“It’s hard to find a more resilient, optimistic person than the American farmer. And as an integral part of the food system, the University of Missouri continues to deliver science-based information for Missouri’s farms.” — Zac Erwin, MU Extension livestock specialist Despite halting all face-to-face programming due to COVID-19, University of Missouri Extension recognizes the continued need to provide university…
Extension ⋅ Page 2
Moving the Agricultural Food Chain Forward
Agricultural Experiment Station balancing research, proper safety protocols during pandemic
The Agricultural Experiment Station (AES) at the University of Missouri operates a system of Agricultural Research Centers across the state in an effort to meet the regional needs of agricultural producers and natural resource managers. With nearly 14,000 acres, these research and demonstration facilities host more than 35,000 people each year for field days, Extension activities and other community events.…
Defining the Objective
Division of Animal Sciences bringing cattle breeding plans to Agricultural Research Centers
This story also appears in our University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources’ Agricultural Research Center Magazine. Stop by your local Research Center to pick up a copy! You can view the magazine online by clicking here: Road to Discovery. For years, the Thompson Research Center, near Spickard, Mo., has been home to a very defined breeding plan…
Impacting the Missouri Beef Industry
Study shows management-intensive grazing has raised economic output of Missouri’s beef industry by more than $125 million every year
Since 1990, the Missouri Grazing Schools have provided its more than 18,000 participants with pertinent information related to management-intensive grazing (MiG). The schools, a partnership between the University of Missouri and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), are designed to touch on each aspect of management-intensive grazing, delivering research findings and vital information to its attendees. A recent economic…
Serving Missourians
Kallenbach tapped to continue the collaborative relationship between CAFNR and MU Extension
Rob Kallenbach, assistant dean for Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension, has been named the interim associate dean/senior program director of Agriculture and Environment Extension in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri. His appointment was effective October 1. “This position has statewide responsibility for Extension programs in agriculture and the environment – and Dr.…
Improving Production Practices
Gene Stevens continues to make Crop Water Use App useful for users
As a University of Missouri Extension professor, Gene Stevens’ focus is on researching ways to improve production practices for numerous core crops, such as corn, rice, cotton and soybeans. Stevens, who is located at the Fisher Delta Research Center in Portageville, Mo., recently developed the Crop Water Use App, which assists farmers with their irrigation scheduling. Always aware of the…
A Pesky Pest
Kevin Rice is researching ways to battle the Japanese beetle
When Kevin Rice came to the University of Missouri in January, one of the first things he did was hand out a survey to farmers and producers across the state to gauge what insect issues they were dealing with on a regular basis. His inquiries returned two main pests – Japanese beetles and stinkbugs. Rice has devoted a good portion…
Managing Disease
Kaitlyn Bissonnette has spent her first year at MU traveling throughout the state
Kaitlyn Bissonnette has spent her first year at the University of Missouri traveling throughout the state to meet with farmers and producers to discuss what diseases they are dealing with in their fields. Bissonnette joined MU in October 2017 as an assistant Extension professor in the Division of Plant Sciences. Her program is focused on the management of diseases of…
Master Gardener’s Coffeehouse Brings Farm to the City
Urban garden brings life to neighborhood
Master Gardener Paul Whitsitt takes the farm to the city and the city to the farm. Whitsitt owns Kitchen House Coffee in St. Louis’ trendy Tower Grove East community. Out the back door, chickens earn their keep by laying eggs for the restaurant’s quiches and egg sandwiches. They also entertain curious customers who browse books on sustainable gardening and beekeeping.…
Dairy and Creamery Sees Positive Changes with Pack Barns
More milk production, lower SCC and low-cost fertilizer among benefits
Brothers Dwight and David Fry remember the day that they decided to build bedded pack barns for their dairy cows. They visited neighbor David Gray’s barns on a winter day when sleet was pounding down. “His cows were lying there in the barn chewing their cud and making milk,” said Dwight. “Ours were humped up and cold.” Gray’s experience, coupled…