Howell County Soil and Water Conservation District

09/22/2026

The recent drought has had an impact on anyone producing forages for either hay or grazing. Despite the lack of rainfall, producers who have part of their fields established in warm-season forages are making it through the summer in much better shape than those producers whose whole farms are established in only Fescue.

The two fields pictured show the differences between warm-season forages and Kentucky 31 fescue. The top field is Big Bluestem that has had one cutting of hay taken off of it and the bottom field is a fescue pasture that hasn't been grazed since spring. The rapid recovery, better color, and increased forage quality of the Big Blue is obvious when compared to the fescue.

If you're lacking warm-season forages on your farm and are interested in adding some, be they natives, crabgrass, bermudagrass, B. Dahl bluestem, or others, now is the time to start planning on how to get them established in the hope of offsetting the effects of future dry summers. There are several cost-share options available to help with establishment costs. Just give us a call or come by the office and we'll be happy to answer any questions you may have.

09/22/2026

If you happen to have any old agriculture chemical products that you would like to get rid of, here's your chance to properly dispose of them.

09/08/2026

Here is what our pre-native grass planting summer cover crop looked like as it progressed through the summer.

As you can see, the buckwheat came on and matured first, followed by the Sunn H**p and prosso millet. Unfortunately, the deer pressure was so high that the sunflowers never had a chance to make.

The final two pictures are what the field looked like after the cows had finished grazing it. The stubble has since been bushhogged and will be sprayed prior to the fall cover crop planting which will happen once growing conditions are more favorable for stand success.

08/28/2026

If you're interested in gardening or seeds of any type, be sure to come check out the 2nd Annual Fall Seed and Plant Swap at the Howell County MU Extension Office tomorrow, August 29th, from Noon-2:00 pm.

We will there be there with information about planting any agricultural seedings and cost-share opportunities that can help you establish them. If you have any questions, feel free to come by and see us.

07/20/2026

$1,015,327.02

That's the total amount of cost-share paid out by the Howell County Soil and Water Conservation District in FY '26. This is the highest amount ever paid in Howell County.

These funds were spent on 94 different contracts in 16 different resource concern areas.

Broken down, this it what these funds were spent on:

Over 27 miles of fence
Over 15 miles of livestock pipelines
Over 1050 acres of erosion controlling seedings
95 livestock watering tanks
7 new wells to provide livestock water
4 streambank stabilizations
1 beef feeding barn
2 wells decommissioned
1 sinkhole exclusion
Many acres of woods, wetlands, and other sensitive areas protected

In addition to all of this cost-share, our rental no-till drills and seeders were used to plant over 2000 acres and we tested hundreds of soil, hay, forage, and litter samples for area producers.

FY '26 was a great year and FY '27 is starting off looking as good or better! If we can help you with any of your farming needs, please come by or give us a call.

07/20/2026

July 2026 South Central Missouri Cattlemen's Meeting

Make plans to attend the July Cattlemen's meeting this Thursday, the 23rd, at 6:00 pm at the Howell County Extension Office.

MU Agronomist Josh Dunn will will be giving a presentation on Missouri soils, soil testing, and fertilizer and SWCD staff will discuss state cost-share opportunities for producers in the county.

A meal will be catered by 417 Food Company.

We hope to see you all there!

07/02/2026

Establishing effective smother/cover crops prior to planting your perennial native forages is a vital step in the process of transitioning from fescue to natives. Quality smother crops will not only decease competition from undesirable species, but can also provide you with high-quality pasture and/or hay/baleage options.

After the field was disced multiple times and dragged to make a good smooth seedbed, we broadcasted a summer cover crop consisting of sunflowers, Sunn H**p, buckwheat, and proso millet along with a 40-30-60-10 Sulfur fertilizer mix. This should provide great erosion control, help build soil quality, and provide quality forage for livestock and wildlife.

Stay tuned for more updates as our cover crop grows and progresses.

07/02/2026

If you're interested in planting Eastern Gamagrass for hay or pasture, this free workshop in Seymour next week should be a great learning opportunity!

06/05/2026

Are you thinking about renovating some of your cool-season pastures that have been hurt by the droughts we've experienced the last few summers or are you interested in adding warm-season forages or improved cool-season options such a novel endophyte fescue or orchardgrass?

Successful seedings doesn't happen without proper planning and prep work. The time to start planning a new seeding should be at least two growing seasons ahead of when you plant your new perennial forages. This will give you time to use appropriate herbicides and smother/cover crops to control undesirable species and help ensure the success of your final planting. This is especially true when trying to establish native warm-season grasses and Old World bluestems.

The field pictured is enrolled in the Howell County RCPP Quail and Grassland cost-share program. The field will ultimately be planted in a mix of Switchgrass, Big Bluestem, Indiangrass, and Little Bluestem next spring. This mix will provide a lot of high quality forage for summer livestock grazing and also provide outstanding cover for quail, turkeys, rabbits, and other wildlife.

Before planting these grasses, there are several steps to complete. We'll show you these steps as they're completed so you can watch as the field transitions from a poor stand of fescue with lots of broomsedge into hopefully a highly productive stand of natives.

The first step was to apply a non-selective herbicide to kill out the existing grasses, weeds, and brush. Next, the field will be disced multiple times and worked into a smooth, firm seedbed. Stay tuned as the transformation takes place.

If you're interested in establishing new forages on your farm, feel free to call or come by the office for advice, recommendations, or information about various cost-share programs that may help you meet your goals.

05/14/2026