Farm & Agriculture

MU Plant Diagnostic Clinic receiving more disease samples as rain continues

Source: Peng Tian, 573-882-3019 COLUMBIA, Mo. – For plants, extended wet weather is like cold and flu season is for humans. Luckily, the plant doctor is in. The University of Missouri Plant Diagnostic Clinic can help with diagnoses and treatment recommendations, says clinic director Peng Tian. Tian...

Soybean seedlings, one rotten and one slow to emerge, from a field with extensive stand loss due to seedling disease. Photo by Kaitlyn Bissonnette.

Spring rains bring root rots to Missouri field crops

Source: Kaitlyn Bissonnette, 573-882-9106; Peng Tian, 573-882-3019 COLUMBIA, Mo. – Frequent spring rains in Missouri set the stage for seedling and root rotting diseases that can lower yields. Pythium species usually infect the roots of corn, soybean and wheat, especially in the northern half of...

USDA Invests More Than $370,000 to Improve Community Facilities and Essential Services in Rural Missouri

Investments to benefit more than 20,000 rural Missourians COLUMBIA, MO, June 24, 2021 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Missouri Acting State Director D Clark Thomas announced the agency is investing $371,400 to equip, rebuild, and modernize essential services in rural...

Julie Valdez makes soap with honey and oatmeal in her basement for her Raw Buzz business. The honey comes from a backyard hive and one on the family farm. She says the Heroes to Hives program helps her and her husband learn how to improve their honey-making operation to grow their business. Photo by Linda Geist.

From national security to food security

Source: Travis Harper, 660-885-5556 WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Santiago and Julie Valdez say the Heroes to Hives program offered by University of Missouri Extension offers a sweet opportunity to expand their business and connect with other beekeepers who are veterans. MU’s Heroes to Hives program is the...

The Outdoor Journal by Kyle Carroll

If you have been outside near any body of water in the evenings lately, you likely have heard the deep-throated chugarum of the American Bullfrog. On the Missouri Department of Conservation's website, bull frogs are described as “.. Missouri’s largest frog; it ranges from green to olive to brown....

Dairy farmers, dairy industry leaders and others joined Missouri Gov. Mike Parson during his proclamation of June as Dairy Month. Front row, from left: Alfred and Sam Brandt; Gov. Mike Parson; Chris Chinn, director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture; and Megan Bruemmer. Back row, from left: Ron Grusenmeyer, Gene Wiseman, Daryl Braun, Ted Bruemmer and MU Extension dairy specialist Reagan Bluel.

June Dairy Month proclamation

MOUNT VERNON, Mo. – Surrounded by dairy farmers and industry leaders, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on June 8 proclaimed June as Dairy Month. The proclamation recognizes the hard work and contributions of our dairy farmers statewide, said Reagan Bluel, University of Missouri Extension dairy specialist...

Back to the past

Saturday was beautiful day to visit the Steam and Gas Engine show grounds, where several teamsters arrived to mow the fields the old fashioned way.

Make the most from late-planted soybean

Source: William Wiebold, 573-882-0621 COLUMBIA, Mo. – Soggy fields, low soil temperatures and 16 cloudy days in May delayed soybean planting in Missouri. Average yield for soybean planted in the third week of June is at least 25% less than soybean planted in early May, and July plantings fare even...

Stocker cattle could add value to your operation without breaking the bank

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Stocker cattle make up just 12 percent of the 4.25 million head currently part of the beef industry in Missouri. But these cattle could add as much as $78 million to Missouri’s economy, according to the Missouri Beef Value-Added Study, a 2016 University of Missouri Extension report...

Annual population change in Missouri counties (2019-2020). From 'Population Trends in Missouri and Its Regions' by Mark White, University of Missouri associate extension professor.

MU report looks at population trends in Missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri’s population grew by about 11,000 people from 2019 to 2020. This 0.2% increase is only half the national rate of 0.4%, though it is typical of the modest growth experienced by many other Midwestern states. But the picture gets more complicated when you zoom in to specific...