News

Representative Neely's Capitol Report

Greetings Friends! Missouri House Begins 2017 Legislative Session The members of the Missouri House of Representatives convened in the House Chamber on Wednesday, January 4 to officially open the 99th General Assembly. As the legislature begins the 2017 legislative session, the House currently...

Poinsettia bract beginning to change color. (Picture by Debbie Johnson)

Poinsettias can bloom again next year with TLC

COLUMBIA, Mo. – That forlorn-looking, leftover plant from a bright holiday season can burst with merry blooms again if given tender, loving care. “The care given a poinsettia following the holiday season largely will dictate whether or not the plant lives to see another Christmas,” said University...

Meeting-Grazing For Change, Soil Health, Cover Crops and Livestock

SAVANNAH, Mo. – Our program is geared towards producers wanting to learn more about soil health, cover crops and how they impact livestock and forage operations. These issues and more will be addressed at an upcoming meeting, “Grazing For Change-Soil Health, Cover Crops and Livestock”, on Friday,...

USDA Provides New Cost Share Opportunities for Organic Producers and Handlers

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, 2016 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced that starting March 20, 2017, organic producers and handlers will be able to visit over 2,100 USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices to apply for federal reimbursement to assist with the cost of receiving and...

Corn Growers Meeting to be Held January 19

The Missouri Corn Growers and Northwest Corn Growers will host an informational meeting Thursday, January 19 at the Fulkerson Center at Missouri Western State College. The meeting will begin with registration at 8:30 a.m. with the formal program beginning at 9 a.m. All farmers and those from...

Ag Update Meetings

Every year, Extension agricultural specialists in the Northwest Region conduct meetings that we call “Ag Updates”. These are held in almost all of the counties in our region. The idea behind these meetings is to provide another place for pesticide applicators to obtain or renew their Private...

New online Master Gardener training class begins

COLUMBIA, Mo. – A new session of online Master Gardener training begins Jan. 30. Popularity of the online classes has grown steadily since University of Missouri Extension began offering them in 2013, said David Trinklein, state horticulture specialist for MU Extension. The online class is an...

The main symptom of calves on toxin is a shaggy hair coat that does not shed.

Tight profits on beef cow herds bring focus to toxic fescue losses

COLUMBIA, Mo. – When beef herd profit margins shrink, the losses from grazing toxic tall fescue gain attention. Convincing cow herd owners to eradicate their old fescue and plant new novel-endophyte fescue is difficult in the best of times. Now, the case will be remade by the Alliance for Grassland...

A $27 million grain-handling facility was being worked on in Hamilton on Wednesday. The project will consist of three 80-foot diameter grain silos and one 60-foot silo. The large silos will each have a 560,000 bushel capacity, while the smallest will be able to hold 316,000 bushels.

MFA advancing grain complex

HAMILTON, Mo. — A $27 million grain-handling facility, set to serve farmers across the region, is progressing toward a summer completion. MFA Inc. officials said weather has not significantly altered the work schedule for the shuttle-loader facility going up in rural Caldwell County, on the south...

Missouri Highway Patrol Reports Two Fatalities During New Year's Counting Period

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that there were two fatalities during the New Year's holiday counting period from 6 p.m., Friday, December 30, 2016 to 11:59 p.m. Monday, January 2, 2017. Troopers investigated 220 traffic crashes, which included 84 injuries and both fatalities. In addition...