Feed aggregator

Figure 1. Attendees at a wheat field day in Jefferson County on June 9. (Photo by Stephen Wegulo)

Nebraska youth who want to test their scouting skills and learn more about crop growth and development are encouraged to participate in the ninth annual Crop Scouting Competition on Aug. 3.

The plot tours will be conducted at three sites in the Panhandle and southwest Nebraska, featuring numerous varieties of green and yellow peas from Meridian Seeds, Pulse USA, ProGene Plant Research, Valesco Genetics and ND Crop Improvement. (CropWatch file photo) The plot tours will be conducted at three sites in the Panhandle and southwest Nebraska, featuring numerous varieties of green and yellow peas from Meridian Seeds, Pulse USA, ProGene Plant Research, Valesco Genetics and ND Crop Improvement.

The 2022 NUE Workshop with be held Aug. 1–3 hosted by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. (Photo by Craig Chandler, University Communication) Hosted by UNL this year, the free workshop will feature water and nitrogen management concerns such as crop modeling, climatology and N unpredictability, soil health and NUE indicators, and new technologies.

Several rounds of thunderstorms are predicted for Nebraska through June 14, followed by a warming trend that will push temperatures into the 90s and potentially higher.

UNL Research Assistant Professor Katja Koehler-Cole joined the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center team in a new position this year as soil health management extension educator.

CRP participants who are in the final year of their contract will be allowed to request voluntary termination of their CRP contract following the end of the primary nesting season for fiscal year 2022.

Planting in Nebraska is back on track — USDA NASS's report for June 5 stated corn is finished, soybeans are at 96%, and sorghum and dry edible beans are now ahead of last year's pace.

Photo by Jay Parsons Nebraska producers who are considering planting annual forages on cropland this year can mitigate risk by utilizing USDA's Annual Forage Insurance Plan.

Tips on selecting the right herbicide for your operation, overcoming challenges to irrigating alfalfa and poison hemlock management.

Estimated crop water use for Nebraska Panhandle crops for the week of June 6.

The latest forecast shows numerous chances of precipitation, along with cooler than normal temperatures, throughout the first half of June.

USDA/Flickr Nine workshops have been scheduled from June to September to help producers learn how to estimate their cost of production using the ABC tool.

Experts discuss how various agricultural economic conditions, such as high commodity prices, record-setting farmland values and farm financial conditions will affect the ag industry throughout the remainder of 2022.

Thursday, June 2, 2022

Nebraska Extension will host a stocker/yearling systems summer meeting and tour Thursday, June 23 in Imperial, Nebraska. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. MDT and the program will kick off at 9:00 a.m. MDT at the Crossroads Wesleyan Church, Imperial.  Lunch is sponsored by Merck Animal Health, followed by a tour of Wine Glass Ranch in the afternoon.

Spanish: 

Image Source: Jackie Steffen

Reading with children is one of the most effective and educational activities you can engage in with your children.  Children learn concepts of print, letter and word recognition, comprehension, and storytelling (https://reachoutandread.org/why-we-matter/child-development/).  To help you incorporate reading into your daily routine and bring in some exciting science concepts, check out Nebraska Extension’s 2022 STEM Imagination Guides.  This year, we are discovering all things ocean!  

Each guide features an exciting book about oceans, water, or sea animals and includes a fun science experiment or activity you can do right at home.  Additionally, we have included a nature activity, a creative arts element, and an infant/toddler specific component.  We are especially excited to announce that our guides are translated into Spanish to help expand our reach!  To access these guides, visit go.unl.edu/imagination.   

Mess Free Painting 
Infants and toddlers bring the story Rainbow Fish alive by using their senses to create a one-of-a-kind painting. 

You might be wondering what is so exciting about oceans.  After all, Nebraska is a land-locked state.  However, I’m sure you are familiar with the Missouri River that borders the east side of our state.  This river meets up with the Mississippi River and empties out into the Gulf of Mexico.  Even though we are not directly connected with the ocean, our actions still impact the plants, animals, and water of the ocean (https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/ocean/help-our-ocean.html).  Therefore, it is so important to introduce children to the value of our world’s oceans.  Together, we can help children build a love for the environment and an interest in conservation.  

The following books have been selected and paired with activities that provide opportunities for exploration and play to inspire creativity and wonder.  These books tie directly to the Collaborate Summer Reading Program’s theme, Oceans of Possibilities (https://www.cslpreads.org).  

• The Sandcastle the Lola Built by Megan Maynor 
• Pokey, The Turtle Patrol by Diana Kanan 
• The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister 
• A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle 
• Hey, Water! by Antoinette Portis 
• My Ocean is Blue by Darren Lebeuf 
• Rocket Says Clean Up! by Nathan Bryon 
• The Treasure of Pirate Frank by Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham

STEM Connection:  Fast Fish 
Make your own fish and then see how quickly they can swim when you break the tension. This is an engaging activity about surface tension. 

Check out go.unl.edu/imagination for access to the guides.  If you have questions or would like additional resources, please contact Sarah Roberts at sarah.roberts@unl.edu, or Jackie Steffen at jsteffen2@unl.edu.  

JACKIE STEFFEN, EARLY CHILDHOOD EXTENSION EDUCATOR AND SARAH ROBERTS, EARLY CHILDHOOD EXTENSION EDUCATOR | UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA

Peer Reviewed by Amy Napoli, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, University of Nebraska,

LaDonna Werth, and Lynn DeVries, Early Childhood Extension Educators

Make sure to follow The Learning Child on social media for more research-based early childhood education resources!

Leafy spurge is an aggressive noxious weed that is difficult to remove once established. For optimum control, early detection and herbicides are recommended. (Photo by Ben Beckman) Extension educators share tips on determining water needs for cattle, options for controlling leafy spurge, and a grass hay harvest timeline.

Chuck Burr, crops and water extension educator and TAPS team member, (at center in gray shirt and red cap), stands with attendees in a problematic plot at the 2021 UNL-TAPS Summer Event Field Day, as they examine and discuss issues during the problematic plot educational activity. (CropWatch file photo) The 2022 Field Day will feature several events, including Agronomic Olympics, a drone obstacle course and sensor demos, with a clay target shoot social capping the day's activities.