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umsystem uploaded a new video
(6 days ago)
It's not what usually comes to mind when we think about turkey leftovers. But for a group of farmers it's money in the bag. Kent Faddis with the U...
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It's not what usually comes to mind when we think about turkey leftovers. But for a group of farmers it's money in the bag. Kent Faddis with the University of Missouri has more on the story.
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umsystem uploaded a new video
(2 weeks ago)
The University of Missouri has established an experimental winery to test grape varieties and growing practices in Missouri.
Our goal is to provide...
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The University of Missouri has established an experimental winery to test grape varieties and growing practices in Missouri.
Our goal is to provide information on varieties to grow and cultural practices that will enhance efficiency and profitability for the industry, said Keith Striegler, director of the Institute for Continental Climate Viticulture and Enology.
There are now 92 wineries in Missouri generating economic development and activity, particularly related to tourism, he said. Our goal is to provide an economic engine to drive this rapidly growing industry.
It is critical to make experimental wines to take the institutes viticulture experiments all the way through the winemaking processes, Striegler said.
These experimental wines will undergo chemical and sensory analysis as well as tasting by industry professionals. Grape varieties and cultural practices are tested for adaptation to Missouri growing conditions.
Unlike many of the most well-known winemaking regions, Missouri has a continental rather than a Mediterranean climate. This means varieties must be able to endure cold winters, hot summers, heavy rain and drought.
Certain varieties can survive, grow and produce fruit, but dont make good wine, he said. Providing information on which varieties perform best in Missouri from the vineyard to the cellar is important.
The winery will provide hands-on training for students who want to include enology or viticulture as a track.
Missouri wineries have had to hire people from around the world. We want to train Midwestern students who want to stay in the Midwest. In the long term, it is in the best interest of the industry to grow our own talent, he said.
The small-scale winery includes a stemmer, crusher, a press, bottling equipment and refrigeration to maintain proper temperature during fermentations.
Currently, a large number of fermentations are being done on Chardonel wine harvested in a mechanization project. This project involves mechanical pruning and shoot thinning to balance the crop load on the vine for optimal quality.
Striegler said plans call for obtaining a commercial license and developing a label that reflects well on the university.
The Institute is part of the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. Basic funding comes from the Missouri Wine and Grape Board, which directs funds from a statewide tax on wine sales for research, education and marketing. For more information, see http://iccve.missouri.edu.
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umsystem uploaded a new video
(2 weeks ago)
Michael Ouart, vice provost for extension, discusses the outlook for 2010 and beyond, progress, opportunities and future plans for University of Mi...
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Michael Ouart, vice provost for extension, discusses the outlook for 2010 and beyond, progress, opportunities and future plans for University of Missouri Extension during the 2009 Missouri Galaxy.
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umsystem uploaded a new video
(2 weeks ago)
Ray Wright wasnt sure what he would find when he drained a quarter-acre pond at the University of Missouri Bradford Research and Extension Center n...
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Ray Wright wasnt sure what he would find when he drained a quarter-acre pond at the University of Missouri Bradford Research and Extension Center near Columbia.
Four months earlier, at the beginning of June, the MU research specialist had stocked the pond with 4,000 juvenile freshwater prawns bought from a Texas hatchery. Freshwater prawns are a species of shrimp native to Malaysia, which has a tropical climate very different from that of mid-Missouri.
Summer and fall had been cool in Missouri this year. Raccoons and frogs were using the pond as an all-you-can-eat buffet. How many prawns had survived, and how big were they? Wright wouldnt know until the pond was more than half-empty.
Theres a tremendous amount of risk involved, he said. Corn and beans—Missouri farmers know how to grow them. They know the risks and they know how to manage them.
When it comes to raising seafood in Missouri, however, producers are still learning what works and what doesnt. With prawns, when the temperature goes below 60, youve lost your crop, Wright said. You dont want to learn that after youve invested $10,000. You want someone else to learn that, so you know that when the temperature gets in that range, its time to get the prawns out.
Raising aquatic species for profit is an agricultural endeavor that requires special skills, knowledge and dedication to be successful, said Charles Hicks, aquaculture specialist at Lincoln University. Its critical that potential producers do their homework.
Making that homework a little easier is why MU and Lincoln University are partners in research and extension programming aimed at supporting the development of a thriving aquaculture industry in Missouri.
The focus is on practical, cost-effective techniques for raising species such as prawns, bluegill sunfish and largemouth bass for food markets in the Midwest, said Bob Pierce, MU Extension fisheries and wildlife specialist.
The U.S. imports more than 80 percent of its seafood. At the same time, Americans are increasingly interested in fresh, locally grown food. Can Missouri help meet the demand for domestic fish and shellfish?
The state has more than 300,000 acres of farm ponds, notes Leslie Hearne, an MU graduate student in fisheries and wildlife sciences. Those ponds could become a rich source of protein and profit, she said.
Hearne is doing research at Lincoln Universitys Carver Farm, which has an aquaculture facility that includes more than 20 quarter-acre and tenth-acre ponds as well as indoor tanks for breeding and hatching fingerlings.
Were trying to develop a fast-growing strain of bluegill that can get to market in less than two years, she said. Bluegill, a native sunfish common to Missouri farm ponds, typically takes about three years to grow to a marketable weight of about half a pound.
Researchers also are developing diets and feeding schedules to maximize bluegill growth while minimizing the amount of food they need. According to Pierce, reducing the cost of producing marketable food-grade bluegill could make the fish a competitive local alternative to popular aquaculture species such as tilapia.
Keeping costs down was why Wright took a mostly low-tech approach to his freshwater prawn project. We dont want to spend $10,000-$20,000 on aeration systems and meters even though it might help, because most farms are not going to have that, he said. We want to have something they already have in place.
Wright knew he was cutting it close with his late-September harvest, so he was relieved when prawns started gushing out of the ponds outlet pipe by the dozen. He ended up collecting more than 2,700 prawns, which were packed in ice, shipped to the MU campus and served that night to hundreds of students who had the rare opportunity to enjoy fresh-caught Missouri seafood.
Eric Cartwright, executive chef for MU Campus Dining Services, jumped at the chance to buy Wrights prawns. As a chef and as a food lover, the prospect of getting some fresh prawns made me super-excited, he said. When you get a product that was literally swimming that morning, the fresh flavor you can get from that is hard to describe.
Cartwright isnt the only one excited about Missouri aquaculture.
When we have tours at the farm, it always gets attention, Wright said. Everyones excited about fish. When we ask if they want to see fish production, all the hands go up. That should tell you something.
A freshwater prawn production fact sheet will soon be available from MU Extension and Lincoln University. Information also is available from the USDAs Southern Regional Aquaculture Center at http://aquanic.org/publicat/usda_rac/...
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umsystem uploaded a new video
(1 month ago)
To learn how to build a "Safe Room" click this link: http://extension.missouri.edu/douglas...
Eric Evans is on a campaign to educate Misso...
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To learn how to build a "Safe Room" click this link: http://extension.missouri.edu/douglas...
Eric Evans is on a campaign to educate Missouri families about the necessity of a storm shelter or safe room in every home.
The University of Missouri Extension emergency management specialist would relish the day when home builders routinely designed storm shelters in new houses. Instead, many homes are built on slab foundations, without a basement or a designated reinforced safe room.
Why not build something that resists flying debris, tornadic activity and tornadic storms? In the Midwest, it just makes sense, Evans said.
According to MU Extension climatologists, Missouri averages 28 tornadoes annually.
Evans uses a Federal Emergency Management Agency display model of a single-family six-by-eight-foot storm shelter as an example of a simple but effective structure. He takes it to fairs and conferences for public display. The walls are reinforced with two-by-fours and made of multiple pieces of plywood and sheet metal. Such a shelter could be built by a homeowner with basic carpentry skills for roughly $2,000.
Were talking anywhere from about $1,500 to $2,500 depending on what you are trying to do. If you are building into brand new construction, its easier to do that, but you can retrofit homes for $2,000 to $3,000 with relative ease, and were talking about a good size room, Evans said.
Dirk Burhans asked for a safe room to be built into his new home that is currently under construction. He was concerned that he might be worrying too much, but his designer assured him that a safe room was not going overboard and was actually recommended in this part of the country.
Its a windy area up here, its pretty exposed on the hill top and a lot of storms, tornadoes come through this part of the county, I just thought it would be a good idea to have something like that, Burhans said.
I believe that the safe room in conjunction with slab housing kind of alleviates some of the concern that home-owners have for the safety issues regarding storms, said Rod Glidewell, Glidewell Construction Company.
There is no price tag on peace of mind, added Evans. He said anyone who has been through a severe storm understands the terrifying experience. Knowing you can be safe from these devastating storms really is worth the money, Evans said.
Evans also wants to see laws passed requiring mobile home park owners to provide community storm shelters. Such structures, reinforced to withstand flying debris, could double as laundry or community rooms.
For information on safe room demonstrations through MU Extension, contact Eric Evans at (573) 884-8984.
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