Ozarks Farm & Neighbor Newspaper – written for, by & about farmers

Piney River Valley Sheep is located west of Licking, Mo., literally on the east bank of Big Piney River. Ray and Pam Wallace have lived there almost 40 years and have had several types of farming operations. Ray is a retired union lineman from Intercounty Electric. Pam was the licensing agent for the Department of Revenue in Licking for several years and more recently has been employed at Wal-Mart for the past eight years. In 2006 they purchased their first sheep and they quickly became Pam’s pet project and captured the hearts of their grandchildren, Cole who is 9 years old and Linzie who is 7. Both are very involved with the sheep on a daily basis as well as in the show ring.

The Osage orange tree, also known as a hedge apple has been a part of the landscape of Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas long before the white settlers moved in. Historically speaking the wood has been used as an excellent heating fuel, fence posts and in the making of the world’s best archery bows. However, Bronaugh, Mo., student and local FFA chapter member Cole Diggins got an idea from his grandfather and revived using the hedge apple as a green alternative for home insect control.

There are a number of tools available to crop producers who want to hedge the value of their production – and dramatic changes are coming in one of them.

Coming in at 959 pages, and with the unwieldy name of H.R. 2642 or the Agricultural Act of 2014, the Farm Bill, was signed into law February 7.

Automatic section controls (ASC) are the latest of a suite of technological devices that can help farmers use crop inputs more precisely for the maximum return. Although the devices can be expensive, farmers say rising production costs are making the equipment increasingly attractive.

“Cool-season grasses are the base of forage operations in the Ozarks area,” said Robert Kallenbach professor and extension specialist for the Division of Plant Sciences at the University of Missouri.