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October Farm Management News and Notes from MU Extension
COLUMBIA, Mo. – As the harvest season is underway, make time to work on your farm business to set it up for success next year. Fall is an excellent time to update your farm’s short-term operating plan, make pasture investments, check to see if you are in compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and differentiate between family and business roles.Make a short-term operating plan
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More Missouri farmers growing peanuts
PORTAGEVILLE, Mo. – This is peanut harvest time in the Missouri Bootheel. Interest in the versatile legume has grown among Bootheel farmers since 2018, says University of Missouri Extension soils and cropping systems specialist Justin Calhoun.
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Plant bulbs in fall for spring beauty
JACKSON, Mo. – Nothing spells spring like blooms peeking out from the depths of winter.Planning and planting in fall will reward gardeners with blooms in spring, says Donna Aufdenberg, University of Missouri Extension horticulturist.During a recent MU Extension Integrated Pest Management Town Hall, Aufdenberg gave tips on how gardeners can buy and plant bulbs now for future enjoyment.
Order apple trees in fall for spring planting
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Fall is prime time for harvesting juicy, crunchy fresh apples at their peak of perfection.“While munching on those tasty fall treats, make sure to peruse the nursery catalogs and place an order for apple trees to plant in your own yard,” says Michele Warmund, University of Missouri Extension horticulturist.
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Let the gourd times roll
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Fall is the time to harvest, cure and store ornamental gourds, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.“Gourds are thought to be among the first domesticated plant species, dating back to as early as 13,000 B.C,” Trinklein said. “Through the years, dried gourds served many purposes – as ladles, birdhouses and luffa fibers used in diverse items such as oil filters, life preservers, scrubbing…
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Missouri 4-H places first at All-American Dairy Cattle Judging Contest
HARRISBURG, Pa. – Missouri 4-H’s dairy judging team finished first overall at the 2022 All-American Dairy Show Invitational Youth Dairy Cattle Judging Contest held Sept. 19 in Harrisburg, Pa.
Make sure bulls are ready for fall breeding season
STOCKTON, Mo. – Make sure bulls are physically and reproductively sound before the fall breeding season, says University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Patrick Davis.
MU Extension hosts regional leadership development program
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Twenty-seven leaders from 13 states graduated from the North Central Cooperative National Extension Leadership Development (NELD) program, hosted by MU Extension’s Missouri Training Institute (MTI).
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Pumpkin ushers in fall decorations, foods
STE. GENEVIEVE, Mo. – It is pumpkin time, when people celebrate the versatile vegetable that marks seasons, holidays and traditions.This member of the squash family has been grown in North America for thousands of years, says University of Missouri Extension horticulturist Katie Kammler.
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Off-farm income crucial to many ag producers
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Farm households increasingly rely on off-farm income. A report from University of Missouri Extension notes that, on average, 82% of farm household income comes from outside the farm. More than half of the principal operators of farms have primary jobs off the farm, said Alan Spell, MU assistant extension professor and a co-author of the report.
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MU Extension guide shows how cover crops can benefit pollinators, wildlife
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension recently released guidelines for managing cover crops to benefit pollinators and wildlife.
Family business overcomes loss, Mueller Industries - St. Louis, MO
When a family-run small business loses its leader and, shortly afterward, loses its largest client, it can send the company into a tailspin. “We were frantic,” said Christine Jeep, CEO of Mueller Industries in St. Louis, Missouri. “We didn’t know what was going to happen.”
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September is Suicide Prevention Month
COLUMBIA, Mo. – During drought, plants and livestock suffer.So do farmers. Life in rural America can be rough, especially when weather-related events such as drought and flood put crops and livestock at risk.University of Missouri Extension agronomist Valerie Tate knows this all too well. Tate has lost some friends and neighbors to suicide, a topic that still breaks her heart.
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Students compete on broadband expansion plans for NW Missouri
MARYVILLE, Mo. – Three teams of University of Missouri System students competed to develop plans for supplying access to affordable high-speed internet to residents and businesses in northwestern Missouri. In the Public-Private Partnership Broadband Business Plan Competition, students from backgrounds such as engineering, business, law and computer science used surveys, research and information from local stakeholders to develop…
NW Missouri broadband planning offers statewide model
MARYVILLE, Mo. – Efforts to expand broadband access and digital literacy in northwestern Missouri can be a model for the rest of the state, said B.J. Tanksley, director of broadband development for the Missouri Department of Economic Development.
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September farm management news and notes from MU Extension
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A farm’s approach to marketing often affects whether the operation has the potential to sustain itself for the long term. These farm management news and notes from University of Missouri Extension will help you choose products and product features to market, educate buyers about the purchase process and navigate product pricing.Weigh harvesting corn for grain or silage
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Sample fields for SCN after soybean harvest
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Right after soybean harvest is the time to test fields for soybean cyst nematode (SCN), the No. 1 pathogen of soybean in the United States.
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Safety no accident, says family of tractor rollover victim
TAYLOR, Mo. – It started as an ordinary Father’s Day with plans for a family get-together celebrating the beloved head of the family. Little did Lacey Miller know that it would be the last Father’s Day that her father would spend on earth. Miller’s father, Marion County farmer Ralph Griesbaum, died in a tractor rollover accident that June 2018 day while burying a dead cow in a washout. It was a routine farm task turned deadly.
Missouri farmers seeking rollover protection devices for tractors
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Since 2016, more than 70 Missouri farmers asked for help to install tractor rollover protection (ROP) devices from a national program that provides rebates, but the waiting list is long, and only one Missouri farmer has received assistance so far.
Make your mowing habits a cut above
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mowing is a leading cause of farm tractor rollover accidents, which, in turn, are a leading cause of farm fatalities. Smaller utility or garden-type tractors equipped with deck or belly mowers are also susceptible to rollovers and tip overs on hilly terrain.
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Farming: The most dangerous job in the U.S.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Each year, more people die while farming than while serving as police officers, firefighters or other emergency responders. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a rate of 23 work-related deaths per 100,000 workers in the agricultural industry. That is seven times higher than the national average for workers.
MU Extension offers mental health resources for farmers, ranchers
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Take care of the farm and the farm will take care of you. That’s common advice handed down from one generation to the next. But farmers often face stress that the farm can’t take care of, says Karen Funkenbusch, University of Missouri Extension health and safety specialist. Farmers tend to put their families and farms before themselves, says Funkenbusch. But neither can function unless farmers take care of themselves…
Review safety practices on the farm with children
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Many consider the farm an ideal place to raise children. But with all its idyllic charm come dangers, says University of Missouri Extension health and safety specialist Karen Funkenbusch.
Take care when driving in Amish, Mennonite communities
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A weekend drive through Amish and Mennonite communities provides a pleasant glimpse of simpler times in rural areas. But don’t let that drive turn into a tragedy, says University of Missouri Extension health and safety specialist Karen Funkenbusch. These communities with horse-drawn buggies call for extra caution, she says. Rural roadways, often narrow or graveled, present dangers. Trees, corn and large equipment…
New AgriStress Helpline available to Missouri farmers
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri farmers and rural families seeking mental health support can turn to the new AgriStress Helpline. Farmers and ranchers take pride in their ability to handle challenges and are often reluctant to seek help, particularly for mental health issues, says University of Missouri Extension health and safety specialist Karen Funkenbusch. The goal of the AgriStress Helpline is to ensure free, confidential help.