Ag in the region: Dealing with tariffs, feral hogs, poisonous weeds and attacking vultures

Editor's note: this story has been updated to reflect corrected figures.

Agriculture in Cape Girardeau County is facing some challenges now, experts said, but overall, it's business as usual for producers in the county.

Anthony Ohmes, agronomy specialist with the University of Missouri Extension in Cape Girardeau County, and livestock specialist Erin Larimore spoke at Thursday's regular County Commission meeting.

In response to Commissioner Paul Koeper's question about how tariffs are affecting farmers in the county, Larimore said there is a lot of red meat in storage.

"This week, it was selling for 20 cents a pound," she said, which is a low price. Meat processors don't want to buy too much of the meat for slaughter, she said, and that isn't a recipe for success.

Missouri cotton farmer Rick Faulkner holds cotton seed in his hands on his farm near Miner. A lack of rain is interfering with planting but Missouri is maintaining its level of cotton production compared to other states who are cutting back.

But, she said, she expects the market to open back up when the new agreement with Canada and Mexico is fully settled.

Ohmes said on the row crop side, China has traditionally been the big customer of soybeans and corn, and, he said, the "big I states" -- Iowa, Illinois, Indiana -- are seeing record yields this season. Again, that's not a great situation, he said.

"Surplus drives the market down," he said.

On another note, Presiding Commissioner Clint Tracy asked Ohmes whether he'd received calls about the medical marijuana ballot measure's recent passage, and Ohmes said he had heard from someone interested in the industrial hemp program in Kentucky.

But the medical marijuana side, he hadn't dealt with yet, he said.

Rows of cotton seedlings grow on Rick Faulkner's farm near Miner, Missouri, in 2012. A lack of rain is interfering with planting, but Missouri is raising its level of cotton production.

Ohmes said he hears questions from landowners and farmers about invasive plants, and what to do about them.

He gives a presentation on how to spot deadly plants in pasture, Ohmes said, and that's been helpful for farmers whose livestock might otherwise succumb to toxicity.

For example, he said, Johnson grass, if eaten at the wrong stage, can bring about nitrate toxicity, but if it's cut and dried first, the acid that causes the toxicity will dissipate.

Perilla mint is another plant that causes problems under certain conditions, he said.

"I have a whole series on weeds that can kill livestock," Ohmes said.

Ohmes also gives tips to farmers about how to properly sample hay, for example, to give the best chance of giving helpful information that can lead to better yields.

Larimore said she works closely with the Semo Cattlemen's Association, especially on training designed to help producers become certified in beef quality assurance, or BQA. Some topics include proper transportation practices and best practices for administering shots and other concerns, she said.

Feral hogs are a big concern, Larimore said -- 800 were trapped in Missouri in 2018. Many are in south-central Missouri, she said, and the hogs are beginning to appear in Bollinger County but haven't made their way to Cape Girardeau County.

Feral hogs were introduced to the state by hunt guides who would release them and take hunters on trips to hunt them, Larimore said, but feral hogs can have multiple litters of piglets every year, meaning the hunting trips aren't enough to keep the population in check.

That leads to damage to crops, fences, wildlife habitat and more, she said.

She said the Missouri Department of Conservation is also working with livestock producers to help curb an issue some are having with black vultures attacking calves.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630