Farm & Agriculture

Ag economist surveys farmers for 2018 cash-rent guide

Landowners and land renters can help their neighbors by filling out a survey on their cash-rent rates. Ray Massey, University of Missouri Extension economist, Columbia, seeks responses to an online survey. This is something new for the MU guide, which is updated every three years. Respondents...

Our mission is to promote pride and interest in agriculture.

Women In Ag Event

Maysville/Gallatin Mo. – Make plans to attend the fourth annual Women in Ag Event on Thursday, September 20, 2018, hosted by the DeKalb and Daviess County Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), MU Extension and Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). The...

Farm Service Agency County Committee Nomination Period in Caldwell County Began June 15

(Kingston, MO), June 26, 2018 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) encourages America’s farmers and ranchers to nominate candidates to lead, serve and represent their community on their local county committee. According to USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) Caldwell County Executive Director...

Comments from Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst

Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst made the following statement upon the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the 2018 farm bill:

“Farming is unpredictable, and the huge costs of doing business can be lost in a single storm or lack thereof. The farm bill has helped farmers manage these risks for decades so we can survive the bad years and continue to feed, clothe and fuel the world. “Keeping a strong crop insurance program...

Drought cuts pasture growth

Source: Eric Bailey, 573-884-7873 COLUMBIA, Mo. – In dry weather with short pastures, Missouri cow-herd owners face tough culling decisions. One way to match cows’ needs to available grass is to sell cows. Give careful thought to which grass eaters go first, says Eric Bailey, University of Missouri...

“Northwest Missouri Horticulture”

by Tim Baker Recently I was talking with a grower who was having problems with his watermelons. From his description, it sounded like it could be spider mites. With the hot and dry weather we have been experiencing lately, it seemed like a strong possibility. These conditions really favor spider...

Dairy producers urged to act now to re-enroll in the Margin Protection Program

USDA Extends Application Deadline for Dairy Margin Protection Program to June 22

WASHINGTON, June 12, 2018 – U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue today announced the re-enrollment deadline for the Margin Protection Program (MPP) for Dairy will be extended until June 22, 2018. The new and improved program protects participating dairy producers when the margin – the difference...

Farmers seek forage options as drought cuts grass growth

Shortage of cattle forage forces some Ozark herd owners to chop trees to feed leaves. That method was used in big droughts of the 1930s and 1950s. Damage comes from more than an intense drought, said Craig Roberts, University of Missouri forage specialist in a weekly teleconference. Regional...

Drought Livestock Water Assistance

Caldwell County has unfortunately been elevated to the D2 level (Severe Drought) on the U.S. Drought Monitor. To view the U.S. Drought Monitor, go to this link: http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/ Rainfall shortages exceed 44% in the county and different areas of the county have missed almost all the...

David Martin, a 1992 graduate of the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, checks out the milking parlor where cows are milked three times daily at Martin Prairie Farms. Photo by Linda Geist.

'Close-up cow' barns help cows avoid heat stress, produce more milk

Martin Prairie Farms near Humansville treats dairy cows like guests. The family-owned dairy farm north of Humansville in Hickory County dedicates itself to top-of-the-line herd nutrition and care, says University of Missouri Extension dairy specialist Reagan Bluel. Freddie and Mary Martin, son...