Markets & Ag
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Northern Missouri has received plenty of rain, and dairy producers there are hopeful about making a silage pile, while those in the state’s southern counties are looking at options as drought conditions and oppressive heat have taken hold. “There’s a lot to consider as a dairy farmer during times of high heat…
Read Full Article 
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Continued drought combined with high temperatures can have devastating effects on fish ponds. During a drought, pond waters can drop to dangerous levels, increasing aquatic plant growth, decreasing water quality and stressing fish, making them more vulnerable to disease and death, says Bob Pierce, University of Missouri Extension fisheries and wildlife state…
Read Full Article 
MACOMB, Ill. — What is a watershed? No matter where you live, you are in a watershed. All of Illinois, minus that sliver of land bordering Lake Michigan, is in the Mississippi River Watershed. But we can break down this massive watershed into more local streams and rivers. For instance, I grew up in Adams…
Read Full Article 
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Dry soil conditions can significantly reduce the life span of valuable landscape trees. “Because they are difficult and expensive to replace, your trees need attention during and after periods of drought,” says University of Missouri Extension state forestry specialist Hank Stelzer in a press release. Most of a tree’s active roots are…
Read Full Article 
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Turnips drew national attention during the presidency of native Missourian Harry S. Truman. “Evidently, the congressional session of 1948 was a particularly argumentative one, with the GOP-dominated Congress refusing to pass any of President Truman’s initiatives,” said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein in a press release. In response, the president…
Read Full Article 
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Now is the time to transplant one of America’s most popular flowers, the iris. Although irises can be transplanted at any time, they do best when established in the landscape from August to mid-October, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein. Irises are relatively easy to grow. They need at least…
Read Full Article 
COLUMBIA, Mo — Extreme heat affects plants differently than humans. With triple-digit temperatures this summer, grain crop growers should understand how heat affects plants, says University of Missouri Extension agronomist Bill Wiebold. First, human concepts such as “heat index” or “feels like” do not apply to plants, Wiebold says. People and plants feel and react…
Read Full Article 
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The hummingbird moth is the Superman of the summer flower garden. This supersized hoverer is a fascinating and perplexing pollinator, says University of Missouri Extension horticulturist and entomologist Tamra Reall. With a span of 2-6 inches, the moth looks like a miniature hummingbird. Its wings beat rapidly as it hovers over…
Read Full Article 
COLUMBIA, Mo. — University of Missouri Extension will host free strip trial scouting schools throughout the state from late July through mid-August. Mandy Bish, MU Extension Integrated pest management coordinator, will lead the four schools, which she says will vary slightly by region. Topics include an overview of the Missouri Strip Trial program and 2018-21 foliar fungicide…
Read Full Article MACOMB, Ill. — Many years ago, when the emerald ash borer had just arrived in northern Illinois, a colleague came across a flatbed trailer loaded with cut ash trees at a gas station. At that time, Illinois counties confirmed with EAB had a quarantine that restricted moving ash wood outside of the county. Most Extension…
Read Full Article 
COLUMBIA, Mo. — One and one quarter inch. That’s how much rain corn plants need each week in July and August to maintain rapid growth and produce the best possible yields. Mother Nature has not been kind to Missouri’s corn crop this year, says University of Missouri Extension agronomist Bill Wiebold. One indication is the…
Read Full Article 
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Pat Guinan, associate extension professor of climatology with University of Missouri Extension, says “it’s not a good situation” for agriculture in the southern two-thirds of Missouri where scant rainfall and high temperatures have led to worsening drought. The ample moisture in northern Missouri ends abruptly where drought conditions begin in central through…
Read Full Article 
MACOMB, Ill. — The summer of 2012 saw my first year as an Extension horticulture educator. It also was one of the driest years on record. Illinois saw massive shortages of rainfall that year, complete with water restrictions, loss of crops and the demise of many ornamental landscapes. It was a summer that will be…
Read Full Article 
MENDON, Ill. — The Adams County Beef Producers, along with the Adams County Market Animal Sale Committee, will have its 22nd annual market animal sale on Tuesday, Aug. 2 at the Adams County Fairgrounds. The evening will begin with a complimentary dinner for buyers, served from 5 p.m. until sale time at 6 p.m. All…
Read Full Article 
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — A variety of insects will feed on squash. One of the more troublesome is the squash vine borer. If you’ve grown squash and had a runner or two start wilting, there’s a good chance you’ve had an encounter with squash vine borer. Squash vine borers will feed on both summer and winter…
Read Full Article 
