University of Missouri Extension
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A new partnership between the University of Missouri Interdisciplinary Center for Food Security and MU Extension will make it easier to access information about local and regional food systems and food security. In a press release, Bill McKelvey, senior project coordinator, said, “The goal of the partnership, currently called the Community Food Network,…
Read Full Article 
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. — As temperatures rise, humans and animals become meal tickets for ticks. Heartland disease, an emerging infectious disease first found in northwestern Missouri in 2009, is another reason to take precautions against ticks, says University of Missouri horticulture specialist and entomologist Tamra Reall. Heartland disease symptoms include fever, fatigue, diarrhea, loss of…
Read Full Article 
COLUMBIA, Mo. — The Easter lily used for spring decorations can provide beauty and fragrance for another season. After blooming ends, plant Easter lilies outside as soon as the ground can be worked.. The following year, they will bloom in June and have a sweet fragrance. Select a sunny site with well-drained soil. Plant the…
Read Full Article 
COLUMBIA, Mo. — While the past two years have fueled growth in remote work, most workers in Missouri still commute to their jobs. Some are opting for longer commutes. A new report from University of Missouri Extension shows that more workers in the state are commuting to jobs outside their home counties compared to 20 years ago.…
Read Full Article COLUMBIA, Mo. – For two years, shoppers have seen how supply chain problems can shock the food system. Initially triggered by the pandemic, these problems have persisted due to labor shortages, transportation bottlenecks and now international conflict. “Supply chain issues have really hit home for consumers,” said Mallory Rahe, University of Missouri Extension agricultural business…
Read Full Article 
BOWLING GREEN, Mo. — You can have a thriving lawn without hiring an expensive service. “Managing your lawn doesn’t have to be complicated,” University of Missouri Extension horticulturist Justin Keay said. “If you understand some of the basic principles and don’t mind putting in a little sweat equity, you can have a beautiful lawn.” A…
Read Full Article 
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Women in agriculture can improve their risk management skills and network with peers during Annie’s Project courses scheduled for spring 2022. Hosted by University of Missouri Extension, the Annie’s Project courses feature 18 hours of risk management education. “The courses focus on how to manage five types of farm risk – production, market, financial,…
Read Full Article COLUMBIA, Mo. — University of Missouri Extension is offering a webinar series to help specialty crop growers improve their business skills. During the Specialty Crop Business Management Series, new and established farmers will learn how to make informed business decisions to become successful, says Juan Cabrera-Garcia, MU Extension state horticulture specialist. “Successful farmers have a better…
Read Full Article 
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Increases in fertilizer prices add to the cost of growing forage for grazing. This leads farmers to ask if they should buy hay or fertilizer, says University of Missouri Extension nutrient management specialist John Lory. Comparing the benefits of buying hay vs. applying fertilizer for better yields is complicated, but it is…
Read Full Article EDINA, Mo. – Women in agriculture can learn the latest about carbon credits and carbon sequestration during a free “Inspired by Annie’s Project” two-hour interactive online course set for 6:30-8:30 p.m. Feb. 8 via Zoom. University of Missouri Extension agricultural economist Ray Massey will define agricultural carbon credits and answer questions about how to measure…
Read Full Article COLUMBIA, Mo. – Producers selling local foods at farmers markets can learn about best practices, marketing tips, state regulations and available resources in a five-part webinar series presented in February by University of Missouri Extension. “This series will help farmers and other food producers gain knowledge to help them sell more of their food products at farmers…
Read Full Article 
COLUMBIA, Mo. – High nitrogen prices make especially important to consider frost seeding legumes this winter, says University of Missouri Extension state forage specialist Craig Roberts. “2022 is different because fertilizer costs have tripled,” Roberts says. “Consider legumes as nearly free fertilizer.” (See the Farm Progress article “Seasonal Fertilizer Prices” at bit.ly/33h4YD5.) Frost seeding, a method…
Read Full Article 
MOUNT VERNON, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Eldon Cole said he received a report recently of cows in southwestern Missouri being killed by perilla mint, a toxic plant. Cole urges producers to plan to destroy the annual plant in pastures next spring or summer. Broadleaf pasture herbicides, applied April through June before…
Read Full Article 
GALENA, Mo. – If there was ever a time to do a soil test, this is it, says University of Missouri Extension agronomist Tim Schnakenberg. Rising fertilizer prices make it too expensive to guess on how to apply nutrients, says Schnakenberg. Soil tests can prevent buying and applying fertilizer where not needed. See the MU…
Read Full Article 
MOUNT VERNON, Mo. – When temperatures fall, beef producers should watch for signs of fescue foot in their beef herds. “As the cold weather moves in, you are likely to notice some cows or yearlings on fescue pastures may be slow-moving early in the day,” says University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Eldon Cole. This…
Read Full Article COLUMBIA, Mo. – Gardening is an activity with many rewards, said David Trinklein, state horticulture specialist for University of Missouri Extension. “One of them is the satisfaction of sharing your plant knowledge with others. The Master Gardener program was initiated to do just that,” Trinklein said. Its motto, “helping others learn to grow,” emphasizes service…
Read Full Article COLUMBIA, Mo. – It’s the most wonderful time of the year, or so they say. Picture-perfect families with perfectly coiffed hair and pearly white smiles appear in matching holiday attire in countless holiday television commercials. Perfectly wrapped gifts wait under perfectly decorated trees. How merry and bright! And then there’s the rest of us, says…
Read Full Article COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension will hold a free online class on produce safety for gardeners from 6-8 p.m. on Jan. 26. MU Extension horticulturists Patrick Byers and Justin Keay will offer tips on growing, harvesting, processing and storing produce safely. Participants will learn best practices to reduce the risk of foodborne illness from…
Read Full Article 
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Poinsettia is America’s most popular flowering plant, with annual sales approaching $200 million. Despite its close association with the Christmas season, however, it’s a relative newcomer as holiday home decor, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein. In the early 1800s, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Joel R. Poinsett, learned of…
Read Full Article COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri agricultural lenders are invited to seminars hosted by University of Missouri Extension agricultural business and policy specialists. Each year, leading economists and ag business and policy specialists from MU Extension, Missouri Department of Agriculture and the MU Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute provide updates for agricultural lenders. Topics include market…
Read Full Article 
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Farmers understand fertilizer prices fluctuate with time. “We are living through a substantial shift in potassium and phosphorus prices, from low prices in the 2020 growing season to the highest prices in the past decade for fertilizer purchased now for the 2022 growing season,” says John Lory, University of Missouri Extension nutrient…
Read Full Article 
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Some gardeners take a hands-off approach to leaves. But leaves left on lawns can pack down into a tight mat, preventing sunlight from reaching the grass, says University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein. Leaves also trap and hold moisture, which increases the potential for disease. However, tree leaves can be a…
Read Full Article 
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Citizen scientists are needed to hunt for stink bugs that damage vegetables, field crops and landscape ornamentals. The Great Stink Bug Challenge team seeks citizen scientists ages 12 and older to trap stink bugs and record information about them, says University of Missouri Extension entomologist Kevin Rice. Citizen scientists set out sticky…
Read Full Article COLUMBIA, Mo. – A new manual, Whole System Management of Beef Cattle Reproduction, is available through University of Missouri Extension, said Jordan Thomas, extension state beef reproduction specialist. Spiral-bound copies are available for purchase, but PDFs of each chapter are also available for free download, said Thomas. The manual will be used in several MU Extension…
Read Full Article 
COLUMBIA, Mo. – This fall, millions of Americans will make an annual pilgrimage to a retail outlet to purchase a vegetable they, unfortunately, are unlikely to eat. In the United States, pumpkins sell mainly for decoration. But this verse from about 1630 suggests that American colonists relied heavily on pumpkin for food: For pottage and…
Read Full Article 
