May tomato school offers tours, updates
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension’s annual Missouri Tomato School returns May 16-18 to give growers tried and true methods to improve their crops.“Tomatoes are Missouri’s biggest-selling specialty crop, but they can be challenging to grow successfully,” says MU Extension horticulturist Justin Keay. “We want to help Missouri growers take their tomato crop to the next level.”
Now is the time to apply spring preemergent herbicides on lawns
GALLATIN, Mo. – Missouri’s unpredictable spring weather makes it tough to decide when to apply preemergent herbicides on lawns, says Manoj Chhetri, University of Missouri Extension horticulturist.Preemergent herbicides, a form of chemical weed control, prevent germinated weed seedlings from growing. Preemergents must be applied at the right time of year to be effective, says Chhetri.
Youths test horse knowledge at State 4-H Hippology Contest
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Missouri 4-H Hippology Contest, March 19 in Columbia, gathered 54 youths along with their coaches.A majority of participants reported that their knowledge in areas such as equine confirmation, behavior, equipment, diseases, anatomy, terminology and characteristics improved as a result of participating in the event, said Maria Calvert, University of Missouri Extension 4-H state agriculture and natural resources…
MU offers free biosecurity workshops for livestock, poultry producers
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension is offering free biosecurity workshops in April and May on how to prevent and respond to disease outbreaks in livestock and poultry operations, including backyard flocks.
Longhorned tick found in 3 areas of Missouri
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri researchers are tracking the invasive longhorned tick, which causes weight loss, lost pregnancies and even death in cattle.Researchers from the MU College of Veterinary Medicine found the tick on a Linn County pasture in August 2022. The finding marks the northernmost appearance of the tick in Missouri. It also appeared in June 2021 near Springfield.
Horticulturist plants seeds of hope in community
JACKSON, Mo. – Retired engineer Lois Caron’s lifelong thirst for knowledge led her to the University of Missouri Extension office where she often bent the ear of MU Extension horticulturist Donna Aufdenberg.“She was a lifelong learner,” says Aufdenberg. “We had something that she wanted. We had knowledge, and she wanted that knowledge.”
Recovery Friendly Workplace designation: “A good business decision”
Becoming a recovery friendly workplace was a no-brainer, says Theresa Calvert, vice president of Ace Pipe Cleaning Inc., a Kansas City, Missouri, company with 200 employees. “It’s not only the right thing to do for our employees; it’s a good business decision, too,” Calvert said. Ace is among the first six companies to receive this designation since the University of Missouri Extension Recovery designation process has been available…
Goal of Turquoise Tables Is To Create Gathering Spot for Neighbors
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Getting to know your neighbors may be as easy as getting a picnic table, painting it turquoise, and creating a neighborhood gathering spot in your front yard. Sounds a bit crazy, but according to David Burton, a University of Missouri Extension community development specialist, the turquoise table movement that began in 2018 is still going strong nationwide.
Mini-grants support projects, collaboration on Missouri food system challenges
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Three new University of Missouri Extension projects will help address Missouri food system challenges while encouraging collaboration across teams.
Show-Me MO Success podcast: Tower Rock Stone Co. and Recovery Friendly Workplaces
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Substance use disorders affect workforces throughout Missouri. Addiction costs Missouri an estimated $34.5 million every day, or $12.6 billion a year.
MU Extension seeding rate trial looks at furrow-irrigated rice
PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. – Preliminary results from the first year of the University of Missouri Extension’s rice seeding rate trial are in.“Our seeding rate trials are conducted at two research farms – the Missouri Rice Research Farm on a silt loam soil and the MU Lee Farm on a Sharkey clay soil,” said Justin Chlapecka, MU Extension rice specialist at the Fisher Delta Research, Extension and Education Center in Portageville.
MU rice cultivar trial shows stark differences in first year
PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension has completed its first year of rice cultivar trials on both flood-irrigated and furrow-irrigated production systems at the MU Fisher Delta Research, Extension and Education Center in Portageville.
Save money on fertilizer with soil tests
CLEVER, Mo. – A soil test can help forage producers avoid the costly guessing game of how much fertilizer to buy and apply, says University of Missouri Extension agronomist Tim Schnakenberg. He recommends testing every three or four years.“If you’re not soil testing, you’re already behind,” he said March 7 at the Christian County Livestock and Forage Conference in Clever, Missouri. Know what you need when you order fertilizer to avoid…
Annie's Project helps Ralls County woman navigate farm ownership
CENTER, Mo. – When Jan Golian’s husband died of a heart attack in the middle of harvest season in 2004, friends and family helped her get the crop in and the cattle sold.Her husband had always been the caretaker of the farm while she worked as a school librarian and teacher. She knew farm life and how to be a farm wife, but she didn’t know how to make informed decisions about the farm operation.
Clover Clays Charity Shoot benefits Missouri 4-H
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Individuals and teams gathered March 11 in support of the Missouri 4-H Foundation and the Missouri 4-H shooting sports program, raising more than $20,000 at the first annual Missouri 4-H Clover Clays Charity Shoot at Prairie Grove Shotgun Sports in Columbia.
MU agronomist gives post-drought pasture renovation tips
CLEVER, Mo. – While fall is the best time to consider pasture renovation, spring is the second-best time, so there is still time to help pastures get back in shape for the next season, says University of Missouri Extension agronomist Tim Schnakenberg.First, evaluate stand issues. Look at density of desired forages and undesired forages such as weeds. Before you start spraying weeds, look at poor management practices such as incorrect…
Proper hay storage, feeding methods reduce waste
CLEVER, Mo. –Due to poor storage and feeding methods, only about half of Missouri hay reaches the cow’s mouth, says University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Andy McCorkill.This leads to waste and reduced profits, especially as producers reset their herds post-drought. “Make sure your high-value hay gets in the mouth of an animal,” says McCorkill.
Extension specialist gives 4 O's for 'crazy' cows
CLEVER, Mo. – Load ’em up and ship ’em out. That’s the advice University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Andy McCorkill gives on “crazy cows.” He spoke to livestock and forage producers March 7 at the Christian County Livestock & Forage Conference at Clever, Missouri.
Missouri Dairy Hall of Honors recognizes 2022 winners
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Missouri Dairy Hall of Honors recently honored its 2022 winners in a special ceremony, according to Gloria Johnson, executive secretary for the Missouri Dairy Hall of Honors.
'Sacrifice pastures' spare best cattle grazing pastures
STOCKTON, Mo. – So-called “sacrifice pastures” might be needed to help promote forage production the rest of this cattle grazing season, according to Patrick Davis, a University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist based in Stockton.“Cattle producers welcome the rain, but it leads to muddy pastures, and with limited forage resources following the drought, proper management is needed for optimum grazing the rest of the year,” says…
Annie's Project empowered Marion County farmer Amy Lehenbauer
PALMYRA, Mo. – Annie’s Project, a program offered by University of Missouri Extension for two decades, gave Amy Lehenbauer the confidence she needed to become active in the family farm.Lehenbauer is one of more than 19,000 women across the nation who completed the program during the past 20 years, says MU Extension agriculture business specialist Karisha Devlin.
4-H Feeding Missouri grants awarded by Missouri Farmers Care Foundation
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Seventeen Missouri 4-H clubs have been awarded 2023 4-H Feeding Missouri grants through the Missouri Farmers Care Foundation. This is the fourth year the Foundation has provided grants for Missouri 4-H clubs to fund local food security efforts.
Womack Ag Outlook Conference offers domestic, global perspectives
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri’s Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI-MU) will host the annual Abner W. Womack Missouri Agriculture Outlook Conference April 12 at MU Bradford Research Farm near Columbia.Each spring, FAPRI-MU uses this public forum to unveil its baseline outlooks for agricultural production, prices and consumption for the next nine years.
Show-Me MO Success podcast: Good Neighbor Day in Missouri
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Quality of life is affected by the quality of the neighborhoods in which people live. In the latest episode of “Show-Me MO Success,” the University of Missouri’s Business and Community Extension podcast, listeners learn how the Neighborhood Leadership Academy helps community volunteers develop projects to improve their neighborhoods.
Avoid applying nitrogen to tall fescue pastures in spring
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Livestock producers can learn how to reduce toxins that damage performance and profits during the March 23 Alliance for Grassland Renewal workshop in Mount Vernon, Missouri.University of Missouri Extension state forage specialist Craig Roberts says ergot alkaloids in Kentucky 31 tall fescue begin to increase about mid-April in Missouri. Tall fescue is the state’s main cool-season grass.