Feed aggregator

This course is designed to help farmers and ranchers understand their current financial position and how big decisions like large purchases, new leases or changes in production will affect their bottom line.

Murals have long been part of Nebraska’s culture. Omaha is home to “Fertile Ground,” one of the largest murals in the country at 32,500 square feet. Designers spent 40 years installing 20 murals in the State Capitol. This summer, Rural Fellow Faith Junck contributed to that culture by helping paint the newest of 12 murals in Chadron’s downtown Art Alley.

“I never thought that I would be able to help paint a mural because I’m not super artistic,” Junck said.

But in Chadron, anyone who was willing was welcomed to help.

Summer 2023 will mark the Rural Fellowship program’s 10th anniversary. The seven-week program, housed in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, places college students in Nebraska towns to help create and execute community-improvement projects.

(Eighteen to Thirty-Six Months)

Image source: Canva

This is an exciting time for caregivers of toddlers!  Every day brings new glimpses of personality and their expanding interests. Tap into your toddler’s creativity with a few inexpensive and low-stress creative activities.  Your child’s self-confidence and language will develop at a fast pace when participating in a variety of art, music, dance and story-telling activities.

Eighteen to Twenty-Four Months

At this age, you’ll notice your toddler finds undressing to be quick and fun but dressing is still difficult.  Physical coordination is also improving daily and you may notice your toddler standing on tiptoe, walking up and down stairs, and catching balls using both arms and chest.

Better watch what you say and do!  Your child is becoming an excellent mimic of action and voice.  Here are some creative activities to try:

• Hold hands with your child and move to music.  Let your movements vary from fast to slow, high to low, and forward to backward.

• When socks won’t stay on the feet, pretend socks on hands are puppets or animals.

• Visit the library and choose picture books.

                    Look at pictures and photos and tell stories.

• Act out favorite stories with simple props (toy phone, doll, scarves).

• Play with simple child-sized instruments.

• Creative art projects may use paper plates, Popsicle sticks, torn paper, nontoxic paint, or Play Dough.  As the caregiver, you will be supervising but allowing your child room to experiment.

Image source: Canva

Twenty-four to Thirty-Six Months

Growing into the “Terrific Twos” you will notice your child’s coordination improving and concentration lasting longer on some activities.  Since that attention span varies day-to-day, be ready to move on if an activity doesn’t “click” on a particular day. Here’s a wide variety of ideas to try:

• Draw on paper and name objects drawn

• Go outside and draw on sidewalks with water

• Complete puzzles that have large knobs on each piece

• String large beads

• Use motions for “Itsy, Bitsy Spider” or “I’m a Little Teapot”

• Experiment with brushes and paints, Play Dough and clay

• Create simple costumes using fabric or old clothes

• Play with puppets to retell stories or create new ones

• Point out shapes, textures, and colors when dressing

• Demonstrates loud/quiet and fast/slow when singing or dancing

• Demonstrate and explain light and dark colors and hard and soft pressure when drawing and coloring

Image source: Canva

For more information on developmental milestones, check out our NebGuide, Ages and Stages for Toddlers https://extensionpublications.unl.edu/assets/pdf/g2104.pdf

I also invite you to watch these short videos from our Beautiful Day series, Paint with Water https://mediahub.unl.edu/media/13293 and Exploring Shapes https://mediahub.unl.edu/media/13189 for more creative inspiration with your child. Discover and Design are packed full of ideas https://fitandhealthykids.unl.edu/discover-and-design.

Linked Resource:  Creative Connections:  Young Children and the Arts

by the Maryland State Department of Education in 2013

www.marylandhealthybeginnings.org

LA DONNA WERTH, EARLY CHILDHOOD EXTENSION EDUCATOR | UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA

Peer Reviewed by Jackie Steffen, Lisa Poppe, and Lynn DeVries, Early Childhood Extension Educators

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

Saturday, October 1, 2022

Storing big round hay bales by lining them up along the fence row may be easy, but it is not economical.  Baled forage probably constitutes the highest percentage of winter feed cost we have wrapped up in a cow. The production of hay uses immense resources, and the ration quality is affected by hay quality. Storing dry hay on the ground without cover causes greater amount of spoilage when compared to other methods of storage.

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Erin Ehnle Brown/realagstock (Photo courtesy Center for Agricultural Profitability) An update on fertilizer prices following the substantial hikes in 2021 due to high demand, drought, high fossil energy prices, supply-chain disruptions and trade policies.

Participants gather at the Greens Plains Inc. headquarters in Omaha on Aug. 26 for a trade issues conference cosponsored by the Yeutter Institute. (Photo by Jacy Thoman, Yeutter Institute) A recent ag-focused conference in Omaha featured presentations by UNL faculty that explained the fundamentals of international trade.

This Center for Agricultural Profitability webinar explores the major provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, including the climate and energy provisions, and those potentially affecting Nebraska agriculture.

Families will receive guidance on developing estate and transition plans, setting personal and professional goals and improving the communication process between family members.

USDA/Flickr (Public Domain) Nebraska Farm Business, Inc. Director Tina Barrett reviews factors that farmers and ranchers should take into consideration before applying for tax deferrals regarding drought-impacted crops and livestock.

Saturday, October 1, 2022

When some forages are frosted, the potential for bloat, toxicity, and nitrates may increase for grazing cattle.

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Saturday, October 1, 2022

It is often recommended that ranchers stock at a moderate stocking rate to avoid overgrazing and to manage for dry conditions. However, during severe multiyear droughts, even moderately stocked rangelands become overstocked, and managers are forced to sell breeding stock to adapt. Depending on market conditions during and after drought, liquidating breeding stock can have significant financial impacts on the operation. Developing plans that provide for interannual variability can give producers the opportunity to take advantage of above average years and prompt action in poor years.

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Saturday, October 1, 2022

This article was originally published by "In the Cattle Markets" in August 2022.

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Soil testing is the only way to accurately identify and monitor soybean cyst nematode, which may be the cause for unidentified yield loss identified during fall harvest.

At the end of the season, a nitrate test can help determine whether the crop was under-, adequately or over-fertilized with nitrogen, resulting in the potential to significantly reduce input costs.

Saturday, October 1, 2022

Corn harvest is just starting and with the shortage of forages this year, several corn fields will have corn stalks baled up.  With the majority of the state being in some variation of drought, the potential of a fire occurring and spreading rapidly is a topic of concern.  Here are a few tips and reminders to prevent fires from occurring.

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UNL researchers have developed the Cropland Reference Ecological Unit and Soil Health Gap concept to offer a method of describing the true soil health potential of land.