Latest Updates from cropwatch.unl.edu

Curtis Mahnken, extension economist, Center for Farm Financial Management, University of Minnesota, was the featured speaker during the recent "Developing Your Business Plan with AgPlan" webinar.

USDA/Flickr (Public Domain)

In 2021, over 100 Nebraska On-Farm Research Network projects were conducted on cover crops, row spacing, planting population, starter fertilizer, drones, sensors and models for nitrogen management, and variable-rate seeding technology.

Figure 1. John Thomas rides a horse at 4-H Horse Camp several years ago in Fort Robinson, Nebraska. Like many of his extension colleagues, Thomas is heavily involved in 4-H, helping other educators and leaders with presentations and projects for 4-H members. There can be no doubt — John Thomas is a multi-talented multi-tasker. Learn more about his winding road to extension in this installment of Digging into Extension.

The fourth annual Silage for Beef Cattle Conference is free for producers to attend in-person at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center in Ithaca, Nebraska, or virtually. The fourth annual Silage for Beef Cattle Conference will highlight small grain production concerns such as agronomic management for silage, harvest timing, fermentation analysis, inoculants, ROI and more.

Cody Creech, dryland cropping systems specialist and research supervisor at HPAL, discusses a research project during the 2020 HPAL update. This year, Creech's presentation will focus on wheat production and management. (CropWatch file photo)

Participants will learn more about native prairie and the potential ways it can benefit a farm's viability while restoring landscapes while connecting with other growers and resource providers.

A spring pasture mix of oats and ryegrass. (Photo by Jerry Volesky) Extension educators discuss considerations for spring annual forages in Nebraska, and optimum timing for cereal grain crop harvest for silage.

Now through April, USDA NASS will survey Nebraska farmers and ranchers about agroforestry practices they may use on their land, including windbreaks, silvopasture, riparian forest buffers, alley cropping, forest farming and multi-story cropping.

During the spring session, UNL professors and other industry professionals will present on a variety of topics, including ag biotech, precision agriculture, weed management, plant disease, soil health, rice crop production and more.

For the week ending Jan. 23, 2022, winter wheat condition rated 33% good, 45% fair.

This webinar provides an update on farm programs, and discusses the path ahead as initial ideas and plans begin to surface for the next farm bill due in 2023.