4Q0A9386

Reid Smeda, professor of plant sciences, talks about challenges in vineyard weed management and unwanted chemical trespassing at the Grape and Wine Institute's Show-Me Grape and Wine Conference Wednesday, March 8.

17039195

Is "corn cool"? South Farm and Bradford Research Centers teamed up to ask this question to Hallsville 4th and 5th graders in early March. Using field corn and corn products such as Frosted Flakes, Andrew Biggs, Bradford Research Center superintendent, and Tim Reinbott, assistant director of the Missouri Agricultural Experiment Station, showed the kids all of the neat things that corn is used for including "maple" syrup. But the most fun was when they asked the students "Why does corn pop?" and then demonstrated that this physical reaction in popcorn is from steam being trapped in the popcorn and then causing it to explode, because of the waxy seed coat that traps the steam. Regular field corn just burned. The real surprise was that Indian corn pops! The students then got to eat fresh popcorn. Photo by Tim Reinbott.

DSC_6465

Baskett Research Center Superintendent Ben Knapp talks to reporters and students about how sap is turned into maple syrup. Knapp made around two gallons of syrup during a boil in late February. The syrup is given to volunteers who helped tap the sugar maple trees and is also used for promotional purposes.

32908027690_2cd344ab7a_z

CAFNR Ag Unlimited 2017 was held Saturday, Feb. 11, 2017, at the Holiday Inn Expo Center in Columbia. The event raised an estimated $70,000 for student scholarships, programs, teaching enhancements and the Ag 100 Endowment.

Check out more photos from these events on our Flickr site.

What are YOU up to? Send us photos and captions of the events and other happenings in your corner of CAFNR! Just email the information to engerm@missouri.edu.