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Consumers gobble up heritage turkeys grown on small acreages
WINIGAN, Mo. – There is high demand for Missouri-raised heritage turkeys from Winigan Farms.The turkeys are part of Rod Belzer’s small-acreage farm efforts, says Dan Downing, state specialist for University of Missouri Extension. Downing works with farmers who grow products for farmers markets and specialty markets such as public institutions. He says Belzer’s operation is a good example of how landowners can make income even on small…
Send your plants on a tropical vacation
COLUMBIA, Mo. –The end of the growing season does not have to signal the end of tropical container plants that have brought months of enjoyment.
Ounce of prevention in fall is best medicine for garden success in spring
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Ben Franklin’s adage of “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” could be gardeners’ theme song for November. Gardeners should close the curtain on this season and begin looking forward to the next, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein. Next year’s success is influenced greatly by this fall’s cleanup.
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Minor bulbs make major impact in spring gardens
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Minor bulbs make a major splash in early spring.
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MU FRTI receives new specialized mobile fire training simulator
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri Extension Fire and Rescue Training Institute (MU FRTI) recently took delivery on a new specialized mobile fire training simulator system. The simulator is designed to provide training in fire scenarios involving vehicles, dumpsters/trash receptacles, liquid spills and gas cylinder fires.
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Gunters adapt dairy farm until the cows come home
CONWAY, Mo. – Like many dairy farmers, Lloyd and Jane Gunter are retirement-age. Jane is a retired home economics teacher and her husband has run Gunter Farms since 1963.Yet they are modernizing and expanding their dairy farm for the future.They added a 6-acre pumpkin patch and 8-acre corn maze 16 years ago. They harvest enough pie pumpkins for the 5,000 schoolchildren, teachers and others who visit the farm each year.
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Stink bugs try to find warm home for the winter
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Brown marmorated stink bugs are hunting homes for the winter.The agriculture pests are a nasty nuisance indoors, but are otherwise harmless to pets and humans, say University of Missouri Extension entomologist Richard Houseman and Lincoln University Cooperative Extension integrated pest management specialist Jaime Pinero. They do not bite, sting, suck blood or spread disease.
MU receives USDA grant to help veterans, Latinos, women and others to farm
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded a $179,614 grant to the University of Missouri to support efforts to help veterans, Latinos, women and socially disadvantaged persons to farm or go into agribusiness. The grant will fund eight workshops over the course of a year, said MU Extension health and safety specialist Karen Funkenbusch.
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The black walnuts in your backyard are healthy
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. – It's the time of year when walnuts will start dropping off their trees."Picking these walnuts up to sell can be a great moneymaker, but don't forget that you can actually eat those nuts," says Tammy Roberts, University of Missouri Extension nutrition and health education specialist."Black walnuts are a tasty, healthy addition to your diet," she says.
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Tulip history is as colorful as its flowers
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Many spring flowerbeds awaken with the vibrant colors of tulips. Once a valuable currency, tulip has a history as vibrant as its petals.
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MU Extension offers mobile energy education unit
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A new classroom on wheels is designed to help Missourians better understand home energy efficiency.The University of Missouri Extension Efficient Energy Education Unit offers a hands-on look at ways to make homes more energy-efficient. MU Extension specialist Bob Broz says the unit will be on display at the MU South Farm Showcase on Oct. 1.
Teach children farm safety
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Agriculture-related incidents injure 33 children every day, and every three days a child dies from one, says University of Missouri Extension safety and health specialist Karen Funkenbusch.“Protecting our future generation needs to be a top priority!” she says.Funkenbusch urges farm families to talk about child safety on the farm and to follow these three tips to protect the next generation of farmers:
Protective gear helps prevent respiratory problems
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Without protective gear, working around grain dust can cause severe respiratory problems, says University of Missouri Extension safety and health specialist Karen Funkenbusch. Conditions such as farmer’s lung are serious but preventable, she says. The need to protect against grain dust increases when farmers combine, load, unload and dry grain. The dust contains plant materials, mold spores, insect parts and…
Myths and facts about food safety
BETHANY, Mo. – The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that almost 50 million people get sick from foodborne diseases in the U.S. each year. To help you and your family avoid joining those numbers, University of Missouri Extension nutrition and health education specialist Janet Hackert shares some myths and facts about food safety from Fight Bac!, the Partnership for Food Safety Education.
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Cellphones and rural roadways do not mix at harvest
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Fall harvest and texting do not mix, says University of Missouri Extension safety specialist Karen Funkenbusch. Turn your cellphone to TTYL (talk to you later).Rural roads are full of hazards in the fall.Farmers move large equipment from one field to another during harvest. They make wide turns, and large equipment reduces visibility. School buses make frequent stops on their morning and afternoon runs.
Good soil makes for green thumb gardening
COLUMBIA, Mo. – “You don’t need to have a green thumb to be a good gardener, but it certainly helps to have good soil,” said David Trinklein, University of Missouri Extension horticulture specialist.
Fall is a good time to plant garlic
COLUMBIA, Mo. – “Take two cloves of garlic and call me in the morning,” Most of us likely haven’t heard that from the family physician lately.
Nutrition plays an important role in eye health
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. – There is evidence that nutrients can play an important role in treating and preventing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss in people over the age of 60 in the United States. Macular degeneration affects the tissue in the eye that is responsible for central vision, says Tammy Roberts, University of Missouri Extension nutrition and health education specialist.
Some flowers strut their colors in fall
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Like peacocks, some flowers strut their vibrant colors in fall.
Saving seeds not a good investment
COLUMBIA, Mo. — A penny saved is a penny earned, but saving seeds from the garden can be a questionable use of time and energy.“Saving one’s own garden seeds is a false sense of economy,” says University of Missouri Extension horticulture specialist David Trinklein. “In the world of gardening, seeds are one of the least expensive costs, but perhaps the most important investment.”
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AgrAbility helps woman with MS find ways to keep farming
FORISTELL, Mo. — Even the smallest of farm chores is a chore for Kim DaWaulter of Foristell.DaWaulter needs a scooter to move around her small farm. Multiple sclerosis has weakened her legs, but not her desire to farm since 1988. She carries out her labor of love without complaint.
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Arts can boost, diversify small-town economies
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A two-day training this fall will show civic leaders, artists, elected officials, entrepreneurs, business owners and others how the arts can play a role in community and economic development.
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Hot plants that are cool
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Plants and people are alike when it comes to sizzling temperatures. Some wilt. Some rejoice in the summer sun.
Off-target herbicide movement: What you see is not what you get
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Off-target herbicides may be invisible, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.Off-target herbicides damage crops, ornamentals and other vegetation in nearby fields when droplets move off of the soil or intended plants and onto nontarget plants, says University of Missouri Plant Sciences research specialist Mandy Bish.
Pigs can’t sweat to cool off; give them help on hot days
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Pigs can’t cool themselves through sweating and need special attention during heat waves, says University of Missouri Extension swine nutrition specialist Marcia Shannon.Pigs take priority over any other animals on the farm when temperatures rise, Shannon says. Pigs have few working sweat glands to remove body heat.Shannon offers these tips:Provide an adequate, constant supply of fresh drinking water cooled to room…