Rural Missouri - November 2011 - (Page 26)

Palm podcasts A new weekly podcast called “Extension on the Go” brings you selfimprovement advice, resources, tips and interviews with MU Extension specialists from around the state. The five- to 10-minute podcasts offer expert advice in a user-friendly, mobile format that is available for free on iTunes. Topics range from advice on families and relationships, nutrition and health, home and consumer life as well as lawn and garden tips. Listeners and subscribers are encouraged to submit questions, comments and suggestions. Check out “Extension on the Go” at www.radiodeege.com/Podcasts. To access the podcasts, search “Extension on the Go” in the iTunes Store. N E W S The southwest Missouri city has completed several major projects that help keep traffic moving smoothly. The nation’s first diverging interchange opened there in 2009, with a second opening in July of 2010. In September, the first six-lane highway in southern Missouri opened on the south end of the city. The project on Highway 65 added a lane in each direction with a safer median and other improvements to keep traffic moving and motorists safer. B R I E F S This noxious weed has become Missouri’s newest species that researchers are looking to control. Areas with poor soils along rock cuts and steep slopes are major breeding grounds for this fast-spreading plant. Each plant can produce more than 1,000 seeds that can remain alive in the soil for nearly 10 years. The plant resembles the garden flower called bachelor’s buttons. Although pretty, if knapweed is not controlled, it can spread onto lawns and pastures. To combat the spread, MoDOT has been releasing the weevils since 2008, usually in July when knapweed is in full bloom so the females can lay eggs on the flowers. When the eggs hatch, the larvae go to work, eating the flower and seeds — reducing the plant’s ability to reproduce. A single larva can eat every seed in a flower. A second species of weevil also is being used to fight the battle under- ground. When females lay eggs on the plant, the larvae burrow into the soil and feast on knapweed roots. The plants eventually die within a few years. Although it will take a few years for weevil populations to grow, researchers still hope every bit of help suppressing the invasive plant will be worthwhile. For more information about spotted knapweed and the weevils, visit www.extension.missouri.edu/ webster/spottedknapweed. You can also view a video about the weevils at www.tinyurl.com/6xku2fu. Share nature’s bounty If you are heading out to the woods this fall, don’t forget to think about others and help support the Share the Harvest program, which provides a way for deer hunters to donate venison to the needy. The program is administered by the Conservation Federation of Missouri and the Missouri Department of Conservation. During 2010, 5,731 hunters donated more than 305,643 pounds of venison through the program. Visit www.mdc.mo.gov and search “Share the Harvest” to find out more information on the program and how you can donate. Safe driving in Springfield The next time you travel through southwest Missouri, breathe easy knowing you are on one of the safest stretches of roads in the United States. A recent study by the Allstate Insurance Company ranked Springfield as the seventh safest of 200 cities across the nation, with the average driver going 12 years without a collision. A bug’s life They are tiny, tireless, hungry and environmentally friendly — except to one invasive weed. They’re called seedhead weevils, and the Missouri departments of Transportation and Conservation, along with the University of Missouri Extension, are using them to help control spotted knapweed. 12/Outdoors 12/Open 877-599-BARN (2276) CALL FOR A CALL FOR A FREE ESTIMATE FREE ESTIMATE Mon. - Sat. 8-6 CST 877-599-BARN (2276) Mon. - Sat. 8-6 CST 20 Years Experience • Now Serving Your Area FAX: 918-457-4472 FAX: 918-457-4472 20 Years Experience • Now Serving Your Area Email: allamericanbarnbuilders@yahoo.com Email: allamericanbarnbuilders@yahoo.com Best Buildings at the Best Price For a Complete 30x50 only $3,650 Deluxe Pole Barn Package CALL (618) 997-9568 www.dimensionbldgs.com All Sizes Available Marion, IL DIMENSION BUILDINGS 918-696-5002 Fax, Stilwell, Okla. Reasonable Prices VISA & MASTERCARD ACCEPTED Post-Framed Buildings 1-800-762-3170 SCOTT CONSTRUCTION 26 WWW.RURALMISSOURI.COOP http://www.extension.missouri.edu/webster/spottedknapweed http://www.extension.missouri.edu/webster/spottedknapweed http://www.tinyurl.com/6xku2fu http://www.radiodeege.com/Podcasts http://www.mdc.mo.gov http://earthwoodfurnace.com http://www.dimensionbldgs.com http://www.nationalbarn.com http://www.nationalbarn.com http://earthwoodfurnace.com http://WWW.RURALMISSOURI.COOP

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - November 2011

Rural Missouri - November 2011
Table of Contents
Comments
Columns
In search of Missouri mills
Co-ops take action
Outdoors
Best of rural Missouri
Out of the Way Eats
Second chance ranch
Grant takes command
Hearth and Home
News Briefs
The hillbilly approach to the Woodstock nation
Marketplace
Around Missouri
Neighbors
Just4Kids

Rural Missouri - November 2011