Feed aggregator

In a recently published article, UNL researchers help shed light on common questions related to using cover crops as a way to meet soil health goals.

Saturday, October 1, 2022

Nebraska beef producers and corn growers can enhance their operations by attending the 2022 Cover Crop Grazing Conference. Scheduled for November 1, 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 9:00 a.m.  Educational programs are from 10 a.m. – 2:45 p.m. and include a producer panel session and live field demonstrations.   

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Figure 1. Departure from normal precipitation during 2022 growing season in Nebraska. In irrigated or dryland areas with normal production, the management practices may continue as normal, but for dryland areas with drastic yield reductions, there is potential for nitrogen fertilizer adjustment for the 2023 crop.

Saturday, October 1, 2022

Nebraska Extension will host a Fall 2022 BeefWatch Webinar Series. This free webinar series is targeted to help cow/calf producers make management and feeding decisions this winter. Each session will feature industry experts and plenty of opportunity to interact to get your questions answered. More information about the BeefWatch Webinar Series can be found on our webpage: https://beef.unl.edu/beefwatch-webinar-series

Each webinar will begin at 8:00 PM Central Time.  

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The Nebraska Rural Response Hotline is hosting three workshops in December that will help producers form business succession plans and better understand tax measures such as the inheritance tax and federal transfer tax.

Harvest is progressing at average pace for all crops except dry edible beans, which continues to lag last year's harvest pace by 16%. Winter wheat emergence is also behind at 4% as of Sept. 25, compared to the average 15% for this time of year.

Saturday, October 1, 2022

Nebraska rangelands lost over 419,000 tons of plant biomass production in 2019 due to woody plant encroachment1. This was determined using new monitoring technology that tracks production losses as a result of increasing tree cover since 1990. Encroachment by species like eastern redcedar can reduce forage production by up to 75% in heavily invaded locations and is among the greatest threat to Great Plains grasslands.

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Following last year's atypical infestation of fall armyworm caterpillars, extension educators urge preparedness in the event of a reoccurrence this fall. Plus — why overgrazing is a good strategy prior to interseeding legumes, and best options for controlling thistle in pastures.

Saturday, October 1, 2022

There are three critical time periods that occur during drought. These are immediately before, during, and following drought. These phases appear to be separate and are usually described as such. However, there is overlap between them that may encompass a period of six to nine months. The goal of drought planning before a drought occurs should focus on reducing the negative impacts that occur during the drought. The goal of drought planning during the drought should focus on short-term and long-term pasture recovery.

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Saturday, October 1, 2022

It seems the year is just flying by with fall already upon us, which means it is about time for the “Fall Run”. Millions of cattle are being transported across the U.S. over many miles. A past Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) surveyindicated that feeder calves traveling to Texas or Nebraska feedyards traveled 468 ± 415 miles.

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Topics covered during the daylong workshop will include livestock risk protection, expectations for the 2023 Farm Bill, outlooks for crop and livestock markets, how crop insurance fraud is investigated, macroeconomic trends and climate trends.

Santosh Pitla poses with the Flex-Ro autonomous tractor in June 2019. (Photo by Greg Nathan, University Communication) The research team is investigating the security and hackability of autonomous farm vehicles and other precision ag equipment using Flex-Ro, the fully autonomous agricultural robot created by UNL's Biological Systems Engineering Department.

Figure 1. Combines can spread weed seeds during harvest, resulting in higher weed pressure. Significant amounts of foreign material accumulates in different parts of a combine, enabling weed seeds to easily spread during harvest; however, weed seed distribution can be reduced by targeting specific areas of the combine for a quick cleanout before and after harvest.

After widespread precipitation in the second half of this week, dry weather and temperatures returning to the 70s and 80s should dominate the last full week of September through the first full week of October.

Extension educators cover the variables involved in testing hay quality and what pests may sneak in with your imported hay — plus, why harvesting some corn a little early might be a good strategy for grazing this year.

There are four dates scheduled for free, in-person farm and ag law clinics in October. 

With drought intensity persisting across Nebraska, there has been no improvement yet this month for pasture and range conditions, which are currently 50% very poor. Crop conditions remained relatively stable as of the Sept. 18 report.

The public has until Oct. 7 to provide feedback on proposed changes to atrazine restrictions, to inform the EPA of knowledge gaps, considerations or concerns that they would like addressed.

Farmers and auto drivers must work together to ensure safe roadways for all this harvest season.

Due to Nebraska's intense drought conditions, which increase the risk for combine fires, Nebraska Extension urges producers to take every precaution available to harvest safely this year. As crop residue starts the majority of combine fires, it's vital to clean equipment every day after harvesting, allow it to cool off before storing inside a machine shed, and avoid harvesting when conditions are at peak risk of fire.