Farm & Agriculture

MISSOURI CORN FARMERS APPLAUD PASSAGE OF DISASTER AID

Missouri Corn Growers Association (MCGA) President Mark Scott, a farmer from Wentzville, released the following statement regarding this evening's passage of a federal disaster package that will assist growers impacted by floods. The disaster package includes aid for those who lost stored grain and...

Ugly corn better than no corn this year

Greg Luce, 573-473-7079; Peter Scharf, 573-882-0777 Ugly corn is better than no corn this year, says University of Missouri Extension corn and small grains specialist Greg Luce. “There are some good corn stands in Missouri this year, but there are a lot of ugly ducklings also,” says Luce. Those...

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...

Regrowth fescue offers potential hay-baling time for beef cow herds

Source: Craig Roberts, 573-882-0481 COLUMBIA, Mo. – A long-delayed spring grass-growing season with frequent rains didn’t give days for making hay. Regrowth season just ahead holds promise, says a University of Missouri forage specialist. Craig Roberts looks to the cool-season grass slump ahead to...

USDA Reopens Continuous CRP Signup

Extensions also available to Many Expiring Contracts WASHINGTON, May 15, 2019 – USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will accept applications beginning June 3, 2019, for certain practices under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) continuous signup and will offer extensions for expiring CRP...

Symptoms of Fusarium head blight begin as bleaching of single or multiple florets or spikelets (A) or bleaching of whole portions of the head (B). Photo courtesy of Kaitlyn Bissonnette.

Scout, spray now for wheat scab

Source: Kaitlyn Bissonnette, 573-882-3001 COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri wheat growers should scout fields and prepare to spray now to prevent Fusarium head blight (FHB), also called scab, says University of Missouri Extension plant pathologist Kaitlyn Bissonnette. Bissonnette says it is too late for...

Five-year average showing decline in corn yield by planting date in Missouri.

Stick with corn until end of May, says MU Extension agronomist

Source: William Wiebold, 573-673-4128 (cell); 573-882-0621 COLUMBIA, Mo. – The wet and cold start to this year’s corn planting season bodes poorly for yields, based on research from the University of Missouri Extension. But MU Extension agronomist Bill Wiebold says farmers should not switch from...

Cost-share funding available for produce grower GAP certification

Source: Londa Nwadike, 816-482-5860 KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Cost-share funding is available to help produce growers pay for USDA Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification. “These funds are available for Missouri farmers who are applying for USDA GAP certification for the first time or for farms...

Tim Baker, Extension Professional and Horticulture Specialist

Occasionally a vegetable gardener will ask me if closely related plants will cross and affect the flavor of the vegetables they are growing in their garden. Usually this is not a problem, unless you are saving seed. Normally even if two plants will cross, the flavor of the vegetable in question...

Initially, the Lee family grew garlic in raised beds and then moved to planting it in fields by hand. The labor-intensive effort pushed them to buy a commercial planter from Poland. Photo courtesy of Rusty Lee.

It makes scents to grow garlic in Missouri

Source: Rusty Lee, 573-564-3733 TRUXTON, Mo. – Rusty Lee’s quest for a few garlic cloves to plant turned into an unlikely business venture. Suppliers put the University of Missouri Extension agronomist on a waiting list. That’s when Lee decided he needed to sell seed stock to other growers as well...