Spring is here and temperatures are warming up, meaning farmers throughout Missouri will be busy planting crops and moving livestock. Drivers are reminded to expect heavier farm machinery traffic, especially on two-lane highways in rural parts of the state. Please obey all traffic laws and remain vigilant. Most importantly, everyone is encouraged to share the […]
Technology in the form of “big data” may guide farmers’ selection of soybean varieties best-suited for their fields. Data may come from drones overhead or in-depth analysis of soil. Data may include climate impact. Big numbers are topics for talks April 10 at the U.S. Soybean Symposium on the University of Missouri campus, Columbia. Speakers […]
Applications are being accepted for the 2019 Northeast Missouri Livestock Person of the Year award. Applications are open to residents from the following counties in northeast Missouri: Adair, Clark, Knox, Lewis, Linn, Macon, Marion, Monroe, Pike, Putnam, Randolph, Ralls, Schuyler, Scotland, Shelby, or Sullivan. The individual receiving this award must have made a significant contribution […]
A southwest Missouri couple is donating about 19,000 pounds of hay to help Nebraska farmers who have had their livestock feed wiped out by massive flooding. Don and Jonee Davis of Wheaton say helping others is the right thing to do. They are encouraging other Missouri farmers to donate hay and hope to […]
FFA judging teams from Trenton, Grundy R-5, Milan, North Harrison, and Cameron from this area captured first place honors yesterday when various ag contests were held at North Central Missouri College in Trenton. Those top placings include Trenton in meats, Grundy R-5 in farm management, Milan in FFA knowledge, North Harrison of Eagleville in agronomy, […]
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 […]
More than 70 area high schools with an estimated 1,650 agriculture students are pre-registered to be on the campus of North Central Missouri College in Trenton this Thursday, March 21st for the annual NCMC Ag Club Contests. The event is held in cooperation with Area 2 FFA Association Agriculture Instructors. Students will be practicing their […]
FFA judging teams from Green City and Putnam County at Unionville captured two first-place events during the Schuyler County Truman FFA contests held Monday. Schools with one first-place winning team include Newtown-Harris, Milan, and Brookfield. The Green City team took first place in farm management and FFA knowledge. Putnam County FFA teams placed first in […]
Princeton had three FFA judging teams win first place and another took second in various categories during career development events Monday in Savannah. Princeton won first place in horses, livestock, and dairy cattle; second in meats judging, and other teams finished fourth both in poultry and the FFA knowledge event. Among other first place FFA teams […]
More than 200 head of cattle have died of nitrate poisoning in Missouri in roughly the past month. University of Missouri Extension beef nutritionist Eric Bailey says the problem has become worse because of the extended winter. University of Missouri Extension beef nutritionist Eric Bailey says weather extremes have contributed to toxic levels […]
Bacon is popular, but living near a hog farm is not. Bacon isn’t possible without hogs, so if we want bacon, we’re going to have to raise pigs. Missouri Senate Bill 391 is opposed by people who either don’t like bacon or don’t realize how it’s made. The bill would require that county regulation aimed […]
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 […]
Two years of abnormal weather changed plant growth, which changes livestock digestion and in the end, cows die. The words “it’s very complex” kept popping up in a University of Missouri emergency teleconference of state and regional MU Extension specialists. This winter farmers find groups of cows dead, often falling on newly unrolled baled hay. […]
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources submitted the 2018 Drought Response Report to Governor Parson today. The report provides detailed information about 2018 drought conditions and the state’s response to the drought. “Shortly after taking office, we witnessed one of the worst droughts we have experienced in many years,” said Governor Mike Parson. “As a […]
On top of dealing with harsh winter weather in feeding cows, cattle farmers must guard against too much nitrate in poor-quality hay. “Just from cases we’ve confirmed, I know of 150 cows dying in the last month,” says Tim Evans, head toxicologist at the University of Missouri Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory. High nitrate, mostly concentrated in […]
Missouri Agriculture Director Chris Chinn says the cold weather has been a danger to new-born calves and other livestock. She says it’s common for farmers to take extraordinary measures to see that calves are kept as comfortable as possible. Chinn says the cold weather is making calving especially difficult for cattlemen if they […]
The Missouri State Fair Youth in Agriculture scholarship application for Missouri High School seniors graduating in 2019 is due this week. Applications should be submitted to the Missouri State Fair and must be postmarked by Feb. 1, 2019. Applicants must submit an original copy of their application and five additional copies. These scholarships are possible thanks to […]
A program meant to educate landowners and tenants on Missouri Farm Leases will be held February 12, 2019, at the Harrison County Extension Office, located at 1505 Main, Courthouse Basement, in Bethany. The course will be instructed by a team of MU Extension Agricultural Business Specialists via live-stream and will be held from 6:00 to […]
Sixty years after the first of 1,182 flood-prevention structures were built in Missouri with federal financial and technical assistance, landowners who have witnessed the before-and-after effects of heavy rain are still praising the benefits of the watershed projects. “Panther Creek used to flood almost every time it rained, but it hasn’t flooded at all since […]
The major players in the meat industry have developed what they’re calling a “stewardship plan” they say will ensure that they use antibiotics in livestock only when necessary. At issue is the possible development of deadly “super-bug” infections that are resistant to antibiotics and harmful to humans. The group has developed a set of guidelines and […]
