
Landowner spotlight
Ed Keyser was surprised to be named Missouri’s 2012 Tree Farmer of the Year. Although he has worked tirelessly managing his tree farm just a few miles west of Kirksville, Mo., he did not consider his small farm worthy of such attention.

MU collaborates with community on audio tour of historic Lexington
LEXINGTON, Mo. – Visitors to historic Lexington, Missouri, can learn about the town’s rich Civil War history through an audio walking and driving tour created through the University of Missouri Extension Community Arts Program. The audio tour gives businesses another way to drive economic development in the town of 4,500, said Lee Ann Woolery, MU Extension community arts specialist.

MU FRTI awards Fire Service Instructor of the Year
LAKE OZARK, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension’s Fire and Rescue Training Institute (MU FRTI) presented the Fire Service Instructor of the Year award for 2015-2016 to Robert Shramek Jr., assistant chief and training officer with Lincoln County Fire Protection District 1 in Troy, Mo.The award was presented Nov. 5 at MU FRTI’s annual instructors conference at Camden on the Lake Resort in Lake Ozark, Mo.

MU Extension weather stations help farmers know when to spray
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Nine Missouri weather stations recently received updates to help farmers and chemical applicators know when to spray herbicides to avoid off-target movement caused by temperature inversions.

MU Extension and partners grow knowledge among Hmong farmers
ROCKY COMFORT, Mo. – More than vegetables grow in Fue Yang’s high tunnels. It is where opportunity grows for area Hmong farmers.Yang runs a teaching farm for University of Missouri Extension, Lincoln University and the Webb City Farmers Market. The collaborative effort is part of a grant from the Missouri Department of Agriculture.

Zinnia: From eye sickness to eye candy
COLUMBIA, Mo.

Government contracting improves prospects for Brookfield construction firm
BROOKFIELD, Mo. – Her portion of the work is a little piece of a big project, but construction business owner Lois Rodriguez is making the most of it. As president and CEO of Better By Design LLC, Rodriguez is doing her part to make the long-awaited East Locust Creek Reservoir a reality.

Golfers tee off in support of Missouri 4-H
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Golfers hit the greens in support of Missouri 4-H youth at the eighth annual 4-H Clover Classic Golf Tournament on June 6 in Columbia, Mo. Co-presenting sponsors were The Climate Corp., a division of Monsanto, and Great American Insurance Group’s Crop Division.
MU Fire and Rescue Training Institute director to retire in October 2017
COLUMBIA, Mo. – David E. Hedrick, director of the University of Missouri Fire and Rescue Training Institute (MU FRTI), has announced that he will be retiring in October 2017. Hedrick joined MU FRTI as director in 2007.