Big Nickel

06/02/2026

A dragonfly program, leather crafting workshop and woodworking event are happening throughout the month.

06/02/2026

Discover nature this week with Missouri's caterpillars. The bright wings of butterflies catch your eyes, and many people notice. But few notice naturally drab caterpillars.

06/02/2026

06/02/2026

We have a mix of career openings across the territory from our Agri Services locations to our home office in Columbia, Missouri. Check out our positions, our benefits and apply online at https://mfa-inc.com/career

06/02/2026

Register by Friday for this May 28 workshop.

06/02/2026

Be sure to check out our Big Nickel June 4th E-Edition available NOW on our website

CAROLYN HALE AUCTIONSaturday, May 30th 10:00 AM6310 Mt. Vernon DriveJoplin MoHousehold, glassware, & low milage 2017 GMC Terrain vehicle.CURTIS AND SONS.COMJ.J. Curtis … More about: CAROLYN HALE AUCTIONSaturday, May 30th 10:00 AM6310 Mt. Vernon DriveJoplin MoHousehold, glassware, & low milage 2017...

05/24/2026

You probably trim your rosemary the way I did for years—reaching for the tender top growth, leaving the older stems alone because they look too tough to bother with. But here's what I didn't understand until a plant physiologist showed me what was actually happening inside those branches: the woody parts aren't waste, they're workshops.

As rosemary matures, it shifts its energy. The soft green tips keep pumping out new growth for your kitchen, sure. But down in those lignified stems—the ones turning brown and rigid—the plant concentrates volatile oils at levels the tender shoots can't match. Carnosic acid, rosmarinic acid, camphor, cineole. These aren't just flavor molecules. They're chemical signals the plant uses to communicate, to defend itself, to shape the air around it.

When you harvest only the tips, you're skimming cream off the top. When you work with the whole plant, you're accessing a pharmacy.

Take those thick lower stems you've been ignoring. Strip the leaves, sharpen one end, and thread vegetables or shrimp onto them before grilling. As the stem heats, it releases oils directly into the food from the inside out. You're not adding rosemary flavor—you're building it into the structure of the meal. The Greeks have done this with lamb for centuries, not because it looks pretty, but because it works.

Or bundle those dried woody stems and light them near your outdoor seating. The smoke carries pyrethrum-like compounds that confuse mosquito sensors. They can't locate you through the haze. It's the same defense mechanism rosemary uses in the wild Mediterranean, where it evolved surrounded by plant-eating insects. Your garden simply borrowed the recipe.

Even that hair rinse people rave about—the one that supposedly rivals commercial treatments—works best when you simmer the tougher stems along with the leaves. The older wood holds more carnosic acid, the compound researchers found stimulates dermal papilla cells in follicles. You're not making herbal tea for your scalp. You're applying targeted biochemistry the plant already perfected.

Here's what changed my harvesting: I stopped thinking of rosemary as an ingredient and started seeing it as a process. The plant builds compounds as it ages. The longer a stem has been photosynthesizing, the more concentrated its chemistry becomes. When I prune now, I take whole branches—tips for the kitchen, woody middles for projects, and I leave enough that the plant redirects energy into the next round of growth.

One mature bush, cut thoughtfully three times a year, gives you enough material to infuse oils, make cleaning solutions, skewer a summer's worth of grilled meals, and still have plenty left over to hang in bundles that scent a closet for months.

The plant isn't holding back. We just weren't asking it the right questions. [BWJ9C]

05/24/2026

Fruit plants don’t all want the same kind of pruning ✂️ Here’s the simple way I think about it before making any cuts:
🍑 Peaches, nectarines, and apricots need stronger pruning because they fruit on newer wood.
🍎 Apples, pears, and cherries usually need lighter thinning around fruiting spurs.
🍇 Grapes need a heavier dormant prune to encourage productive new canes.
🫐 Berries do best when old or spent canes are removed so fresh growth can take over.
My tip: before I cut, I always check what wood the fruit grows on. That one detail makes pruning so much less confusing.

05/24/2026

Missouri Agribusiness Association has developed new resources for handling treated seed to aid farmers in complying with US Grain Law. Treated Seed in Grain is considered a toxic substance by FDA so preventing possible contamination in commercial grain bins is imperative.

Best Handling Practices for Treated Seed:
📌Never mix treated seed with grain intended for food, feed or processing.
📌Handle treated seed with dedicated equipment whenever possible.
📌If dedicated equipment is not possible, clean equipment thoroughly to ensure no treatment/treated seeds remain.
📌Properly dispose of unused treated seed using an approved method.

To view the resources, visit the MO-AG website: https://bit.ly/43uDK7r