Eric and Pathoumma Meusch had a hard time finding good-quality, locally grown foods when they moved from Asia to Eric’s hometown of Rolla. They grew their own food and soon received requests from friends and neighbors to buy food. They opened Meusch Farms in 2010. They shared their experiences at a recent “Grow Your Farm” workshop sponsored by University of…
Category: Extension
MU Grazing School Key to Edgewood Dairy and Creamery
Twenty years ago, Charles Fletcher of Edgewood Dairy and Creamery attended a University of Missouri Extension grazing school. It would change the future of the family dairy operation. Fletcher’s father started the dairy farm in 1966. His father milked cows by hand 365 days a year, morning and night. In 1993, the Fletcher family formed a partnership that included poultry…
New Technology Helps Perry County Through Tornado
New technology and old-school knowledge mixed in the aftermath of the tornado that struck Perry County in February. The EF4 tornado ripped a 14-mile-long path through Perryville, population 8,225, and rural Perry County in southeastern Missouri. The tornado stripped more than 50 homes and farm buildings to their foundations. University of Missouri Extension natural resources engineer Frank Wideman stepped into…
Help From Up North
Canada has been involved in the economic development of Ghana for decades, dating back to 1957 when Ghana became the first African country to receive financial assistance from the Canadian government. The University of Missouri has also built a strong presence in the West African country over the years – so perhaps it was only natural that the two entities…
Weather Updates at Your Fingertips
It was 25 years ago when Pat Guinan, with the help of the University of Missouri’s Extension Commercial Agriculture Program, established the first of a small network of automated weather stations in northwest Missouri. The network, known as the Missouri Mesonet, now includes 34 weather stations – 24 of which provide real-time weather updates. The network covers 24 counties in…
Dogwood in its Glory in April
The spectacular show of color bears witness to why the dogwood is worthy of being Missouri’s state tree, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein. The dogwood’s reign of beauty is spectacular but short-lived. Most of the year, these diminutive denizens of the forest are inconspicuous. The English recorded the name “dogwood” in the early 16th century. Some historians…
New 4-H Project Raises Awareness About Healthy Soils
Missouri 4-H members are digging deep into learning about healthy soils. Missouri 4-H’ers are joining 4-H’ers across the nation in the 4-H Ag Innovators Experience, sponsored by the National 4-H Council and Monsanto. This year’s Ag Innovators Experience, called the Healthy Soils CSI (Carbon Soil Investigation) Challenge, helps 4-H’ers in third through eighth grade learn how modern agricultural practices can…
‘Mr. Soybean’ Named First Inductee into Soybean Hall of Fame
Missouri Soybean Hall of Fame inducted its first member, a Norborne farmer known as “Mr. Soybean,” into the Missouri Soybean Hall of Fame on April 5. The late Donald W. Heil, a lifelong farmer in the Missouri River bottoms of Carroll County, earned honors as an international promoter of soybeans, said Bill Wiebold, University of Missouri Extension soybean specialist. Wiebold,…
Master Gardener’s Big Italian Tomato Goes National
A national tomato growers supply company will honor a Missouri Advanced Master Gardener this spring by selling tomato seeds she saved for decades. On the cover of its 2017 catalog, the Tomato Growers Supply Co. features “Mrs. Maxwell’s Big Italian,” an heirloom beefsteak tomato prized for its flavor. The dark pink tomato is the result of seed-saving by the late…
Veteran Finds Sweet Success in Return Home
Smoke billows from the sugar shack where U.S. Marine veteran Jeremy Beaver cooks maple syrup. It is a crisp Sunday morning. A sweet, smoky smell and the sound of children playing fill the woods. Beaver likes the quiet of the woods where he taps maple trees for syrup. Equally, he likes the sound of his sons playing with their tractors…