Feed aggregator

The Sierra Madre Mountain Range Snowpack in 2016. (Photo by Gary Stone) In this installment of the series, Nebraska Extension Educator Gary Stone reviews the history of the Kortes Unit, which was part of a program that managed water use for the entire Missouri River Basin.

Amit Jhala, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture associate professor and extension weed management specialist, discusses management of glyphosate-resistant weeds in corn and soybean. This year's demos featured weed control in corn and soybean that included efficacy, crop safety and comparison of new herbicides and non-chemical methods for weed control.

Farm and ranch production expenditures for Nebraska increased 21% from 2021.

Hailey Walmsley/realagstock (Photo courtesy Center for Agricultural Profitability) UNL agricultural economists review the factors driving current cropland values in the Central Plains, which increased by more than 20% for the majority of states in the region.

Leslie Johnson, Nebraska Extension's animal manure management educator, breaks down the difference between nitrogen and phosphorus rates and how to choose the best method for your operation.

Javed Iqbal, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture assistant professor and Extension soil nutrient management and water quality specialist, presents updated research on nitrogen source management, and nitrogen rate using publicly available nitrogen recommendation tools at the 2022 4Rs Nutrient Stewardship Field Day. This year's 4R Nutrient Stewardship Field Day featured research and tools on improving nutrient management, sulfur management, nitrogen use efficiency and more.

With grasshopper populations flourishing in dry conditions statewide, the reduced agent/area treatment can be an effective control technique for pastures and rangeland. Considerations for harvesting drought-stressed corn or milo, grasshopper control in pastures and rangeland, and taking inventory of fall/winter feed and hay.

Image source: Canva

The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action designates August 1-7 as World Breastfeeding Week. This year’s theme is the Warm Chain of Support, focusing on how all people and environments in a mother’s and child’s life impact healthy child development. Breastfeeding provides all nutrients needed for babies and is an inexpensive, climate-friendly, sustainable way to provide the best nutrition for infants. Current recommendations from the World Health Organization encourage mothers who are able to breastfeed to do so exclusively for the first six months after their baby’s birth and to continue breastfeeding for up to two years or until mutually desired by mother and baby. At six months, babies may be ready for the addition of some solid foods to complement breastmilk.  

According to the Nebraska Breastfeeding Coalition, 85.3% of Nebraska babies are breastfed at some point and 32.6% of Nebraska babies are exclusively breastfed for the first six months. When promoting breastfeeding, it is important to recognize the benefit of formula as an option for nourishing infants. Formula provides infants with good nutrition to grow and thrive in situations where breastfeeding is not desired or sufficient.  

For mothers who begin breastfeeding exclusively, a number of factors influence the decision to switch partly or entirely to formula before six months, such returning to work. Some mothers find it difficult or impossible to provide enough breastmilk for their infants while working away from home and need to supplement with formula.  

To help mothers who want to continue breastfeeding, businesses and workplaces can become part of the Warm Chain of Support through the adoption of policies and practices that embrace breastfeeding mothers. The beauty of breastfeeding-friendly spaces is that all infants benefit from them because mothers who are not able to breastfeed or who choose formula are also welcome in the spaces.   

The Nebraska Breastfeeding Coalition lists a number of practices businesses and employers can adopt to be designated as a breastfeeding-friendly site. Examples of criteria the Nebraska Breastfeeding Coalition examines when reviewing applications for the breastfeeding-friendly designation are: 

• Breastfeeding and milk expression support applies to all individuals including but not limited to: employees, contractors, vendors, guests, and patrons.  
• Breastfeeding mothers have access to a private and secure room with a lock, other than a bathroom, for expressing milk or nursing.  
• Site offers a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere that allows breastfeeding mothers to nurse or express milk including, but not limited to, a comfortable chair, a lock on the door, a small table, and an electrical outlet. 
• All breastfeeding employees have flexible breaks to express milk or nurse. 
• Has a formal breastfeeding support policy, guideline, or procedure supporting breastfeeding employees and patrons. 

• Communicate with staff and new hires on the breastfeeding support policy, guideline, or procedure.  
• Coordinates with all expectant mothers and supervisors on a “return to work plan” prior to maternity leave 

The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action encourages individual community members to join the Warm Chain of Support by sharing personal stories of breastfeeding, forming breastfeeding support groups or connecting new mothers to those groups, advocating government and businesses to create breastfeeding-friendly areas and normalize breastfeeding in public spaces, and volunteering to support breastfeeding mothers in crisis or emergency situations.  

The health of infants and young children is impacted by their environment and the well-being of the adults in their lives. Creating environments that make breastfeeding easy for mothers is a step in supporting the healthy growth and development of infants and young children.  

To learn more about obtaining a breastfeeding-friendly designation, visit the Nebraska Breastfeeding Coalition website.  

ERIN KAMPBELL, EARLY CHILDHOOD EXTENSION EDUCATOR | UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA

Peer Reviewed by Hayley Jackson and Lynn DeVries, Early Childhood Extension Educators

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Estimated crop water use for Nebraska Panhandle crops for the week of Aug. 1.

Sorghum growing in a research field on the northeast edge of Lincoln. A Nebraska team recently tested whether the method of delivering soil- and root-dwelling bacteria to sorghum could influence the growth of the cereal grain. (Photo by Craig Chandler, University Communication and Marketing) A recent Nebraska study discovered that the most effective methods for promoting crop growth depends on the type of soil bacteria being introduced.

Cercospora on a sugarbeet plant. Periods of high humidity or extended leaf wetness and warm temperatures create the optimal conditions for Cercospora leaf spot to develop.

The POET Bioprocessing facility near Fairmont, Nebraska. (Photo courtesy Nebraska Ethanol Board) Producing over 2.25 billion gallons in 2019, Nebraska continues to rank as the second-largest ethanol-producing state in the nation.

Another round of extended heat is likely for the first week of August, with the possibility for precipitation beginning Aug. 6.

Thursday, July 28, 2022

As the drought that has plagued the western U.S. since 2020 hangs on, much of Nebraska is currently experiencing moderate to severe drought. July tends to be a busy time for production cows, resulting in high nutrient demands, which further exacerbates the limitations of drought-stricken grass.

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Hot, dry conditions led to a minor decrease in crop conditions last week in Nebraska, and winter wheat harvest neared the finish line.

If considering drought-stressed corn for livestock feed this year, remember to check the labels of any chemicals applied to the corn for grazing, haying or harvesting restrictions. Solutions for managing volunteer wheat in cooperation with neighbors, grazing heat-stressed forages and deciding on a course for drought-stressed corn.

Monday, August 1, 2022 Competing Market ForcesSpanish: 

Monday, August 1, 2022

May marked the beginning that pasture and range conditions are released by USDA-AMS in their weekly crop progress reports by state. This gives the industry its first barometer of how bad the drought could be this year across the United States to the overall industry and to specific geographic areas. The USDA-AMS reports pasture and range conditions in five categories: very poor, poor, fair, good, and excellent.

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A first-of-its-kind grant will fund the building of three hydroponic greenhouses on the Omaha reservation.

Tribal Planner Mike Grant and Attorney General Theresa Rachel of the Omaha Tribe joined representatives from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Rural Prosperity Nebraska initiative and the U.S. Department of Agriculture earlier this month to finalize the terms of the $671,000 agriculture grant awarded to the tribe.