Hype Academy 2018

Missouri’s top 30 FFA members attend HYPE Academy

Missouri’s top 30 FFA high school seniors completed the fourth annual Helping Youth Prepare for Excellence (HYPE) FFA Academy June 26-28, in Columbia The three-day intensive program is designed to inform and empower students to effectively engage in pressing agriculture topics. Since 2015, the Missouri Corn Merchandising Council has sponsored and facilitated the academy in […]

Farm Tractor land

Small grain crops seeded this fall replace dry pastures for cow herds

Seeding winter annual small grain offers fall grazing for beef cow herds short on grass and hay. “Lots of calls are coming in,” said Craig Roberts, University of Missouri Extension forage specialist. He offers encouraging words and cautions.  Interest grew as some local USDA Farm Service Agency offices offer added drought disaster assistance. Drilling wheat, […]

Taco Bell Salsa Con Queso

Taco Bell Salsa Con Queso Mild Cheese Dip recalled due to possible Botulism

As a precaution, approximately 7,000 cases of Taco Bell Salsa Con Queso Mild Cheese Dip are being voluntarily recalled because the affected product is showing signs of product separation which can lead to a potential health hazard. This could create conditions that could allow for the growth of Clostridium botulinum (C. botulinum), a bacterium which can cause life-threatening […]

Beef Heifers

Drought continues as beef farmers plan on fall rains to make winter pasture

Stunted, stemmy pastures unable to support grazing cattle have potential and farmers are dependin on fall rains to bring fall regrowth, says University of Missouri Extension forage agronomist Craig Roberts. Cool-season grass growth always slumps in summer. Fescue goes dormant. This year, the slump dives deep with lack of rain and too much heat. In […]

Industrial Hemp

Missouri Department of Agriculture to host public listening session on industrial hemp

At 2 p.m. on Wednesday, July 18, 2018, the Missouri Department of Agriculture will host a public listening session at which interested parties may share their input on the industrial hemp pilot program in Missouri. The public session will take place in the Nightingale Creek conference room at the Department of Natural Resources, 1101 Riverside Drive, Jefferson […]

Southern Rust

First report of southern rust in U.S. this season reported in west-central Missouri

The University of Missouri Extension confirmed the growing season’s first case of southern rust corn disease in the U.S. on July 10. The MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic confirmed that southern rust was present in a sample collected from west-central Missouri. This common corn disease usually shows up in neighboring southern states before appearing in Missouri […]

Country Radio Broadcasters

Country Radio Broadcasters now accepting applications for $25,000 scholarship

The Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc. is now accepting applications for a scholarship endowment, which will be awarded to one deserving college or university for the 2018-2019 school year. Eligibility for the endowment includes: college or university accreditation; must have a TV/Film/Radio or Music Business program; the school must be responsible for managing endowment, selecting deserving students […]

Young Horse

University of Missouri equine clinician offers advice on respiratory disease

Rhodococcus equi is a bacterial organism found in dry and dusty soil in horse environments that can cause pneumonia in young foals. A zoonotic disease, Rhodococcus equi can also infect people who are immunocompromised, such as HIV-AIDS patients. Philip Johnson, a professor of equine internal medicine in the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, […]

Cow and cattle herd

Drought cuts pasture growth; farmers face culling cow herds

In dry weather with short pastures, Missouri cow-herd owners face tough culling decisions. One way to match cows’ needs to available grass is to sell cows.  Give careful thought to which grass eaters go first, says Eric Bailey, University of Missouri Extension beef nutritionist. Under drought stress, identifying those cows becomes urgent. The first cut is […]

Dicamba

Missouri Department of Agriculture reminds Missouri farmers of Dicamba cutoff dates

The Missouri Department of Agriculture reminds all farmers and pesticide applicators across Missouri that, according to Missouri’s 24c label, all applications of ENGENIA, FEXAPAN, and XTENDIMAX for the 2018 growing season must come to a halt when any of the following apply: Soybeans reach the first reproductive growth stage (R1 – first flower). Wind is […]

Cattle in ring at sale

Bred heifer buyers think short grass, bid $1,598 average at Palmyra sale

Hot, dry weather with short grass growth slowed bidders at the spring sale of Show-Me-Select replacement heifers in northeastern Missouri, Saturday, June 2 with 134 calving-ease bred heifers averaging $1,598 in the final of four spring sales in the state.  The heifers will calve this fall. “It was a tough but successful sale,” said Daniel […]

Rootless Corn

Missouri’s hot, dry weather spells trouble for soybeans and corn

Missouri’s record-breaking May heat and lack of precipitation set the stage for two unusual conditions in the state’s top cash crops—soybean and corn, says University of Missouri Extension agronomist Bill Wiebold. He urges farmers to look for rootless corn syndrome and heat canker in soybean, conditions that result from drought and heat effects on seedlings […]

Grazing School Photo of Cattle in Field

Cool-season pastures start regrowth with arrival of warm-weather rains

Cool-season grasses such as fescue that dominate pasture grass in Missouri need warm weather to grow. The coldest April since 1907 set back forage for Missouri’s beef cow herds. Now, warm weather with rain creates forage for grazing and haying, said forage specialist Craig Roberts in a weekly University of Missouri Extension teleconference. New grass […]

Missouri State Museum

Missouri State Museum debuts new exhibit during opening reception May 29

The Missouri State Museum will debut a new exhibit titled “BOOM!: The Rise and Fall of Missouri’s Black Business Districts” at an opening reception 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 29, in the Missouri State Capitol’s rotunda. An exhibit viewing and reception will follow in the Museum’s History Hall. The reception is sponsored by the […]