Missouri Drought More Than Skin Deep

Photo by Jessica Salmond

COLUMBIA, Mo. – It may not look it, but many Missouri fields are hiding a deep, dry secret.

University of Missouri soil scientist Randy Miles said dried-out subsoil at depths of 3 feet or more could trouble next year’s crops in Missouri even if there is plenty of moisture in the topsoil.

“For crops like corn it’s not uncommon for roots to extend down 5-6 feet, and it’s the soil moisture there that sustains the crop in the latter part of the growing season,” Miles said. “When we have this deficit of moisture at that depth, we may not get grain fill to the extent of the plant’s potential to perform.”

This moisture shortfall isn’t likely to change soon.

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Up and Down Ladder Safety

Photo by Antonio Jiménez Alonso

MARSHFIELD, Mo. – Holiday decorating season is here, and that means hauling out ladders to place holiday cheer throughout the home and yard.

A ladder seems like such a simple tool, but ladder accidents are far too common and can happen in the blink of an eye.

“Most people’s reaction time is somewhere between a half and three-quarters of a second, so by the time they can react to something, they’re already well into a problem,” said Bob Schultheis, University of Missouri Extension natural resource engineering specialist.

Avoiding Holiday Meltdown

Columbia, Mo. – We expect the winter holidays to be full of happiness and good will. Just like Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, we want a fairytale ending where troubles disappear and everyone basks in the glow of holiday spirit. But, A Tale of Two Cities might better represent typical holiday madness for many.

“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. It was the season of light; it was the season of darkness … It was the spring of hope; it was the winter of despair … ”

The ABZzzzs: Set child’s routine for healthy sleep

Photo by Luiz Farias

HIGGINSVILLE, Mo. - Sleep is as important to a child’s growth and development as nutritious food and exercise.

A set routine for bedtime and wake-up time will help children set their circadian rhythm, or their sleep/wake cycle. Kathy Bondy, University of Missouri Extension 4-H youth specialist, said routine helps children prepare for sleep.

Are you a skip-breakfast sinner?

Photo by Julia Freeman-Woolpert

If hitting the snooze button three times is more appealing than having a bowl of cereal, you might be a skip-breakfast sinner.

While 93 percent of Americans know that breakfast is important, only 44 percent regularly eat something before walking out the door in the morning, according to a 2009 survey by the International Food Information Council Foundation.

Success in School is a Family Affair

Photo by Tiffany Szerpicki

Teachers have children in the classroom for about seven hours a day, but what happens during the other 17 hours can make or break your child’s success in school.

Attitude can make all the difference, says a University of Missouri Extension human development specialist.

Fun Ideas for After-School Snacks

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Learning is hungry work.

Schoolchildren typically eat lunch around 11:30 and then have classes all afternoon. Add an after-school activity or two and by the time they get home they’re running on empty. It’s small wonder that many kids head straight to the kitchen to devour whatever they can get their hands on.

How can you make sure that they’re choosing snacks that are good for them? Just think “inside the box.”

Plant now for a successful fall garden

Roger Meissen/MU Cooperative Media Group

I know it's not spring, but now is the time to prepare your garden. Fall gardens offer a healthy outlet for the body and mind without the grueling heat that gardeners endure during the summer months. The right type of plants need to be selected to endure the colder fall temperatures and possible early frost.

MU Extension Horticulturalist David Trinklein explains how to prepare a fall garden that will put produce on your table well into fall.

Story by Roger Meissen.

Soybean podworms threaten yields

Wayne Bailey/University of Missouri Plant Sciences

With insects, you are what you eat.

That's no more apparent than with soybean podworm, a.k.a. corn earworm. Farmers battle the pest in July and August when it chews away at the tips of corn ears, but in late August and early September it moves to a more green, lush meal of soybeans.

This crawling menace can eat away all the profit in a soybean field. It loves to chew holes in soybean pods, eating the bean then clipping the pod off the plant. In the worst cases, a field can lose 100 percent of its yield.

MU Extension Entomologist Wayne Bailey encourages farmers to scout their fields now to stop soybean podworms from devastating your field.

Print story by Roger Meissen. Listen to a related audio story by Debbie Johnson.

Dry weather can lead to a lethal lunch

Victor Iglesias

When it comes to pastures and hay, most farmers know that fescue can give cattle problems due to endophyte buildup. What many don't realize is that very hot, dry weather like Missouri had in July and the beginning of August can lead other harmful substances to build to toxic levels in warm-season annuals like johnsongrass and sorghum-sudan hybrids.

Find out more about the way prussic acid and nitrates in forages can poison your cattle.

Story by Roger Meissen.

USDA crop reports brings a few surprises

Eran Chesnutt

A week ago the USDA downgraded expected crop yields as expected. Much of this has been due to exceptional summer heat and drought, which puts a damper on pollination and development in corn ears and soybeans.

What took some by surprise was a change in where corn goes after harvest. MU Extension Economist Ron Plain explains how next year more corn will go to ethanol than to feed cattle.

Story by Roger Meissen.

New herbicide suspect as evergreen deaths pile up

Roger Meissen/MU Cooperative Media Group

COLUMBIA, Mo. – A new herbicide may be taking the green out of many evergreens.
Thousands of eastern white pines and Norway spruces across the country began dying and showing damage this year, and a key suspect in the mystery is Imprelis, a weed killer many lawn companies and landscapers started using this spring.

Chris Starbuck, a University of Missouri Extension state woody ornamentals specialist, said this problem will leave holes in many landscapes.

“Every tip on this tree is affected, and to produce new growth it would have to produce new shoots from the two-year growth, so it’s not likely this tree will recover,” Starbuck said as he surveyed damage to white pines in a Columbia lawn. “It’s been a surprise to everyone involved how extensive the damage appears to be. I think there will be lots of trees that have to be replaced in landscapes and it’s going to cost somebody some money.”

Read more in a recent article by Roger Meissen.

Make a Splash but Don't Get Sick

By Debbie Johnson

OSCEOLA, Mo. –The chance of a swimmer in the U.S. being attacked by a shark is close to zero. But dangerous creatures do lurk in our waters, including lakes, ponds and even concrete swimming pools.

Microbes such as cryptosporidium, shigella, giardia and E. coli frequently live in public swimming areas. All three cause diarrhea if ingested.

“Accidentally swallowing contaminated water, or even getting it in your mouth, can make you ill,” said Saralee Bury Jamieson, human development specialist for University of Missouri Extension. “You can also get infections in eyes, ears and nose, as well as in cuts and scrapes.” Public health professionals call swimming-related sicknesses “recreational water illness.”

N to the rescue - Missouri farmers still have time for rescue nitrogen to bolster fall corn yields.

Podcast produced by Debbie Johnson

By Roger Meissen

COLUMBIA, Mo.– No farmer wants to turn down 30 extra bushels of corn per acre at harvest, yet in many fields farmers will be doing just that if they don't apply more nitrogen.

Periodical cicadas invade state

Periodical cicadas began invading my life this weekend in Columbia, Mo. Soon most of the state will once again know the swarms of insects that emerge by the billions throughout 15 states, including Missouri.
This grouping, designated Brood 19 by entomologists, last graced us with their presence in 1998 and will once again fill our ears with their love songs that seem more like a shrill shriek to our ears than music.

Read more about their interesting life in Roger Meissen's story.
Listen to their song in this audio story by Debbie Johnson.

The difference between a healthy lawn and a sick one is just a few inches

Mowing the yard can be a pain, but your solution shouldn't be dropping the height of your lawn mower deck.

Brad Fresenburg, a University of Missouri state turfgrass specialist, makes a few recommendations to ensure the health of your lawn throughout the growing season.

Tips that lead to a healthy lawn

Story by Roger Meissen
Audio by Debbie Johnson
Video by Kent Faddis

Turbulent weather system wallops Missouri with rain, floods

By Roger Meissen

Story source: Pat Guinan, 573-882-5908

For podcast with MU Extension climatologist Pat Guinan, click play button:


COLUMBIA, Mo. – Tornadoes in St. Louis and torrents of rain elsewhere led to property damage, flooding and a man’s death in southern Missouri flash floods. These are just part of what a volatile system of storms will bring this week.

Federal agencies exercise caution with Japanese food imports

If you're worrying about whether fish or produce you buy in the store might be dangerous because of the nuclear crisis in Japan, the message from federal agencies that monitor food in the U.S. is don't be.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) outlined efforts earlier this week that will protect Americans from tainted food.

While less than 4 percent of all food imports come from Japan, the FDA banned dairy and produce from the provinces surrounding the damaged nuclear plants in Japan.  Levels of radionuclides haven't raised any red flags in shipments reaching U.S. shores, but the FDA plans to keep its finger on the pulse of the situation.

Learn more from Roger Meissen's report: CLICK HERE

For updates from the FDA: CLICK HERE

For podcast with MU Extension nutrition specialist Ellen Schuster, click play button:

Try Some New Varieties When Starting Tomatoes This Year

Yellow, green and black, oh my!

While most people envision beautiful red, juicy tomatoes as seed planting time rolls around this year might be time to consider alternative varieties offered in a spectrum of colors and flavors guaranteed to tantalize your tongue.

The end of March and beginning of April is the perfect time to plant seeds inside to start your garden, whether it be in containers on your porch or a plot in your backyard. Tim Reinbott, superintendent for the University of Missouri Bradford Research and Extension Center near Columbia, offers suggestions to get your garden started.

Read more at: University of Missouri Extension News

Tips for starting tomatoes:

How many sit-ups does it take to reduce belly fat? Answer: zero

Photo by: Geo Cristian

COLUMBIA, Mo. – With all the gadgets and gizmos available that promise six-pack abs, we should be a nation of strapping Adonises.  Instead, the current U-S obesity epidemic would indicate otherwise.

Kids need to cut back on screen time to stay fit and healthy

NEW LONDON, Mo. – Today’s kids are spending too much time staring at computer and video screens, and parents need to encourage their children to get physical, said a University of Missouri Extension nutrition and health specialist.

Paying to borrow your own money - refund anticipation loans

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The ball at Times Square had barely touched bottom before the ads for tax-refund loans began broadcasting across the country.

How small businesses can draw 21st-century shoppers

Photo: Claudio Geoffroy

LAMAR, Mo. - Shopping is shopping, right? Well, it depends on your generation. For baby boomers, shopping typically means driving to a store to buy what they want. A 20- or 30- something might boot up a computer rather than start a car.