Farm Help

Forest products are one of the biggest industries in the Ozarks region, and private landowners have plenty of opportunity to participate. In Arkansas alone, 58 percent of the 18.78 million acres of forestland is in private hands; far from being depleted, the states afforested area – already 56 percent of the land base – has increased by 6.5 percent since 1988.

Producers are becoming more attuned to genetics knowledge, both for the benefits it can bring to their operations and to their returns per pound of cattle that they bring to market.

It’s been a rough year for area cattle producers, and many will have to make decisions this season to help keep their herds viable into 2012.

A University of Missouri poultry specialist predicts the withdrawal of the poultry health drug Roxarsone from the market will have little impact on flock health or producer profitability.

A University of Missouri poultry specialist predicts the withdrawal of the poultry health drug Roxarsone from the market will have little impact on flock health or producer profitability.

Mother Nature has spoken to us in many ways during the year- at the moment she is reminding us what it is like to be in a drought.

Producers are becoming more attuned to genetics knowledge, both for the benefits it can bring to their operations and to their returns per pound of cattle that they bring to market.

As your garden matures, consider saving seed from you favorite vegetables for next year’s garden. Here are some tips from Mike Nocks of White Harvest Seed Company in Hartville, Mo. and Randel Agrella, seed production manager of Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company in Mansfield, Mo.

If you have heard the buzz from farmers and ranchers lately, you know that there is a new kind of plague troubling farms and grasslands – wild (feral) hogs. Wild hogs are not exactly new to the Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri regions, yet they now pose a large threat simply because there are so many of them. Wild hogs are very destructive by nature, with their long tough snouts that can plow up crops and grasslands as they forage for food. The estimated damage to agriculture in 2009 was upwards of $58 million, and landowners have spent over $10 million trying to control wild hogs.

Going to the regional stockyards or even to your local livestock auction can be very intimidating for a first timer. We all have fears of buying high and selling low, and when you couple that with the worry of saying or doing the wrong thing in a tight spot, the market might seem like a scary place.