The Mizzou Soil Judging Team took top honors at the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) Contest held in Nebraska this April. The team competed against 10 other teams; a total of 75 students participated. Mizzou’s students all had strong finishes, said coach Rachel Owen, Ph.D. student in the School of Natural Resources, part of the College of…
Soil ⋅ Page 1
New 4-H Project Raises Awareness About Healthy Soils
Missouri 4-H members are learning 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…
‘A Diamond in the Rough’
MU Department of Soil, Environmental and Atmospheric Sciences converts ambulance into weather vehicle
You never know what you’ll find for sale on the side of the road. Graduate student Chasity Henson found something hugely beneficial to the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources’ Department of Soil, Environmental and Atmospheric Sciences. Henson, who grew up in Carthage, Mo., was heading home to visit her parents on a weekend last year when…
Meeting Their Goal
Graves-Chapple Research Center brings in nearly 200 for Field Day
Nearly 200 individuals attended the Graves-Chapple Research Center Field Day and engaged with University of Missouri faculty and MU Extension agents on Tuesday in Rock Port, Mo. The Field Day featured several speakers who presented on numerous topics. “We had a really good crowd and some really good weather,” Superintendent Jim Crawford said. “Overall, it was a really good day.”…
A Larger Sample Size
Soil Health Assessment Center continues to expand its services, client base of Missouri farmers and beyond
A lot can happen in a year. Just ask Donna Brandt and Russell Dresbach, who run the Soil Health Assessment Center at the South Farm Research Center in Columbia. A year ago, Brandt and Dresbach relied on the help of four student workers (two graduate students, two undergraduate students) to help them work with the soil samples stacked in tall rows…
Digging Deep
Research lab hopes to spur statewide, regional soil health through biological testing
To some, it’s a freezer bag stuffed with soil. To those who run the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources’ Soil Health Assessment Center, it’s the lifeblood of a national initiative to analyze the organic matter quality of soil that could reap significant dividends for Missouri farmers and landowners. Traditional soil testing practices — checking the levels of nitrogen,…
Back to the Lab
Revitalized MU Soil Characterization Lab will find new home in CAFNR
Once housed in the MU College of Engineering, ownership of the MU Soil Characterization Lab is transferring to CAFNR. Lab space is being renovated at the college’s South Farm Research Center, located just minutes from the campus in Columbia to better serve its clients.
The Science of a Soil Test
MU Soil Labs help find out what is happening in your soil to help produce profitable crops
One way to start planning for next year’s growing season is to get a soil test and MU’s Soil Fertility Labs are there to help. A soil test is like taking an inventory of nutrients available to plants — which area is too high, too low or just right. While plant growth and prior yields may offer clues to nutrient availability, a producer won’t precisely know until they test their soil.
Rebuilding Soils for a Changing Climate
Soil Health Expo will inform producers about managing soils in the future
Ways to control soil loss often include management strategies away from conventionally planting and will be the one of the features at Soil Health Expo at Bradford Research Center on Aug. 13 and 14. Talks will start at 9 a.m. and end at 5 p.m. each day.
The Secrets of Soil
Unlock the keys to soil health with workshops
Producers are increasingly hearing about how using no-till and cover crops will help benefit soil health. But what actually is going on in the ground below your feet when these practices happen? Questions like this will be one of many answered in the Keys to Soil Health Workshop on March 19 at Hundley-Whaley Research Center in Albany. The workshop costs…