Ensuring Cattle Maintain the Ability to Adapt

Researchers pave the way for genetic tests of cattle that can look for the presence of specific adaptations, such as heat resistance. by Austin Fitzgerald, University of Missouri Extension As a fourth-generation cattle farmer, Jared Decker knows that cattle suffer from health and productivity issues when they are taken from one environment — which the herd has spent generations adapting to — to a place with a different climate, a different elevation or…

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Take Your Time with Power Takeoffs

Be safe and sound: Shut down and walk around. by Linda Geist, University of Missouri Extension Survivors do not soon forget power takeoff accidents. Retired Monroe County farmer Artie Whelan recalls one of his first days back on the farm after his discharge from the U.S. Army 64 years ago. The half-ton truck he was driving got stuck, so he hitched it to a Ford 8N tractor to pull it out. He jumped…

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Cover crop conference goes virtual

Source: Charles Ellis, 636-528-4613 COLUMBIA, Mo. – “Finding Common Ground in Cover Crops” is the theme of the 2021 Midwest Cover Crops Council Conference. The virtual conference, Feb. 23-25, kicks off with updates from cover crop specialists in the council’s 12 Midwestern states and Ontario, Canada, says Charles Ellis, University of Missouri Extension agricultural engineering specialist and a member of the council’s board. Attendees will learn how cover crops improve cash flow and…

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MU Extension Woodland Steward Webinar Series Begins in January

COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension kicks off a new year of Missouri Woodland Steward programs to help natural resource enthusiasts learn more about how to preserve woodlands. MU Extension state forestry specialist Hank Stelzer and natural resources field specialist Sarah Havens will teach the webinars Tuesday evenings in January and February. Topics include basic tree identification, planting native trees and shrubs, selling timber, managing woodlands for timber and wildlife, and invasive…

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Without forage test, hay by any other name is just hay

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mature hay is hay. It may be brome hay, prairie hay or any other type of hay. But in the end, it’s just hay until it’s been tested. Forage tests tell the tale of whether hay is of good quality and nutrient-rich, says University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist Gene Schmitz. Nutrient content of hay, haylage or silage directly relates to its stage of maturity at harvest. As plants mature,…

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