Think Outside the Barn

Top 10 Horticulture Tips

Pat Miller is an agronomy specialist, and she has spent the last 23 years with the University of Missouri extension office in St. Clair.  Throughout her time with the extension office she has answered many questions and worked with a large variety of plants, and now she is sharing her secrets!  Check out Pat Miller's Top 10 Horticulture Tips and take away some knowledge that you can use when working with your own garden!

In the News - Dry, Dry, Dry

“When the well is dry, we know the worth of water.” – Benjamin Franklin

And the well is getting drier every day in Missouri and all across the Midwest.  Temperatures are soaring and drought-like conditions are worsening.  Many areas of the Midwest are experiencing “flash drought”, a period of short-term dryness, often accompanied by above-normal temperatures, which means bad news for crops and pastures.

Check out the U.S. Drought Monitor right here.

The HighPlains/Midwest Ag Journal spoke with Pat Guinan, state climatologist with the University of Missouri Extension Commercial Agriculture Program, about how Missourians can report on-the-ground dryness conditions through the Drought Impact Reporter.

Dryness Creeps North in Missouri

"No instrument or third party will be able to describe a drought situation as well as someone living in the area and experiencing the situation," Guinan said.  "Moisture is being sucked out of the ground faster than it would be in a typical May, so things dry out faster and you slide quicker into a drought."

Missouri State University Excels at Delta Tau Alpha National Convention

The Missouri Department of Agriculture would like to extend a big congratulations to Missouri State University's Delta Tau Alpha (DTA) national agriculture honor society chapter for placing second in the agriculture quiz bowl at the DTA National Convention, held in Warrensburg, Mo. 

Students Shana Austin, Casteel Kirk and Cheyenne Shipps represented the chapter throughout the competition that included eight double elimination rounds as well as questions from four categories: agricultural business, plant science, animal science and general agriculture.  The three students competed against 14 Delta Tau Alpha chapters of other schools.  Excellent job, aggies.  Keep up the good work!

Read more...

Friday Fixin's - Asparagus Rolls

Asparagus can still be found at Missouri Farmers' Markets and in your own backyard garden. This is a delicious and different way to serve them. When visiting your market weekly, it's always good to have a variety of recipes to prepare your fresh veggies in different ways. This is also true if you have your own asparagus patch. Your family definitely won't grow tired of asparagus if you make them like this from time to time. It even makes a great breakfast!

Servings: 8

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh asparagus
1 (8 ounce) package refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 cup monterey jack cheese, grated
1/4 cup bacon bits
1/4 cup green onion, finely chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400*.
Break off tough ends of the asparagus leaving just the tender tips. Steam for several minutes until cooked crisp tender.
Open crescent roll dough and separate at the seams. Sprinkle some cheese, bacon bits and green onion on each roll followed by an asparagus spear.
Roll up and bake in the oven for 10 - 12 minutes or until rolls are browned.

If you keep track of your daily food intake, food.com also has the nutritional analysis of this recipe at: http://www.food.com/recipe/nutrition?rid=164424.

Photo and recipe courtesy of food.com

In the News - New Strides for Monsanto!

On Wednesday, May 23, Robb Fraley, the chief technology officer of Monsanto, announced that the company has purchased Precision Planting Inc. located in Tremont, Illinois.  Precision Planting Inc. develops and provides equipment, hardware, and software to farmers aiming to reach the most precise planting possible, with the assistance of FieldView technology.  Monsanto intends to create a new Integrated Farming Systems Unit, in conjunction with technology created by Precision Planting Inc.

Monsanto also revealed BioDirect, an "Ag biological" that combines plant genomics and chemistry during the early stages of development for some agriculture products.  BioDirect takes the place of chemicals, and is intended to help repel pests such as nematodes, as well as targeting weeds that are chemical resistant.

Take a look at the article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch to read more about Monsanto's new steps in agricultural technology, even throughout South America and Eastern Europe!

Just Say No! to Moving Firewood

This week is National Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week and in recognition of the damage the tiny, but very invasive borer can do to ash trees (it's killed as many as 100 million trees in the U.S. in the past decade), we want you to 'just say no' when it comes to moving firewood.

In fact, our number one message when it comes to preventing the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer is “Don’t Move Firewood” – use it within 50 miles of where it was harvested.

Why is firewood such a big deal?

The Emerald Ash Borer – and many other invasive insects – hides in firewood by burrowing under the bark.  Although the Emerald Ash Borer can fly short distances on its own, much of its spread is due to humans transporting it burrowed under the bark of firewood or landscape trees. 

We’re inspecting landscape trees coming into Missouri for sale, which is going well – no signs of the insect so far.  And we need everyone’s help to keep an eye on firewood, especially because many of the places the insect has been found are parks and campgrounds, which tells us that people probably unknowingly carried the Emerald Ash Borer with them when they brought firewood on a picnic or camping trip.  And with Missouri recently being named a top state for camping, it's only going to become more important to protect the trees in our forests and parks.

Thanks for joining us in 'just saying no!' to moving firewood.  And for more about Missouri's Emerald Ash Borer Program, visit us online at eab.missouri.edu.

In the News - Voluntary Recall of some Bagged Salads may affect MO

The FDA recently announced a voluntary recall of organic spinach with the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella following a random test conducted on a finished package of spinach by USDA.  The voluntary recall includes some bagged salads sold under the following brands, some of which may have been distributed in Missouri: River Ranch, Farm Stand, Hy-Vee, Marketside, Shurfresh, The Farmer's Market, Cross Valley, Fresh n Easy, Promark, and Sysco.

For more information about this and other recalls, visit the FDA online at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm.  To learn more about this particular recall, check out the FDA announcement at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm305203.htm or the Associated Press article via MSNBC at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47518439/ns/health-food_safety/#.T70tL8Vgncs.

And, as always, if you're not feeling well, don't hesitate to contact your health care provider!

Joplin - One Year Later

May 22^nd. 

No longer just a day to the people of Joplin, Missouri, but the day.  The day that took so many homes.  The day that took so many businesses.  The day that took so many lives.

The rest of the world watched the aftermath; horrified by the destruction, but amazed by Joplin’s strength and resilience.  But if you asked the people of Joplin, there was nothing amazing about it.  It’s just what you do when you’re you faced with adversity, even when the adversity is unimaginably horrific.  You get up, brush yourself off and you help.  You help your family, you help your friends, you help your neighbors and you help complete strangers.  It’s just what you do. 

Check out Springfield News-Leader's Joplin: Then and Now.

 

We're Going to Bat (with the Cardinals!) for Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week

Well, sort of.

May 20-26, 2012 is Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week throughout the U.S., and we're very excited to announce that we'll be participating in a special event with the St. Louis Cardinals. On Friday, May 25, the St. Louis Cardinals play the Philadelphia Phillies at 7:15 p.m. at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.  In observance of National Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week, the Cardinals are joining Missouri’s EAB program in highlighting the importance of ash trees with a pre-game interview and a ceremonial first pitch. 

While we will be going to the pitcher's mound, not the batter's box, we're still going to bat for baseball by raising awareness of the Emerald Ash Borer, an exotic, invasive insect that kills Missouri’s native ash trees by boring through their trunks, and helping Cardinal's fans learn about ways they can help protect our ash trees - and baseball bats.

Cool Fact: The majority of major league baseball bats are made from ash wood, and baseball bats made of ash have been part of the game since its beginnings in the 1880s.

Want to check out some Cardinal's baseball Friday evening? Tickets are available at stlcardinals.com! And if you want to learn more about Missouri's Emerald Ash Borer Program, visit us online at eab.missouri.edu.

Are You a Champion Corn Grower?

Are your corn yields legendary?  Do your fellow corn growers stand in awe of your unmatched skills?  Are you pushing corn growing innovation to the extreme?  Then it sounds like you need to enter the 2012 National Corn Yield Contest sponsored by the National Corn Growers Association.

The contest asks entrants to make use of cutting-edge farming practices, innovation and the latest biotechnology to take their corn yields to amazing new levels.  It’s a fantastic way to receive national recognition and learn new production techniques from your peers.

Push the limits.  The early entry deadline is June 15^th, 2012.  Enter now!

2012 National Corn Yield Contest.