University of Nebraska Lincoln Extension Beef Team Annual Beef Heifer Replacement Forecast for 2022 Production Season
What is a respectable beef replacement heifer value for the coming 2022 production season?
Spanish:Agronomy and Horticulture Seminar Series Begins Feb. 4
Be Well to Teach Well with Mindfulness Practices
As a guiding teacher for Cultivating Healthy, Intentional, Mindful Educators (CHIME) with Nebraska Extension, I have the pleasure of guiding early childhood teachers as they learn about, explore and practice the concept of mindfulness.
What is mindfulness?
“Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention here and now, with kindness and curiosity, so that we can change our behavior. – Dr. Amy Saltzman
“Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way; on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally” – Jon Kabat-Zinn
Why Practice Mindfulness?
- Research suggests it may protect individuals from the effects of adversity on mental health and physical health
- We can alter our perceptions and reactions through interventions that teach the practice of mindfulness
- It may improve relationships and learning
Our nation is stressed right now with concerns over our health and well-being. Early childhood professionals are not exempt. Childcare is facing many challenges including workforce development, keeping up with COVID-19, managing staff shortages, overall health concerns, financial stressors associated with the childcare business, and personal concerns that accompany low wages in early childhood.
Children benefit from teachers who are mindfully present—consciously attending and responding to their needs (Jennings et al. 2017). In other words, teachers must be well to teach well.
Through frequent and consistent practice with mindfulness, one can build the capacity to be fully aware in the moment. We can then focus more intentionally on the children in our care and begin to discover what an infant or toddler is revealing to us. We begin to observe, notice, and reflect on what is happening both for the child and inside of us. These insights create a rich environment where relationships with children, families, and colleagues are nurtured (Siegel 2007).
Isn’t being fully present with the children in our care what we all really want?
Research shows that for mindfulness to be effective with children, it must begin with the teacher. Thus, our CHIME class focuses on learning mindful practices to move teachers from reactive states of mind to being more reflective in their interactions with others. In CHIME, the practice is frequent and consistent over the course of 8 weeks.
The Benefits for Children:
Mindfulness has been shown to help children build skills for social awareness, self-management, strong relationships, and decision-making.
In her book “The Mindful Child,” Susan Kaiser Greenland refers to the “new ABCs of learning; attention, balance, and compassion.” In practicing mindfulness skills children learn to soothe and calm themselves, paying close attention to what is going on around them.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) shares Recommendations for teachers
At home:
- Experiment with being present during an everyday activity, such as washing the dishes. Notice the temperature of the water, the feel of the suds, and the sound the water makes on the dishes. Focus your attention on your physical movements.
- Sit for five minutes during the day and close your eyes. Pay attention to the sensations of your breathing. Count your breaths up to 10 and repeat until the five minutes are up. If your mind wanders—which it probably will—acknowledge the thoughts and bring your focus back to your breath. Try not to judge your thoughts, feelings, or sensations.
At work:
- Before entering work, take a few moments to intentionally refocus your thoughts. Notice what emotions you are feeling or thoughts you are having. Place a hand on your heart and take a deep breath while recognizing these feelings. Then enter the room.
- Before picking up a baby, pause to take a few deep belly breaths, and slow down. Speak to the baby about what you are doing as you reach out and interact.
- When changing or feeding a child, pause and notice your feelings and body. Then look at the child, make eye contact, smile, and talk about the present moment.
In our Cultivating Healthy Intentional Mindful Educators (CHIME) class this week, many of the preschool teachers were eager to share how they have been practicing mindful breathing and mindful movement, and how they have incorporated some of the breathing techniques into their classroom practices as well.
NAEYC shares the following strategies for adults
- Deep belly breathing: put your hand on your belly and inhale deeply as you count to four, feeling your belly rise. Pause at the top of your inhale, then exhale for a count of six, feeling your belly contract. Repeat five times.
- Progressive relaxation: intentionally contract all of the muscles in your body. Beginning with your toes and moving up to your head, relax your muscles.
- Mental body scan: beginning with your toes and moving up to your head, notice any tension in your body and intentionally relax those areas. (This technique is especially helpful to ensure that you are calm and ready before attending to a task such as a diaper change.)
- Intentional refocusing, take a few moments to bring your mind into the present. For example, without moving, notice 10 items of the same color. Or, using your five senses, notice the sensations you are experiencing.
Zero to Three shares Mindful practices for teachers and families to try when adults or children are experiencing big emotions. It is important to first practice these strategies when children are in a state of calm, in order to use them effectively when big emotions do arise.
There also many informal ways to practice mindfulness such as paying close attention to simple daily activities, like brushing your teeth or washing the dishes. For example, when you brush your teeth, notice the feel of the brush, the taste of the toothpaste, the temperature of the water. There is no single mindfulness activity or technique that works for everyone; whatever helps direct your attention to the current moment is a great way to practice.
As you begin your mindfulness practice, The CHIME program suggests asking yourself these reflective questions,
- What feelings am I having?
- What am I sensing in my body? Where do I notice it?
- What am I noticing about my thoughts? My actions?
- What urges do I feel? What do I feel pulled toward? Away from?
- Do I feel in balance? Out of balance?
- How can this help me better understand the situation (as a caregiver, parent)?
- What will happen if I just lean back and take a deep breath? Another?
May you be well to teach well. What practices do you think you would like to try?
LYNN DEVRIES, EARLY CHILDHOOD EXTENSION EDUCATOR | UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA
Peer Reviewed by Jaci Foged and Erin Kampbell, Early Childhood Extension Educators
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Planning for Spring Annual Forages
While we are still early in the new year, it is time to start planning and thinking about any spring annual forages that we might plant. Part of the process may be anticipating a need for extra feed or booking seed early for possible discounts.
Spanish:2022 Beef Feedlot Roundtables in Bridgeport, North Platte, West Point
Beef feedlot managers, owners, employees and allied industries will learn new information related to feedlot price reporting, health, labor and sustainability at Nebraska Extension’s 2022 Beef Feedlot Roundtables Feb. 22-24 in Bridgeport, North Platte and West Point.
Spanish:Cow Nutrition Considerations at Calving and Early Lactation
This article was originally featured in Progressive Cattle.
Spanish:The Value of Hay as Fertilizer
This time of year, many producers are feeding cows hay. Have you ever stopped to think about what the dollar value of the nutrients in the hay are worth as fertilizer once they have been processed by the cow?
Mature cows at maintenance should excrete 100% of the nutrients they consume in terms of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
Spanish:Crop Progress: Winter Wheat Condition 33% Good
Former Rural Fellows say Program Helped Them Gain Skills, Knowledge
Rural Prosperity Nebraska’s Rural Fellowship program recently finished its eighth year. Since 2013, students from around the globe have spent their summers living, working and serving in rural Nebraska communities. During their immersive internships, Student Fellows have strengthened towns’ websites, created hike-and-bike trails and initiated small-business development programs, among other community development projects.
RPN Newsletter—First Quarter 2022
Our newsletter for the first quarter of 2022 is here!
Download the latest updates from the RPN team on community developement and vitality in Nebraska.
Feedlots Towards Estimated National Herd Contraction
This article was first published by In the Cattle Markets on Jan. 18, 2022.
Spanish:Silage for Beef Cattle Conference: Small Grain Silage Set for March 17th
Attend in-person or online to learn how to reduce costs and improve feed quality of small grain silages.
Nebraska Extension, Lallemand Animal Nutrition and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach are hosting the fourth Silage for Beef Cattle Conference on March 17, 2022. This year the focus is on how to get the most out of small grain silages. Registration is free and producers have the option to either stream the conference online or attend in-person at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center in Ithaca, Neb.
Spanish: