Managing heat stress in sheep and goats
OSCEOLA, Mo. – Many animals die from extreme heat and humidity each year.“Extreme heat is stressful to livestock, including sheep and goats,” said David Brown, University of Missouri small ruminant specialist. “It is very dangerous if the onset of heat is sudden and animals do not have ample time to adapt.”
Classes on Missouri farm leases offered in September
MEXICO, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension agriculture business specialists will offer a program on Missouri farm leases in September. Participants may attend Sept. 12 or Sept. 13 in person at sites throughout the state or through Zoom.
Missouri Steer Feedout
Are you a cattle producer that has a small number of cattle but wants to experience feeding cattle in the feedyard, evaluate your cattle’s feedyard performance, and determine whether your cattle meet certain targets at slaughter that influence their profitability? Then consider enrolling steers in the Missouri Steer Feedout. This program is a cooperation between MU Extension, Southwest Missouri Cattlemen’s Association, Missouri…
Bull development and management for optimum breeding season performance
STOCKTON, Mo. - Bull development and management is important to promote optimum breeding season performance. Optimum breeding season performance promotes optimum herd pregnancy rates which is important to cattle herd productivity and profitability. Therefore, this article will provide tips in selection, development, and management of bulls for optimum breeding season performance.
Smoketree: A sizzling hot plant that's not just for summer
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Unlike most of Missouri’s native trees, the American smoketree displays spectacular colors throughout the growing season, says University of Missouri Extension state horticulturist Michele Warmund.American smoketree is a hardy and adaptable small tree or shrub that grows 15 to 30 feet at maturity. It thrives in full sun and in alkaline soils but tolerates slightly acidic and compacted soils.
Less is more: Time to divide and conquer perennials
COLUMBIA, Mo. – “Some perennials can suffer from too much of a good thing,” said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein.As it grows, year after year, a perennial’s growth clump, or crown, gets so big the plant begins to compete with itself for light, water and nutrients. Eventually this self-struggle leads to fewer and less showy flowers.
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.