Markets & Ag
MILAN, Ill. — The natural process of trees shedding leaves in the fall is the most visible sign of trees preparing for winter dormancy. Shedding leaves is a tree’s way of self-preservation, reducing plant material that require resources that become scarce during the cold days and short daylight of winter. While the rainbow of colors…
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COLUMBIA, Mo. — After years of record-breaking farmland prices in Missouri, is stabilization on the horizon? Data from the latest Missouri Farmland Values Opinion Survey hints at slower growth in Show-Me State farmland values. The annual survey provides valuable insights into farmland values, who is buying and selling, and the factors affecting farmland values now…
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COLUMBIA, Mo. — The safety of the U.S. pork supply is achieved through biosecurity protocols not only during National Pork Month in October but every day of the year to safeguard animal health, food safety, the environment and the economy. University of Missouri Extension’s Swine Team educates pork producers and workers on safety protocols throughout…
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COLUMBIA, Mo. — The average Missourian eats 63 pounds of pork each year. “If you’ve thought about supplying pork to Missouri markets but haven’t decided for sure, then Intel for Ag (www.intelforag.org) can help,” said Mallory Rahe, University of Missouri Extension state specialist and Intel for Ag contributor, in a press release. Information posted to…
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COLUMBIA, Mo. — The best time to apply nitrogen fertilizer to promote fall forage growth has passed, says University of Missouri Extension state nutrient management specialist John Lory. Applying now does not promote growth and may increase the risk of forages accumulating nitrate. The recommended time to apply is late summer, preferably before Aug. 15,…
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The cooler temperatures are here to stay, and we’re not getting much rain as we get into the middle of October. But with watering, I still am getting vegetables from our garden and the community garden at the Father Buhman Center. The fall garden in raised beds will be ready in a few days. As…
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COLUMBIA, Mo. — You aren’t the only one getting cozy for fall. While you are pulling out the flannels, insects are looking for a place to be snug as a bug in a rug for the winter. “Over the next few weeks, it is critical to ensure your home is properly sealed to avoid insect…
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MACOMB, Ill. — Autumn is a time for … life? This may seem perplexing, as we often link fall with plants dying, wildlife migrating and us retreating indoors. However, this is when conservationists managing prairies get excited to sow new life. Managing prairies, forests or wetlands often involves battling nonnative invasive plants via cutting, pulling,…
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COLUMBIA, Mo. – Big changes are coming for private pesticide applicator training next year. University of Missouri Extension private pesticide applicator training coordinator Rusty Lee says extension specialists will hold workshops across the state after Jan. 1 to train those who apply restricted use pesticides (RUPs) on owned or rented property. New federal rules change…
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COLUMBIA, Mo. — The opportunity to learn livestock farming skills hands-on and be surrounded by their peers – even during difficult circumstances – had a major impact on two women’s lives. The Pearls of Production conference, hosted each year by University of Missouri Extension, is a hands-on educational program for women in livestock production. “The…
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The fall weather is here, and we are dealing with it in many ways. Hopefully, you got much-needed rain. With the cooler temperatures, you know it is fall. I have noticed that people, when they mow, are mowing dirt, weeds and not much else. I have talked about mowing based on the height of the…
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JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — Annual geraniums (Pelargonium) are among the most popular flowering plants grown in gardens. These easy-to-grow, low-maintenance plants provide color to landscapes from May until the arrival of frost. While they are often treated as annuals, they can be successfully overwintered indoors to be enjoyed again next year. Preparing geraniums for overwintering Geraniums…
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COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri’s grape harvest this year is, for the most part, early throughout the state. The reason for the early harvest is the low crop yield, which is mainly due to frost last spring, according to Dean Volenberg, interim director of the University of Missouri Grape and Wine Institute and viticulture program leader.…
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COLUMBIA, Mo. — This fall, millions of Americans will purchase a vegetable they, unfortunately, are very unlikely to eat, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein. In the United States, this colorful member of the gourd plant family is used primarily for decoration, but many people throughout the world use pumpkin as a staple…
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COLUMBIA, Mo. – Springtime favorites such as daffodils, tulips and hyacinths won’t greet you next year if they’re not planted in the fall. “The bulbs of spring-blooming plants need to be in the ground now so they can go through a chilling process in the winter,” said David Trinklein, state horticulture specialist for University of…
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MILAN, Ill. — During this first week of October, many of the plants blooming in our landscape are mums, asters, goldenrods, sedums and ornamental grasses. But what if your lilac is blooming? A lilac blooming in autumn is unusual unless you have planted one of the new varieties bred to bloom once in the spring…
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COLUMBIA, Mo. — Few flowers signal fall’s arrival more than the cheerful chrysanthemum, or mum, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein. Mums’ long-lasting blooms put on a colorful display for weeks when other flowers have called it quits for the season. Mums are one of the oldest known flowers, Trinklein said. The Chinese…
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BAYLIS, Ill. — High school students from more than 30 Illinois and Missouri schools honed their agriculture skills at John Wood Community College’s Ag Alumni Association’s 21st annual Livestock Judging Invitational on Sept. 20, at the college’s Agricultural Education Center near Baylis, a facility shared with the University of Illinois. The event was sponsored by…
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The first day of fall was Sept. 22. The daylight hours are getting shorter. You have less time to work in your garden, flowerbeds and yard after 5 p.m. I enjoy this time of year and always find things to do every day. The weather has been hot and dry for the past several weeks.…
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COLUMBIA, Mo. — University of Missouri Extension’s Frost/Freeze Probabilities Guide tells us that frost is likely coming within two weeks in the northernmost part of the state. That means that it’s time to think about protecting plants from frost, said MU Extension state horticulture specialist David Trinklein. Although near-freezing temperatures are not currently in the forecast, daily…
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COLUMBIA, Mo. — University of Missouri Extension’s network of weather stations soon will be updated to provide long-term soil moisture information to help forecast, monitor and respond to flood and drought. MU Extension state natural resources specialist Michael Sunde and state climatologist Zack Leasor will work alongside John Travlos, co-director of the Missouri Mesonet, to…
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COLUMBIA, Mo. — Sedums, also known as stonecrop, are low-maintenance plants that come with a host of benefits. They withstand extreme heat and drought, yet some are winter-hardy as far north as USDA hardiness zone 3. “In short, sedums are about as low-maintenance as plants can get,” said University of Missouri Extension state horticulturist David…
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COLUMBIA, Mo. — After experiencing drought in 2022 and 2023, Missourians were eager for a wet growing season. Missouri saw above-average statewide monthly precipitation from April to July, says University of Missouri Extension state climatologist Zachary Leasor. On July 23, the U.S. Drought Monitor reported only 1.1% of the state as abnormally dry, and there…
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MACOMB, Ill. — Habitat was once thought of as something outside of town in the countryside. Today incorporating habitat into home landscaping in and around towns and cities has become a top trend across the United States. However, a naturalistic style of landscape design does not always fit our homeowners association covenants, city codes or…
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COLUMBIA, Mo. – As autumn approaches, many garden flowers show the ravages of a long, often brutal, summer. However, it’s at this time that dahlias are most spectacular, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein. Warm days and cool nights associated with late summer and early fall cause dahlias to produce flowers with intense,…
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