Feed aggregator

Richard Faflak, KZValve mechanical engineer, adjusts a valve at the annual Panhandle Agriculture Research and Technology Tour before a tour group goes by in June. (Photo by Chabella Guzman) The new value, created by KZValve of Greenwood, Nebraska, has self-power generating capabilities that could potentially be used in partial variable rate irrigation.

Nebraska Extension Educator Gary Stone counts bean loss after a combine has passed during harvest of an on-farm research study field in Alliance, Nebraska. An Alliance-based farmer recently finished his second season of research on the harvest management tool Pod Ceal, and Nebraska Extension educators are eager to share his results at the annual On-Farm Research Update meetings in early 2024.

In 2023, Nebraska 4-H lowered the age limit for participation in the Nebraska State Fair for all in-person events to nine years of age.  That change increased participation and provided more opportunities for youth to engage in learning experiences. 

Based on feedback and program objectives, the age of eligibility in 2024 will be eight years as of Jan. 1 of the current year for all in-person State Fair events as well as the Fonner Park State 4-H Horse Expo, Premier Animal Science Event and Premier Communications Event.  

Note: Some events will maintain different age eligibility requirements due to program-specific rules, such as shooting sports and FIRST robotics events. Always consult specific event information for age-eligibility requirements. 

All workshops during Ag SmartMoney Week are free to attend, but registration is encouraged. See details below. The series will include three in-person workshops across the state and seven online webinars covering topics related to risk management, estate and transition planning, land leasing and rental rates, human resources and technology.

Quality hay probes and good sampling techniques are important factors for accurate hay test results and will help producers save money on supplemental feed during the winter. Extension educators review considerations for managing livestock nutrition during the winter, from grazing pastures to feeding quality hay.

With the 2023 TAPS competition coming to an end, final results and winners will soon be announced. A brief summary of the irrigation decisions made in the TAPS sorghum, popcorn, SDI corn and sprinkler corn competitions this year.

As I write this, fall is just beginning, and it is time for fall festivals, garage sales and all sorts of activities as the temperatures cool off. How is your community celebrating the changing seasons? Are you working with neighboring communities to draw in larger crowds?

Starting in 2024, youth will be encouraged but not required to select projects during enrollment. Youth must still complete enrollment by June 15 to participate in their county fair or the Nebraska State Fair. Youth who complete enrollment will be eligible to exhibit in any project. Members are only eligible to exhibit in one county per project. 

Note: Horse and shooting sports projects will continue to require enrollment due to parental consent requirements. 

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Nebraska’s farm income is projected near $7.8 billion in 2023, according to a new report from the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF) at the University of Missouri, produced in conjunction with the Center for Agricultural Profitability at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 

The report, “Fall 2023 Nebraska Farm Income Outlook,” indicates that Nebraska’s stronger 2023 farm income projection is driven largely by higher livestock prices and recovery in ending year inventories and values.

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Wednesday, November 1, 2023

An upcoming virtual workshop series for Midwestern farm and ranch women will teach the basics of tax planning for agricultural operations. Hosted by women in agriculture extension programs at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Kansas State University, and Purdue University, the three-part series will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Central time on Nov. 28, Dec. 5 and Dec. 12.

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Historical crop progress data for Nebraska is available at USDA. Dry edible bean harvest was nearly complete as of Oct. 29, and soybean harvest followed closely behind. Corn and sorghum harvest were 76% and 69% complete, respectively.

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

This article was first published in Beef Magazine.

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Wednesday, November 1, 2023

1.  Collect a representative sample of your hay with a probe.

Sampling is the largest source of error and doing it right is important to ensuring you get an accurate estimate of the feed value of your hay. Make sure to keep different “lots” of hay separate. Guidelines for sampling can be found here.

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Wednesday, November 1, 2023

As spring-born calves are weaned, now is a good time to grade your cow herd performance. This will take records or a pretty good memory because numbers needed in the calculations will be numbers of cows exposed to the bull last year that resulted in the calf crop weaned this fall. The first three measures to calculate cow herd performance come from the Beef Improvement Federation Guidelines: number of cows exposed, pregnancy percent, and live calving percent. Here’s how to calculate them.

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Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Be safe, get the daily amount and leave a smooth face. These are the key factors when it comes to feeding out corn silage.

Silage is a conservation technique that relies on anaerobic fermentation to primarily convert plant carbs into acetic and lactic acid, and those acids will then preserve the rest of the material for future use. Because the ideal point of corn silage harvest is at black layer, by now (November) all silages would have almost sixty days since they were chopped and stored.

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Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Nebraska beef producers and corn growers can enhance their operations by attending the 2023 Cover Crop Grazing Conference. Scheduled for November 7, the conference will take place at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center near Mead.

The conference kicks off with registration, refreshments and a trade show at the August N. Christenson Building at 8:30 a.m.  Educational programs are from 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. and include a producer panel session and live field demonstrations.  

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Sorghum, soghum-sudan and milo are great options for fall grazing, but producers should be cautious of frost damage and prussic acid prior to putting cattle out to graze.

In a 2023 study, USDA ARS researchers used a GPS-mounted yield monitoring system to assess green snap in corn fields and more accurately estimate yield loss.