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Thursday, March 7, 2024 Weather Summary

Temperatures this summer are generally expected to be seasonally warm and total precipitation is expected to be average to below average statewide. Rapid drought development or intensification is not likely but cannot be discounted.

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With recent warm weather, army cutworms have been spotted in southern Sioux County and central Lincoln County. Producers should begin scouting for this pest to mitigate crop damage, particularly in winter wheat and alfalfa.

Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska announces the opening of registration for membership for its highly-anticipated 2024 season. Spearheaded by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Buy Fresh Buy Local bridges the gap between producers, sellers and buyers eager for foods grown right here in the Cornhusker state.

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

For many farm and ranch families, bringing children or grandchildren into the operation is the ultimate goal. Successfully bringing additional family members into the operation may require some creativity, as all parties need to maintain a viable standard of living. This series of articles will highlight ideas and tactics for bringing another family member into the operation.

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The 2024 Weed Management Field Day will feature on-site demonstrations of new technology and herbicides for corn, soybean and sorghum. This year's Weed Management Field Day will feature in-person tours and field experiments to give attendees a closer look at new herbicides and technologies.

Monday, March 4, 2024

Getting first time mother cows bred for the second time is probably one of the strongest challenges for most beef producers. It can be extremely frustrating at the time of pregnancy diagnosis to find a high percentage of those young cows, the future of the cowherd, to be open. More importantly, it is expensive.

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In this episode, the FarmBits team chats with Caro Córdova about emerging soil health technologies and resources for producers in Nebraska.

Resources are available for people who want to help producers affected by fires, and the affected producers. A meeting March 12 will provide more information. (UNL Beef photo by David Orr) Central Nebraska producers seeking help with wildfire recovery are encouraged to attend to an informational meeting on March 12 in North Platte.

Chances are increasing for precipitation late next week, with potential for snow in western Nebraska and significant moisture in the eastern region.

A farmer walks a weedy sugarbeet field at a weed tour in June at the UNL Panhandle Research Extension and Education Center in Scottsbluff. (Photo by Chabella Guzman) Academics, industry leaders, and impacted stakeholders will discuss Palmer amaranth's current and anticipated impacts across the Midwest during this free, live-streamed event.

Hosted by Science for Success, a three-part webinar beginning March 8 will provide soybean producers with insights from university faculty and extension specialists across the nation on numerous production challenges. The three-part webinar series in March will discuss soybean production considerations such as planting dates, seed treatments, fertilizer, fungicide, late season dessication and more.

This CAP webinar on farm electricity costs features discussion from F. John Hay, extension educator — energy, UNL Department of Biological Systems Engineering, and Rick Stowell, professor and animal environmental engineer, UNL Department of Animal Science. This webinar explores how farms are charged for electricity and ways to identify and possibly slash costs.

Housing, insurance and vehicles can provide another form of compensation for returning farm or ranch family members. However, it's best for all family members in the operation to get non-monetary compensation in writing before any official employment begins. The first in a series of Center for Agricultural Profitability articles that will highlight ideas and tactics for bringing another family member into the operation.

Thursday, February 29, 2024

From genetics to feed and management, everything the beef industry works toward comes together in the feedyard. 

Students in the University of Nebraska—Lincoln’s Timmerman Feedyard Management Internship see how all those things interact and ultimately produce the beef that feeds millions.

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(From left) James Schnable, Rebecca Roston and Toshihiro Obata hold young sorghum plants outside of the Bioscience Greenhouses on City Campus. The researchers are part of a $1.8 million grant from the National Science Foundation to try to boost the cold tolerance of sorghum, and eventually corn and other crops, by harnessing the power of the plant’s circadian rhythms. (Photo by Craig Chandler, University Communication and Marketing) Researchers are examining the way sorghum uses fats and chemicals for defense against low temperatures, and comparing it to the cold tolerance characteristics of foxtail millet to find answers.

Nebraska Dry Bean Growers Association President Dan Hinman (left) leads a raffle with help from Lesli Howell, NDBGA office manager/Bean Bag editor. Attendees of the event heard from the Nebraska Department of Ag about ongoing initiatives to expand the dry bean export market, and learned more about the 2024 weather outlook.

Rajib Saha (left), Richard L. and Carol S. McNeel associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, and Niaz Bahar Chowdhury, doctoral student. (Photo by Craig Chandler, University Communication and Marketing) Scientists involved in the study are investigating the creation of new hybrids and utilizing beneficial fungus to mitigate temperature stress in corn.

Thursday, February 29, 2024 Cattle producers in central Nebraska affected by recent wildfires are invited to attend an informational meeting to learn about resources available to help them recover. The meeting is Tuesday, March 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the West Central Research, Extension and Education Center in North Platte and will include a free meal sponsored by Nebraska Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster. Please RSVP to the Lincoln Logan-Logan-McPherson County Extension office. Spanish: 

The 2024 TAPS program will include sprinkler corn and continuous corn competitions in North Platte, Nebraska, the sorghum competition in Grant, Nebraska, and a new soybean competition near Mead, Nebraska. The March 21 Kickoff Event is open to the public and will usher in the 2024 TAPS Competition, which features a new soybean contest at ENREEC for contestants.

Wednesday, February 28, 2024 Q: Should I adjust stocking rates for my burned pasture/rangeland?

A: Rainfall in May and June will be most critical and should be the guiding factor affecting stocking rate decisions. With adequate rainfall, adjustments to stocking rate are not necessary. Research from the Great Plains shows that dormant-season fires do not reduce above-ground herbaceous production. In fact, plant regrowth following fire is considerably higher in quality which could lead to increased animal performance.

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