Missouri Drought - A Deep-Rooted Problem

Professors Randy Miles and Mike Collins (photo by Jessica Salmon)

You can't judge a drought by surface soil.  You have to look at the subsoil where plant roots live and grow.  Dry conditions in Missouri could mean trouble for next year's growing season, unless this winter and early spring comes with a lot of snow, sleet and rain.








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Stay Safe While Stringing Holiday Lights

Photo by Rachel Kirk

It's time for holiday lights.  Stringing multicolored bulbs, placing Santa and his sleigh in the right spot and turning trees into a delight for the eyes all require a very common, household tool: the ladder.  Problem is the ladder's simplicity can make you forget that for every tool it's safety first.  Use a ladder the wrong way and instead of waiting for a visit from St. Nick, you'll be visiting a nearby emergency room.


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Midwest Winter Outlook - Cold and Snow

Photo by Martyn E. Jones

Mid-to-northern Missouri, most of Illinois and all of Iowa could get a good share of cold and snow this winter. Southern Missouri might see more ice than snow.  The southwestern U.S. and Florida should see a mild winter. What's driving these winter predictions? It's a La Nina phenomenon in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.  During a La Nina event, sea-surface temperatures are below normal, and this produces volatile weather patterns for the Midwest and the Northeast.



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Improved Turkey Feed - Could Save Industry Big Bucks

Photo by Gargi Bhuyan

Profit for turkey producers is very narrow.  So, any savings that can be reaped has a huge impact on the industry.  A University of Missouri animal scientist has designed the perfect turkey diet which allows the birds to put on weight, but at a lower cost.


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Happy and Healthy Halloween

Trick-or-Treat can trace its origins to a medieval practice called souling.  Poor folk would go door-to-door on Hallowmas, which was on November 1st. In exchange for food, prayers were offered up on All Souls' Day on November 2nd.

The tradition of dressing up in costumes and going door-to-door has existed in the U.S. since at least the late 1950s. While candy is the typical treat handed out out Halloween, it doesn't have to be. You can choose to hand out treats that are fun, festive and healthy.

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Breathe New Life into Perennials – Try Garden Surgery

Now that fall is here you may think that gardening chores are ending.  Fall, however, is the perfect time for some garden surgery that will pay off next spring.

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Soybean Podworms Threaten Yields; Scout Now to Head Off Problems

Photo by Wayne Bailey/Univ. of Missouri

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.