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Start the year on the right foot with your cattle record-keeping system
STOCKTON, Mo. – As the year ends, University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Patrick Davis urges cattle producers to evaluate their record-keeping system to determine if it was successful.“Record-keeping starts with proper cattle identification,” Davis said. Two nationally known identification systems are the four-digit system and the letter and three-digit system.
2023: Year of the sparkling amaryllis
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Nothing brightens a windowsill in winter like amaryllis, the National Garden Bureau’s Bulb Plant of the Year, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.The name “amaryllis” comes from a Greek word that means “to sparkle.” And sparkle it does, said Trinklein.
Ring in the new year with black-eyed peas
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day is a tradition said to bring wealth and good fortune in the new year, says University of Missouri Extension horticulturist Michele Warmund.
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Missouri can lead the way to a food secure future for all
By Marshall Stewart, chief engagement officer, University of Missouri System, and MU vice chancellor for extension and engagement. In a state where agriculture is the No. 1 industry, Missouri can be a powerful leader in making sure every Missourian is food secure. At its core, food security means no child goes to bed hungry and no adult must choose between buying needed medicine and putting food on the family table.
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Spices fill the holidays with aroma and memories
COLUMBIA, Mo. – While the holidays are filled with familiar sights and sounds, it’s the aromas of the season that often conjure up our most vivid memories of the past. This should come as no surprise since our sense of smell is keener than our senses of sight and sound.Many of the aromas surrounding the holidays are from spices used in holiday cuisine, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.
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Frankincense and myrrh: Ancient scents of the season
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Two of the three gifts of the Wise Men – frankincense and myrrh – remain in high demand more than 5,000 years after gaining popularity in religious rituals, says University of Missouri Extension horticulturist Michele Warmund. Ancient Egyptians used myrrh to embalm corpses and Romans burned it as a type of incense at funeral pyres. Ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman societies burned frankincense or myrrh incense during…
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Mistletoe: Menacing plant with an intriguing past
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Of all the plants used in holiday decor, few match mistletoe’s interesting history. And few equal its potential for harm.An evergreen plant with white berries, mistletoe is quite toxic, said David Trinklein, horticulture state specialist for University of Missouri Extension.
Reduce losses, costs when feeding hay
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Livestock producers have options for reducing hay waste and feeding costs while improving animal behavior and performance, says University of Missouri Extension specialist Charlie Ellis. Farmers can choose from several methods to reduce waste based on their preferences, labor availability and climate, says Ellis. Here are four basics from Ellis:
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100-year-old sells farm after 'work, work, work'
CARROLLTON, Mo. – Centenarian Wilda Cox knows hard work. She’s built barns, lugged 110-pound cans of milk, picked and husked corn by hand and bucked hay bales.But Cox endured no harder day than Oct. 31, 2022, when she sold the farm that had been in her family for more than a century.
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MU Extension offers tips to reduce hay loss
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Good-quality hay bales are like precious gems. They’re valuable and worthy of your safest storage, says Charles Ellis, University of Missouri Extension field specialist in agricultural engineering. Proper storage is one way producers can reduce hay waste. Ellis offers a few steps to consider when deciding what hay to store:
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Hannibal startup shines during sunflower oil shortage
HANNIBAL, Mo. – A northeastern Missouri farm is making sunflower oil amid a global shortage linked to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Family-owned and operated, Show Me HH Farms, of Hannibal, offers cold-pressed sunflower seed oil, a primary cooking oil in many parts of the world. Sunflower oil’s light yellow color, mild flavor and ability to withstand high cooking temperatures make it a favorite of cooks.
MU Extension releases how-to videos for hiring on the farm
Learn how to hire and retain farm workers with step-by-step videos covering recruitment, onboarding, and management.
Build Neighbor Connections With Favorite Things Party
Parties are great ways to get to know your neighbors, especially if you do a "favorite things party."
Getting livestock through the winter
SEDALIA, Mo. – Pasture and hay supplies are short in many areas of central and southern Missouri. University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Gene Schmitz has a number of options for livestock producers to consider for feeding their livestock this winter.Test hay
Wind, drought contribute to fires at harvest
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Roadway accidents and combine fires make harvest the most dangerous time of the year for those who work in America’s most dangerous occupation – farming, says University of Missouri Extension health and safety specialist Karen Funkenbusch.
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Giving thanks for the beautiful, bitter cranberry
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Made famous by the Pilgrims’ first Thanksgiving, cranberries have long been a favorite at holiday dinners despite their sharp, bitter taste. Americans gobble up about 400 million pounds of the bitter berry annually, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein. About 20% of its consumption comes during the Thanksgiving season.
Celebrate Thanksgiving with a 'turkey foot' hike
COLUMBIA, Mo. – If you gobble until you wobble at Thanksgiving dinner, take your flock of family and friends for a trek across a tallgrass prairie for a memorable Thanksgiving holiday outing, says University of Missouri Extension horticulturist Michele Warmund.
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Take poinsettia off Santa's 'naughty' list
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A century ago, poinsettia was added to Santa’s “naughty” list, but the plant’s reputation for being poisonous is unfortunate, says University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein. Its pretty bracts and leaves pose no danger to people and pets, other than possible allergic reactions.
November farm management news and notes from MU Extension
COLUMBIA, Mo. – With harvest wrapping up, it is the time for producers to review their farm’s current net income and look to next year’s projections. This is also a time to explore new ways to increase on-farm revenue and evaluate new or existing lease agreements. Learn more about these topics from this month’s news and notes from University of Missouri Extension. Net farm income outlook
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MU Extension helps farmers in the Bahamas
When Hal Donaldson was a young man, he got to meet Mother Teresa.“What are you doing to help the poor?” she asked him.Well, I better not lie to Mother Teresa, he thought to himself, so he said, “I’m not really doing much of anything.”
MU Sembrador team wins EDI award
The MU Extension and Engagement
How you feed hay this winter is more important than ever
GALENA, Mo. – With a shortage of standing forage for cattle and the low availability of hay, it is more important than ever this winter to reduce waste when feeding hay.Hay waste is normal, but it can be controlled and minimized, said University of Missouri Extension agronomy specialist Tim Schnakenberg.
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Long COVID in workers could be a challenge for Missouri employers
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missourians report higher rates of disability and long COVID than the U.S. average, according to a study brief by University of Missouri Extension. Long COVID – ongoing health problems that last months or more following infection with the COVID-19 virus – could be keeping 2 million to 4 million U.S. workers out of the workforce. The brief, “COVID-19 and Paid Leave,” is available for download at muext.us/MEIOct2022.
Pastures, goats benefit from grazing an invasive species
Goats grazing on invasive sericea lespedeza improve pasture quality and gain natural anti-parasitic benefits, according to University of Missouri research.
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Heroes to Hives and other MU Extension programs help veterans
POTOSI, Mo. – Beginning farmer and 25-year Army veteran Eric Work’s calendar is full of educational programs offered by University of Missouri Extension. “MU Extension programs are a godsend,” Work says. “I benefit from the amazing, high-quality learning opportunities that University of Missouri Extension continually provides, not only to veterans but many other diverse groups that are interested in learning and potentially pursuing…