contest.The event, hosted by the University of Missouri and the Missouri Pork Association, took place at the Mizzou Swine Teaching and Research Farm, part of MU South Farm in Columbia.
Cattle mineral and vitamin supplementation strategies
“Vitamins and minerals are a small portion of the diet, but important for normal cattle body function which results in optimum health, growth, and reproduction,” says Patrick Davis MU Extension Regional Livestock Field Specialist. Davis will discuss strategies to promote optimum cattle mineral and vitamin status, which will result in optimum cattle operation performance and profitability.
Wheatlage or grain? New decision tool helps find the 'sweet spot'
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A new tool helps farmers decide the breakeven price for wheatlage compared to harvesting their wheat as grain.