Agriculture and environment : article
COLUMBIA, Mo. – For more than 100 years, the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station (AES) has played a vital role in carrying out the University of Missouri’s land-grant and extension missions through research, education and engagement.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Producers who don’t plan, watch and act for nitrogen deficiencies in their corn will lose green in their crop and at the bank, says a University of Missouri Extension plant scientist.
COLUMBIA, Mo.–Congress adjourned until after the November elections without action on a new farm bill. That presents farmers with a great deal of uncertainty moving forward.
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…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Off-target herbicides may be invisible, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.Off-target herbicides damage crops, ornamentals and other vegetation in nearby fields when droplets move off of the soil or intended plants and onto nontarget plants, says University of Missouri Plant…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Information in the digital age is like porridge in the tale “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” How do you know what is too much, too little, just right – or maybe not right at all?
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Waterhemp and Palmer amaranth are easily confused.They are like ugly distant cousins at a family reunion. They look alike until you see them side by side. Their differences become apparent upon closer examination.Palmer amaranth is the bigger bully of the two. It takes over fields,…
PALMYRA, Mo. – The last sale set records for six fall sales of Show-Me-Select heifer replacements. The average price per head was $2,118 on 224 head of bred heifers at F&T Livestock Auction, Palmyra, Dec. 9.
COLUMBIA, Mo.– Homeowners eager to apply aggressive first aid to storm-damaged trees could be removing trees that might have survived.
PERRYVILLE, Mo. – New technology and old-school knowledge mixed in the aftermath of the tornado that struck Perry County Feb. 28.
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.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Pigs can’t cool themselves through sweating and need special attention during heat waves, says University of Missouri Extension swine nutrition specialist Marcia Shannon.Pigs take priority over any other animals on the farm when temperatures rise, Shannon says. Pigs have few…
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. — It wasn’t the best of springs for baling hay.
“Stockpiling fall forage can stretch your hay supply by delaying how early you start feeding hay, plus reduce your harvesting costs,” says Pat Miller, University of Missouri Extension agronomy specialist.
STOCKTON, Mo. – Patience pays off for cattle producers who wait for fescue to grow some before turning cattle out for spring grazing, says University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Patrick Davis.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. — Now is the time to prepare for some of the earliest arrivals of spring: flowers borne by Dutch bulbs.
These flowers include the likes of narcissus (daffodil), tulip, hyacinth and crocus.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Fans of the public radio show “A Prairie Home Companion” know that rhubarb cures life’s ailments. When life cannot get any worse, “one little thing can revive a guy, and that is a piece of rhubarb pie,” according to the show’s creator, Garrison Keillor.
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CHILLICOTHE, Mo. - University of Missouri Extension will present a free play to help farmers talk about succession planning, 7-9 p.m. Friday, June 10, at the Gary Dickinson Performing Arts Center at Chillicothe High School.
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Cow-calf herd owners can send more pounds of beef to market by feeding calves after weaning. It’s called backgrounding to prepare calves for the feedlot.Speaking at the Missouri Livestock Symposium in Kirksville, Dec. 2, Eric Bailey asked producers to think bigger.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A written plan to respond to disease outbreaks for your livestock operation is like insurance. You hope you never need it. You may never need it. But if there is an outbreak, the economic survival of your livestock operation might depend on having that plan.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A University of Missouri Extension beef nutrition specialist counsels farmers to prepare for grass tetany season in March.
Abstract: The University of Missouri Integrated STEM Internship Program (MU-ISIP) is a 9-week internship experience that helps prepare undergraduates for the workforce or graduate school in four Agriculture, Food and Research Initiative (AFRI) areas:
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COLUMBIA, Mo. – As corn yields exceed commercial storage space, farmers will likely store some of this year’s crop in on-farm bins and in unconventional ways.
HUMANSVILLE, Mo. – Martin Prairie Farms near Humansville treats dairy cows like guests.The family-owned dairy farm north of Humansville in Hickory County dedicates itself to top-of-the-line herd nutrition and care, says University of Missouri Extension dairy specialist Reagan Bluel.
WEBB CITY, Mo. – Fruit and vegetable growers can learn about produce safety at a half-day workshop Jan. 17, 2018, in Webb City, Mo.
“Proper identification is key to management of cattle for optimum production and profitability,” says Patrick Davis MU Extension Regional Livestock Field Specialist. Identification is important in tracking cattle performance.
COLUMBIA, Mo.– When adjusting the settings on a combine, there needs to be a balance between acceptable grain loss and acceptable grain quality.
Related story: It’s tree pruning time
COLUMBIA, Mo.– Pruning trees when they’re young can prevent structural problems and the need to remove large limbs later, says a University of Missouri Extension state forestry specialist.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Without protective gear, working around grain dust can cause severe respiratory problems, says University of Missouri Extension safety and health specialist Karen Funkenbusch.
Conditions such as farmer’s lung are serious but preventable, she says.
COLUMBIA, Mo.– The long, harsh winter coupled with last fall’
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Findings by University of Missouri scientists indicate that zinc oxide nanoparticles could be a weapon against harmful molds and bacteria in food.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifers averaged $2,427 with a top price of $3,500 at the spring sale at Fruitland (Mo.) Livestock Auction, Saturday, May 7.“This sale was quality over quantity,” said Erin Larimore, University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist, Jackson.
“With lush grass growth coming in the spring, it is time to manage cattle and implement mineral supplementation strategies to reduce the incidence of grass tetany in your cattle operation,” says Patrick Davis, University of Missouri Extension livestock field specialist. Cattle grass tetany symptoms…
UNIONVILLE, Mo. – In addition to educating people in Putnam County on topics such as farm leases and fence laws, University of Missouri Extension county engagement specialist Joe Koenen also strives to educate his north-central Missouri community on the importance of staying healthy this flu season.
LINN, Mo. – Livestock producers and horse owners can learn how to make “Hay That Pays” at the University of Missouri Extension regional hay school Oct. 14 in Linn.The event runs 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, at Community Christian Church, 1598 U.S. Highway 50, Linn.
CUBA, Mo. – Beef herd owners profit from fewer calf death losses, steers grading USDA prime and cows staying in the herd longer. Improved herd performance comes from adding genetics to management.
COLUMBIA, Mo. –University of Missouri Extension rural safety and health specialist Karen Funkenbusch said now is a good time to review safety precautions for grain bins with farm workers and family members.
COLUMBIA, Mo.– When it comes to corn seeding rates, sometimes less is more.Planting more seeds per acre in an effort to maximize yields won’t always maximize your return on investment, says Brent Myers, University of Missouri Extension corn specialist.
Resilience. The agriculture industry is all too familiar with this word. When I stop and think about what resilience means to me, I am taken back to my childhood when my grandparents would share stories of what it was like for them growing up during the Dust Bowl in the 1930s.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – High heat puts the public at risk. Since 1980, heat waves in Missouri have killed more people than lightning, tornadoes, thunderstorms and floods combined, says University of Missouri Extension climatologist Pat Guinan.
COLUMBIA, Mo. — A penny saved is a penny earned, but saving seeds from the garden can be a questionable use of time and energy.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The second annual Mid-Mo Expo for backyard gardeners and small farmers offers presentations and demonstrations to improve productivity and profits.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – When drought boosted corn and soybean prices, beef-herd owners faced new challenges. They can’t rely on traditional feeds as low-cost supplements for winter forages.“Producers must look at every alternative this winter,” says a University of Missouri Extension beef nutritionist.
Show Me Resilience. In challenging times, Missourians come together. This simple phrase illustrates how University of Missouri Extension and communities across the state are showing up for each other.
FARMINGTON, Mo. – In the first sale of the year, April 20, the 150 Show-Me-Select replacement heifers averaged $1,555 per head. The bred heifers will calve this fall.The Farmington Livestock Auction is the newest in a statewide network of guaranteed heifer sales. This was the first of four spring…
FRUITLAND, Mo. – The 135 bred heifers averaged $1,787 with a top of $2,400 at the Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer sale, Friday, May 4.The second sale of the spring season averaged $252 more than the first sale of fall-calving heifers, April 20 at Farmington. Two more sales are set at Joplin, May…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – There were 147 bred heifers sold in the Nov. 17 Show-Me-Select replacement heifer sale at Kirksville Livestock LLC. Average price was $1,872.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Beef herd owners from four other states took home replacement heifers from the Show-Me-Select sale at Joplin Regional Stockyards, Nov. 17.The 315 heifers—future mama cows—averaged $1,867, with top prices at $2,200 per head.
COLUMBIA, Mo.– With a few simple steps, farmers with heated livestock buildings might be able to cut their energy expenditures substantially at little or no cost.
The biggest loss of energy is through the ventilation system, says University of Missouri Extension energy specialist Don Day.
Join Missouri farmers markets for a roundtable discussion on strategies to remain open amid COVID-19 restrictions and keep serving local communities.
NEW LONDON, Mo.– Spring is here, but parts of Missouri still aren’t through with winter weather.A University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist notes that snow makes it harder for animals to find available forage, and cold weather increases their nutrient needs.
MEXICO, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension agricultural business specialist Mary Sobba is the winner of the 2018 Annie’s Project Women in Ag Educator Award.A 25-year extension regional faculty member, Sobba taught the first Missouri Annie’s Project in 2004.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Submitting soil samples to your local University of Missouri Extension center is easy, says Manjula Nathan, director of the MU Soil and Plant Testing Laboratory.
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Note: Revised to correct spelling of “sclerotinia.”
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension agronomy specialist Wayne Flanary says about 160 acres of soybean in northwestern Missouri show symptoms of sclerotinia stem rot.
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.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri has it all: wine, whiskey and white oak.University of Missouri Extension will toast Missouri’s unique contributions to the wine and whiskey industry during the first White Oak, Whiskey & Wine tour Saturday, Oct. 28.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The admonition for gardeners to plant their potatoes on St. Patrick’s Day is probably good advice for some parts of our country, but not for Missouri, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Raise the temperature and run fans in grain bins now to avoid condensation and mold.Keep your stored grain in condition by increasing the temperature inside the bin to the outside monthly average temperature in May, says University of Missouri Extension entomologist Wayne Bailey.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Brown marmorated stink bugs are hunting homes for the winter.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A new partnership between the University of Missouri Interdisciplinary Center for Food Security (ICFS) and MU Extension will make it easier to access information about local and regional food systems and food security.
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.
KEYTESVILLE, Mo. – Farmers need more research showing cover crops increase yields, reduce erosion and add nutrients back to the soil in corn-soybean rotation before they adopt the practice, says University of Missouri researcher Ranjith Udawatta.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – New forage research gives reason to not graze toxic fescue grass too short. The bottom 2 inches of infected grass holds highest levels of the alkaloid causing problems for grazing livestock.
The findings guide ways to manage fescue’s toxic impact, says Craig Roberts, University of…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – With high costs of feed for wintering cows, herd owners should consider adding monensin to grain supplements for winter forages. The additive, trade name Rumensin, controls coccidiosis, a disease caused by intestinal parasites.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Livestock owners increasing their herds must grow demand for meat. Current herd size expands meat supplies and domestic meat consumption to record levels.With more supply, expect lower prices, University of Missouri economist Scott Brown told the Womack Agricultural Outlook…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Agriculture-related incidents injure 33 children every day, and every three days a child dies from one, says University of Missouri Extension safety and health specialist Karen Funkenbusch.“Protecting our future generation needs to be a top priority!” she says.
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo.–Does the farmland you rent need tiling, limestone, conservation structures or other long-term improvements? When landlords are reluctant to pay for an improvement, some tenants will pay for it themselves.
ASH GROVE, Mo. – “Cows and horses think alfalfa looks like candy, smells like candy and tastes like candy,” says University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Andrew McCorkill.
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. – It's the time of year when walnuts will start dropping off their trees."Picking these walnuts up to sell can be a great moneymaker, but don't forget that you can actually eat those nuts," says Tammy Roberts, University of Missouri Extension nutrition and health education…
“Cattle producers are dealing with varying degrees of drought and forage resources,” says Patrick Davis MU Extension livestock field specialist. Some cattle producers have received adequate rain and are recovering from the 2022 drought through rebuilding forage and cattle resources.
COLUMBIA, Mo.– With winter wheat coming closer to green-up, producers need to consider fertilizer management options. A University of Missouri Extension nutrient management specialist says proper timing of fertilizer application is important.
FAYETTE, Mo. – It’s not exactly beating swords into ploughshares, but a University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist spent 18 months in Iraq helping promote peace through farming.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – “Don’t delay making hay,” says Rob Kallenbach, University of Missouri Extension.It might not seem like haymaking time, or haymaking weather, but early harvest results in more quality forage through the season, says the state forage specialist.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – As winter feeding season continues with a forecast of Arctic weather in February, cow herd owners face dwindling hay supplies.Eric Bailey, University of Missouri beef nutritionist, gives the short answer: “Feed less, need less.”In practice, that takes management decisions and…
COLUMBIA, Mo. - University of Missouri Extension regional horticulture specialist James Quinn said tomatoes are a good choice for gardeners using a high tunnel for the first time. Quinn spoke about high tunnels at a recent workshop at MU’s Bradford Research and Extension Center.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – One of spring’s routine home maintenance jobs—tree trimming—can quickly cut your ability to hear.
It takes less than 30 minutes of operating a chain saw without hearing protection to cause permanent damage, says Bob Schultheis, University of Missouri Extension natural resource…
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Montgomery County farmer Harry Cope will talk about how he “moves the feedlot from the barn to the field” at the Missouri Livestock Symposium, Dec. 7-8 at Kirksville Middle School. University of Missouri Extension sponsors the free event.
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COLUMBIA, Mo. - It is said that turkeys are so stupid that they’ll look up when it rains and drown. Well, they’re not quite that stupid, but pretty darn close. The domesticated turkey will panic at the least little thing.
HARTVILLE, Mo. – Denis Turner keeps his southwestern Missouri heifer replacement operation simple.For the most part, it is one man for 500-1,000 heifers at Turner’s Heifer Haven, a pasture-based operation where Turner raises heifers for others.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Two sales of bred heifers in one day start the fall season for Show-Me-Select Replacements. Sales on Nov. 17 are first of six. Those are Joplin Regional Stockyards in Carthage and Kirksville Livestock, LLC.Kirksville starts at 6:30 p.m., while Carthage starts at 7 p.m.
LAMAR, Mo. – An unusual pest—winter grain mite—has appeared in southwestern Missouri wheat fields.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension economists urge farmers to complete the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2017 Census of Agriculture. The census should arrive in farmers’ mailboxes in December. It can be returned by mail or securely submitted online.
In this video news story, University of Missouri researchers use GPS technology to understand the complexities of a cow's appetite. This knowledge may help livestock producers graze cattle more efficiently.
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. – Farmers have long used poultry litter as a source of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. A ton of poultry litter contains roughly 55 pounds of nitrogen, 55 pounds of phosphate and 45 pounds of potash. Buying these nutrients in commercial form would cost about $75 at today’s…
COLUMBIA, Mo.– Research has shown that vegetative buffers are very good at controlling sediment and keeping it out of waterways. But what about reducing herbicides?
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension regional horticulture specialist James Quinn talked about side ventilation in high tunnels at a recent workshop at MU’s Bradford Research and Extension Center.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – People outdoors for prolonged periods are at risk of hypothermia even on warm winter days, said a University of Missouri safety specialist.“People relate hypothermia to subzero temperatures or falling through thin ice into freezing water,” said Karen Funkenbusch.
SHELBINA, Mo. – It was like any other day in the 40-plus years that Kent Blades had been farming. A lifelong Monroe County farmer, Blades was driving from one part of the farm to another when a semi-truck passed him and struck his John Deere open-station 5520 tractor as he was making a left…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Atrazine, one of farmers’ least expensive and most effective chemicals for weed control, is under the magnifying glass.
COLUMBIA, Mo.– In the war between waterhemp and producers, waterhemp is winning, says a University of Missouri Extension state weed scientist.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – So far, it’s a bad hay year. Cool weather, lack of sun and dry soil slowed grass growth.Dry matter per acre is about one-third of what we expect this time of year, says Rob Kallenbach, University of Missouri Extension forage agronomist.He spoke to regional extension specialists in a…
Researchers developed a method to remove defective sperm from artificial insemination samples, improving fertility rates and reducing costs in cattle breeding.
Why would the average resident of southwest Missouri want to read about agriculture?
For starters, we need to be knowledgeable about the sources of our food and fiber products. Surveys continue to show that most Americans no little about their food or fiber sources.
Excerpted from the Environmental Impact of Missouri Crop Production report
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A problem many gardeners face is what to plant in a shady area.Perhaps no plant brightens a shade garden more than the hosta, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein. The hardy perennial thrives in shade and is easy to grow.