Markets & Ag
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Don’t forget plant care when planning your summer getaway. In a press release, University of Missouri Extension horticulturist Michele Warmund said, “After a wonderful vacation, it’s never fun to come home to dead plants.” Before the trip, arrange for a reliable neighbor or plant sitter to water indoor and outdoor plants, says…
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COLUMBIA, Mo. — As hay supplies dwindle, University of Missouri Extension agronomist Rusty Lee is showing forage producers how to use a simple, inexpensive treatment to stretch feed supplies during drought. Ammoniation boosts the nutritive value and digestibility of poor-quality hay, cornstalks, wheat straw and other feedstuffs that livestock producers turn to when hay is…
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VERSAILLES, Mo. — With more than 90 percent of Missouri under drought, browning lawns and wilting cornfields are common sights. But don’t forget about your trees. A lawn can be replaced in months, but it takes decades to replace a large tree, says University of Missouri Extension natural resources specialist Joni Harper. Trees are a…
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MONROE CITY, Mo. — California’s Proposition 12, which imposes livestock confinement regulations on farmers around the country who sell to the state, became the law of the land on July 1. Scott Hays is a fifth generation pork producer at Two Mile Pork in Monroe City, and when it comes to livestock, he believes local…
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The Hort Report provides information to help you with your garden, flowerbed, yard and other landscaping projects. Readers questions are welcome. Welcome to all the new readers of The Hort Report. Thanks to Bob Gough and David Adam with Muddy River News for giving this opportunity to write for them. I hope all the…
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COLUMBIA, Mo. — Gardening has many rewards, says David Trinklein, state horticulture specialist for University of Missouri Extension. In a press release, Trinklein said “One of them is the satisfaction of sharing your plant knowledge with others.” The MU Extension Master Gardener program is designed to do just that, Trinklein said. “Its motto, ‘helping others…
Read Full Article COLUMBIA, Mo. — Forage producers can convert tall fescue pastures to nontoxic novel-endophyte fescue without incurring the main expense usually associated with pasture renovation through mid-July. Typically, the main cost to consider in the conversion process is having land out of production, says University of Missouri Extension state forage specialist Craig Roberts. Producers can make…
Read Full Article COLUMBIA, Mo. – Farmers are encouraged to conduct a midyear “farm tuneup” as they approach the middle of 2023. Just as farm equipment needs the occasional tuneup, farm management practices can use proactive examination and adjustment to keep an operation on track for the rest of the year. University of Missouri Extension recommends five steps…
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EWING, Mo. — Chris Chinn, director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture, will be the featured speaker at a free Women in Agriculture workshop from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 2, at the First Baptist Church of Ewing, 21875 Highway 6. The event is free, and lunch is included. Chinn, a fifth-generation farmer, lives in…
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MILAN, Ill. — Nature is an incredible artist and evolution has produced an overabundance of diversity. Plants in every form from spreading to climbing, vase-shaped, columnar, leaves in various shapes, colors, and arrangements. The two species featured in this article are about as opposite as plants get. One likes moist sites, the other prefers dry…
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QUINCY — Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom has new resources available for schools, thanks to funding from Compeer Financial’s Fund for Rural America. In a press release, Kinsey Tiemann, the agricultural literacy coordinator for Adams County, said, “Keeping resources available at no cost to schools is a critical element of our mission so partners like…
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GALENA, Mo. — Thistles have taken advantage of grass stands weakened by drought, and many southwestern Missouri fields now have large amounts of musk and bull thistles, says University of Missouri Extension agronomist Tim Schnakenberg. He reminds Missouri landowners that state law requires them to control all Canada, musk or Scotch thistles and prevent them…
Read Full Article COLUMBIA, Mo. — With Missouri forage supplies in short supply due to drought, some livestock producers are looking at wheat straw as feedstuff, despite its poor nutrient quality. This leaves wheat farmers asking what the value of their wheat straw is, says University of Missouri Extension agricultural economist Ray Massey. Massey and agriculture economist Joe…
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COLUMBIA, Mo. — Tar spot of corn has been confirmed in two northern Missouri counties: Holt County in northwestern Missouri and Marion County in northeastern Missouri, as well as in six counties in central Iowa and one in northeastern Kansas. This is the earliest tar spot has ever been found in the Missouri. The disease…
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MACOMB, Ill. — I met a good farmer today. In recollection, I don’t think I’ve ever met a bad farmer, but this encounter was different. Immediately we hit it off. The conversation turned from the windbreak I came to look at to our former dogs. We talked about marriage and kids. It seemed like I…
Read Full Article COLUMBIA, Mo. — Cute critters by day, gardeners’ worst enemies by night. Most gardeners know the frustration of having a beautiful garden decimated by wildlife, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein. In a press release, Trinklein said “Our four-legged ‘friends’ can be more formidable garden foes than insects, diseases and weeds. Because of…
Read Full Article COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri farmers have a new tool to alert them to insects, crop diseases and other important information from University of Missouri Extension specialists. MU Extension specialists launched the Mizzou Crop and Pest Text Alert system in response to their clients’ desire for an easy way to get important, timely information in the…
Read Full Article COLUMBIA, Mo. — With dry weather and short pastures, Missouri cow-herd owners face tough culling decisions. One way to match cows’ needs to available grass is to sell cows. Give careful thought to which grass eaters go first, says Eric Bailey, University of Missouri Extension beef nutritionist. Under drought stress, identifying those cows becomes urgent.…
Read Full Article February 22, 2025
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