Utilizing corn stalks in beef cow rations
The spring grass hay crop was extremely poor across many regions of the state. Beef cattle producers are turning to alternative feeds in order to find winter forage for their herds. Baled corn stalks are going to be one of the more available forage sources for many producers. A discussion of their quality and use is certainly appropriate.
Management strategies to be successful in heifer development
Drought has led to historic declines in cattle numbers in Missouri. As weather and cattle price become favorable for cattle herds to rebuild, add value to a cattle operation through heifer development. This article will discuss cattle management strategies of the Missouri Show-Me-Select (SMS) Replacement Heifer Program that will help cattle producers be successful in heifer development and adding value to their…
Show-Me MO Success podcast: Platte County, MU Extension give Dorothy Day Cabin a new purpose
KANSAS CITY, Mo. –The Dorothy Day Cabin sits in the Green Hills of Platte Wildlife Preserve just a few minutes north of downtown Kansas City. Dorothy Day, an artist and conservationist, lived in the cabin until her death in 2011. Platte County spent $1 million to preserve the cabin and has looked for ways for the public to make use of it.
Rebuild your herd through the Fall SW MO Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program Sale
Stockton, Mo.- As cattle producers look to replenish their cattle herd look to the Fall SW MO Show-Me-Select™ (SMS) Replacement Heifer Program Sale on November 17th at Joplin Regional Stockyards. The program will be selling approximately 90 head of spring-calving SMS Certified bred heifers. The breed makeup of these heifers includes Angus, Red Angus, Hereford, SimAngus, Gelbvieh, and Beefmaster.
Missouri 4-H celebrates National 4-H Week
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Gov. Mike Parson designated Oct. 1-7, 2023, as National 4-H Week in Missouri. During the week and beyond there will be events and activities promoting the values and principles of 4-H. These include community service projects, celebrations and achievement days highlighting positive impacts 4-H has had on young people and their communities, said Lupita Fabregas, senior program director for the University of…
MTI celebrates 100th episode of ‘The Weekly Workplace’ podcast
SEDALIA, Mo. – Last month, the Missouri Training Institute celebrated the 100th episode its podcast, “The Weekly Workplace,” with a livestream from the Missouri State Fair.
MU Extension receives swine biosecurity grant
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension agricultural engineering specialist Teng Lim has been awarded a $179,933 grant to study new wean-to-harvest biosecurity projects to improve entry to swine operations.
NE Missouri couple learns about forestry on 55th wedding anniversary
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A forestry field day might seem like an unlikely place to spend a wedding anniversary, says University of Missouri Extension natural resources specialist Brian Schweiss. But a northeastern Missouri couple thought it sounded like “a good outing to someplace we had never been before” to celebrate 55 years of a marriage as strong as the forest’s trees.
Project helps reduce Missouri feral hog population by 65%
SALEM, Mo. – Kevin Crider knows a troublemaker when he sees one, whether it be two-legged or four-legged.
Test for soybean cyst nematode this fall
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Oct. 2 is National Nematode Day and marks a good time to test fields for soybean cyst nematode (SCN), the No. 1 pathogen of soybean in the United States.“We anticipate the highest SCN levels to occur at the end of the season. Identifying problematic areas this fall can help with 2024 planting decisions,” said Mandy Bish, University of Missouri Extension plant pathologist and director of the SCN Diagnostics clinic.
Average first frost about 2 weeks away in northern Missouri
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri’s northernmost counties could soon see the first frost of fall, says University of Missouri Extension state climatologist Zack Leasor.Although near-freezing temperatures are not currently in the forecast, daily temperature normals are dropping about one-half degree daily, and daylight is dwindling at a rate of 2-3 minutes less per day.
MU Extension studies loneliness in rural areas
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Montana State University is partnering with University of Missouri Extension and the MU Department of Psychological Sciences to research the connection between loneliness and mental health in agricultural workers and rural residents. The study will increase understanding of how isolation contributes to the mental health crisis in rural communities, with the goal of providing insights into targeting future interventions.
MU Extension selects Lake area leaders as co-chairs for Elevate women's event
LAKE OZARK, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension regional economic development specialist Ashley Brown announced the 10 community co-chairs for “#Elevate: An Empowering Experience for Women.”#Elevate, set for March 2, 2024, at The Lodge of Four Seasons in Lake Ozark, is designed to educate and connect women to one another and themselves, Brown says.
Women in dairy invited to Sept. 12 lavender tour in Centralia
CENTRALIA, Mo. – Women involved in the dairy industry are invited to attend an on-farm field trip to learn more about lavender production.The University of Missouri’s Women in Dairy group is scheduled to tour and smell the lavender fields at Battlefield Lavender in Centralia 5-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 12.“Lavender production holds the opportunity to supplement your income or at minimum lift your spirits,” says MU Extension dairy…
Elevating Excellence: 2023 Missouri 4-H Hall of Fame inductees
SEDALIA, Mo. – The Missouri 4-H community honored the 2023 inductees into the Missouri 4-H Hall of Fame in August at State Fair Community College in Sedalia.
Classes on Missouri farm leases offered in September
MEXICO, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension agriculture business specialists will offer a program on Missouri farm leases in September. Participants may attend Sept. 12 or Sept. 13 in person at sites throughout the state or through Zoom.
Bull development and management for optimum breeding season performance
STOCKTON, Mo. - Bull development and management is important to promote optimum breeding season performance. Optimum breeding season performance promotes optimum herd pregnancy rates which is important to cattle herd productivity and profitability. Therefore, this article will provide tips in selection, development, and management of bulls for optimum breeding season performance.
Smoketree: A sizzling hot plant that's not just for summer
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Unlike most of Missouri’s native trees, the American smoketree displays spectacular colors throughout the growing season, says University of Missouri Extension state horticulturist Michele Warmund.American smoketree is a hardy and adaptable small tree or shrub that grows 15 to 30 feet at maturity. It thrives in full sun and in alkaline soils but tolerates slightly acidic and compacted soils.
Less is more: Time to divide and conquer perennials
COLUMBIA, Mo. – “Some perennials can suffer from too much of a good thing,” said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.As it grows, year after year, a perennial’s growth clump, or crown, gets so big the plant begins to compete with itself for light, water and nutrients. Eventually this self-struggle leads to fewer and less showy flowers.
Cattle producers urged to watch for prussic acid poisoning
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension specialists urge producers to closely watch cattle grazing pastures with Johnson grass and other sorghum species.Cattle producers in several drought-stressed parts of Missouri have recently reported cattle deaths from suspected prussic acid or hydrocyanic acid (cyanide) poisoning, says Tim Evans, an MU Extension state specialist in animal health and veterinary toxicology.
46th annual Hundley-Whaley Farm, Field and Family Day is Sept. 7
ALBANY, Mo. – The University of Missouri Hundley-Whaley Extension and Education Center will host a Farm, Field and Family Day 4-8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7, in Albany. The event is free and open to the public.
Tar spot now confirmed in about a third of Missouri
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension state plant pathologist Mandy Bish says tar spot of corn has spread into many new counties in 2023.Bish recently confirmed tar spot in five more counties. This brings to 31 the number of Missouri counties in which tar spot has been confirmed between 2019 and 2023.
Show-Me MO Success podcast: Caring Hearts and Hands of Columbia
COLUMBIA, Mo. – As a palliative care nurse at Boone Hospital, Jackie Reed saw families dealing with the declining health of loved ones have to make difficult financial decisions.
Garden flowers bloom all year when dried
COLUMBIA, Mo. – “The delicate, ephemeral nature of flowers undoubtedly adds to our appreciation of them,” said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein. “Many literally are ‘here today, gone tomorrow.’”But flowers can be enjoyed all year long by drying them, said Trinklein, and now is the perfect time to gather the excess from our gardens and preserve them for future enjoyment.
MU Extension guide covers management of small ruminants during drought
OSCEOLA, Mo. – Producers of small ruminants have had to deal with drought in nearly every part of Missouri this year trying to keep their animals healthy.“The biggest concern in drought for sheep and goats is lack of feed for the animals,” said David Brown, the University of Missouri Extension’s new livestock field specialist in small ruminants. Drought conditions affect nutrient quality of forage, leading to weight loss in sheep and…