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The 2022 Fall Seed Guide includes details on yield, protein, test weight, ratings for disease characteristics, location summaries and weather information from this year's winter wheat trials.

Though corn and soybean crop conditions experienced a slight decrease as of Aug. 28, sorghum condition dropped another 15% over last week.

While planting cover crops after harvest with a drill or planter may be the most convenient, there are several other planting methods that can increase cover crop success as measured by biomass production.

Friday, September 2, 2022

Hay production has been reported to be 50% of average or less in many areas of Nebraska. The U.S. hay supply is at a 50-year low (Table 1). Couple this information with rising costs (Figure 1) and it becomes prudent to plan fall, winter, and next spring’s hay needs sooner rather than later. Inventory your feed and hay resources now to know what you need. Checking prices and availability now will go a long way to reducing the anxiety of what we will feed our cows this fall and winter.

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(Ages Birth to Eighteen Months)

Image source: Canva

Think you don’t have time to be creative?  We can’t give you more hours in the day, but we can   find creative activities to do with your child that don’t require any “extra” time.

From birth to eighteen months, creative play is very essential to development.  When children participate in creative play, they are actively learning about their world.  Activities in music, dance, art and story-telling can enrich their play and stimulate self-confidence and language development.

For the young child, these activities will mostly be one-on-one with their caregiver. Caregivers have the closest view of each child’s interests and responses and can quickly cater to those interests.

Birth to Three Months

Maybe you’ve noticed your baby turning toward sounds and voices.  Now is a great time to encourage your baby’s growing awareness of language and music.  For instance, when your baby begins to coo, respond by repeating those sounds.  Encourage your baby’s interest in music by singing while rocking your baby, patting your baby in time to a song, or holding your child close and swaying to music.

Three to Eight Months

Now your child is beginning to make sounds such as cooing, babbling or maybe even some repetitive sounds like Dada or Mama. Your child may also be turning toward voices and focusing on faces or objects.  Watch for new responses from your child when you try some of the following activities:

• Let your child touch objects that have texture or make sounds.

            Name objects as your child touches them.

• Listen to singing or instruments.

            Clap or sway in time to the music.

• Read nursery rhymes, sing lullabies, or play pat-a-cake.

• Read picture books and point to pictures while naming objects.

• Tell stories and songs while making faces, gesturing and adding sound effects.

Image source: Canva

Eight to Eighteen Months

What great changes you will see at this age!  Since each child develops at their own pace, keep in mind that the following may happen in any sequence:

• Anticipates in peek-a-boo and hide-and-seek

• Understands “all gone” and “bye-bye” and may begin repeating some words

• Stacks blocks

• Holds large crayons and can make marks on paper

• Crawls, pulls up to standing position, walks, climbs

• Shows affection and expresses frustration

Image source: Canva

You may already be doing some of these activities with your child, but look for a few new ideas to add.

• Encourage making sounds with voice or clapping

• Play instruments such as shakers, bells and toy drums

• Practice balance by swaying while sitting or standing

• Show emotion through voice and facial expression

• Move to different play areas inside or outside

• Play music and move child’s feet, legs and hands to the beat

• Play clapping games within songs

• Touch and talk about shapes, textures and colors

• Hang pictures at child’s eye level then count, describe or compare

• Read stories using character voices and gestures

• Finger paint with water or draw with large crayons

Now relax and have fun with activities to spark your child’s attention and creativity!  You will soon be seeing the world through their eyes!

Explore more developmental milestones in our NebGuide, Ages and Stages 0-12 months https://extensionpublications.unl.edu/assets/pdf/g2103.pdf

We also invite you to check out our Beautiful Day video on Infant Games https://mediahub.unl.edu/media/12768 or click here to view Reading with Infants and toddlers  https://mediahub.unl.edu/media/12665

Linked Resource:  Creative Connections:  Young Children and the Arts

Published by the Maryland State Department of Education in May 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!

Nebraska 4-H awarded fifty-two youth with the Members of Excellence distinction at the 2022 Nebraska State Fair. 4-H members earned the award for engaging in livestock-related learning experiences throughout the year in addition to caring for and exhibiting their 4-H livestock projects. Nebraska 4-H recognized Members of Excellence across all 4-H livestock project areas.

4-H members recognized as Members of Excellence in the beef project area included:

• Kaisha Alber, Webster County
• Cooper Elsen, Buffalo County
• Troy Linquist, Douglas/Sarpy County
• Ava Myers, Hamilton County
• Brayden Griess, Clay County
• AJ Pospichal, Holt County
• Mattie Brown, Scotts Bluff County
• Nathan Griess, Clay County
• Lilee Chevalier, Lancaster County
• Bryn Boitnott, Otoe County
• Ava Stewart, Cedar County
• Logan Schmidt, Thayer County
• Bo Pospichal, Holt County
• Maysa Jones, Custer County 
• Tatum Wright, Douglas/Sarpy County
• Tristian Wright, Douglas/Sarpy County
• Mahaya Jones, Custer County 
• Olivia Beel, Brown County 
• Trapper Wilcox, Antelope County 

Members of Excellence in the dairy project areas include:

• Kaitlyn Hanson, Saunders County
• Lilee Chevalier, Lancaster County

Youth who received the Member of Excellence distinction in the meat goat project area included:

• Randy Koke, Douglas/Sarpy County
• Arabella Rolfsmeyer, Buffalo County 
• Autumn Hoppe, Holt County
• Maysa Jones, Custer County
• JayLynn Hoppe, Holt County
• Brooke Carey, Holt County
• Miya Carey, Holt County
• Tatum Wright, Douglas/Sarpy County 
• Tristian Wright, Douglas/Sarpy County 
• Mahaya Jones, Custer County 

Youth recognized as Members of Excellence in the poultry project area included: /p>

• Franklin Polacek, Madison County
• Charles Cawley, Cass County
• Marcus Schultz, Madison County
• Katelyn Turek, Hall County
• Aiden Powers, Saunders
• Anne Nygren, Saunders County
• Mallory Beethe, Douglas/Sarpy County

Members of Excellence in the rabbit project area included:

• Grand Meister, Douglas/Sarpy County
• Tenley Bauman, Lancaster County
• Elisa Oberg, Frontier County
• Andrew Frain, Lancaster County

4-H members who received the Members of Excellence award in the sheep project area included:

• Grand Musil, Douglas/Sarpy County
• Addy Stanwick, Dixon County
• Cora Roth, Boyd County
• Lauren Brehm, Otoe County
• Katelyn Dorsey, Valley County
• Abigail Engelhardt, Webster County
• Trapper Wilcox, Antelope County 
• Arabella Rolfsmeyer, Buffalo County 

4-H members recognized as Members of Excellence in the swine project area included:

• Dierck White, Pierce County
• Kirsten Knake, Otoe County
• Kaden Knake, Otoe County
• Justus Kreifels, Otoe County
• Jolie Kreifels, Otoe County
• Hunter Creech, Scotts Bluff County
• Diego Velazco, Otoe County
• Olivia Beel, Brown County 
• Mollie Lambert, Cass County

Youth received the Member of Excellence distinction through the Livestock Achievement Program, which launched in 2021. Youth applied to participate in the program at the beginning of the year. Accepted participants set goals for their 4-H project experience and reported on their accomplishments. Participants were also required to complete quality assurance requirements and project record books. To learn more about the Livestock Achievement Program, visit 4h.unl.edu/livestock-achievement.

Grazing and ensiling may be the easiest ways for growers to handle drought-stressed soybeans this year. Nebraska Extension educators review forage considerations for growers faced with droughty soybeans, tips on measuring stands and assessing alfalfa field health and thresholds where grasshopper control may be warranted.

Estimated crop water use for Nebraska Panhandle crops for the week of Aug. 29.

Thursday, September 1, 2022

The Nebraska Women in Agriculture program, along with the Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Program, are excited to announce the second annual Herd That! Conference on Sept. 21, 2022, in Broken Bow, Nebraska with a pre-conference Sept. 20. The cattle handling demonstration will be one of the highlights of the program, along with the keynote speakers Courtenay Dehoff, #fancyladycowgirl, and ShayLe Stewart, DTN Livestock Analyst.

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Thursday, September 1, 2022

The long, hot days of summer are a stark contrast from the cold nights of calving season.  However, now is the time to start preparing for the arrival of the 2023 calf crop.  August or September is a prime month for ultrasound pregnancy diagnosis of your cow herd.

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Cornstalk residue is a tremendous resource for fall and winter grazing; however, care needs to be taken in grazing drought-stressed cornstalks due to the potential of high nitrates in the feed this year.

Youth from from Arlington, Colfax, Cuming and Johnson counties participated in this year's Youth Crop Scouting Competition, hosted by Nebraska Extension. First and second place winning teams will be headed to Indiana in mid-September to represent Nebraska in the regional youth crop scouting competition.

Factors such as the amount of water a soil can hold, the amount of water a crop will use until it reaches maturity, and the maximum allowable soil water depletion should be considered when deciding the last few irrigations of the season.

The Glendo powerplant — a part of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program that controls water use for the entire basin — supplies power to Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming. (Photo by Gary Stone) Extension Educator Gary Stone discusses the history and functions of the Glendo Unit, which controls water use for the Missouri River Basin and generates hydropower for Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming.

Two sessions of this workshop will discuss how anxiety shows up, why it can be a reaction to uncertainty, and offer advice for developing skills to manage anxiety and its effects.

Photo by Realagstock; courtesy Center for Agricultural Profitability What does it really take to financially employ another family member on the operation? CAP Director Larry Van Tassell explains how to determine fair and accurate compensation.

There's little relief in sight from intensifying drought conditions across the state — temperatures will remain in the 80s and mid-90s next week, with a small chance of showers Aug. 26 in northern Nebraska and Aug. 28 in eastern Nebraska.

Thursday, September 1, 2022

Drought conditions influenced forage and grain production for nearly two years.  Forage and grain yields are expected to be somewhere between 1/3 and ½ of normal.  Pasture yield is also low or already out.  Feeding and managing cows while coping with these conditions is a challenge complicated further by costs associated with feed delivery.   Cow-calf producers must incorporate three considerations that greatly affect cow feeding costs under current economic conditions:  feeding group size, energy density of feed and fuel cost. 

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Thursday, August 25, 2022

Southeast Nebraska farmers can sharpen their management strategies for the third and fourth most grown crops at the second annual Southeast Nebraska Alfalfa and Wheat Expo. Hosts and southeast Nebraska Water & Integrating Cropping Systems Extension Educator, Nathan Mueller, and southeast Nebraska Beef Systems Extension Educators, Wayde Pickinpaugh and Connor Biehler advocate for more diverse crop rotations that are both underutilized and undervalued.

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Six leaders in Nebraska resource conservation and the Nebraska Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) were honored by the International SWCS this year.