Drainage water recycling systems improve corn yields
NOVELTY, Mo. – A recent report through the Transforming Drainage project shows that drainage water recycling systems can improve corn yields and the environment, says University of Missouri Extension agronomist Kelly Nelson.
Water availability
Excerpted from the Environmental Impact of Missouri Crop Production report
Irrigation and water use efficiency
Excerpted from the Environmental Impact of Missouri Crop Production report
81-year-old Missouri farmer tries subsurface drip irrigation
BELLFLOWER, Mo. – You won’t find grass growing under 81-year-old Russel Winter’s feet. While many farmers his age are retired, Winter still likes to lead the way in trying new farming technology and methods.During a recent hot summer day, Winter helped dig a trench for subsurface drip irrigation on his farm in Montgomery County. “I’ve been wanting to try this for 10 years,” he said. “Now that I should be quitting (farming), I’m trying…
Is it time to water the lawn?
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Most Missouri lawns have had plenty of water during this year’s cool, wet spring, so homeowners may not be thinking of how to properly irrigate those lush, green lawns now that the year’s first summer heat blast has arrived.Signs that a lawn needs watering include purple-blue wilting leaves, footprints that persist for several hours and folded or rolled leaves, said Brad Fresenburg, University of Missouri Extension turf…
Drones draw interest to crop scouting and other new farm uses
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Remote sensors can play a big part of farming in the future. Those sensors can be on a 10-foot pole or a satellite 250 miles out in space.The sensors of most interest at an agriculture technology fair, July 17, were on an unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone, that looks like a toy helicopter. Farmers and agribusiness came to see, learn and do.
Managing your garden's soil moisture doesn't have to be difficult
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. – Managing soil moisture is an important part of successful vegetable gardening in the Midwest, says a University of Missouri Extension horticulturist.
Tips for watering your lawn during a drought
GALENA, Mo. –Hot, dry weather has put lawns to the test this summer. As a result, many homeowners are attempting to keep their lawns active and alive by irrigating.It’s normal for cool-season grasses such as fescue and bluegrass to go dormant in mid-summer, said Tim Schnakenberg, agronomy specialist, University of Missouri Extension.
MU drainage system increases yields, reduces nutrient runoff
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri agronomists found corn and soybean yields increase by 20 percent or more when they use drainage control systems, said Kelly Nelson, MU Extension agronomist at the Greenley Research Center, Novelty.A combination of drainage and subirrigation boosts corn yields by 45 percent and soybean yields by 20 percent in claypan soils, Nelson said. The Greenley system allows excess water to drain and be…