The Sullivan Independent News

A shrinking beef-cow herd will drive calf prices higher in 2012, a University of Missouri beef economist told producers at three meetings in northwest Missouri. Farmers were learning about the Show-Me-Select Replacement Heifer Program. Any additional beef demand on the consumer side could lead to “shockingly high cattle prices this year,” said Scott Brown, MU Extension economist. Another boost to prices comes from premiums paid for high-quality calves, Brown said. The Show-Me-Select program adds quality [...]

Subsurface drainage might be the right investment for farmers who want to raise yields while protecting water quality in nearby streams and lakes. A University of Missouri Extension workshop, Feb. 21-23 in Macon, will provide a crash course for farmers and contractors on designing and installing subsurface agricultural drainage systems. Properly installed subirrigation and/or drainage systems can boost yields by 20-to-40 percent, making the $500-$1,200 per acre cost pay off, according to Kelly Nelson, research [...]

Cattle-Exchange.com, a new website connecting cattle buyers and sellers, was launched recently by Beef Today magazine. The new site allows sellers to input free listings, or pay and post enhanced listings. “We’ve been working more than a year to produce this new website with the sophisticated navigation options that allow cattle buyers and sellers to come together easier than ever before,“ said Bill Newham, VP/Livestock Group publisher for Farm Journal Media. “There‘s nothing like this [...]

Breeding beef cows by appointment on one day brings a shorter calving season and a uniform crop of high-quality calves. “Existing technology is on the shelf and ready to use,” David Patterson, University of Missouri beef reproduction specialist, told cattle producers at a conference in Joplin. The benefits are less labor for the use of artificial insemination (AI). Also, premium-quality calves are worth more money at market. “The technology works,” Patterson said. It can help [...]

The Missouri Department of Agriculture has funding available to assist Missouri farmers and food processors working to obtain or renew their business’ organic certification. Through the USDA Organic Cetification Cost Share Program, producers who complete the process in 2012, as well as those who received certification in 2011, may be reimbursed for up to 75 percent of their certification expenses. “The Organic Certification Cost Share Program is one of the many outstanding tools the Department [...]

More than seven billion people inhabit planet Earth, and about two billion more will join within 40 years, according to the United Nations Population Division. While many decision makers express concern about sustaining the population, often they forget to ask an important question: Are U.S. farmers ready to produce the food needed to feed the growing population? The United Soybean Board (USB) and soybean checkoff has responded with a resounding ‘yes,’ by funding soybean production [...]

By marketing Missouri products to consumers at home and abroad, the AgriMissouri program has reached new heights this year offering more connections between farmers and consumers. Since January, AgriMissouri has grown from 350 members to more than 1,300 – which represent thousands of products now at the consumer’s fingertips at AgriMissouri.com. “We continue to look for ways for Missourians to become more connected to agriculture. Whether it is sourcing a favorite local jam or jelly, [...]

Missouri’s growing agricultural exports and international marketing efforts will be a focus area for discussion during the 2012 Missouri Governor’s Conference on Agriculture, Director of Agriculture Dr. Jon Hagler announced recently. The Conference, held Jan. 19-21, 2012, is coming to Kansas City for the first time in its history and will host more than 40 state and national speakers addressing current issues that impact the agriculture industry. Registration is now open at http://mda.mo.gov. Missouri’s agricultural [...]

Applications for the 2012 Missouri Corn Scholarships are now available for high school seniors and college juniors pursuing a degree in agronomy or related areas of agriculture. This year, 10 deserving students will be awarded $750 scholarships by the Missouri Corn Growers Association and Missouri Corn Merchandising Council. “With constricting budgets and expected tuition hikes, we want to ensure agriculture students have every opportunity to further their education,” said Kyle Kirby, Missouri Corn Scholarship Committee [...]

With freshly sprouted cover crops of cereal rye and hairy vetch, the University of Missouri’s Bradford Research and Extension Center is embarking on the university’s first nationally funded organic farming research project. Those cover crops are the first step in a project funded by a grant of more than $740,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The project hopes to advance organic cropping systems with a focus on [...]