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Paying to borrow your own money is a bad deal
The ball at Times Square had barely touched bottom before the ads for tax-refund loans began broadcasting across the country. But getting tax refund money just a few days earlier can cost you.
Grant writing workshop set in Hillsboro
HILLSBORO, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension will hold a Specialty Crop Block Grant workshop 6-9 pm. Monday, Jan. 29, in Hillsboro.
Downtown Hannibal business cooks up success with MU Extension
HANNIBAL, Mo. – In her 20s, Linda Studer had a dream of opening a business in historic Hannibal.
EPA extends deadline for poultry and livestock facilities
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension agricultural engineering specialist Teng Lim advises poultry and livestock producers to be aware of an approaching deadline that could affect their operations.
Workshop helps new farmers, ranchers, military vets understand ABCs of USDA, other agencies
ELDON, Mo. – Openings remain for a free Jan. 24 workshop to help beginning farmers and ranchers, including military veterans, learn about resources offered by state and federal agencies.University of Missouri Extension sponsors the workshop.
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4-H after-school program nurtures 'seeds of possibility'
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – “Quiet on the set! Camera ready?”“Ready!”The scene: A corridor at Johnson Elementary in Kansas City’s Hickman Mills school district. A girl stands in front of the camera holding a clapper board, a device familiar to anyone who’s watched movies about Hollywood.“Scene one, take six,” she says.“Action!” calls the director.Three actors amble toward the camera. The characters talk about their weekend.“Cut.”
Slow cooker tips for tasty meals
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. – As the weather gets colder, there’s nothing like coming home to a hot meal. A slow cooker, also known as a crockpot, can be an economical, timesaving way to feed your family, says Susan Mills-Gray, University of Missouri Extension nutrition and health education specialist.
Slow cooker heats up winter meals
CLINTON, Mo.– Baby, it’s cold outside. And there’s no better way to warm up after the workday than to come home to a hot meal.Your slow cooker can be an economical, timesaving way to feed your family, says Susan Mills-Gray, University of Missouri Extension nutritionist. Less expensive cuts of meat shrink less and become tender in slow cookers.She gives tips to make your slow cooker easier to use and clean.
Winter a good time to test for radon
MARSHFIELD, Mo.– While you wait for the spring thaw, consider testing your home for harmful radon gas, says Bob Schultheis, a University of Missouri Extension natural resource engineering specialist.
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Compost bedded pack barns offer cow comfort and higher production
MACOMB, Mo. – Happy, healthy cows give more milk.Southwestern Missouri dairy farmers find that cows housed in compost bedded pack barns are healthy, happy and produce more milk, says University of Missouri Extension dairy specialist Ted Probert.
Protect against colds and flu with vitamin E
BETHANY, Mo. – Cold and flu season is in full swing. One defense against them is to get plenty of vitamin E.Researchers at Tufts University’s USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging found that vitamin E improves the body’s response to the flu vaccine and reduces the risk of upper respiratory infections, says Janet Hackert, regional nutrition and health education specialist for University of Missouri Extension.
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Edgewood Dairy and Creamery's success starts with MU grazing school
PURDY, Mo. – Twenty years ago, Charles Fletcher of Edgewood Dairy and Creamery attended a University of Missouri Extension grazing school. It would change the future of the family dairy operation.Fletcher’s father started the dairy farm in 1966. His father milked cows by hand 365 days a year, morning and night. In 1993, the Fletcher family formed a partnership that included poultry and dairy. Rising input costs and time forced them to…
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Couple returns from Asia to raise children and food in the country
ROLLA, Mo. – Eric and Pathoumma Meusch had a hard time finding good-quality, locally grown foods when they moved from Asia to Eric’s hometown of Rolla.They grew their own food and soon received requests from friends and neighbors to buy food. They opened Meusch Farms in 2010. They shared their experiences at a recent “Grow Your Farm” workshop sponsored by University of Missouri Extension.
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Fifth-generation rancher becomes MU Extension beef nutrition specialist
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Fifth-generation rancher Eric Bailey joins University of Missouri Extension as state beef nutrition specialist.He came to Mizzou for “its desire to innovate and be leaders in the next generation of beef producers.” He will work with specialists on beef cattle nutrition. He plans to meet beef farmers and leaders across the state.
Garden critters: 'Frenemies' in grow places
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Cute critters by day. Thieves by night.
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Change helps Monett farm survive
MONETT, Mo. – Fourth-generation farmer Mike Meier knows change will help his family’s Century Farm survive.The rotational grazing and breeding system he uses for his dairy herd works. Now he wants to apply those principles to beef cattle. “At 56, I wanted to go in a different direction,” he says.He wants to see how much profit per acre he can make by switching from dairy to beef cattle. He is building his cattle herd as he prepares to…
Ag workers at high risk of heat illnesses
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Agriculture workers are 20 times more likely than other workers to die from heat.Heat deaths are 100 percent preventable with water, rest and shade, says University of Missouri Extension health and safety specialist Karen Funkenbusch.
Soybean growers fund research, then share results at Show-Me Soy School
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Farmers spending their own dollars for soybean research at the University of Missouri will hear results July 14.Researchers share results with all farmers, not just those in the Missouri Soybean Association. Suppliers, agribusiness reps, educators and agency officials are welcome.
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Blindness helps man find opportunities for others in ag
MORRISON, Mo. – Jim Brinkmann’s blindness does not keep him from helping others with vision problems reach their potential.Brinkmann helps people with visual impairments succeed in agriculture, says Karen Funkenbusch, Missouri AgrAbility Project state director and University of Missouri Extension specialist. Brinkmann serves with Funkenbusch on the AgrAbility team. He is mid-Missouri district supervisor for Rehabilitation Services for…
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MU Master Gardeners build mini-greenhouses
VERSAILLES, Mo. – Ozark Prairie Master Gardeners know that good things come in small packages.That is why mini-greenhouses are growing throughout the Lake of the Ozarks region.The mini-greenhouses are the brainchild of Dan Britton, president of the Ozark Prairie Master Gardeners chapter in Morgan County.
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Plant turnips in late July
COLUMBIA, Mo. – An old Missouri saying advises, “On the 25th of July, sow your turnips, wet or dry,” said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.
46 to be inducted into the 4-H Hall of Fame
SEDALIA, Mo. – Forty-six Missourians will be inducted into the Missouri 4-H Hall of Fame at 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 19, at the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center on the State Fair Community College campus in Sedalia.The Missouri 4-H Foundation annually recognizes the work of 4-H friends and volunteers through its recognition and awards program, said Rachel Augustine, interim director of the Missouri 4-H Foundation.
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4-H community uses fair premiums to help ill 10-year-old
MARSHALL, Mo. – Fairgoers at the annual Saline County 4-H and FFA Youth Fair got more than they bid for this year. 4-H and FFA members and the crowd raised almost $10,000 for Haley Browning, a terminally ill 10-year-old from Marshall. Doctors found cancer after she had a seizure last year. She was airlifted to Kansas City, where doctors found a mass on a kidney.
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MU researcher finds pigweed in birdseed and pollinator mixes
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri researchers, under the direction of MU Extension weed scientist Kevin Bradley, are finding that pigweed seed is popping up in birdseed in alarming numbers.“It’s pretty shocking,” graduate student Eric Oseland told those attending the annual Integrated Pest Management field day recently.
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MU Extension guide offers help on hiring, keeping employees
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension recently released its 2017 Farm Labor Guide.Finding and keeping dependable workers is one of the largest challenges today for farm owners and managers, says MU Extension agricultural economist Joe Horner. “As farms grow in size, learning to recruit, manage and retain high-quality employees becomes even more critical.”