![MU FRTI curriculum specialist Erin McGruder during her deployment with Missouri Task Force 1 in response to Hurricane Harvey.](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/ErinMcGruder.jpg?itok=1PnlZNTf)
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.
![MU FRTI curriculum specialist Erin McGruder during her deployment with Missouri Task Force 1 in response to Hurricane Harvey.](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/ErinMcGruder.jpg?itok=1PnlZNTf)
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.
![MU Extension veterinarian Scott Poock.University of Missouri Extension](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/ScottPoock.jpg?itok=rqZUG1HA)
MU dairy, veterinarian receive accreditation from Food Armor Foundation
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension veterinarian Scott Poock and MU’s Foremost Dairy Research Center recently became the first Missouri veterinarian and dairy to be accredited by the Food Armor Foundation.The foundation, based in Madison, Wis., honors professionals who pass a test after 15 hours of continuing education on food safety and proper medication use through the Food Armor program.
Good ration affects cow profits, MU field day to tell of nutrition
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri beef producers have it good when it comes to feed resources, says Eric Bailey, University of Missouri Extension nutritionist.On Sept. 21 at the MU Thompson Farm, Spickard, he’ll share his good news. Bailey, new to Missouri, can tell what cow owners face in New Mexico, Texas and Kansas. “I’ve seen lots of prairie hay with no nutrient value at all,” Bailey says.
![Purdy, Mo., dairy farmer Charles Fletcher, left, works with MU researcher Danny England, center, and MU Extension dairy specialist Stacey Hamilton, right to learn how to measure and manage forage through the Grazing Wedge. USDA recently awarded MU a grantPhoto by Linda Geist](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/grazing_wedge2.jpg?itok=2J-Dvvpr)
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.
![Purple Dome aster.Photo by Drew Avery. Shared under a Creative Commons license (CC-BY 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons.](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/aster2.jpg?itok=4q8OcAAW)
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.
Regional hay school offered Oct. 14 in Linn
LINN, Mo. – Livestock producers and horse owners can learn how to make “Hay That Pays” at the University of Missouri Extension regional hay school Oct. 14 in Linn.The event runs 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, at Community Christian Church, 1598 U.S. Highway 50, Linn.Attendees will be able to decide if making their own hay and balage is right for their farming operations, says MU Extension livestock specialist Anita Ellis.
![Lagenaria gourd divided to serve as spoons.Photo by T.K. Naliaka via Wikimedia Commons. Shared under a Creative Commons license (CC BY-SA 4.0).](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/gourd_spoon.jpg?itok=Ye5OAvNN)
Nature's multipurpose utensils
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Our ancestors couldn’t go to the hardware store or shopping mall to buy utensils and other household essentials. Instead, they improvised with items found in nature.
MU Farm Bill Summit, Oct. 18, to discuss needs from new laws
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A day of talks on issues Missourians need in the next farm bill from the U.S. Congress will be Oct. 18 at the University of Missouri.MU Extension pulls together interested parties for lectures and roundtable talks. The meeting is for all farmers.The 2018 Farm Bill Summit follows a tradition of the long-running Breimyer Conference, says Scott Brown, MU economist.
Cover crops improve garden soil
COLUMBIA, Mo. – “You don’t need a green thumb to be a good gardener, but it certainly helps to have good soil,” said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.
![Bradford pear.Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/Callery_pear.jpg?itok=Ke6FYNR9)
Pretty pear trees invasive, hard to kill
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Bradford pear and its cousins may spread more than springtime beauty as these popular ornamental trees escape and become pests.
Missouri youth to celebrate National 4-H Week Oct. 1-7
COLUMBIA, Mo. – For the 75th consecutive year, millions of youth, parents, volunteers and alumni across the country will celebrate National 4-H Week during the first week of October.
![MU FRTI instructional support associate Tim Hartz, left, with Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens after completing the 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb.](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/TimHartz911.jpg?itok=tiFn5Ebj)
MU FRTI's Tim Hartz participates in 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Tim Hartz, instructional support associate with the University of Missouri Fire and Rescue Training Institute (MU FRTI), participated in the Missouri Division of Fire Safety Stair Climb on Sunday, Sept. 10, in Jefferson City.
MU Extension offers course for public board members
UNIONVILLE, Mo. – You’ve just been elected to a public board of directors. Now what? University of Missouri Extension offers a two-night course to help newly elected board members. The course is offered at Unionville, Kahoka, Trenton, Brookfield, Edina and Palmyra, 6-9 p.m. on Nov. 9 and 16. Topics:
![Daffodil.Kham Tran, CC BY-SA 3.0](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/Yellow-Daffodil.jpg?itok=YdOJu7UR)
Plant daffodils now for early spring color
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Fall is an ideal time to establish daffodils for a glorious show of color next spring.
MU Extension program helps landowners, renters understand state’s fence laws
KEYTESVILLE, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension will offer a program on Missouri’s fence laws 6:30-9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14, at the Chariton County Courthouse, 306 S. Cherry St., Keytesville.“This is one of MU Extension’s most popular programs,” said Joe Koenen, MU Extension agriculture business specialist. Koenen will tell about a Missouri fence law that went into effect in October 2016.
Facebook to farm
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Women livestock farmers can help build their business through Facebook in a few minutes each day, says Amber Henry of Henry Meat Co. of De Soto. She also serves on the Jefferson County University of Missouri Extension Council. Henry showed women at MU Extension’s recent Pearls of Production workshop how to build a following of loyal customers. Facebook is “a vitally important marketplace,” she says. And it does not…
![Stella de Oro daylily.Photo by Flickr user Mike James/CC BY-SA 2.0](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/daylily.jpg?itok=cDdU-ubi)
The flower that thrives on neglect
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Few garden flowers give more and ask for less than daylily.
Cover crop residue can complicate nitrogen management in corn
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Farmers who rely on surface-applied nitrogen may have difficulty if they apply to fields with high surface residue, says University of Missouri Extension nutrient management specialist John Lory.This is especially true for UAN solution, Lory says. Residue can temporarily tie up nitrogen fertilizer because it is taken up by microorganisms decomposing the residue.“This is particularly a problem with liquid nitrogen…
It's time to plant summer's noon ambrosia—sweet corn
COLUMBIA, Mo.
![MU Extension livestock specialist Andrew McCorkill explains the importance of hay testing at a recent alfalfa tour in Ash Grove, Mo.Photo by Linda Geist](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/mccorkill.jpg?itok=dFBaS7A_)
Testing tells alfalfa's worth
ASH GROVE, Mo. – “Cows and horses think alfalfa looks like candy, smells like candy and tastes like candy,” says University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Andrew McCorkill.However, alfalfa’s proof is in the pudding. Not all hay that looks good is good hay. Not all good hay looks good. The only way to know is by testing samples to determine the nutritional value.
![MU Extension specialist Frank Wideman shows the Apple Creek karst window. This is where a prominent sinkhole, which has an underground stream open to view, emerges from a low, wide cave opening. Water plunges over a waterfall and flows beneath a small arcPhoto by Linda Geist](/sites/default/files/styles/flexslider_full_no_crop_300x200/public/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/NewsAdmin/Photos/wideman_karst.jpg?itok=ri5mIg-6)
Rare fish, found only in Perry County, sheds light on improved water quality
PERRYVILLE, Mo. – A rare cave-dwelling fish is shedding new light on how farmers are improving water quality through cover crops and nutrient management.University of Missouri Extension and the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) say new nests of grotto sculpin are growing in caves in southeastern Missouri.
AgrAbility raises awareness of medicines' side effects
COLUMBIA, Mo. – All medicine has side effects.Even minor side effects can be deadly for farmers, says Kelly Cochran of the Missouri AgrAbility Project’s Pharm to Farm program.The statewide outreach program helps farmers identify medical risks through their local pharmacist. In many rural Missouri areas, pharmacists fill health care gaps. They are the first line of defense in farm health and safety.