Cattle producers see more profit when they add legumes to fescue pastures and manage grazing systems properly, says Patrick Davis, University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist. Fescue remains the hardy mainstay of southwestern Missouri pastures. Adding legumes gives fescue fields more nutritional punch and profit, Davis says. Proper management is key to making grasses and […]
Weed problems may explode this year thanks to the drought of 2018 and residual problems associated with overgrazing in parched pastures, says University of Missouri Extension agronomist Valerie Tate. Last year’s extreme weather conditions created a forage shortage. As a result, many pastures were overgrazed. When pastures are overgrazed, there is little green leaf material […]
Winter feeding of forage to beef herds doesn’t rank high as a favored job for herd owners. But there’s a bright side to feeding fescue, whether in hay or grass. Fescue toxins are down. “This is the best fescue will be, now until pastures green up again,” says Craig Roberts, University of Missouri Extension forage […]
Do the math on temperatures and rainfall for all of 2018. On average, you get “near normal,” says Pat Guinan, University of Missouri Extension climatologist. “Weather was anything but that,” Guinan adds. Record-setting numbers hide in an average. For starters, look at the “non-spring” of 2018. April was the second coldest on record going back […]
Managed grazing makes better use of forage in a year of high-priced hay. After a drought with short grass and little hay, fall pastures grew fast with good rains. Management-intensive grazing (MIG) extends fall grass supplies. Or the grass can be saved for winter grazing, says Craig Roberts, University of Missouri Extension forage specialist. Controlled […]
Odd fall weather and fescue pasture growth set up potential poisonous pastures causing fescue foot in cow herds. Fall growth after a drought produces more toxins in infected tall fescue grass. The poison develops after rains start regrowth following a drought, says Craig Roberts, University of Missouri Extension specialist. Roberts urges herd owners to keep […]
With a November 16 deadline approaching, Pheasants and Quail Forever is encouraging farmers and ranchers to consider utilizing a federal program that provides financial and technical assistance to establish habitat that benefits Monarch butterflies and other wildlife. Jake Swafford, Coordinating Wildlife Biologist, said the Monarch Initiative administered by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) […]
Pastures grow green for farmers. When managed well, pastures add dollars to farms. University of Missouri economists reports an added output of $125 million per year from using skills taught for management-intensive grazing (MiG) at grazing schools. “That’s annual impact, not cumulative,” says Craig Roberts, MU Extension forage specialist. Payoffs come in extra milk or […]
Over thirty North Central Missouri College Agriculture & Natural Resources students demonstrated skills and techniques at Elizabeth & Arthur Barton Farm Campus during Open House held on September 19, 2018. Students demonstrated animal handling, crop yield testing, drone demonstrations, and various other agriculture expertise. Attendees heard remarks at the Hoffman-Robbins Shelter House from Student Senate […]
Widespread drought conditions during the 2018 growing season in most of Missouri resulted in hay and forage shortages, says University of Missouri Extension agronomist Dhruba Dhakal. Dhakal offers some alternative/emergency forage options to feed beef cattle during fall, winter, and spring. Stockpiling tall fescue If fescue stands are strong, stockpiling tall fescue is one of […]
Harley Naumann, an assistant professor in the Division of Plant Sciences, has a research and teaching appointment in forage physiology. His research focuses on understanding the critical physiological components of warm- and cool-season forages that lead to improved forage-livestock production systems. Naumann has been working with a unique forage since he arrived at Mizzou in […]
The prolonged drought in Northwest Missouri has forced many farmers to consider baling their soybeans as a forage crop this year. While soybeans are an excellent feed source for cattle, producers need to take into consideration the herbicides that were sprayed on the soybeans throughout the growing season. Some herbicides such as Roundup and Sencor […]
