Barry-Lawrence County Farm and Ranch

A l o o k a t B a r r y a n d La w r e n c e c o u n t y a g r i c u l t u r e | f a l l 2 0 1 5

Farm and Ranch n Cassville FFA passes knowledge to youngsters — Page 3 n Local farmers, ranchers overcome challenges — Page 6 n Barry County rancher honored for ag excellence — Page 15

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Page 4 • Fall 2015 | Farm & Ranch

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Farm & Ranch | Fall 2015 • Page 5

Cassville FFA passes on knowledge to youngsters Food for America program teaches children where food comes from

By Kyle Troutman editor@cassville-democrat.com

T

he Cassville FFA recently hosted its Food for America program, which aims to teach elementary and middle school children where their food comes from.

Held at the FFA’s own corn maze behind the high school, first-year Agriculture Education Teacher and FFA sponsor Jordan Ellis, who came to Cassville from Purdy, said Food for America is something the school has done for a number of years, and he and Jimmy Hinson, FFA sponsor, talked about planting the corn maze back in May. “We planted the maze and it has animals in certain parts and different areas for the kids to learn about different things,” he said. “The corn seed was donated by MFA, and Cupps Farms donated the roundup. It’s roughly one acre, and this corn endured the flooding, and we had to pull out things like license plates, car parts and other trash.”

With the maze all cleaned up and ready to go, Cassville youth in kindergarten through second grade visited the maze on Oct. 8, and grades three through five visited the maze on Oct. 22.

“About 20 FFA members volunteered to help, and they are teaching the kids about everything from beef and dairy cattle and poultry production to grain production,” Ellis said. “We also have one kid dressed as a scarecrow

Food for America

Who: Cassville High School FFA What: Held a Food for America event, where they taught elementary and middle school children where their food comes from Where: At the FFA’s own corn maze behind the high school

that talked about soybeans.

We also have a couple of the FFA kids who brought their own animals from home to talk about animal production.

They bring their own animals, like sheep and goats, and are responsible for transportation, food, water, care and maintenance.”

One of the FFA students, freshman Schauna Dilbeck, was in the maze teaching the children about corn.

“I gave them a few fun facts, like the different colors corn can be, what it’s called in different countries and products that are made from corn,” she said. “It’s important they know about this stuff so when they are my age, they can have more of an understanding and can jump in and do what I’m doing today.”

Dilbeck said another important consequence of Food for America is to help jump start the interest in farming and agriculture, something she has been a part of all her life.

“I joined FFA because it’s a family thing,” she said. “My parents were in FFA, and we are interested in agriculture whether we are living on a

Children in Jenna Shaffer’s second-grade class make friends with a calf brought to the Food for America program, sponsored by the Cassville High School FFA. The children learned about beef production and general fun facts about cows. Kyle Troutman/editor@cassville-democrat.com farm or not.”

Ellis said next year, the FFA plans to move away from the corn maze and into a pumpkin patch.

“We want to do a pumpkin patch next year, and we’re not sure they year after that,” he said. “But, we want to do the

pumpkin patch so each of the kids can take home their own pumpkin.

“We just want to do something fun and be able to show people about food an animals.”

ON THE COVER: Children in Julie Chappell’s second-grade class, which gets some help from Sarah Sandoval, walk through the corn maze set up for the Cassville High School FFA’s Food for America program, held this month at the maze behind the high school. Kyle Troutman/editor@cassville-democrat.com

The Monett Times • Cassville Democrat

Page 6 • Fall 2015 | Farm & Ranch

Local farmers, ranchers overcome challenges Schnakenberg: ‘Overall, it has been a good year’

By Kyle Troutman

D

editor@cassville-democrat.com

espite a number of challenges this year, mostly due to excessive rain in the late spring and early summer, Tim Schnakenberg, regional agronomist for Missouri University Extension, said it was a good year for those in the agriculture industry in southwest Missouri.

“It’s been an amazing year when it comes to cattle prices and rainfall,” he said. “Most producers have not seen this combination in a long time.

Overall, it has been a good year, but cattle prices are starting to drop, and at the end of the growing season, the rain has stopped, so there are still challenges.”

According to quantitative prediction estimate maps from the National Weather Service, Cassville received more than 30 inches of rain from January through July. July alone saw more than 10 inches of rain, most of which came on July 7 from Tropical Storm Bill, which drew flat creek well over its banks and flooded portions of the city.

Since the beginning of August, Cassville has seen about five inches of rain, and in the past month, not much rain has fallen at all.

“It as a good year for crop yields and rainfall, and corn, soybeans and forages did really well,” Schnakenberg said.

“Wheat had a terrible year, and the crop was a disaster because of fusarium scab.

“All the moisture brought a lot of that scab, and that resulted in docking of the price at the grain elevators, which is hard for any producer.”

Schnakenberg said wheat prices fell to 50 cents a bushel this year, and the ideal prices is about $4 per bushel.

“Some folks said they could only get 50 cents a bushel after docking, which doesn’t even pay for the costs to grow wheat,” he said. “That makes it hard for any producer to make money.”

According to data from www.agmarketnews.mo.gov, wheat is now sitting at about $3.30 per bushel. Soybean prices reign supreme this year at about

Local agriculture

Crops: Tim Schnakenberg, regional agronomist for Missouri University Extension, said despite heavy rains and a disastrous wheat crop, this year was still good for southwest Missouri crops Cattle: The cattle market soared to new heights this year and is falling back now

$8.60 per bushel. Corn is going for about $3.50 per bushel, and sorghum at about 5.75 per bushel.

Schnakenberg said it was a good year for hay with all the rain, even though farmers endured challenges with moisture and rainfall.

“We got a large amount of hay this year,” he said. “The quality may have suffered some because with those high amounts of rain, it was hard to harvest on time. But, we don’t like to complain about rainfall, especially since now, we don’t have any.”

Schnakenberg said with the lack of rainfall in the autumn months, farmers planting winter wheat are struggling to get the crop growing.

“The soil is so dry [the wheat] is not coming up uniform,” he said. “Army worms have also destroyed some winter wheat and rye fields. Farmers are waiting for the cattle prices to go back up and the rain clouds to move in.”

Challenges for cattle producers this year were few and far between, as the cattle market saw record prices.

According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, Barry County ranks No. 5 in the state with 76,138 cattle and calves, and Lawrence County is No. 1 in the state with 109,709 cattle and calves. Eldon Cole, livestock specialist with the University of Missouri Extension, said the numbers fluctuate by a few thousand here and there, but Barry County averages about 35,000 to 40,000 at any given time.

Cole said Barry County’s number is more in the 38,000 to 43,000 range now. Lawrence County is at about 48,000 cattle this year.

Calves this year were going as high as $1,700 or $1,800 per animal, and the highest steer price he saw was about $2,800, at a rate of about $2.81 per pound.

But, the peak in prices has led to a market downturn. Cole said a

The cattle market soard to new heights this year, but is starting to see a natural downturn. Contributed photo 550-pound weened steer will now go for about $1,125. Although the drop is significant, he said it is not time to panic.

“The cattle market is always on the move, and we enjoyed the run up in prices form about a year ago to spring and early summer,” he said. “Now, it has gone down, and a lot of people think that’s just the market correcting itself. In a perfect world, everyone would still be able to make a little money.

“Even with the drop, most realistic cattle owners feel the are in good shape and in the black instead of the red. prices probably won’t go as high as they were six months earlier, but they are still acceptable.”

Cole said the drop in prices will force ranchers to make more management decisions and investment decisions.

“Cattle owner will have to manage their costs effectively and be more careful when buying replacements,” he said. “Many also don’t have as much interest in buying lots of equipment.”

Management decisions will also be made concerning feed, as hay suffered a one-two punch throughout the year, with the excessively wet spring and summer making it difficult to cut hay on time, and a dry fall keeping the winter grasses from growing as well as normal.

“Most still look at this winter and think we are in pretty good shape,” Cole said. “From a hayliage standpoint, with the dry fall, we have not been able to grow as much for grazing, so some will have to feed that low-quality [fescue stockpile] hay. They should test it to see how good it is and give supplements to make up for the lack of quality.”

Cassville Democrat • The Monett Times

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Page 12 • Fall 2015 | Farm & Ranch

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Page 14 • Fall 2015 | Farm & Ranch

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Farm & Ranch | Fall 2015 • Page 15

Barry Countian honored for ag excellence Glen Cope receives governor’s award for leadership in industry

By Murray Bishoff times-news@monett-times.com

Barry County rancher Glen Cope received the Governor’s Award for Agricultural Achievement in a special ceremony on Oct. 9 at the Cope family farm south of Aurora.

Richard Fordyce, Missouri director of agriculture, stood in for Governor Jay Nixon in presenting the honor.

“Missouri cattle producers demonstrate innovation and resilience each and every day and that rings most true for producers such as Glen Cope,” Fordyce said. “The Cope family has dedicated their lives to producing quality beef for dinner tables everywhere.

“As the future of agriculture in this state evolves, it is important that we have people like the Cope family that are leading the way in production while also looking for opportunities to teach their children and others about continuing the state’s number one industry — agriculture. Because of the outstanding work that the Cope family demonstrates and continues to do each day for Missouri’s cattle industry, I am proud to recognize Glen Cope and his family for their contribution to Missouri and the positive impact they have made on our state.”

Glen Cope manages approximately 600 acres of the family’s 2,500 acres in Barry and Stone counties. His father, O.D. Cope, lives on the original family farm established by his grandfather in 1913. Glen Cope and his brother, Matthew, manage the operation in partnership with their father, which includes a 550-head commercial cowcalf herd.

Glen serves as chairman of the Missouri Beef Industry Council board of directors and on the MFA District 12 board of directors. He was a member of Missouri Agricultural Leaders of Tomorrow class 12, and he also serves on Congressman Billy Long’s agriculture advisory committee.

Prior to the ceremony, guests received a tour of the farm on a wagon.

The group saw the alfalfa field that

Barry County rancher Glen Cope reached out to accept the Governor’s Award for Agricultural Achievement from Richard Fordyce, Missouri director of agriculture, while applause from well-wishers greeted the presentation. Also pictured, from center, are: Cope’s son, Orran; his wife, Leann; daughter, Katie; and parents, Pam and O.D. Cope. Murray Bishoff/times-news@monett-times.com produced four cuttings this year.

“This is the best alfalfa field I’ve ever seen,” Fordyce said. They also viewed the cattle herd, which mixes crossbred heifers with Charolais or Angus bulls, and some of the calves born this fall.

Guests for the occasion included Dr. Anson Elliott, the dean of the department of Agriculture at Missouri State University; U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt’s agriculture specialist Don Lucetta; University of Missouri Extension Service Livestock Specialist Eldon Cole; and representatives from the Farm Bureau, MFA, Missouri Corn Growers and the Aurora FFA. State Sen. David Sater, R-Cassville, and

Barry County Presiding Commissioner Cherry Warren were also on hand.

“We’ve got great things going on in this state,” Cope said. “We’ve got a great education system and great agriculture organizations. It’s an honor to farm and ranch to provide food for a growing nation. Farmers have been told they will have to up production by 70 percent by 2040. We’re going to do our level best to get that done.

“I want to thank my family. If it wasn’t for [them] picking up when I’m going off to meetings, this would be very difficult.”

Fordyce agreed family is a major player in running such a ranch.

“There are a lot of folks out on the front lines, but a whole lot at home behind them,” he said. “You can tell this family knows what it’s doing.”

Cope said the recognition came as a surprise.

“I’m shocked, very appreciative and humbled,” he said.

Fordyce said others received recognition for other crop and livestock excellence. Cope’s honor was for his contribution to the beef industry and more.

“Glen’s just a great leader,” Fordyce said. “He demonstrates that every day.

We’re very proud of him. I’m glad he’s a Missourian.”

The Monett Times • Cassville Democrat

Page 16 • Fall 2015 | Farm & Ranch

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Farm & Ranch | Fall 2015 • Page 17

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The Monett Times • Cassville Democrat

Page 18 • Fall 2015 | Farm & Ranch

St. Louis-area teenager gets grant for hunger-fighting garden The Associated Press

CLAYTON — Sophie Bernstein first came up with the plan when she was 11. Plant a vegetable garden as a way to combat hunger and promote nutrition in the St. Louis area.

A $36,000 grant is helping further her goal.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that this summer, Sophie was among 15 youths across the country awarded with $36,000 from the Hellen Diller Family Foundation, started in 2007 by a San Francisco-area philanthro-

pist who died this year.

Sophie, now 15, lives in Clayton. She and her two older siblings were all inspired to live a life of service by their military father. She watched her older brother and sister organize service projects and sports clinics for children with autism.

They co-founded VolunTEEN Nation, which connects teens and college students to volunteer opportunities nationwide and just won a $25,000 grant of its own.

“I’m more outdoorsy,”

Sophie said. “I like getting down in the dirt.”

She was already gardening when she visited the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry and was struck by the lack of healthy options on the shelves.

So Sophie used gift money from her Bat Mitzvah marking her 13th birthday to plant more gardens, choosing schools and community centers serving low-income families. She wanted children to help care for the gardens and learn the importance of eating fruits and vege-

tables, and dubbed her project Go Healthy St. Louis.

“I’m able to teach preschoolers about healthy eating and donate all the food to a food bank,” she said.

Sophie just planted her 19th garden at the St. Vincent Home for Children, with help from Boy Scouts. She has organized hundreds of volunteers. Go Healthy St. Louis has donated more than 5,500 pounds of produce to food banks and held food drives that have garnered more than 15,600 pounds of

healthy options.

“I honestly started out with dirt and a pack of seeds,” Sophie said, “and it’s grown so much for there.”

Along the way, Sophie has learned how to build raised garden beds, what grows well in the Midwest and how to ward off squirrels and rabbits with netting. She created a curriculum that can be catered to each preschool’s needs that includes learning as how seeds grow, trying new vegetables and making healthy snacks.

Save those leftover pumpkin seeds! They are too good to waste

By Debbie Johnson

University of Missouri Extension

BUTLER — One of the best rewards during pumpkin season are the seeds.

They taste great, can be flavored in multiple ways and are great for snacks and salad toppers.

When you first remove the seeds from the pumpkin, however, it’s kind of a slimy mess. But it’s easy to clean them up.

“Put the seeds, pulp and all, in a big bowl of water. Rub them vigorously with your hands and they’ll clean up fast,”

said Tammy Roberts, nutrition specialist for University of Missouri Extension.

Don’t worry if there’s a bit of pulp and string left on the seeds, Roberts says. It will come off easily after the seeds are prepared.

There are several ways to prepare pumpkin seeds. They can be roasted, boiled, dehydrated and even microwaved. Right before preparation, you can use your culinary skills and palate to add any flavor you want.

“That can include cheese you put on popcorn, garlic, garlic powder and

Worcestershire sauce, thyme and cayenne pepper, or cinnamon, ground ginger and allspice,” Roberts said. “You can also roast them with no salt or flavoring.”

To roast the seeds, spray a cookie sheet with vegetable oil and spread the seeds out in a single layer.

“Lightly spray the tops of the seeds with vegetable oil and add your flavoring, if desired,” Roberts said. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes or until the seeds are lightly browned.

Pumpkin seeds can also be dehydrated. Place them in a dehydrator at 115 to

120 degrees for one to two hours.

“If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can dehydrate them in the oven,” Roberts says. “Place them in a shallow pan in the oven. Set the oven on warm.”

It takes about three or four hours, she says. Just make sure that you watch the seeds and stir them often to prevent burning.

No matter how you prepare them, pumpkins seeds are a terrific and healthy snack. Roberts says they’re a great source of minerals, protein and monounsaturated fat.

Want daffodil, tulips and hyacinths in the spring? Plant them now

By Debbie Johnson

University of Missouri Extension

COLUMBIA – If you think autumn is the time to pack up your gardening tools, think again. It’s bulb-planting time.

Narcissus, tulips and hyacinths won’t greet you in the spring if they’re not planted in the fall.

“The bulbs of spring-blooming plants need to be in the ground now, so they can go through a cooling process in the winter,”

said David Trinklein, horticulture specialist for University of Missouri Extension.

What you’re doing is imitating what nature does effortlessly. By planting in the fall, you make sure that the bulbs are exposed to 10-14 weeks of cool weather, Trinklein said. The bulb will develop a root system this fall, but it takes winter temperatures to create a flower bud that will emerge next spring.

So don’t wait. Pick bulbs that

are nice and fat and plump, Trinklein says. Avoid shriveled bulbs because they’re either contracting a disease or already have one.

But choosing which flowering bulbs to grow in Missouri can be a bit tricky. Trinklein says narcissus, which includes daffodils and jonquils, is the best choice for the Show-Me State because it can handle Missouri’s warmer weather and keep blooming year after year.

In other words, they naturalize well in our state.

Tulips, on the other hand, are not completely comfortable with Missouri temperatures and will likely need to be replanted every couple of years.

“The worst, with regards to adapting to Missouri temperatures, are the hyacinths,” Trinklein said. “The first year you will get the full scape packed with vibrantly colored florets, but after that they go

downhill.”

Once you bring bulbs home, you need to get the soil ready before planting. Make sure the soil drains well. If bulbs sit in damp soil over the winter, they’ll rot, Trinklein says.

The easiest way to find out if your soil is well drained is to dig a hole, fill it with water and see how long it takes to drain. If it takes quite a while, then the soil isn’t ready for those bulbs, he says.

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Farm & Ranch | Fall 2015 • Page 19

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Farm & Ranch | Fall 2015 • Page 21

Planning important when converting cropland back to pasture

By Jason Vance

University of Missouri Extension

COLUMBIA – When corn was $7 a bushel, a lot of farmers converted pasture from grass to row crops. Now, with crop prices much lower and pasture values on the rise, many of those farmers are thinking about putting those acres back into grass.

While converting cropland back to pasture may make economic and environmental sense, and offers the chance to improve your forage system, it does take time and planning, says University of Missouri Extension forage specialist Rob Kallenbach.

“Deciding you want to change from row crops to perennial grass is not a

decision to be made in 30 minutes,” Kallenbach says.

Kallenbach says the first thing producers need to figure out is what kind of forage they want to plant and how it contributes to the whole farm system.

Just because you have cool season-grasses, it doesn’t mean you need more, he says. Perhaps a warm-season grass can add diversity and provide better forage for multiple seasons.

Converting cropland back to pasture also offers the opportunity to establish nontoxic novel endophyte varieties faster and more easily than trying to go from one perennial grass to another.

It’s important to test soil for residual herbicides that could affect grass and

livestock fertility. Soil testing should be done early because limestone can take time to break down and change soil pH, Kallenbach says.

He also recommends having seed delivered ahead of time. “Often we’re working with either perennial warm-season or cool-season grasses.

Supplies of those products can be limited or at least are not as easily attainable in a short time frame, so planning ahead really helps.”

If fences were removed from the converted pastures, they will have to be rebuilt before livestock can graze there. Joe Zulovich, an MU Extension agricultural engineer, says this gives producers the opportunity to improve

their pasture system.

“When you look at the intensive grazing or the rotational grazing programs that are out there, you may want to take a step back and see if one of those would help better utilize the pasture,” Zulovich says.

Fencing can be expensive, but Zulovich says the Natural Resources Conservation Service has had a cost-sharing program for pasture fencing. Contact your local NRCS office for more information.

For more information on forages, fencing and other topics, contact your local MU Extension center or search the MU Extension website at http:// extension.missouri.edu.

Experts say to spray fungicide in fall to prevent peach leaf curl

By Milly Carter

University of Missouri Extension

INDEPENDENCE — Leaf curl is a troublesome disease of peach, nectarine and related plants, but it can be easily controlled with a single fungicide application.

“Trees can be sprayed in the fall after leaf drop, or an application can be made in the early spring before bud swell,” says Lala Kumar, University of Missouri Extension regional

horticulture specialist.

Leaf curl is caused by the fungus Taphrina deformans.

Infected leaves become thickened, curled and grossly deformed or puckered. As the disease progresses, the leaf gradually changes color to light green, gray and yellow. This is followed by early leaf drop, which results in poor growth and yield, Kumar said.

Spores of the fungus survive the winter on bark and

buds. The spores infect buds as they begin to swell and new leaves emerge in the spring.

The host tree tissues are susceptible for a short period in the spring. As the tissues mature, they become resistant to the disease.

“Timing is critical for disease control,” he said. Applications of fungicides after bud-break are ineffective.

Fungicides that can be used to control this disease include

Bordeaux mixture, liquid lime sulfur and chlorothalonil. All three are available under several brand names. Read the product label carefully, Kumar said.

Thoroughly cover the bark and trunk of the trees when applying fungicide. “In very wet seasons and when disease has been severe, two to three sprays at seven-day intervals will be needed,” he said.

If leaf curl does result in significant defoliation in the spring,

thin the fruit on affected trees to compensate for the loss of leaves, he added. Overcropping the tree will weaken it and make it more susceptible to winter injury.

The MU Extension guide “Fruit Spray Schedules for the Homeowner” (G6010) is available for free download at http://extension.missouri. edu/p/G6010. For more information, contact your local MU Extension center.

Cattle expansion, increased value of pasture could lower grocery prices

By Jason Vance

University of Missouri Extension

COLUMBIA — Cattle expansion may boost pasture values but move beef prices lower.

The 2015 Missouri Farm Land Values Opinion Survey says grassland prices have moved higher and the expectation is for pasture values to continue rising in 2016, says University of Missouri Extension agricultural economist Ron Plain.

While the survey expects a price

increase next year, Plain says it is a smaller increase than the last several years. That’s because the herd is growing and cattle prices are likely to be lower, he says.

“Over the next several years the trend should be more cattle, more beef and a little bit lower prices in the grocery store.”

However, Plain notes that changes in cattle numbers don’t happen quickly.

While beef prices should come off record highs, it will take time for consumers to

see substantial change at the meat case.

The Missouri Farm Land Survey showed fairly steady prices for cropland this year and predicts the price will fall during the next 12 months. Plain says the economics of the crop and cattle businesses have been going in different directions but will likely start moving toward each other.

“The same way lower corn and soybean prices caused us to forecast a 3 percent drop in cropland prices, once the cattle herd increases and cattle prices

come down, we should see softer pasture prices as well,” he says.

For more than 40 years, MU Extension has conducted a survey of lenders, appraisers, brokers and others to track the value of farmland in Missouri. The annual MU Extension Farm Land Values Opinion Survey provides landowners and potential buyers a benchmark to value their property.

For more information about the survey and 2015 results, visit agebb.missouri.edu/mgt/landsurv/.

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