Feed aggregator

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Hot, dry conditions in early summer have taken a toll on grass growth in much of the Great Plains this year. There are several options cattle producers may want to consider to conserve grass in these dry areas. Every producer should have a drought plan that includes trigger dates and a culling strategy, but once those top cuts are made, what feeding options are there for the core herd?

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Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Keeping a tight grip on feed costs is a priority for every beef producer. Creep feeding calves can be a good return on investments in certain situations. Maintaining the calf’s efficiency at an early age is becoming much more critical with modern market requirements. The gross income of the cow/calf enterprises is partially dependent on the weaning weight of the calves. Outside of changing weaning date, there are management strategies that can  increase calf weaning weight.

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Nebraska Extension is pleased to present the 6th annual Crop Scouting Competition for Nebraska youth. Youth interested in crops have the opportunity to learn about crop growth & development and basic crop scouting principles.

Research conducted by the University of Nebraska and elsewhere shows that corn is relatively drought tolerant during the vegetative period, but very sensitive to water stress during silking through early grain fill.

Temporary repairs to the tunnels have been made resulting in restoring flow, but at reduced levels. The Gering/ Ft. Laramie Irrigation District is planning for their irrigators to receive only 75 percent of their normal allotment.

It is important for producers and crop consultants to know when the damaging life stage of an insect pest will be present in the field. This knowledge allows for more efficient scouting and management decisions. However, this time can be difficult to predict based upon the calendar date alone, as insect development is influenced by variable weather conditions such as temperature.

As with most recent university events, the Testing Ag Performance Solutions (TAPS) program has also had to move their planned events to a virtual platform. The June 23rd field day that was going to include field tours and time to visit with organizers at West Central Research, Extension and Education Center has been reformed into a video series.

Tuesday, June 16, 2020

Nebraska, utilizing federal COVID-19 relief funding, has established a program to help businesses, including ranching, impacted by COVID-19.  The Department of Economic Development expects to award grants of $12,000 to eligible businesses, for a total of approximately $330,000,000.  The original window of application is relatively short with sign up going from June 15th, 2020 through June 26th, 2020.  As this is a developing opportunity changes will and often occur.  One such change is that applications of livestock producers has temporarily

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Corn is progressing well with 81% rated good or excellent, down slightly from last week. Soybeans are 94% emerged and rated 78% good or excellent, also down slightly from last week. Winter Wheat heading is 85%, which is slightly behind the five-year average. Sorghum is 97% planted and starting to head.

Source citation: Jackie Steffen

One of the most effective ways to improve children’s reading achievement is by reading often and early to them.  When summer rolls around we may be tempted to ease up on academic expectations and the amount of quality time we spend reading with children or children spend reading on their own.  It is natural to get distracted by the nice weather, summer to-do lists, and the freedom from structured schedules.

There are many benefits to keeping the reading momentum going throughout the summer including improved fluency, increased vocabulary, expanded background knowledge, and greater confidence are just a few.  

How can you enjoy the beauty of summertime and still foster a love of reading?  Here are a few quick tips. 

• Make reading a part of your daily routine.  If nighttime read alouds do not fit into your summer schedule because you are staying outside later and time slips away from you, consider changing the time of day that you and your child read.  Stories outside with the birds chirping and the cool morning air will start your day off with a close connection and rich, warm discussions.  A shared reading experience after mealtimes is effective as well.  Classroom teachers tend to do classroom read alouds after lunch; maybe that is tradition that would work well for your setting.  No matter what you decide is the perfect reading routine, remember to be intentional but flexible.

• Encourage children to select books they are genuinely interested in and excited about.  Although reading books at grade level is desirable, reading choice should be the primary focus.  Books should engage children through text, pictures, and the story line.  Book selection is crucial to developing an intrinsic joy and it also promotes independence.  It is much easier for children to get in the “reading zone” when they are hearing or reading books by authors and in genres that are engaging to them. 

• Connect reading to family outings.  If you are heading out on a bike ride, pack a couple books and decide on a special place to take a break and relax with a good story.  If you are visiting an aquarium, consider reading books about fish or hatcheries to prepare for the trip or to extend learning after the visit.  Listening to a family audiobook as you are traveling from destination to destination sparks conversations about a shared reading experience and will leave children anticipating the next time they get to travel and hear the rest of the story.  Sharing stories as a family can leave a lasting impression. 

Remember that reading books for meaning and pleasure should be emphasized above all this summer.  There is a contagious energy about books that are read for enjoyment.  Strong connections and relationships are developed.  Above all, summertime reading creates wonder, curiosity, and the eagerness to want to discover more.  

For more information and ideas for reading at home, visit https://www.readingrockets.org/audience/parents

Visit https://www.startwithabook.org/summer-reading-learning to get additional suggestions for summer reading activities.

To download fairy tale storybook guides to support literacy development, visit https://child.unl.edu/nebraska-4-h-stem-reading-connections-program

JACKIE STEFFEN EXTENSION EDUCATOR | THE LEARNING CHILD

Peer Reviewed by Amy Napoli, University of Nebraska Extension Specialist and Linda Reddish, Extension Educator, The Learning Child

Make sure to follow The Learning Child on social media for more research-based early childhood education resources!

Are you using ET information to determine crop water use? If yes, what are the sources from which you obtain ET information? CropWatch would like to know.

With crop damage occurring in the forms of hail, wind and flooding early in this growing season, the following are resources that can help you in making decisions.

As of June 10, diseases in Nebraska wheat fields remained at trace to low levels.

Recently, Market Journal spoke with Nebraska FSA Outreach Coordinator Bobbie Kriz-Wickham to discuss the USDA’s new Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) which provides payments to producers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic is putting limits on public face-to-face programs, but Nebraska Extension will sponsor a variety of events in mid-June to share updates on the wheat variety trials and crop and livestock research conducted by University of Nebraska-Lincoln in western Nebraska.

On June 10th, 2020 three soybean gall midge adults were collected south of Louisville, Nebraska. This was the only site in the network with soybean gall midge adult activity.