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Speakers from across the nation will present on a variety of topics during the Agronomy and Horticulture Spring 2020 Seminar Series starting January 24.

University, government, and industry speakers will address current weed science issues as well as recommendations for improving herbicide applications. The school will be held at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center near Mead, starting at 8:30 a.m. and ending at 3.45 p.m.

Turning manure nutrients into better crop yields while protecting the environment will be the focus of nine Nebraska Extension workshops being held across the state this January and February.

Many Nebraska farmers are experienced with using beef feedlot and swine manures as fertility products. Over the next few years, Nebraska crop farmers may have opportunities to consider using broiler poultry litter as a soil amendment and fertilizer.

Stories about manure often illustrate two opposing sentiments. Is manure a "waste" that pollutes our water resources and creates undesirable nuisances for communities? Or, is manure a "resource" that reduces the demand for importing greenhouse gas intensive inorganic fertilizers and improves the health of our soils?

The leaching of nitrate to groundwater and the increasing occurrence of groundwater with excessive nitrate levels for human consumption is a major concern in Nebraska. The amount of leached NO3- depends on soil NO3- concentration at different soil depth layers and the quantity of water movement downward through these soil layers to beyond the root zone.

Omaha Fashion Week is the nation's 5th largest fashion event. In addition to supporting more independent fashion designers than any other organization in the region, Omaha Fashion Week supports young fashion designers by providing mentoring, educational opportunities, and a professional platform to showcase work.

Nebraska 4-H partners with Omaha Fashion Week during their Spring Showcase each year. OFW Student Night will take place on Tuesday, February 25, 2020, and will exclusively feature student designers, including a 4-H collection. This collection will consist of 10 to 12 garments from across the state. Each garment will be modeled by the 4-H member who made it. In order to create a complete and dynamic collection, interested 4-H members are invited to apply to participate in the show. For more information, visit the Omaha Fashion Week 4-H Collection webpage. 

Omaha Fashion Week 4-H Collection

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Sometimes it can be easy to intertwine empathy and sympathy, but they do not mean the same thing nor do they lead to the same feelings. When in an emotional situation, using empathy will result in a more positive response because it means to enter into one’s feelings, and it leads us to a deeper understanding. Sympathy usually sounds something like, “Well at least…” For example, let’s say a mother is frustrated that her son is not getting the grades that she was hoping for. Her friend then proceeds to say, “Well at least your daughter is excelling in school.” The friend’s response does not come from a place of understanding, and in turn does not comfort the mother. It’s easier to just respond with sympathy because it doesn’t require us to put ourselves into another’s shoes. However, with your child and partner, the best outcome will come when you use empathy.

Empathy actually calms the body, and in emotional situations, having relaxed conversations tend to lead to a better ending. In relationships, whether it’s with your partner or your child, disagreements occur and there isn’t always a resolution because of different opinions, values, points of view, etc. If you use empathy during those conflicts, it shows that you understand what they are feeling and where they are coming from, even if you don’t exactly agree with it. That is exactly why empathy is so powerful.

It is pretty simple to understand why empathy is the best response, but it is not the simplest to start using it over sympathy because it takes a conscious effort. Whether you have a newborn that won’t stop crying, a toddler that is crabby because they didn’t have a nap, or a teenager who is driving you up the wall because they are self-conscious about the changes they are going through, there is always a place for empathy. If you haven’t yet, try using empathy over sympathy, and watch how it changes your relationships for the better. I know it did mine.

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Zero to Five by Tracy Cutchlow

LaDonna Werth, EXTENSION EDUCATOR | THE LEARNING CHILD

Peer Reviewed by Leanne Manning, Extension Educator, The Learning Child, Lisa Poppe, Extension Educator, The Learning Child, and Lynn DeVries, Extension Educator, The Learning Child

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

  

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

What is a respectable value of a beef replacement heifer for the coming 2019-2020 production season? This can be a complicated choice, but a vital one that requires some clear thinking. It is important to have a handle on this value since future prosperity partially depends on it. Pay too much and future profits and net worth will suffer. Non-participation in the market is not likely to be an option since cow numbers are necessary to maintain productivity.

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Wednesday, January 1, 2020 Which field benefits the most from manure? Participants combine personal experiences and management principles to identify preferred fields for receiving manure.

Livestock producers with livestock waste control facility permits received or renewed since April 1998 must be certified, and farms must complete an approved training every five years.

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Wednesday, January 1, 2020 Nutrition, profitability, and health are the themes of the 2020 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Beef Roundup hosted by Nebraska Extension on Tuesday, January 21, and Tuesday, January 28, at 6pm MST (7pm CST). This series features topic experts from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Kansas State University. Each evening features two presentations that can be viewed from any location with internet access or at several locations across Nebraska. Sites and registration information is listed below.

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Wednesday, January 1, 2020

As a part of the UNL multidisciplinary Beef Systems Initiative and a complementary project funded by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), five geographically identified Nebraska producer panels were formed to provide input and feedback on University research and extension projects involving integrated beef systems. These panels have met a combined eight times over the last two years. One of the tasks being worked on is the development of representative cow-calf enterprise budgets for typical cow-calf herds in different geographic regions across the state.

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Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Hay put up too wet can lead to a number of issues, most notably mold and heat.  Moisture keeps otherwise dormant microbes and fungi active, decreasing forage quality and creating heat.  Too much heat can actually create a risk of combustion. 

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In a recent UNL TAPS awards ceremony, winners for 2019 were announced in three categories: irrigated sorghum, subsurface drip irrigation, and sprinkler.

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Stories about manure often illustrate two opposing sentiments. Is manure a “Waste” that pollutes our water resources and creates undesirable nuisances for communities?  Or, is manure a “Resource” that reduces the demand for importing greenhouse gas intensive inorganic fertilizers and improves the health of our soils? 

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Carlos Urrea, dry bean breeding specialist at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff (center, in red shirt), stands in a hail-damaged dry bean variety plot at the Panhandle Center, during the annual Panhandle Ag Research and Technology Tour (PARTT) in August 2019. Results of the 2019 variety trials for dry edible beans conducted by the University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center have been posted on the Nebraska Extension CropWatch website.

Crediting some of the nitrate-N applied in irrigation water for determination of fertilizer-N rates has long been advised in Nebraska.

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Nebraska Extension will be hosting a series of winter meetings for cattle producers in seven locations across western Nebraska. The program is designed to help producers evaluate management practices that could improve their bottom line. Extension Specialists and Educators will discuss a variety of topics including heifer development, nutritional considerations during cold weather, benchmarking and measuring costs, considerations for retained ownership, parasite control, and more.

Dates and locations include: 

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