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Straw bale gardening offers options for gardeners
COLUMBIA, Mo. – You can’t grow turkey in the straw. However, you can grow side dishes and floral centerpieces for a turkey dinner in the straw.Gardens using straw as a growing medium are becoming popular with growers who are plagued with poor soil or limited garden space, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein. Straw bale gardening combines container gardening and raised-bed gardening into one green-thumb…
Pig disease on upswing in U.S.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Pork producers need to know what to do if a vesicular disease strikes their operation.The Seneca Valley virus (SVV) disease is on the upswing in the United States, says Corinne Bromfield, University of Missouri Extension veterinarian.The Swine Health Information Center reported that diagnostics labs had seen more than 60 cases of SVV from January to June 2016. They reported only 20 cases in the previous 30 years.
Give your Valentine's Day flowers some TLC
COLUMBIA, Mo. –Valentine’s Day flowers, like love, can stand the test of time if given a little TLC. Call it flor-amore.
Lime doesn’t harm K-31 fescue but nitrogen adds to toxicosis
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Adding poultry litter or nitrogen to toxic fescue pastures grows more grass, but also boosts toxins in the grass.A three-year study at the University of Missouri shows liming helps grass but doesn’t increase ergovaline. That toxin harms grazing cattle many ways, mostly in lost production. In recent frigid cold, farmers reported cases of fescue foot caused by the toxin. Cattle losing their hooves must be put down.
Watch the weather to avoid atrazine runoff
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Atrazine, one of farmers’ least expensive and most effective chemicals for weed control, is under the magnifying glass.Atrazine is up for re-registration review by the Environmental Protection Agency, says Bob Broz, water quality specialist for University of Missouri Extension. Broz recently spoke to certified crop advisers at a meeting in St. Joseph.
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Cyclamen: the houseplant with an amorous history
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The cyclamen is Cupid’s flowering love child.For centuries, people have associated cyclamens with matters of the heart, making it a perfect Valentine’s Day choice, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.
Study shows cover crops help soils after flooding
ROCK PORT, Mo. – A four-year study by University of Missouri Extension seeks to find how cover crops can best benefit soils after flooding and prevented planting.MU Extension agronomist Wayne Flanary shared initial results at a recent crop advisers meeting in St. Joseph. The study looks at the impact of cover crops in the recovery of flooded soils.
Tightening profit margins means farmers must control costs
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Higher production costs and lower commodity prices mean farmers must control costs more carefully than ever, says University of Missouri Extension agricultural economist Ray Massey.Land, seed and fertilizer are the largest production costs for row crop operations. “If you can lower these costs by 10 percent, it is like lowering other production costs by 100 percent,” Massey told certified crop advisers recently in St.…
Freezing cows die from fescue foot; no known cure but prevention works
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Reports of “fescue foot” causing loss of cows are coming in, says Craig Roberts, University of Missouri Extension forage specialist.In severe cold weather, cows eating toxic fescue, a widely used pasture grass, suffer frozen feet with lost hooves. In one case a Missouri a producer lost five cows out of a herd of 30. Other cases, less severe, are being reported.
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Blake Naughton named MU Extension’s new associate vice chancellor
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Blake Naughton, executive director of University of Missouri’s Hook Center for Educational Renewal, will be MU Extension’s new associate vice chancellor for extension and engagement, effective Feb. 1.
More to mushrooms than morels
BETHANY, Mo. – Although many in Missouri think about mushrooms when the morels are at their peak in April, people who grow mushrooms at home or commercially need to be thinking about them much of the year, says a University of Missouri Extension nutrition and health education specialist.
Glycemic index: How useful is it for managing health?
BETHANY, Mo. – People looking to lose weight or eat healthier have sought to reduce calories, carbs and fats in their diets. In recent years, health-conscious consumers have been seeking out foods with a low glycemic index. But how effective is this for managing health?
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Missouri Holstein cow produces nearly 24 gallons of milk per day
MOUNT VERNON, Mo. – Missouri Holstein Dezi is a moo-ver and a milker.The Lawrence County cow outperforms most of her regional counterparts, producing just short of three times as much milk per day, says University of Missouri Extension dairy specialist Reagan Bluel.Dezi, owned by farmer Karl Wilke, churns out 201 pounds of milk per day. That’s the equivalent of about 24 gallons—15 gallons more than the average Holstein.
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Kalanchoe’s hot, hot, hot colors warm winter days
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The little-known kalanchoe is the firecracker of houseplants.Kalanchoe’s colors burst with unexpected vibrancy in the dead of winter, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.“Kalanchoes are the Energizer Bunny of succulents,” said Trinklein. “Their flowers just keep going and going and going.”
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Now is good time to respond to wheat stages
JACKSON, Mo. – January and February are good months to make wheat management decisions, according to a University of Missouri Extension agronomist in southeastern Missouri. Wheat maturity does not follow a calendar. Instead, wheat development depends on weather and planting date, says Anthony Ohmes.
Terrariums: Nature in a bottle
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Terrariums are back in style for plant lovers, says University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.
Online resources for winter weather
Editors: University of Missouri Extension has compiled a list of websites, extension publications, news releases and other online resources for coping before, during and after winter storms. MU Extension news releases
Consider lawns and shrubs when de-icing walks and driveways
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Salt does more than melt the ice on your sidewalks and driveways.It can harm your lawn and shrubs, says University of Missouri Extension turf management specialist Brad Fresenburg.Too much salt can leave dead strips along sidewalks and driveways. It can kill shrubs and flowers.
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Poinsettias can bloom again next year with TLC
COLUMBIA, Mo. – That forlorn-looking, leftover plant from a bright holiday season can burst with merry blooms again if given tender, loving care.
MU Extension offers tips for negotiating new farmland leases
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Renters and property owners are negotiating new farmland leases in response to lower farm commodity prices, says University of Missouri Extension agriculture business specialist Joe Koenen.
Farm bill action possible in early 2018 if Congress keeps much of present law
COLUMBIA, Mo. – There’s an open window for passing a farm bill in early 2018, says Scott Brown, University of Missouri policy analyst. But potential passage gets tough by late spring.Getting action depends on Congress quickly agreeing to pass a farm bill much like what exists.Mostly, farmers are pleased with current legislation, Brown told the MU Crop Management Conference. But every commodity group has ideas for tweaks to their parts…
Grow Your Farm program offered in downtown KC
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension invites anyone interested in learning to farm to attend an eight-session program, Grow Your Farm, offered by MU Extension in Jackson County. The program also offers two farm tours. Sessions begin Feb. 28 and end April 18. All sessions run 6-9 p.m. at the MU Extension center at 105 E. Fifth St. in the Kansas City River Market.
Good Agricultural Practices training offered in St. Peters, Olathe
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fruit and vegetable growers can learn about produce safety and Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification at workshops in early 2018. GAP certification training will be held Jan. 18 and Feb. 16 in Olathe, Kan., and Jan. 26 in St. Peters, Mo.
Produce safety workshop set for Jan. 17 in Webb City
WEBB CITY, Mo. – Fruit and vegetable growers can learn about produce safety at a half-day workshop Jan. 17, 2018, in Webb City, Mo.The workshop will help all produce growers, include those selling at farmers markets and to restaurants, grocery stores and wholesalers, improve the safety of their produce and will provide an introduction to produce safety regulations and market requirements.
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Improved drone technology gives farmers edge in scouting fields
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Drones are higher in quality and lower in price than they were just a few years ago when farmers began using them, says University of Missouri Extension natural resources engineer Kent Shannon.