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Helping Midwesterners celebrate freedom — safely, Powder Monkey Fireworks - Weldon Spring, MO
“The last two years were our best two years,” said Chris Sander, owner of Powder Monkey Fireworks in three Missouri locations: Weldon Spring, Cape Girardeau and Bowling Green. Not many businesses can say that about sales during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Highly toxic poison hemlock in full bloom
COLUMBIA, Mo. – It is as if a florist painted Missouri roadsides, hillsides and pastures with white spring flowers. But those flowers are poison hemlock, a weed that is highly toxic to humans and animals, says University of Missouri Extension weed scientist Kevin Bradley.
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Report shows how broadband adoption will help grow rural economies
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A recent analysis shows how expansion and adoption of internet services in three northwestern Missouri counties could help grow their economies in the decade ahead.
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MU Extension offers alerts for key insect pests
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri’s Pest Monitoring Network offers free text alerts to notify farmers when insects are active in specific locations, says MU Extension entomologist Kevin Rice.The six key insects currently affecting agricultural crops are Japanese beetle, brown marmorated stink bug, black cutworm, corn earworm, fall armyworm and true armyworm.
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Plant a peck of sweet peppers
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Bearing fruit ranging in color from red, orange and yellow to purple, white and chocolate-black, sweet peppers are the Easter eggs of the vegetable garden, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.
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Leadership in action: Calming traffic, building community
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – At a community movie night in the West End neighborhood in St. Louis, Lisa Potts was alarmed at how many cars were speeding and running stop signs along Hamilton Avenue, the neighborhood’s main thoroughfare. “I remember thinking that we definitely needed a traffic-calming initiative on this street because otherwise someone is going to get run over for sure!” said Potts, a West End resident for 20 years.
New Region B training coordinator appointed at MU FRTI
Region B Training Coordinator: Charlie Peel of Clark, Missouri.
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Gardeners, baseball fans swing into summer
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Whether you are a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals or the Kansas City Royals, you can show your true colors in a baseball-themed garden this summer, says University of Missouri Extension horticulturist Michele Warmund.
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Noller named interim state director of Missouri SBDC
JOPLIN, Mo. – Sherry Noller has been appointed interim education director for University of Missouri Extension’s Business Development Program and interim state director for the Missouri Small Business Development Centers.The appointment, effective June 1, follows the retirement of longtime Missouri SBDC leader Greg Tucker, who joined the Missouri SBDC team in 2000 as a business counselor in Jefferson County.
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Land-Grant Society highlights donor impact on MU Extension and 4-H
University of Missouri Extension hosted its first Land-Grant Society reception this April to honor donors to MU Extension and the Missouri 4-H Foundation. The event recognized 19 individuals and couples who attended, as well as the more than 70 donors currently eligible for Land-Grant Society membership.
10 Missouri small businesses prepare to “Elevate” beyond the second stage
Ten second-stage Missouri small businesses are learning from experts and each other how to move to the next level. Selected from across the state and representing the advertising, construction, health care, manufacturing, and retail trade industries, the following businesses are participating in the 2022 Elevate program supported and led by the Missouri Small Business Development Centers (SBDC).
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Gladden a late-summer garden with gladiolas
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Few flowers bring more late-summer gladness than gladiolas, says University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.Their colorful flowers are known botanically as spikes. Individual flowers on the spike are called florets. “Glads are somewhat unique in that the florets on the spikes all point in the same direction,” Trinklein says.In Missouri, glads grow as annuals, but some species grow as perennials in…
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MU Extension specialist wins 5 national awards at Neighborhoods USA conference
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – “I was a great neighbor until I discovered that I was not,” says David Burton, community development specialist with University of Missouri Extension in Greene County. “I don't throw loud parties. I mow my yard regularly. I clean up my leaves. I even pick up after my dog when I take him on a walk.”
Becoming an Engaged Neighbor Begins With Learning Names of Nearest Neighbors; MU Extension Chart Can Help
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The vast majority of Americans do not know the names of their nearest neighbors, do not speak to those neighbors and do not know a personal fact about them. Most Americans have never had a conversation with their neighbor. Maybe they grunt when they pass on the street or wave when pulling out of the driveway, but that is its extent.
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Avian flu numbers drop as summer nears
COLUMBIA, Mo. – With avian influenza numbers dropping, bird lovers can continue to enjoy feeding their feathered friends with little risk, says Robert Pierce, University of Missouri Extension wildlife and fisheries specialist.Fewer reports of dead and sick birds point to an end to the current outbreak of avian influenza, Pierce says. Rising summer temperatures also will likely lead to a decrease in avian influenza.
Water, shade help prevent heat stress in cattle
COLUMBIA, Mo. – This is the time of year when cattle producers need to pay extra attention to heat stress in their operations, says University of Missouri Extension beef specialist Eric Bailey.
Great landscapes begin with quality topsoil
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Quality landscapes begin with quality topsoil.Topsoil is the top 3-10 inches of the soil. Most surface soils have higher organic matter content than subsoil, but not all surface soil is ideal for gardens or lawns, says Manjula Nathan, director of the University of Missouri Extension Soil and Plant Testing Laboratory.
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Poppy: A remembrance of fallen heroes
COLUMBIA, Mo. – “In Flanders fields the poppies blow / Between the crosses, row on row … .” So begins “In Flanders Fields,” written in 1915 by John McCrae, a Canadian poet and military physician.“The hauntingly eloquent words of McCrae helped to immortalize poppy as one of the most recognized symbols honoring soldiers who have died in combat,” said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.
On patrol for critter control
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Pest control in the garden might conjure images of a season-long battle with bugs, weeds and diseases. But sometimes four-legged “friends” such as deer, rabbits and squirrels can inflict far more damage, says University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.
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Beyond the show ring
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Nineteen youths from across the state came to Columbia on May 5 to compete in the first Missouri FFA Swine Facility Management Contest.The event, hosted by the University of Missouri and the Missouri Pork Association, took place at the Mizzou Swine Teaching and Research Farm, part of MU South Farm in Columbia.
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Wheatlage or grain? New decision tool helps find the 'sweet spot'
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A new tool helps farmers decide the breakeven price for wheatlage compared to harvesting their wheat as grain.
Planting progress shifts in warmer, drier weather
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Warmer and drier weather is expected to help farmers make solid planting progress this week.Normally, corn planting advances about 17 percentage points this week to 67% complete by May 15, says Martyn Foreman, University of Missouri Extension instructor in agricultural economics. “While corn planting progress is unlikely to reach the average next week, the gap should narrow significantly.”
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MU Extension Specialist Returns with Hardware from 47th Annual Neighborhoods USA Conference
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- David Burton, a community development specialist with University of Missouri Extension, came away from the 47th annual Neighborhoods USA (NUSA) national conference held in Little Rock, Arkansas (May 3 to May 7) with five coveted national awards in 10 possible categories.
Birth of a franchise, DocuLock - St. Joseph, MO
“Our first quarter sales this year almost exceeded our total sales of last year because of a paradigm shift in how we do business,” said Paul Janicek, owner of DocuLock in St. Joseph, Missouri. Janicek attributes that shift to the open-heart surgery he went through in 2020.
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Munch a bunch of edible flowers
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Edible blooms give flower power to spring meals, says University of Missouri Extension horticulturist Michele Warmund. Edible flowers add nutrition, texture and color to your plate, Warmund says. They can be candied, stir-fried, added to butters, steeped for teas and added to breads, soups, sauces, desserts or salads.