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MDC, MU Extension thank Missouri Master Naturalists for 2025 accomplishments
The Missouri Department of Conservation and University of Missouri Extension thank Missouri’s 937 Master Naturalists for volunteering more than 82,000 hours to conserving Missouri’s natural resources in 2025.
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MU Extension in Caldwell County honors local leaders, Century Farms
The Caldwell County MU Extension Council celebrated the previous year’s successes at its annual meeting. Highlights of the event included the Leader’s Honor Roll awards, Century Farm recognition and Extension Council oaths of office.
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Missouri EATs invites communities to strengthen food systems through grant-funded opportunity
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Communities across Missouri can now apply for the next round of Missouri EATs, a grant-funded initiative from University of Missouri Extension that helps communities strengthen their local food systems. One community will be selected to work with MU Extension and the Missouri Rural Food Access Partnership team on a comprehensive planning process.
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Prevent herbicide injury in residential neighborhoods
CARROLLTON, Mo. – Kathi Mecham, a field specialist in horticulture with University of Missouri Extension, says herbicide injury isn’t limited to agricultural areas. Garden and landscape plants can also be harmed, and reports from Carroll County last season illustrate the problem.
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Camden County youths experience civic leadership at Capitol
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Camden County youths recently took part in a Civic Leadership Day at the Missouri State Capitol. The students were participants in University of Missouri Extension’s REACH for Camden County Youth Development Program, said Ashley Allen-Brown, MU Extension field specialist and originator of the program.
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New tax break on overtime pay comes with limits
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A new federal tax provision allows some workers to deduct part of their overtime pay from their taxable income, but the change is narrower and more complicated than it may sound. The provision, in effect for tax years 2025 through 2028, does not eliminate taxes on all overtime pay, according to Andrew Zumwalt, director of the University of Missouri’s Personal Financial Planning program.
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Give Valentine's Day flowers TLC for extended enjoyment
Learn how to extend the life of Valentine's Day flowers with a simple homemade preservative and expert tips to keep them fresh longer.
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Grazing during spring green-up
Seeing the bright green new growth pop up in our pastures signals the end of winter and the transition into spring. As that short green carpet starts to come up, cattle start chasing that short growth and may turn their noses up to hay they were previously eating well. However, allowing cattle to nip off this short regrowth can slow down the pasture growth moving into the spring.
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Veteran R.E.A.D.S. event to highlight Kansas City Medal of Honor recipient
MU Extension’s Veteran R.E.A.D.S. program will host a Feb. 23 talk on Willy Frederick James Jr., Kansas City’s only native Medal of Honor recipient. James was one of seven African American soldiers whose Medals of Honor were approved decades after their wartime service due to discriminatory barriers in the awards process. His widow, Valcenie James, received the medal from President Bill Clinton in 1997.
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Add value, manage market volatility by selling beef directly to consumers
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Despite cattle prices being near all-time highs, marketing beef direct-to-consumer still adds value to beef operations. Two updated University of Missouri Extension guides help producers understand the numbers and methods behind marketing your beef to consumers.
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Fight the summer slump with annual lespedeza
During hot, dry summer months, tall fescue growth slows, forage quality declines, toxicity levels rise and overall forage availability can become limited. Annual lespedeza is a forage option that offers a simple, low-input way to help fill this summer slump while improving overall pasture performance and soil health.
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Quick, right response essential after pesticide exposure
BOONVILLE, Mo. – Pesticide handling remains one of the most hazardous tasks on the farm, says Todd Lorenz, University of Missouri Extension agronomist.
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10 tips to keep the romance in relationships
Keep the spark alive with these 10 expert-backed tips to nurture romance, deepen connection, and strengthen your relationship every day.
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Tax changes affecting tips come with limits, paperwork hurdles
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Recent changes to the federal tax code have drawn attention for creating a new tax break for workers who earn tips. While often described as “no tax on tips,” the provision is more limited and more complicated than that phrase suggests, says Andrew Zumwalt, director of the University of Missouri’s Personal Financial Planning program.
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Preparing Missouri's next generation of farmers
Column by University of Missouri Extension agricultural business specialists Wesley Tucker, Denice Ferguson and Mary Sobba, and Robert Jones, director of Integrated Marketing Communications for MU Extension.
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MU Ag Lender School offers hands-on training
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Agricultural lenders looking to enhance their expertise can register for the University of Missouri Agricultural Lenders School, June 1-4 in Columbia. This program, tailored for early-career lenders and those new to agricultural loan responsibilities, aims to equip participants with the knowledge and confidence to effectively serve farm clients, said MU Extension agricultural economist Ryan Milhollin.
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Plants begin to stir underground in February
Take heart, plant lovers. Winter rest is almost over, spring renewal begins.
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Born Strong, Stay Healthy supports parents before and after childbirth
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Expecting and new parents can build strength, reduce stress and feel more confident in their changing bodies through Born Strong, Stay Healthy, an exercise program offered by University of Missouri Extension. A new series of online classes begins March 23.
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Show your love with these heart-shaped houseplants
While red roses might be the iconic gift for Valentine’s Day, houseplants with heart-shaped leaves represent a longer-lived expression of affection for a special person in your life, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein, who shares several good candidates for Valentine’s Day gifts.
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MU Extension specialist available for commentary on documentary series ‘Neighbors’
With HBO’s new six-part documentary series “Neighbors” debuting Feb. 13, a nationally recognized University of Missouri Extension specialist and neighboring enthusiast is available to provide interviews and commentary for reporters and broadcasters as part of a larger discussion about what it means to be a good neighbor in the United States.
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Missouri 4-H dairy judging team finishes 4th in Louisville
Missouri 4-H had an outstanding outing with a fourth place overall team finish at the Dr. George Heersche Jr. NAILE Invitational Dairy Judging Contest in Louisville, Ken., Nov. 8, 2025, according to Karla Deaver, teach coach and University of Missouri Extension 4-H youth development specialist. Twenty youth teams competed.
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'Kissing bug' disease concerning, but not kiss of death
COLUMBIA, Mo. – As Valentine’s Day approaches, many are hoping for sweet chocolate and maybe even a swoonworthy smooch, not a kiss from the triatomine bug. This insect, commonly called the “kissing bug,” transmits Chagas disease by biting and then pooping around the bite, says Emily Althoff, urban entomologist with University of Missouri Extension and Lincoln University.
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February is National Pesticide Safety Education Month
COLUMBIA, Mo. – February is National Pesticide Safety Education Month, a time to promote vigilance and best safety practices on the farm, said Sam Polly, coordinator of University of Missouri Extension’s Pesticide Safety Education Program, which has provided commercial pesticide recertification training to about 1,000 Missourians in the past year.
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Civic Muscle Index gauges community strength
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – A few years ago, Claire Rippel came across the term “civic muscle,” referring to a community’s capacity to take action to address shared goals and challenges.
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Stretch your winter feed supply by renting acres for stockpiled fescue
MOUNT VERNON, Mo. – A well-stocked hay inventory is one of the best forms of insurance a livestock producer can have, says Caleb O’Neal, University of Missouri Extension field specialist in plant science. By renting additional acres dedicated to stockpiling forage, producers can improve their chances of maintaining a dependable supply of high-quality feed at a predictable cost throughout the year, O’Neal says.