Farm & Agriculture

Learn about producing quality milk at free event, Nov. 2 at MU dairy farm

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri dairy farmers can receive updates on how to produce quality milk at a free Nov. 2 event at University of Missouri Foremost Dairy Research Center west of Columbia. MU Extension veterinarian Scott Poock said there would be four interactive learning stations. Attendees can...

Caldwell County FSA Acreage Reporting Dates for 2017

(Kingston, MO) – October 18, 2016 - Caldwell County USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director Debbie Clevenger announced that producers who file accurate and timely reports for all crops and land uses on all the tracts under their FSA farm, including failed acreage, can prevent the...

USDA Issues Safety-Net Payments to Missouri Farmers in Response to 2015 Market Downturn

Oct. 7, 2016 – USDA Missouri Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director, Mark Cadle, announced that many of the approximately 73,000 Missouri farms enrolled in safety-net programs established by the 2014 Farm Bill will receive financial assistance for the 2015 crop year. The programs, known as...

New cash rental survey shows some downward trends

The latest USDA cash rental survey shows decreasing rental rates in some areas of Missouri, says University of Missouri Extension agricultural business specialist Joe Koenen. USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released its annual survey Sept. 9. View data on Missouri counties at...

Diplodia corn ear rot. Photo: Paul Bachi, University of Kentucky Research and Education Center, Bugwood.org

Diplodia and other corn rots rear ugly ears in some parts of Missouri

University of Missouri Extension agronomists are reporting diplodia and other corn ear rot diseases in parts of the state. MU Extension corn specialist Greg Luce says infected corn requires special grain handling. Diplodia ear rot is a common corn disease that occurs when there is excessive...

The problem becomes what to do with the growing meat supply.

Continued growth in meat supply hurts livestock prices, MU economist reports

As a livestock economist, Scott Brown hears the same question every day: “How low can prices go?” The University of Missouri Extension specialist can’t say when prices will hit bottom, as many factors affect the sharp decline. That includes weather, dollar strength and exports. “The growing meat...

Beef field day set for Sept. 20 at MU Thompson Farm

University of Missouri Extension beef specialists will sum up almost two decades of research at a field day, Sept. 20, at the MU Thompson Farm, Spickard. The work was begun to improve artificial insemination (AI) in cow herds. But it became much more than breeding. Different AI methods are needed...

Soybean Insect Pest Update

Green cloverworm has been increasing in soybean fields. These green worms feed on the underside of leaves and fall to the ground when soybean plants are shook. Worms leaf feed and economic threshold is 20% leaf defoliation and 10 to 15 more half grown larvae are present per foot of row. Typically,...

Fall gardening — the gift that keeps on giving

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Succession gardening gives gardeners a second harvest, often more flavorful than the first, says University of Missouri Extension horticulture specialist David Trinklein. Succession gardening simply means that as one crop is harvested and removed from the garden, a second is planted...

Do not spray crabgrass now

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Save your money when it comes to crabgrass treatment. Hot, wet weather brings an explosion of crabgrass, says University of Missouri Extension turf specialist Brad Fresenburg. There is little you can do to treat it when it reaches the current tiller stage. The good news is that the...