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A view of the North Platte River valley at Scottsbluff, Nebraska. (Photo by Gary Stone) Part 5 of the Nebraska Rivers series focuses on the Platte Rivers, which played a crucial role in America's westward expansion as settlers traversed westward along its waters, creating the Oregon, Mormon, Overland and California trails and the Pony Express.

Extremely toxic to both animals and humans, poison hemlock can be found statewide in Nebraska and is most toxic right before the fruits mature. (Photo courtesy Oregon Department of Agriculture) Nebraska is experiencing the lowest level of hay stocks since 1974. With this deficit in mind, extension educators stress the importance of taking inventory of feed and hay resources, and to begin planning for next year's needs right now.

Palmer amaranth invades a corn field in south-central Nebraska. (CropWatch file photo by Amit Jhala) Researchers examined more than 1,000 studies to compile a comprehensive report on weed germination, growth and seed production during periods of water stress.

Historical crop progress data for Nebraska is available at USDA. (Photo by Gary Stone) Sorghum and dry edible beans have returned to near-average planting pace thanks to a surge in fieldwork last week, and more than 90% of planted corn and soybeans have emerged in Nebraska.

Historical crop production reports for Nebraska are available at USDA. Nebraska's 2023 winter wheat crop is currently forecast at 33.0 million bushels, up 26% from last year's crop.

The crop water use report is updated weekly. Visit PHREC AgLab for more information.

Nebraska Extension Educator Gary Stone shares an update on crop growth and potential water needs in the Nebraska Panhandle for mid-June.

The Nebraska 4-H Foundation is excited to announce the recipients of its annual scholarships. Nineteen recent high school graduates were selected to receive higher education scholarships based on their outstanding accomplishments in 4-H, dedication to community service, and high scholastic achievement.

Scholarship winners include:

• Ashley Abrahams, Dodge County
• Paige Bunn, Dodge County
• Sierra Cain, Lincoln County
• Alexa Carter, Butler County
• Addison Cotton, York County
• Aleyna Cuttlers, Lancaster County
• Evan Hartman, Dodge County
• Jaci Larsen, Garfield County
• Creyton Line, Buffalo County
• Caleb Most, Keith County
• Abigail Owens, Dawson County
• Thomas Perrin, Keith County
• Kaylee Powell, Hall County
• Kyle Rote, Garden County
• Carson Sullivan, Hall County
• Gregory Treffer, Dawson County
• Olivia Vanderford, Lancaster County
• Spencer Walahoski, Dawson County
• Paige Wood, Nance County

The Nebraska 4-H Foundation provides up to $22,000 worth of scholarships each year to graduating seniors who have been actively involved in 4-H. To learn more about Nebraska 4-H Foundation Scholarships, please visit Ne4HFoundation.org/Scholarships.

The Nebraska 4-H Foundation is excited to announce the 2023 Governor's Agricultural Excellence Awards winners. Seventeen 4-H Clubs were selected to receive $500 grants to complete projects that will have lasting and meaningful impacts on their communities.

The following clubs have been awarded the 2023 Governor’s Agricultural Excellence Award:

• Country Kids 4-H Club, Boone County
• Minute Milker 4-H Club, Clay County
• Dog Gone Fun 4-H Club, Custer County
• Pathfinders 4-H Club, Gage County
• Grant County 4-H Council, Grant County
• Cloverdale 4-H Club, Holt County
• Shining Stars 4-H Club, Holt County
• 5-Star 4-H Club, Lancaster County
• Fusion 4-Hers, Lancaster County
• Hunter’s Pride, Lancaster County
• Lancaster County Teen Council, Lancaster County
• Blossomfield 4-H Club, Polk County
• Clover Rovers 4-H Club, Polk County
• Sheridan County Jr. Leaders, Sheridan County
• Badger Buddies 4-H Club, Washington County
• Tomorrow’s Leaders 4-H Club, Washington County
• Webster County Wranglers, Webster County.

The Nebraska 4-H Foundation’s Governor’s Agricultural Excellence Awards, sponsored by the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority, NIFA, is a prestigious award designed to recognize 4-H clubs for their efforts to serve their communities. For more information about the Governor's Agricultural Excellence Awards, visit Ne4HFoundation.org.

Ruben Behnke, a climatologist specializing in the practical application of meteorological data, is the new manager of the Nebraska Mesonet. (IANR News image) Behnke, who worked more than five years with the South Dakota Mesonet, began his duties as Nebraska Mesonet manager earlier this spring.

Whitish spots (stippling) are an indication of black grass bugs feeding, which can be managed by intense spring and fall grazing, hay removal, and foliar insecticides for severe infestations. (Photo courtesy Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University) This week — irrigation strategies for moisture-stressed alfalfa prior to first cutting, controlling black grass bugs in wheatgrass, and techniques for stretching pasture.

Nebraska Extension Weed Management Specialist Amit Jhala discusses the effect of dry soil conditions on activation of residual herbicides in corn and what can be done to control weeds.

With the arrival of severe weather season, N Field Observations highlights the importance of reviewing and updating insurance policies for your ag operation.

Figure 1. Early installation of sensors helps minimize root and leaf damage and makes it easy to get around the field with the pickup or ATV to install the equipment. Many producers in Nebraska will need to irrigate in June to refill the soil profile before high water demand begins in July, but there are numerous factors to consider when calculating the appropriate irrigation amounts.

Prolonged and extreme drought conditions have increased the potential for problematic grasshopper populations this growing season. Producers seeking information about grasshopper control can contact their local extension educator for more assistance. (Photo by Troy Walz) Prolonged drought conditions have increased the potential for problematic grasshopper populations this growing season, particularly for counties in the western two-thirds of Nebraska.

Registration is due by June 16 for all the workshops, which will cover the application process and eligibility requirements for USDA insurance programs and explain how they can be used to mitigate price risk. (Center for Ag Profitability photo) Specific insurance programs that will be covered during the workshops are Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage (PRF), Livestock Risk Protection (LRP) and Annual Forage insurance (AF).

Though most of western Nebraska is now free of drought or in moderate drought, recent rainfall hasn't been sufficient to improve eastern Nebraska's exceptional drought status, and annual rainfall deficits continue to escalate for the area.

Nebraska researchers evaluated two no-till, non-irrigated cropping systems from 2018 to 2020 to compare the effects of livestock grazing in a corn-soybean and corn-soybean-wheat rotation on crop productivity.

When irrigating fields early due to drought, the most reliable method to know when and how much to irrigate is to monitor soil moisture at multiple depths. For producers who are irrigating early this year due to drought, it's critical to monitor soil moisture to balance crop needs with the risk of losing nitrogen and other valuable crop inputs, and also to avoid the expense of over-irrigating.

Historical crop progress data for Nebraska is available at USDA. As of June 4, progress on sorghum and dry edible bean planting was significantly behind last year's pace, and soybean planting was nearly finished.

The crop water use report is updated weekly. Visit PHREC AgLab for more information.

Estimated crop water use for Nebraska Panhandle crops for the week of June 5.