Farm & Ranch

Treated hay demo: “Show, Tell and Smell”

A small, but interested audience visited the University of Missouri Southwest Research Center south of Mt. Vernon on a cold, late January day to learn about feeding anhydrous ammonia-treated fescue hay.  Attendees were shown the hay, told about the process and also smelled it according to Eldon Cole, field specialist in livestock with University of

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Producers can add value to good heifers

The Missouri Show-Me-Select (SMS) Beef Heifer Development Program is an excellent example of a program designed to add value to a good heifer or yearling.  “If you sell her as a feeder, weighing around 600 to 650 pounds she’ll bring around $850 to $900 per head, based on late January, southwest Missouri markets,” said Eldon

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Local food on the table at regional Farm to Fork Summit

More business for farmers. More good food for all. These are the paired goals of the regional Farm to Fork Summit to be held Jan. 15 in Osceola. Registration is open now for farmers, eaters, educators, community organizations, and others interested in building local food connections in west central Missouri. Early bird tickets are $20

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Farm tour shows how shade improves profits, cow comfort

Cattle producers can learn how to improve profits by using natural shade in their operations during an Oct. 10 tour of the Mingo cow-calf operation in St. James. The tour shows how producer Brian Tomazi uses shade to improve cow comfort and profits. His integrated system uses timber, forages and livestock. The event will also

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Ozark Empire Fair hay results

The 2018 Ozark Empire Fair Hay and Haylage Show had a familiar name win the champion ribbon. Glenn and Toni Obermann, Monett claimed the purple ribbon for the fifth time in the last nine years. The Obermann’s top hay was an alfalfa-orchardgrass mix that was a May 5 cutting. The varieties in the mix were

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How to treat forage with anhydrous ammonia

Here are seven steps to get more value out of poor-quality forage this year. Treatment of low-quality forages like late-cut fescue, wheat straw and fescue with anhydrous ammonia is not a new thing, according to Eldon Cole, University of Missouri Extension livestock specialist. He observed it back in the late 1970s and says it will

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FEEDING CORN SILAGE TO BEEF

FEEDING CORN SILAGE TO BEEF – MU Extension livestock specialist Gene Schmitz recommends that beef producers use chopped silage rather than balage for beef cattle. As the drought of 2018 continues, farmers are turning to drought-stressed corn as alternative feed sources. Photo courtesy of Gene Schmitz.

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GRAIN BIN CAN KILL IN 90 SECONDS

GRAIN BIN CAN KILL IN 90 SECONDS – Twenty six victims died in grain bins in 2010, a record.  The University of Missouri Extension Fire and Rescue Training Institute (MU FRTI) will showcase grain bin safety at the Missouri State Fair from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 16, at the Mathewson Exhibition Center

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Small grain crops seeded this fall replace dry pastures for cow herds

Seeding winter annual small grain offers fall grazing for beef cow herds short on grass and hay. “Lots of calls are coming in,” said Craig Roberts, University of Missouri Extension forage specialist. He offers encouraging words and cautions. Interest grew as some local USDA Farm Service Agency offices offer added drought disaster assistance. Drilling wheat,

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Drought making hay prices skyrocket

by Eric Bohl The Drought of 2018 is unfortunately only getting worse across Missouri, and the effects are starting to hit livestock producers hard. The July 12 weekly drought report by the United States Drought Monitor shows over two-thirds of Missouri in some level of drought condition. Unfortunately, with the extreme temperatures and high evaporation,

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