Farm & Agriculture

This orange goo is a fungus that can be found growing on trees and other plants. Photo courtesy Twitter user @swt_karoline.

Gooey, orange tree slime grows after wet, cool days

Some Missouri trees are producing a gooey, orange slime that seeps and grows. Bright orange tree slime brings wonder to the woods after cool, wet spring days, says University of Missouri Extension horticulturist Tamra Reall. This slime from Mother Nature grows from a number of fungi, including...

Poison hemlock. Photo by Tiia Monto, CC-BY-SA-3.0.

Watch for poison hemlock

Poison hemlock, a poisonous plant that can cause death in livestock, is especially toxic in spring, says Gatlin Bunton, University of Missouri Extension field specialist in agronomy. It can also cause birth defects in the offspring of pregnant animals. Poison hemlock usually grows in ditches,...

Is Your Farm a Mosquito Magnet? 5 Ways to Protect your People and Animals

While COVID-19 remains in the front of everyone’s mind, the coming of mosquito season means that both people and livestock are vulnerable to other serious illnesses if the farm infrastructure is not sound. Mosquitoes can transmit a number of diseases, including dengue, malaria, yellow fever, Zika...

Weigh corn replant decisions with costs, yield potential

Source: William Wiebold, 573-673-4128 (cell); 573-882-0621; Greg Luce, 573-473-7079 COLUMBIA, Mo. – As rain pushes corn planting season back yet again, farmers may be better off sticking with poor stands than replanting, says University of Missouri Extension agronomist Bill Wiebold. Farmers face...

Buy Meat Direct from Your Local Farmer

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted supply chains for all kinds of consumer goods. The first signs of trouble appeared in the form of empty shelving where toilet paper formerly sat. Soon to follow were paper towels, bleach and all manner of cleaning supplies. A few stores ran short on milk and...

True armyworm appears in cool, wet weather

True armyworm have begun their march across Missouri and producers should scout often, says University of Missouri Extension state field crops entomologist Kevin Rice. MU Extension agronomists reported seeing them in southern Missouri pastures during the group’s weekly teleconference report on May...

Ponding creates potential for crop damage

Intense or recurrent rainfall creates the potential for damage from ponding, saturated soils and flooding for corn and soybean crops, says University of Missouri Extension agronomist Bill Wiebold. Some parts of southern Missouri have received 25-30 inches of precipitation since the beginning of the...

Grow your own veggies to ease COVID-19 financial stress

In response to the tremendous interest in home food production, University of Missouri Extension now offers a free online course in basic vegetable gardening. “The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has put an added financial strain on many Missouri families,” said MU Extension horticulturist David...

Spinach's popularity grew during Great Depression

Many unsubstantiated stories exist about why cartoonist E.C. Segar chose spinach to give superhuman powers to his comic strip character Popeye the Sailor during the Great Depression. “Quite likely, it was his attempt to prompt children to eat more of this nutrient powerhouse,” said University of...

Some Missouri corn producers are seeing damage from cold, wet soil conditions and hail. Corn growers participating in the University of Missouri Extension Plant Sciences weekly online town hall meeting on May 8 reported seeing seedling leaves of corn twis

Some Missouri corn producers are seeing damage from cold, wet soil conditions and hail. Corn growers participating in the University of Missouri Extension Plant Sciences weekly online town hall meeting on May 8 reported seeing seedling leaves of corn twist and unfurl underground. Wet soil and cool...