Heifer prices kept going up in the fifth of six fall sales of Show-Me-Select replacement heifers, December 7th. The 74 head averaged $2,334 with the previous high being $2,099 on 64 head at Fruitland, Mo. “Heifer quality was top-notch.” said Kendra Graham, the sale coordinator, “Buyer turnout was high and they were willing to pay […]
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 […]
Wintering cows in a year with bad hay or shortages of hay proves challenging to beef farmers with the prolonged drought last summer upsetting haymaking plans. Beef nutritionist Eric Bailey, University of Missouri Extension, answered farmers’ questions December 2nd at the Missouri Livestock Symposium in Kirksville. His topic: “Winter Feeding With Expensive Hay.” Less hay can […]
What a sale!” said sale coordinator Erin Larimore about the $2,099 average price for replacement heifers at the Show-Me-Select sale in Fruitland, Mo., December 1. The fourth of six fall sales kept the upward trend in prices. Two sales remain for heifers raised with protocols from the University of Missouri Extension animal scientists. Larimore, a […]
With a strong start on bidding, the first lot of heifers averaged $2,250 at the Kingsville Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer sale, November 24. Big bidding set the stage for higher prices early in the sale of 237 head of bred heifers. Final average was $1,832. The sale at the Kingsville Livestock Auction topped the two previous […]
Farmers face tough questions every day and will find answers for marketing and estate planning at the Kirksville Livestock Symposium, Nov. 30 and Dec 1. The Symposium farm management sessions give cutting-edge help, says Garry L. Mathes, event chair. Leading off Saturday sessions will be estate planning with speaker Connie Haden of Haden and Associates […]
At the Kirksville Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer sale, 133 heifers averaged $1,716. It wasn’t the strong sale expected, said Zac Erwin, sale coordinator. A lot of things worked against bidder enthusiasm. “I was hoping for a stronger market,” Erwin said after the sale Friday night, Nov. 16. “But it wasn’t a bust by any means.” The […]
Major farm management decisions concern capital and labor. Too little attention goes to the labor side of farming, says agricultural economist Joe Horner. To help decision-makers, he plans three University of Missouri Extension workshops across Missouri. Farm labor management isn’t like the old days when a farmer could hire neighbor boys to help. Also, present-day […]
“It was a great night to be a buyer,” Eldon Cole said after the Southwest Missouri Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer sale. Average price on 311 heifers was $1,586. That’s almost $200 per head below Cole’s prediction. The University of Missouri livestock specialist has managed 39 heifer sales. He knows well-managed heifers and what they bring to […]
Missouri beef herd owners learn profits and risks of sending their calves to a feedlot. They’ve entered 50 Missouri Steer Feedouts run by the University of Missouri Extension. To cut risks in learning, they enter samples of five to 20 head, said Eldon Cole, MU Extension livestock specialist. The Missouri Steer Feedout for winter-spring born […]
Missourians can use social media to get expert answers to their gardening questions. Missouri Master Gardeners and University of Missouri Extension horticulture specialists teamed up to create the new Ask a Missouri Master Gardener page on Facebook, said MU Extension regional horticulturist Balek said. Visit the page at facebook.com/AskaMissouriMasterGardener. “The page lets residents tap into […]
Replacement heifers to upgrade cow-calf herds will be offered in six Show-Me-Select sales this fall. Also, owners can restock cow herds culled in the drought. With strength in beef demand and rains growing pastures, herd owners can rebuild. Dry weather’s impact on forages had farmers concerned. “Optimism of cow-calf herd owners should return,” says David […]
The annual University of Missouri Crop Management Conference offers updates on how 2018’s drought-to-downpour growing season affected crops, pests, and disease, and provides insights on how trade affects agricultural commodity markets. The event, Dec. 18-19 at the Holiday Inn Executive Center in Columbia, also includes information on dicamba research and label requirements, says MU Extension […]
A church in Stanberry will be the location for a beef producers seminar coming up Thursday, November 8th. Three University Extension specialists will have presentations that night. Shawn Deering of the MU Extension office in Albany provides details. That’s Shawn Deering, a regional livestock specialist for MU serving the counties of Daviess, Harrison, […]
The University of Missouri Extension recently rolled out an educational program to give the public science-based information about Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations, otherwise known as CAFOs. The program includes a webpage and a series of five-minute videos, says Teng Lim, MU Extension agricultural engineer. “MU Extension faculty often respond to great, but similar, questions in rural […]
The University of Missouri Extension will offer a free farm tax workshop in November at locations throughout the state. This workshop explains major tax changes affecting farms and ranches that went into effect in December 2017. The workshops are 6:15-8:45 p.m. on Nov. 12 and Nov. 19. Extension specialists will present the workshops remotely through […]
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 […]
The University of Missouri Extension will hold workshops throughout the state on how to attract and keep quality farm laborers. “This one-day workshop was developed by MU Extension to help you improve your labor management and finances and protect your business,” says MU Extension agricultural economist Ryan Milhollin. Attendees will learn tips to recruit, train, […]
University of Missouri Extension researchers are among the recipients of a new five-year, $4.34 million grant from USDA to study water and nutrient recycling, says MU Extension agricultural engineer Teng Lim. The grant, “Water and Nutrient Recycling: A Decision Tool and Synergistic Innovative Technology,” includes five universities: MU, University of Arkansas, Colorado School of Mines, […]
Livestock producers can stretch short supplies of hay this year by using a simple ammonia treatment on bales, says University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Zac Erwin. Erwin and MU Extension agronomy specialist Valerie Tate will lead-free hay ammoniation demonstrations Oct. 9 and Oct. 11 at 5:30 p.m. to show farmers how to boost the […]
