Cattle producers urged to watch for prussic acid poisoning
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension specialists urge producers to closely watch cattle grazing pastures with Johnson grass and other sorghum species.Cattle producers in several drought-stressed parts of Missouri have recently reported cattle deaths from suspected prussic acid or hydrocyanic acid (cyanide) poisoning, says Tim Evans, an MU Extension state specialist in animal health and veterinary toxicology.
MU Tomato Festival returns Sept. 7
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Learn about growing tomatoes and sample tomato and pepper varieties at the University of Missouri Tomato Festival, 4-7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7, at the Jefferson Farm Extension and Education Center in Columbia.“We haven’t held the Tomato Festival since 2019, and people are asking for it,” said Tim Reinbott, communications director for the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station.
46th annual Hundley-Whaley Farm, Field and Family Day is Sept. 7
ALBANY, Mo. – The University of Missouri Hundley-Whaley Extension and Education Center will host a Farm, Field and Family Day 4-8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7, in Albany. The event is free and open to the public.
Tar spot now confirmed in about a third of Missouri
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension state plant pathologist Mandy Bish says tar spot of corn has spread into many new counties in 2023.Bish recently confirmed tar spot in five more counties. This brings to 31 the number of Missouri counties in which tar spot has been confirmed between 2019 and 2023.
Show-Me MO Success podcast: Caring Hearts and Hands of Columbia
COLUMBIA, Mo. – As a palliative care nurse at Boone Hospital, Jackie Reed saw families dealing with the declining health of loved ones have to make difficult financial decisions.
Garden flowers bloom all year when dried
COLUMBIA, Mo. – “The delicate, ephemeral nature of flowers undoubtedly adds to our appreciation of them,” said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein. “Many literally are ‘here today, gone tomorrow.’”But flowers can be enjoyed all year long by drying them, said Trinklein, and now is the perfect time to gather the excess from our gardens and preserve them for future enjoyment.
MU Extension guide covers management of small ruminants during drought
OSCEOLA, Mo. – Producers of small ruminants have had to deal with drought in nearly every part of Missouri this year trying to keep their animals healthy.“The biggest concern in drought for sheep and goats is lack of feed for the animals,” said David Brown, the University of Missouri Extension’s new livestock field specialist in small ruminants. Drought conditions affect nutrient quality of forage, leading to weight loss in sheep and…
MU Extension to offer free webinar series on small ruminants
OSCEOLA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension will hold a free monthly webinar series for sheep and goat producers starting Sept. 26.The series will be hosted by David Brown, MU Extension small ruminant specialist, alongside other experts in small ruminant production.
$1.7 billion award makes universal broadband a reality
Last winter, University of Missouri staff and faculty in 34 counties helped residents submit 186 challenges to the Federal Communications Commission›s broadband coverage maps. Counties in Missouri organized challenge events at MU Extension offices, sharing internet connections and walking community members through the online process.
MU Extension offers self-paced vegetable production series
BOWLING GREEN, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension will offer a self-paced “Conventional Vegetable Production Series” this fall.
Missouri 4-H College and Career Pathways Conference
COLUMBIA, Mo. – In July, 49 high-school-aged youths representing the greater Kansas City area, St. Louis and Clay County experienced the 21st annual 4-H College and Career Pathways Conference at the University of Missouri in Columbia.
Cornstalks can fill forage gaps during drought
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Grazing cornstalks or drought-stricken corn can fill feed gaps during drought, says University of Missouri Extension beef nutritionist Eric Bailey.There are some nutritional concerns, and producers must commit to moving cattle to new pastures to successfully use cornstalks as feedstuff, but there are benefits.
Cool-season vegetables are hot choice for fall garden
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The recent shift to milder temperatures is a pleasant reminder that it is time for gardeners to plant cool-season vegetables, said University of Missouri Extension horticulture specialist David Trinklein.Warm days and cool nights make conditions ideal for a second round of cool-season vegetables, Trinklein said. They most often are more flavorful than a spring crop of the same species.
Free webinar on Missouri white oaks
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A five-part webinar series, “Missouri’s Amazing Oaks,” will show how to help ensure the future of Missouri’s white oaks and forestlands.
VR enhances fire and rescue training
COLUMBIA, Mo. – This summer, University of Missouri Extension’s Fire and Rescue Training Institute brought in 25 instructors for a train-the-trainer class on the institute’s new virtual reality system.
Can Missouri livestock producers outlast the drought?
COLUMBIA, Mo. – It’s pretty simple math: Too little grass + too many cows = too little cash. Missouri livestock producers love their cows and never want to sell them, even when grass and water dry up, says University of Missouri Extension agricultural business specialist Wesley Tucker. Instead of culling cows, they will go to great lengths to find alternative feed sources, including growing and buying things they’ve never used before.
More than 1,000 Missouri youths take part in 4-H Aerial Ag Challenge
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Across Missouri, 1,163 youths participated in the 2023 4-H Ag Innovators Experience Aerial Ag Challenge.Twenty-two 4-H teen leaders spent the summer teaching others to apply critical-thinking skills to solve a real-world agriculture challenge, using line-following robots to show how drones can aid in precision agriculture, said Maria Calvert, state 4-H agriculture educator.
Missouri 4-H hosts equine contests
SEDALIA, Mo. – At the University of Missouri Extension 2023 State 4-H Horse Public Speaking and Demonstration and Youth Equine Fine Arts and Poster contests, July 26, youths demonstrated speaking, presentation and artistic abilities while sharing their equine knowledge.
Time to Elevate
CAMDENTON, Mo. – Next March, University of Missouri Extension in Camden County will host “#Elevate: An Empowering Experience for Women,” a free, one-day event offering educational sessions, a keynote luncheon, health screenings and an exhibit hall featuring vendors and services specifically for women.
Native warm-season grasses help feed livestock through drought
The drought in Missouri has taken a toll on cool-season grasses, diminishing forage for cattle and other livestock.“Native warm-season grasses are the ideal forage for summer during the production slump of cool-season grasses due to heat, especially in a drought,” said Rusty Lee, University of Missouri Extension agronomy field specialist.
From Saline County 4-H to Mizzou Central coordinator
Growing up, Sundays were the day for Bizy Beavers 4-H club meetings, and every summer was prep season for the Saline County and Missouri State fairs, said Kaleigh Summers, alumni relations and event coordinator for the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.
Second annual Missouri Good Neighbor Week is Sept. 28-Oct. 4
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Missourians are encouraged to participate in events and activities to help establish connections with their neighbors during the second annual Missouri Good Neighbor Week, Sept. 28 to Oct 4.
Missouri Agricultural Lender Seminar series to offer insights
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Lenders serving farmers and rural communities are invited to attend University of Missouri Extension’s 43rd Missouri Agricultural Lender Seminar series this fall in eight locations across the state.Agricultural business and policy specialists and researchers will present market and policy outlooks, farm financial conditions and land values, said Ben Brown, MU Extension agricultural economist and series organizer.
A No. 2 pencil is a beef producer's best tool
COLUMBIA, Mo. – One of the most important tools for livestock producers is a sharp No. 2 pencil.The pencil and some basic arithmetic can help take the emotion out of desperate measures to find feed. When you do the math, buying grain or other alternative feeds may be the best bang for the buck, says University of Missouri Extension agricultural business specialist Wesley Tucker.
Truxton farmer to speak on skip-row planting at Missouri Livestock Symposium, Dec. 7-8
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.
MU Extension, partners host free forest and wildlife management workshop Sept. 9 in Portland
PORTLAND, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension and partners invite the public to a free forest and wildlife management workshop Sept. 9 in Callaway County.The workshop will be at the property of Bill and Margie Haag, 8801 Little Tavern Creek Road, Portland, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
MU Graves-Chapple field day is Aug. 22
FAIRFAX, Mo. – The Graves-Chapple Extension and Education Center Field Day, Tuesday, Aug. 22, will include a ribbon-cutting for the new facility at the center in northwestern Missouri.
MU Extension offers Direct Marketing Beef School
UNION, Mo. – Cattle producers are invited to the first-of-its-kind Direct Marketing Beef School, offered Aug. 17-18 in Union, Mo., by University of Missouri Extension livestock specialists.The two-day training follows four successful Beef Feedlot Schools over the past two years, said MU Extension state beef specialist Eric Bailey.
Perilla mint poisoning of livestock worsens during drought
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension specialists are getting reports of illness and death in cows and small ruminants that may have ingested perilla mint.Perilla mint, a toxic summer annual, is also known as rattlesnake weed, purple mint and beefsteak plant.Most healthy animals will eat around perilla mint if other, more palatable feed is available, says University of Missouri Extension veterinary toxicologist Tim Evans.
5 reasons you need your veterinarian more than ever during drought
COLUMBIA, Mo. – During drought, beef producers might find a best friend in their local veterinarian, says University of Missouri Extension veterinary toxicologist Tim Evans.“Although veterinarians always provide a valuable service to animal owners, their value to livestock producers becomes increasingly important during drought, high heat and limited forage availability,” says Evans.