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Nebraska Extension Biological Systems Engineering Educator F. John Hay shares an in-depth analysis on the economics of on-farm solar following USDA's announcement that an additional $1 billion in grants are available to help ag producers and rural small businesses finance renewable energy systems or to make energy-efficiency improvements. This webinar covers the general design elements of behind-the-meter on-farm solar and walks through production, value of electricity, interconnection policies and how these impact economic return.

Nebraska Extension Educator Amy Timmerman share insights on plant survival and reseeding after ponding has occurred in planted corn fields.

The best time to cut grass hay is when the grass nutrient content matches the nutritional needs of your livestock — before heads begin to emerge for young animals, and before seeds develop for mature animals. This week — Nebraska Extension educators share target protein levels of small grains and grass hay for the upcoming harvest, and analyze the cost of various fencing options.

Spring-emerging army cutworm moths are beginning their migration journey west to spend the summer months in mountainous areas of Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.

Rural Prosperity Nebraska will kick off the 10th season of its Rural Fellows internship program next month. Beginning June 5, 21 students will live in 10 rural communities across the state, working on community development projects that range from public health to downtown creative arts districts.

Historical crop progress data for Nebraska is available at USDA. (Photo by Gary Stone) Dry edible bean planting was at 4% complete as of May 21, and corn planting was nearing 90% complete.

Valentine will show off its newly renovated Main Street when community leaders and business professionals come to the city to attend the fifth annual Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities (CEC) Conference June 8-9. Hosted by Rural Prosperity Nebraska in a different community each year, the two-day event features workshops, seminars, and keynote lectures focused on all things community development, from entrepreneurial environments to tourism enhancement. 

Thursday, June 1, 2023

Join us on June 15-16, 2023, for a free two-day training event on Emerging Technology in the Livestock and Meat industries and CME Live Cattle and Carcass Specifications and Deliveries. We encourage stakeholders (cattle producers, feeders, processors, and allied industries) to join who are interested in the official quality grading of feeder cattle, fed cattle, and beef carcasses in the United States.  This training event is collaborative with USDA – AMS and the Animal Science Department at the University of Nebraska.

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To help producers prepare for program delivery, USDA has announced the forms that will be required to participate in ERP and ELRP for 2022 losses — AD-2047, CCC-902, CCC-901, AD-1026. For more information, see the section 'How Producers Can Prepare' below. . Through a streamlined application process, USDA intends to send pre-filled applications directly to eligible crop producers in early summer.

The goal of the symposium is to bring agriculture sector entities and law enforcement together to understand the range of threats targeting agriculture and to form enduring relationships to detect and counter cyber and security threats. Participating agencies will share insights on threats to agriculture posed by criminals, terrorists, cyber actors and foreign governments, and discuss ways to strengthen the ag sector and resist cyber attacks.

The expert panel during the May 10 Heuermann Lecture consisted of (from left) Graham Plastow, Cynthia Parr, Amy Winstead, Tom Eikhoff and Ben Craker. Mike Boehm (right), NU vice president for agriculture and natural resources and Harlan Vice Chancellor for the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, moderated. (Photo by Jessie Brophy, IANR News) Industry experts recently debated the functions and objectives of the National Agricultural Producers Data Cooperative, an initiative working to create a network of national ag data repositories.

Thursday, June 1, 2023

When going out to tag calves, most cow-calf producers would prefer to find a new bull calf rather than a heifer. This is logical given that the bull calf, which in most cases will become a steer, will weigh more, and bring more money per pound when selling at weaning than his heifer herd mates born at the same time. In the feedyard, steer calves grow faster, are more efficient and finish at heavier weights, providing greater pounds to sell at harvest. Steer performance justifies the premiums paid for steers over heifers.

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Thursday, June 1, 2023

The bright yellow-green of leafy spurge can put a damper on the joy of spring green-up. The noxious weed is especially noticeable in early June. That’s also one of the best times to invest the time and money into controlling leafy spurge.

Unfortunately, a single treatment will not control leafy spurge once established, so continued monitoring and retreatment is needed. An effective strategy is pairing spring applications that prevent seed production with a fall treatment to control new growth.

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Part 3 of the Nebraska Rivers series focuses on the Loup River drainage system, which originates in the Sandhills. (Photo by Gary Stone) Part 3 of the Nebraska Rivers series focuses on the Loup River drainage system, which originates in the Sandhills.

Simple things like spending time with your pet or listening to your favorite music can help reduce stress and improve your overall health. For more help coping with difficult times, see these Stress Resources. Nebraska Extension Educator Glennis McClure shares examples of strategies that may help producers cope during stressful times.

Figure 1. A wheat field in Fillmore County in southeast Nebraska on May 17. There were no foliar diseases and emergence was uniform, but plants were much shorter than normal due to inadequate soil moisture. (Photo by Stephen Wegulo) Though stripe rust has been sighted in southern Kansas wheat fields, there have been no signs of disease in Nebraska wheat as of yet.

The crop water use report is updated weekly. Visit PHREC AgLab for more information.

Estimated crop water use for Nebraska Panhandle crops for the week of May 15.

Though the farm finance and ag law clinics are offered monthly at sites across Nebraska, remote sessions are another option — call the number below to arrange a one-on-one meeting via phone or virtual platform. If you can't attend one of the two dates scheduled for free, in-person farm and ag law clinics in March, virtual/phone options are also available anytime. 

April's total precipitation was well below normal in Nebraska, resulting in worsening drought conditions and the fifth driest April for the state since 1895.

Figure 1. Departure from normal precipitation during last six months in Nebraska. Nebraska Extension recommendations on minimizing crop injury from anhydrous ammonia applications.