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Manure application on frozen or snow-covered soil poses a higher risk of nutrient loss through runoff. A blanket of fresh white snow and icicles hanging from the trees and fences make for beautiful winter photos. They don’t, however, make for beautiful manure application weather.

Image Source: by K Kohel in Canva

Traditions, rituals, and routines are good for all of us. They contribute to a shared sense of meaning, increase our connection to others, and can even support resilience in difficult or stressful times. The winter holiday season is one that is looked forward to by many families and young children. Various traditions bring family and friends of all ages together to share meals, exchange gifts, and simply be in the presence of loved ones.

The 2020 holiday season is not exempt from the changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. We know this holiday season may be experienced differently by many of our readers, and we want to acknowledge any feelings of confusion, frustration, sadness, or anger that you may be experiencing. We hope this blog provides encouragement and a few ideas for connecting with loved ones and making this a meaningful holiday season.

Young children are often more perceptive of adult emotions than we expect. They may not understand why the adults in their lives are upset, but they can sense that something is not quite right. As adults, it is important that we model emotional awareness and self-regulation for young children and invite them into conversations about emotions. Read for Resilience is a Learning Child program that is free and available to all through our website. This program aims to help adults and children share conversations about difficult topics through the process of reading and discussing storybooks.

If this holiday season is made more difficult due to loss or feelings of grief, sadness, and frustration, consider a ritual that acknowledges those feelings and helps your family share them together. For example, if you have lost a loved one this year, consider making a special ornament to hang on your tree with their picture or a symbol that reminds you of their life. Use the hanging of this ornament as a special time to share memories of that person.

Although your traditions may look different this year, it is still important to connect with loved ones. If you are “gathering” with your family online, consider having a conversation with your children about why your traditions are important to you and your family. Ask older members of the family to share how some traditions have been passed down and others have changed over the years. Encourage older family members to reminisce about the holidays when they were children, and have young children talk about how things are both the same and different than they used to be. Have all members take time to share what they are grateful for. These intentional conversations help build relationships among the many generations in your family.

Finally, many families and communities of different backgrounds have special celebrations that occur throughout the year. In addition to celebrating your family’s treasured traditions – perhaps in new ways – consider taking the time to learn about the traditions and holidays of others.

Image source: by K Kohel, in Canva

For more on routines, rituals, and traditions during the holiday season, check out these other Learning Child blog posts:

1. Teaching Kindness and Giving with a Holiday Twist
2. Connect with Your Children this Holiday Season
3. Tips to Manage Holiday Stress
4. The Power of Storytelling
5. Keeping Routines is the Secret to a Calm Holiday

And these additional resources (also linked in the blog):

1. How Important is Thanksgiving Soup to a Child’s Wellbeing?
2. Creating Routines for Love and Learning
3. Let’s Use this Time to Strengthen, Not Weaken, Bonds Between Generations

Staying Connected During Social Distancing

KARA KOHEL, EXTENSION EDUCATOR | THE LEARNING CHILD

Peer Reviewed by Leanne Manning, , Lisa Poppe, 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!

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With the legalization of various hemp types across the United States, there is also interest in organic (chemical-free) production of hemp. This is especially true for those hemp types that are grown for various oils, for pharmaceutical and medical use, where chemical residues are not allowed. Weed control without chemicals can be challenging, however, one method of weed control that leaves no chemical residues in plants, soil or water is commonly known as flame weeding.

Tuesday, December 1, 2020

What is a respectable beef replacement heifer value for the coming 2020-2021 production season? The weather and COVID-19 gave the beef industry a wild ride this past year and may affect the decision to buy or sell replacement animals for the upcoming year.

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Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Grass tetany is considered a problem that usually occurs when cattle or sheep are eating lush, spring grass or annual cereal forages such as rye, wheat or triticale; but, it can also occur when cattle are being fed harvested forages.

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Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Inspections collect information about livestock facilities and are how the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) determines whether the facility is in compliance with regulations. There are two different kinds of inspections for livestock operations. Initial inspections help NDEE determine whether a permit is needed. Routine inspections allow the NDEE representative to make sure permitted operations are in compliance with their permit.

What facilities need to be inspected?

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Tuesday, December 1, 2020

With approximately 9.8 million acres of corn yielding an average of 182 bushels/acre, cornstalk residue can be an accessible and economical winter grazing forage option for producers in Nebraska. Historic research at the University of Nebraska has suggested cattle select mostly dropped corn, husks, and leaves. The total digestible nutrients (TDN) of the selected diet can be variable, but tends to range from 50-60% TDN.

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by Cara Pesek | IANR Media

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources will offer grants for communities that participate in the 2021 Rural Fellows program.

With harvest quickly wrapping up around the state, now is the perfect time to think about how you can minimize diseases next growing season. Reviewing diseases and the level they were present in your fields can help you select more disease-resistant corn hybrids and soybean varieties for the upcoming season.

As the 2020 growing season comes to an end, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will contact producers nationwide to gather final year-end crop production numbers and the amount of grain and oilseeds stored on their farms. At the same time, NASS will survey grain facility operators to determine year-end off-farm grain and oilseed stocks.

The Panhandle Research, Extension and Education Center is hosting a virtual field day, the “Panhandle Agricultural Research and Technology Tour – Plus” (PARTT Plus) on December 1 and 2 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.

Last year, Nebraska legalized industrial hemp, however, there are no herbicides available for use in hemp. Therefore, during the 2020 season we conducted five studies (four field studies at Mead and one in a greenhouse in Lincoln) to test hemp tolerance to various herbicides that are commonly used in corn and soybean.

Based on November 1 conditions, Nebraska's 2020 corn crop is forecast at a record 1.82 billion bushels, up 2% from last year's production. Soybean production is forecast at 299 million bushels, up 5% from last year. Sorghum production is forecast at 12.4 million bushels, up 3% from last year. And sugarbeet production is forecast at 1.48 million tons, up 38% from last year.

The wild fires that took place late this summer and early fall, located in Colorado and Wyoming, are almost completely controlled, but they still might affect agriculture throughout Nebraska during the next growing season and for years to come.

Interest and concern about micronutrient needs of soybean is common among farmers and agronomists in southeast Nebraska due to higher yields than in previous decades and the increased availability of micronutrient fertilizers in both liquid and dry formulations. Nine micronutrients are needed in small amounts by soybeans.