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The poor, maligned poinsettia
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Every year, some well-meaning person will warn of the dangers of the poinsettia. This is an urban legend that simply will not die.Its reputation as a toxic plant is undeserved. It’s been tested for toxicity and passed as safe.
The good and bad news about holiday weight gain
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. – Contrary to popular belief, the average American only gains about a pound over the holiday season. But that extra pound usually stays with us. Year after year, those pounds add up, increasing the risk of heart disease and diabetes.Instead of making a resolution on Dec. 31 to hit the gym, it might be a better idea to avoid that pound in the first place with an ounce of prevention.
MU guides explain managing white-tailed deer on private land
COLUMBIA, Mo. – As the 2011 deer season comes to a close, hunters and landowners can learn about managing white-tailed deer from a new series of publications currently being developed by University of Missouri Extension and the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC).
Winter car care can keep your vehicle running through the cold
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Winter can wear on cars and trucks, but a little preparation will keep vehicles running well throughout its coldest days.A simple checklist starts with the battery. A cold car battery can’t deliver as much current. If your car has an aging battery, you might want to see if it will be up to the job by having it load tested.
Deck the halls with proper caution
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Ornamental plants are a great way to make your home festive for the holidays. Stealing a kiss under the mistletoe or hanging a holly wreath to welcome guests are both lovely traditions. What’s not so lovely is that both these plants are toxic.Four common holiday plants, which vary in degree of toxicity, include mistletoe, holly, English ivy and Japanese yew. These plants can cause harm if eaten, which is especially true…
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Sucker gigging: A 200-year-old Ozark tradition endures
EMINENCE, Mo—Most fishermen call it a day when the sun goes down, but on this December evening Landon Howell and his friends are just getting started.
Tips for maintaining lost weight
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo.–Many people start the year resolving to lose weight. A lot of those people succeed—at first. But the pounds we shed early in the year often find their way back to us by the following January.
Don’t sell your timber short
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Too many landowners sell their timber for only a fraction of what it’s really worth, notes a University of Missouri Extension state forestry specialist.“All too often a landowner accepts the first offer,” said Hank Stelzer. “This is usually because for most people selling timber is usually a one-time activity and they have no idea what the logs are worth.”
Keep the heat in your house, but keep out the radon
MARSHFIELD, Mo. –If you have made your home more energy efficient, or plan to do so, you might want to test for radon, says a University of Missouri Extension natural resource engineering specialist.
The ugly G's: Guilt and grudge
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Holding a grudge or feeling guilty can keep you from enjoying all that life has to offer.“Guilt is something we impose on ourselves,” said Vera Massey, nutrition and health education specialist for University of Missouri Extension. “We get into the ‘I should have done that,’ and the ‘shoulds’ keep us tethered to the past.”
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MU Extension teaches kids that cooking matters
MONTGOMERY CITY, Mo. – In a crowded kitchen in a church basement, nine elementary school kids are cooking lunch. You might think it’s a recipe for disaster—kids are using knives, handling raw meat, working at a big gas range, and there’s not much elbow room—but they know their jobs and the turkey tacos and fruit smoothies turn out fine, with no injuries and not too much of a mess in the kitchen.
Saving and investing go hand in hand
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Every family has its own unique financial goals. Those goals could be saving for retirement, putting money aside for a college education or buying a house. Whatever your goals, you should seriously consider investing, says a University of Missouri associate professor of personal financial planning.
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New documentary on Eliot Battle previews Feb. 25 on MU campus
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Local civil rights pioneer Eliot Battle is the subject of a new documentary that chronicles his pivotal role in desegregating schools, housing and the Columbia community. On Feb. 25 at 7 p.m., University of Missouri Extension will hold a preview screening of “Battle: Change From Within” at Bush Auditorium in Cornell Hall on the MU campus. The screening is free and open to the public.
Paying for college
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Many students have the desire to go to college, but not the funds to pay for it. Fortunately, there are options available to help students afford higher education.
Record-keeping for income taxes
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Do-it-yourself tax preparation, for complicated returns, means shuffling though statements, receipts and other records. Your record-keeping system for tax-related documents can be as simple or complex as you want.While color-coded, alphabetized records may be appealing to some, it isn’t really necessary to overcomplicate record keeping.
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The lowdown on high tunnels
COLUMBIA, Mo. – If you want locally grown produce in February, you usually don’t have many choices in Missouri other than root vegetables. However, on a chilly February morning at the Columbia Farmers Market, the Thomas family of Share Life Farms is selling not just root veggies but also lettuce, mustard greens and assorted varieties of kale.
What are your trees worth?
COLUMBIA, Mo. – This time of year Larry Godsey gets a lot of calls from woodland owners asking for advice about taxes on timber they have sold.Godsey, an economist with the Center for Agroforestry at the University of Missouri, usually starts by asking, “What is your basis?”A lot of woodland owners don’t know, and that means they could be selling their timber for too little, and paying too much in taxes.
Start seeds indoors to jump-start spring gardening
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Seeds hold infinite potential for a seasoned gardener.
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Managing your garden's soil moisture doesn't have to be difficult
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. – Managing soil moisture is an important part of successful vegetable gardening in the Midwest, says a University of Missouri Extension horticulturist.
Spring pruning: Subtraction with a plus
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Trees, hedges and bushes…. When spring comes, the impulse is to hand out haircuts.Correct pruning can help keep your plants’ size in check, remove undesirable growth and stimulate desirable growth. Spring is a good time for tree and shrub pruning for several reasons, says Chris Starbuck, horticulture specialist for University of Missouri Extension.
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Lending a helping paw
KINGSTON, Mo. – He’s a different kind of dog for a different sort of farmer.Bruce Trammell hopes that dog soon will help him get up to speed on his farm.Thanks to PHARM Dog, the brainchild of University of Missouri Extension AgrAbility specialist Jackie Allenbrand, Trammell now has Odie, a yellow Labrador retriever whose job is to help the farmer regain his independence despite his disability.
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Lesser-known plants that deserve a place in the Midwest vegetable garden
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo.–There are a lot of vegetables out there for home gardeners in the Midwest to try beyond the standard offerings at the garden center, says a University of Missouri Extension horticulture specialist.Marlin Bates suggests gardeners look into some of the lesser-known members of the Apiaceae (ay-pee-AY-see-ee) family.
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Get into a two-week planting schedule
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. — Too many gardeners go all in when it comes to planting a vegetable garden by planting the entire garden at once, says a University of Missouri Extension horticulturist.
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Benefits of a well-drained soil
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. — An ideal soil is half solid and half pore space by volume, and that pore space should be equal parts air and water. Gardening practices greatly influence pore space in cultivated soils. “Most gardeners don’t have an ideal soil, particularly as it relates to pore space,” said Marlin Bates, University of Missouri Extension horticulturist.
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'Ghosts' of storms past may haunt damaged homes
PERRYVILLE, Mo.—Homeowners who made repairs after last year’s floods and windstorms may now be finding ghostly shadows—dirty patches of mold and mildew—in parts of the home that got wet. This is a health hazard for people living in the home.“Remember that mold is everywhere. All you need is moisture and a food source, like your home, to have it grow,” said Frank Wideman, University of Missouri Extension natural resource engineering…