FarmBits Podcast: Granular Guidance for Nitrogen Management
High Plains Ag Lab Field Day June 15 will be Face-to-Face, and Include Anniversary Celebration
Wheat Disease Update
Beware of Stocking Rate Creep
Is your average cow size greater than it was ten or twenty years ago? As breed genetics and harvest weights change, the cows grazing pasture today tend to be larger than they were 10 or 20 years ago. Larger cows eat more, and if an operation is running the same number of cows today for the same amount of time on the same amount of rangeland as 10 or 20 years ago, the stocking rate has increased. But has the forage production increased to match the stocking rate?
Spanish:Q/A: Questions about Soybean Emergence and Stands
Tips for Managing Free Choice Mineral Intake
Free choice mineral mixes are commonly used to provide the mineral that grazing cattle need. However, ensuring that cattle are getting enough mineral without overconsuming can be a struggle. Being on either side of the spectrum can be costly either in reduced performance due to deficiency or in increased feed cost due to over consumption. An extra 1 oz per cow per day can cost $4 to 8 per cow per year. If your mineral mix is designed to meet the cows needs at 4 oz per day, intake above this only adds unnecessary cost.
Spanish:Are Livestock Producers Willing to Pay for Traceability Programs?
The following is a summary of the webinar “Are Livestock Producers Willing to Pay for Traceability Programs?” given on February 4, 2021, as part of the Department of Agricultural Economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Farm and Ranch Management team’s weekly webinar series. The webinar can be accessed at https://farm.unl.edu/webinars.
Spanish:Forage Production, Beef Cows and Stocking Density and Their Implications for Partial Herd Liquidation Due to Drought
This article was first published in the May 11, 2021 edition of “In the Cattle Markets.”
Spanish:Lawn Care and Young Children: Creating a Safe and Fun Place to Play
Spring is in full swing here in Nebraska and our family is spending a lot more time outside. As I walked around our yard this week, I realized I needed to do something to help get our less than stellar yard in better condition. We have been trying to get our lawn healthy so it can withstand the wear and tear of 2 young children and 2 dogs (we are getting a new puppy next week!) playing on it year-round.
So, what does lawn care have to do with early childhood? For our family, this is simple. Safety. We’d like to have a yard with enough grass that we don’t end up with a muddy mess, but we don’t want to risk our kids or pets getting sick from whatever we apply to the lawn. I reached out to my fellow Extension Educator, John Fech, who is a horticulturist. One of his areas of specialization is turf grass. He responded quickly, and even wrote this wonderful blog so we could share the helpful information with you!
Check it out here: https://grobigred.com/2021/04/22/lawns-kids-pets/
John shares details about these 4 big takeaways
- Follow the instructions exactly!
- Break the application into 2 or 3 part
- This one was a huge ‘ah-ha!’ moment for me. Don’t do your front and back yard all on the same day. Get the backyard done, but still have safe access to your front yard. Simple…but genius!
- Know how the product works – foliage active – work on the leaves, root active – goes into the ground
- Mow – Fertilize – Water
Remember, Children Thrive Outside….so use these helpful hints to make sure your yard is functional and safe for your whole family!
KATIE KRAUSE, EXTENSION EDUCATOR | THE LEARNING CHILD
Peer Reviewed by Jaci Foged, Kara Kohel, and Lynn DeVries Extension Educators, The Learning Child
Make sure to follow The Learning Child on social media for more research-based early childhood education resources!
Living Room Learning is back, and it's a plus for everyone!
Living Room Learning is back for the summer of 2021 - and it's a plus for everyone!
Living Room Learning+ offers hands-on, virtually guided activities for youth. Each session focuses on a new activity that can be completed with inexpensive, easy-to-find materials. The finished product may be showcased as an exhibit at the local county fair (optional). A career connection to the project will also be made. Each session will be recorded and made available on-demand. Youth do not need to be 4-H members to participate.
Living Room Learning+New Drought Center Dashboard Steps Ranchers Through Key Questions
When faced with developing drought, ranchers often have questions. How severe is this drought? How long could it last? Is this as bad as the last drought we experienced, or is it the worst one? What are the chances it rains enough to produce normal forage over the coming weeks or months, and how much rain would be needed for a “normal” grazing year?
Spanish:Pasture and Forage Minute: Time for Forage Program Analysis, Fertilizing Grasses and Spurge Control
Implants Equate to Efficiency in Stocker Cattle
This spring as the grass continues to green up yearling cattle will find their way to the pastures of the great plains for summer grazing. Cattle are stocked on grass pasture this time of year due to its additional nutritive quality that equates to gains, relative to dormant pastures, prior to entering the feedlot. One economically justifiable way to make stocker cattle more efficient on grass is by administering implants. Utilization of implants in stocker cattle can increase average daily gain by 5-20%, improve feed efficiency by 5-15%, and improve lean tissue deposition by 5-12%.
Spanish:Timing is Key for Managing Common Mullein Invasion
Common mullein (Verbascim thapsus) is an increasing concern to grassland managers as the aggressive forb spreads from old fields, disturbed areas, and rights-of-ways into healthy, native grasslands. This invasion has prompted state and county officials in Nebraska, Colorado, and Wyoming to list the weed as a state or county noxious weed.
Spanish: