Forage yield and quality improve when legumes are frost-seeded at the right time, says University of Missouri Extension state forage specialist Craig Roberts. Frost seeding, a method of broadcasting seeds over snow- or frost-covered pastures, improves poor pastures at a low cost. Seeds work their way into the soil and germinate as the ground freezes […]
Tag: grazing
USDA to open signup for the Conservation Reserve Program and CRP Grasslands in early 2021
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the signup periods for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the CRP Grasslands in 2021. Signup for general CRP will be open from January 4, 2021, to February 12, 2021, and signup for CRP Grasslands runs from March 15, 2021, to April 23, 2021. Both programs are competitive and […]
MDC partners with Grundy Electric Cooperative for wildlife habitat projects
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is partnering with the Grundy Electric Cooperative on a project to benefit wildlife habitat and reduce power line right-of-way maintenance costs. Private property owners are also a voluntary partner. MDC’s Wires Over Wildlife (WOW) program provides expertise and cost-share money for converting overgrown brush and trees under electrical distribution […]
USDA announces changes to emergency haying and grazing provisions
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency has announced changes for emergency haying and grazing of acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program. This includes changes outlined in the 2018 Farm Bill that streamlines the authorization process for farmers and ranchers. “FSA authorizes emergency haying and grazing of Conservation Reserve Program acres under certain […]
Agricultural research centers moving forward with mostly virtual field days
Following discussions with local health departments and advisory boards, all educational field days offered by the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) Agricultural Research Centers, except one, will be hosted virtually this year. The Graves-Chapple Research Center, located near Rock Port, Mo., is the only Research Center that will host […]
Grazing schools postponed due to COVID-19
The University of Missouri and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service will postpone their annual series of management-intensive grazing schools in 2020 due to safety concerns about COVID-19. Organizers will look at the situation in late May to consider options, said MU Extension forage specialist Craig Roberts. NRCS and MU Extension specialists hold more than […]
Bureau of Land Management to offer wild horses, burros for adoption at event in Carthage, Missouri
Wild horses and burros from public rangelands in Western states will be available for adoption or sale at an event managed by the Bureau of Land Management, on April 24 – 25, 2020, at The Civil War Arena, 11838 Civil War Road, Carthage, Missouri. The adoption, which is free and open to the public, will […]
USDA to open signup March 16 for Conservation Reserve Program Grasslands
Farmers and ranchers may apply to enroll grasslands in the Conservation Reserve Program Grasslands signup beginning March 16. The signup runs through May 15. “Through this CRP Grasslands signup, farmers and ranchers can protect grasslands, rangelands, and pastures, while maintaining the land as working grazing lands,” said Kim Viers, Acting State Executive Director. “The program […]
Southwest Missouri producer sees success in first-year warm-season crop
The sea of native warm-season grass on Gene Cowherd’s Barry County farm is a reminder of a time when buffalo grazed tall prairie grasses. Cowherd’s first-year grasses stand more than 6 feet high with thick, green undergrowth. The grasses are part of a diverse grazing system that also includes alfalfa, Bermuda grass, orchardgrass, red clover, […]
Livestock symposium in Kirksville to feature speakers to help farmers gain cow-herd profits
Farmers hearing beef focus talks at the Missouri Livestock Symposium will take home tips to use. Beef is just one track in the annual meeting, Dec. 6-7 in Kirksville. Eric Bailey and Jordan Thomas, University of Missouri Extension beef specialists, usually team up to teach heifer care. Now they’ll tell about feeding and breeding cows […]
USDA Risk Management Agency to defer accrual of interest for 2019 crop insurance premiums
The United States Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency announced Thursday that it will continue to defer accrual of interest for 2019 crop year insurance premiums to help farmers and ranchers affected by this year’s “extreme weather.” The USDA will defer the accrual of interest on crop insurance premiums to the earlier of the applicable […]
Useful USDA resources available for farmers hurt by 2018, 2019 disasters
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue has announced that agricultural producers affected by natural disasters in 2018 and 2019, including Hurricane Dorian, can apply for assistance through the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+). Signup for this U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program began Sept. 11, 2019. “U.S. agriculture has been dealt a hefty […]