Think Outside the Barn

Welcome to Think Outside the Barn!

Thanks for joining us on Think Outside the Barn - the Missouri Department of Agriculture's blog.  We encourage you to visit often, tell us what you think and join the conversation of promoting Missouri agriculture. 

Friday Fixin's - Thai Grilled Chicken

If you want a little kick to your Memorial Day Weekend barbecue, try this tasty Thai grilled chicken recipe. You can substitute AgriMissouri member Wicked Cactus, LLC's Cobra Venom for the Chili Lime Sauce recipe and add brown sugar, chilis or fish sauce to taste. Featured in AgriMissouri's May Gift Guide, Wicked Cactus is a family owned St. Louis business and features nine varieties of hot sauces with heat ratings from one to five. Their featured salsa Sangre del Sol even won the 2011 Weekend of Fire People's Choice Award.

Serve your Thai chicken with a fresh lettuce and mixed green salad picked from your garden or favorite Missouri farmers' market. Relax, unwind and enjoy the weekend grilling out with family and friends with some local flavor.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Serves 2 - Double up for family serving size

Ingredients:
Chicken - Approx. 1/2 lb chicken thighs or breast, or chicken pieces of your choice

Marinade:
4 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1+1/2 tsp. ground white pepper (look for it in your spice aisle, OR substitute 1 tsp. black pepper)
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. dark soy sauce
3 Tbsp. sherry (or cooking sherry)
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

Easy Chili-Lime Sauce:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (juice of 1 lime)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. fish sauce
2 Tbsp. shallot OR purple onion, finely minced
1 minced red chili, OR 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Preparation:
Stir all marinade ingredients together until well mixed and sugar has dissolved. Pour marinade over chicken pieces. Turn and stir the chicken in the marinade. Allow chicken to marinate at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours (covered and in the refrigerator). Barbecue chicken over a hot grill. Brush with some of the leftover marinade from the bottom of the bowl the first time you turn the chicken pieces.
Continue grilling until chicken is well cooked (inner flesh should be opaque and juices should run clear).

To make the chili-lime sauce:
Taste-test the sauce. It should taste tangy and spicy - a balance of sour and sweet, salty and spicy. If you prefer it sweeter, add more sugar. Add more fresh chili or cayenne if you prefer it spicier. If you'd like it saltier, add more fish sauce.

Serve the barbecue chicken together with the sauce. Simply stir all sauce ingredients together in a small bowl until the brown sugar dissolves. Note that this sauce does not need to be cooked or heated.

Recipe and image from thaifood.about.com

In the News - National Corn Yield Contest Registration Now Open

The National Corn Growers Association recently announced the return of the National Corn Yield Contest (NCYC) for 2013. The NCYC is an opportunity for producers to show not only their skill and success, but also to highlight their cutting edge farm practices, innovation and the latest technology available to maximize corn yields. The NCYC is celebrating its 49^th year in 2013.

Participants have the option for early registration, postmarked before June 15, 2013, where entrants pay $80 per entry, or to hold their entry until later in the summer. The final entry deadline requires producers postmark their registrations by July 12, 2013, with a $110 fee per entry.

Winners of the annual yield contest will receive national recognition in the mid-February Progressive Farmer publication, as well as in the recognition at the NCYC Corn Yield Guide and at the National Awards Banquet and State Awards Breakfast at the 2014 Commodity Classic in San Antonio, TX.

Contest rules are available in the Entry & Harvest Rule Book, as well as by contacting National Corn Growers Association staff Rachel Jungermann at jungermann@ncga.com or Max Starbuck at starbuck@ncga.com.

Visit the National Corn Growers Website for more information and to register for the contest.  

In the News – USDA Announces Conservation Reserve Program Sign-Up

The United States Department of Agriculture recently announced the opening of the registration for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Farmers and Ranchers can sign up for this four-week program May 20 through June 14 this year.

The Continuous Conservation Reserve Program is also available for registration May 13 through Sept. 30, 2013. That program includes the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement Initiative, the Highly Erodible Land Initiative, the Grassland Restoration Initiative, the Pollinator Habitat Initiative and other similar programs.

CRP is known for its national efforts to improve water and air quality, prevent soil erosion, develop wildlife habitat and protect areas that are prone to flash flooding and runoff.

Offers for general sign-up CRP contracts are ranked according to an Environmental Benefits Index (EBI). USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) collects data for each of the EBI factors based on the relative environmental benefits for the land offered:

• Wildlife habitat benefits resulting from covers on contract acreage
• Water quality benefits from reduced erosion, runoff and leaching
• On-farm benefits from reduced erosion
• Benefits that will likely endure beyond the contract period
• Air quality benefits from reduced wind erosion
• Cost

The USDA provides CRP participants with rental payments and cost-share assistance. The contact duration is between 10 and 15 years. Currently, 27 million acres are enrolled in CRP through 700,000 contracts on 390,000 farms throughout the U.S., with enrollment in 49 states and Puerto Rico.

For more information on eligibility requirements and registering for the Conservation Reserve Program, visit https://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=home&subject=copr&topic=crp-sp. For additional data and statistics about the program visit  http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=home&subject=copr&topic=rns.

Weekly Livestock Market Summary

The sun and warm weather saw tractors finally make it to the fields as spring planting got underway. Corn prices found pressure as kernels of seed corn were laid in the ground. The Choice boxed-beef cut-out also set an all time high on Thursday at $208.99. Although both these factors should be viewed as positives for the cattle producer, they seemed to be overshadowed by projections of the high April placements expected in Friday afternoon's Cattle on Feed report .

To view the full report, visit the MDA Market News website.

Source: MO Dept of Ag-USDA Market News Service, Jefferson City, MO
            Tony Hancock, Market Reporter, (573) 751-5618

Friday Fixin's - Stringbean Coffee Smoke & Fire Cookies

If you're thinking about what you could do with your three month Stringbean Coffee Company subscription that you found on the AgriMissouri May Gift Guide, here's a great recipe to try. Sweet and spicy, these cookies will make a great after-dinner treat with a hot cup of coffee. Stringbean Coffee has been in business since 2011 and got its start doing live roasts at farmers' markets. Today they are collaborating with several local businesses to incorporate Stringbean Coffee into things like Kakao chocolate, The Caramel House caramels and O'Fallon Brewery Cocoa Latte Stout. With nine different beans and blends, you can definitely find the flavor and intensity that you want for drinking, baking or both. Enjoy!

Yield - 20 cookies

• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 oz 60 percent bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 2 oz unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 Tbsp finely ground Stringbean Sumatra coffee
• 1 Tbsp hot water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 2½ cups granulated sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 10 oz 80 percent bittersweet chocolate chips
• 2 Tbsp puréed chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350ºF
• Place butter, bittersweet chocolate chunks and unsweetened chocolate chunks in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 1 minute, until chocolate is almost melted, then stir until smooth
• Combine ground coffee with hot water and stir until dissolved
• Stir coffee and vanilla extract into the melted chocolate
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt and set aside
• In a separate bowl, combine sugar and eggs and beat with an electric mixer on high speed for 6 minutes, until the mixture is thick and pale
• Gently stir ¼ of the egg mixture into the melted-chocolate mixture
• Add the chocolate mixture to the remaining egg mixture
• Stir in dry ingredients, chocolate chips and chipotle purée
• Line baking sheets with parchment paper
• Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on prepared sheets
• Bake for 15 minutes or until set
• Let cookies cool for 1 minute on the baking sheets, and then remove to wire racks to cool completely

Recipe from Feast Saint Louis and image from Food Gal.

Welcome to Westphalia Trading Company

You might come for the colorful hanging baskets. From petunias ready for potting,to tomatoes ready for planting; the greenhouse is full of beautiful garden starts and bedding plants that would be a temptation for gardeners at any level.

Or maybe it's the antiques and collectibles that catch your fancy, or the lovely yard ornaments or garden accessories.

But what Westphalia Trading Company is known for are its bright and beautiful chicken coops. You may have noticed them sitting along Highway 63, just outside of Westphalia, Mo. Looking like small barns and out buildings, these chicken coops are designed to optimize use of the elements for temperature control and ventilation while still keeping your chickens warm and dry. The building seen here, the small barn coop, sells for $650 and features an elevated interior and an access door for easy egg retrieval, all the while protecting your chickens from the weather and predators.

Westphalia Trading Company offers a number of different models at different prices. They also sell a variety of different playhouses and other shelters.

Check out their website for all the possibilities, or stop by their business for a visit. Call 573.680.0426 to learn more or even find them on Facebook.

In the News - There's an App for That (Farm Safety)

For many producers, warmer days and sunshine are a welcome sight and mean that it's time to head to the fields.  Whether producers are working with livestock or planting crops, staying safe on the farm is important, especially around large equipment.  One researcher in the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources has a new way to help with that - an application for smart phones that can summon help in the event of an accident.

Missouri Farmer Today, KOMU News and the Associated Press all published information about the new app last week, just in time for spring field work.

The app, developed by assistant professor Bulent Koc, uses GPS sensors to detect equipment rollovers and their location, then uses pre-programmed emergency contact information to summon help.  In addition to the app for smart phones, the researchers are also working on a device that attaches directly to the tractor or other implement.

To learn more about the application, check out the articles online and in the May 11 issue of Missouri Farmer Today. 

Weekly Livestock Market Summary

Compared to last week, feeder steers under 700 lbs were lower, while steers over 700 lbs were steady to higher.  Holstein steers sold steady to higher, and feeder heifers were steady to slightly lower.  Widely varying flesh conditions were noted in most sales this week as new crop fall calves continue to hit the market.    

To view the full report, visit the MDA Market News website.

Source: MO Dept of Ag-USDA Market News Service, Jefferson City, MO
            Sarah Wilkinson, Market Reporter, (573) 751-5618

Friday Fixin's - Wrapped Brie with Pepper Jelly

For a fancier twist on your traditional pepper jelly and cream cheese served with crackers, try this wrapped brie with pepper jelly recipe. AgriMissouri member, Pappy's Gourmet, is featured in our May Gift Guide and has four varieties of pepper jellies: Sweet Green Pepper Jelly, Raspberry Jalapeno Jelly, Strawberry Jalapeno Jelly and Blackberry Habanero Jelly. Pappy's Gourmet suggests this recipe on their website and any of these varieties would work well with this recipe.

If you want to get a Missouri cheese to go with this recipe, try Green Dirt Farm's Wooly Rind sheep's milk cheese or Baetje Farms' Sainte Genevieve. Serve with fresh fruit for a delicious Mother's Day appetizer.

Ingredients

1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed according to package
directions
1 (8-ounce) Brie cheese round (or another soft rind cheese of your choice)
4 oz Pappy’s Gourmet Pepper Jelly
1 egg
1 tbsp. water

Directions

Heat the oven to 400°F. Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Pour Pepper Jelly
onto pastry. Place the cheese in the center over the jelly. Fold the pastry up over the cheese to
cover. Trim the excess pastry and press to seal.

Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork. Brush the seam of the pastry with the egg
mixture. Place seam-side down onto a baking sheet. Brush with the egg mixture.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Let stand for 20 minutes before serving.

Recipe from pappysgourmet.com and image from pillsbury.com.

National Recognition for MAESTRO Energy Efficiency Program

The Missouri Department of Agriculture's energy efficiency program MAESTRO was recently recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy for making a difference in energy efficiency in the state. 

MAESTRO, the Missouri Agricultural Energy Savings Team - A Revolutionary Opportunity, offered tools and incentives for farmers to improve energy efficiency on livestock farms, including energy audits, technical assistance, rebates and other financial support. Launched in 2011 by Governor Jay Nixon, the program was one of the first of its kind.  The focus on farms and farm homes was made possible by a $5 million grant and partnership with the University of Missouri.

Photo: Director of Agriculture Dr. Jon Hagler and MAESTRO team members (from left) Bart Hawcroft, Jane McIntosh and Tony Stafford are shown with the framed certificate from the U.S. Department of Energy, in recognition of their contributions to the program.