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On an early autumn morning, dozens of Native American middle and high school students gather to harvest and prepare their garden for winter. But these children aren’t farmers. They live in Lincoln and come to East Campus each Saturday as part of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Indigenous Youth Food Sovereignty Program.

Leaving stubble at the end of the growing season is a great way to catch snow, which will provide insulation to and prevent evaporation from the soil, protecting forages in the process. Extension educators review the nutritional value of cornstalk grazing and importance of leaving stubble at harvest to help build snow cover.

Historical crop progress data for Nebraska is available at USDA. As of Nov. 5, Nebraska winter wheat was in 50% good to excellent condition. Soybean harvest only progressed 3% from the prior week, standing at 95% complete.

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln Loft Gallery is featuring 4-H’ers artwork selected from over 600 entries at the Nebraska State Fair.

The 4-H visual art projects included in the show were completed this year but demonstrate mastery developed over many years in the project. The works were selected based on creativity, originality, and attention to detail. The show features a variety of mediums and techniques.

Young people with artwork in the exhibition include:

• Rylee Ward, 14
  Valentine, Cherry County 4-H
• Hayden Minchow, 14
  Seward, Seward County 4-H
• Taylor Honeyman, 14
  Omaha, Douglas County 4-H
• Sofia Schoeneck, 15
  Cedar Bluffs, Saunders County 4-H
• Isabelle Soden, 13
  Ceresco, Saunders County 4-H
• Emily Greenquist, 15
  Hastings, Adams County 4-H
• Faith Rasmussen, 18
  O’Neill, Holt County 4-H
• Piper Dather, 17
  Bloomfield, Knox County 4-H
• Mandy Sandoval, 17
  Wayneta, Chase County 4-H
• Mya Zohner, 17
  Battle Creek, Madison County 4-H
• Brooklyn Hightree, 14
  South Sioux City, Burt County 4-H
• Caydence Schumacher, 15
  Clearwater, Antelope County 4-H

The exhibit is in the Loft Gallery through December 2023. The Loft Gallery is located on the third floor of the East Campus Union. It is open to the public from 6:45 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to midnight Saturdays, and 9 a.m. to midnight Sundays.

The purpose of the 4-H visual arts project is to help youth develop life skills like critical and creative thinking, confident communication, decision-making, problem-solving and goal setting. 4-H is America’s largest youth development organization–empowering nearly six million young people nationwide and 140,000 across Nebraska with the skills to lead for a lifetime. Learn more at 4h.unl.edu.

USDA’s Agricultural Projections to 2033 report will be released in February 2024, and will feature full discussion of the commodity supply and use projections, and projections for farm income and global commodity trade. The tables to be released on Nov. 7 will include 10-year projections for major U.S. crops and livestock products.

Learn more about how to distinguish female Palmer Amaranth plants from their counterparts, and techniques for mitigating seed dispersal during corn harvest.

This farm succession webinar features discussion by Lisa Quist, the central regional vice president for Nationwide’s Land As Your Legacy® program, a division of the Nationwide Retirement Institute®. When it comes to transition planning, there is a close relationship between how well a family communicates and the probability of success. This webinar explores ways for families to communicate successfully.

All sessions of the 2024 Agricultural Outlook Forum will be livestreamed, and virtual attendance is free. See registration link below for more information. At the 2024 forum, more than 100 experts from government, industry and academia will share insights on commodity and food price outlooks, U.S. and global agricultural trade developments, agricultural innovations, climate change and the bioeconomy.

Richard Faflak, KZValve mechanical engineer, adjusts a valve at the annual Panhandle Agriculture Research and Technology Tour before a tour group goes by in June. (Photo by Chabella Guzman) The new value, created by KZValve of Greenwood, Nebraska, has self-power generating capabilities that could potentially be used in partial variable rate irrigation.

Nebraska Extension Educator Gary Stone counts bean loss after a combine has passed during harvest of an on-farm research study field in Alliance, Nebraska. An Alliance-based farmer recently finished his second season of research on the harvest management tool Pod Ceal, and Nebraska Extension educators are eager to share his results at the annual On-Farm Research Update meetings in early 2024.

In 2023, Nebraska 4-H lowered the age limit for participation in the Nebraska State Fair for all in-person events to nine years of age.  That change increased participation and provided more opportunities for youth to engage in learning experiences. 

Based on feedback and program objectives, the age of eligibility in 2024 will be eight years as of Jan. 1 of the current year for all in-person State Fair events as well as the Fonner Park State 4-H Horse Expo, Premier Animal Science Event and Premier Communications Event.  

Note: Some events will maintain different age eligibility requirements due to program-specific rules, such as shooting sports and FIRST robotics events. Always consult specific event information for age-eligibility requirements. 

All workshops during Ag SmartMoney Week are free to attend, but registration is encouraged. See details below. The series will include three in-person workshops across the state and seven online webinars covering topics related to risk management, estate and transition planning, land leasing and rental rates, human resources and technology.

Quality hay probes and good sampling techniques are important factors for accurate hay test results and will help producers save money on supplemental feed during the winter. Extension educators review considerations for managing livestock nutrition during the winter, from grazing pastures to feeding quality hay.

With the 2023 TAPS competition coming to an end, final results and winners will soon be announced. A brief summary of the irrigation decisions made in the TAPS sorghum, popcorn, SDI corn and sprinkler corn competitions this year.

As I write this, fall is just beginning, and it is time for fall festivals, garage sales and all sorts of activities as the temperatures cool off. How is your community celebrating the changing seasons? Are you working with neighboring communities to draw in larger crowds?

Starting in 2024, youth will be encouraged but not required to select projects during enrollment. Youth must still complete enrollment by June 15 to participate in their county fair or the Nebraska State Fair. Youth who complete enrollment will be eligible to exhibit in any project. Members are only eligible to exhibit in one county per project. 

Note: Horse and shooting sports projects will continue to require enrollment due to parental consent requirements. 

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Nebraska’s farm income is projected near $7.8 billion in 2023, according to a new report from the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF) at the University of Missouri, produced in conjunction with the Center for Agricultural Profitability at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. 

The report, “Fall 2023 Nebraska Farm Income Outlook,” indicates that Nebraska’s stronger 2023 farm income projection is driven largely by higher livestock prices and recovery in ending year inventories and values.

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