Week of December 29, 2025
The first meeting of the Cuming County 4-H Council will be held on Thursday, January 8, at 6:00 p.m. in the Cuming County Courthouse Meeting Room. Election of Officers will be conducted along with planning the 4-H year.
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SOURCE: Melissa Hagemeister, Extension Associate
RELEASE DATE: December 22, 2026
As the new year begins, it is important to look back at pasture and forage production conditions to understand what to focus on for the coming year. Stick around and I'll reflect on forage and pasture production conditions in 2025.
In May, near the beginning of the growing season, about 70% of the range and pasture acres across much of Nebraska were in poor to fair condition. This was likely due to lingering drought effects from 2024 which extended into 2025. Like 2023 and 2024, managing forage and pasture production during drought was also the story for at least the first half of 2025.
In a few areas, alfalfa production was good and, in some cases, above average. The challenge was to find a window harvest with several consecutive days of dry weather. This was also the case for much of the prairie hay, much of which had lower than expected forage quality.
Late summer brought more widespread precipitation, which allowed some pasture recovery across much of Nebraska. The mid-December drought monitor showed abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions continuing in the
Nebraska Panhandle and eastern one-third of the state. The southern tier of counties, along with a swath through the central Nebraska Sandhills were reported to be near normal.
Thankfully, many areas ended the year in better shape than they started. For 2026, it will be important to focus on early-season management practices for range and pastures, especially in eastern Nebraska and the Nebraska Panhandle.
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SOURCE: Daren Redfearn, Extension Specialist Forage/Crop Residue
RELEASE DATE: December 29, 2025
Pasture & Livestock Management Using Drones
Producers face a variety of challenges when managing livestock herds and the forage crops grown to feed them. In many ways, the implementation of technology can help to streamline the management process and improve operation efficiency and productivity. An important and increasingly popular example of this technology is drones.
Drone technology can be utilized for a wide variety of tasks and can help save time and reduce costs. For example, drones with high resolution cameras have been used to determine forage utilization by cattle across entire pastures, saving time by reducing the need for ground-based pasture inspections. Recent studies have also shown that drones can be used to estimate and monitor forage crop biomass and scout for insects and disease.
For livestock management in particular, drones can be an invaluable tool. They can be used to inspect herds, find wayward animals, check for estrus, monitor during calving season, check water sources, and even herd livestock. It’s important to note that after a short period of acclimation, cattle tend to adapt well to the sound of a drone.
A major downside to drones is the startup costs. A good imaging drone will cost anywhere from $500 - $5000 and to legally fly a drone for agricultural purposes, a Part 107 license must be obtained by passing an FAA exam which costs $175. Please note that additional requirements must be met in order to apply pesticides with a drone.
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SOURCE: Samantha Daniel, Extension Educator Water & Cropping Systems
RELEASE DATE: December 29, 2025
Common Sense Farming and Ranching
Alfredo DiCostanzo, Beef Systems Extension Educator
University of Nebraska
Week of December 29, 2025
Wrapping up beef production for 2025
As we wrap up calendar year 2025; and what a year it has been! A peek at beef production totals forecasted for 2025 might be in order.
Looking at beef production statistics using USDA data during the last short week of the year should not be that difficult. It is like predicting whether a cow, due to calve any day, is pregnant. At that point, everybody should be an expert.
From January to August of 2025, US beef production expressed as carcass weight in Federally Inspected plants was 17.2 billion pounds. The corresponding figure for 2024 was 17.9 billion pounds. At that time, there was a 0.7 billion shortfall with 1/3 of the year left. Adding to the 2025 figure using weekly slaughter data from September to the week ending December 26, 2025, results in 25.6 billion pounds projected for 2025. The corresponding figure for 2024 was 26.6 billion pounds or a 0.9 billion pounds production decline year over year.
This is not bad when one considers that cattle on feed inventories are well below 2024 and cull cattle slaughter is down.
Yet, Americans are hungry for beef, so where is the beef (coming from)?
With all the talk about imports, one might suspect we imported record amounts of beef in 2025. From January to December of 2025, the US imported 3.8 billion pounds equivalent to the total imported by the US in 2023 but 0.8 billion pounds below 2024 imports.
Beef and veal import figures for the months of September through December 2025 are not available yet. If we project imports of beef and veal for this period in 2025 at the same levels for the September to December 2024 period, the expectation is that the US will import 1.6 billion pounds leading to total beef imports of 5.4 billion pounds for 2025. This would be an increase of 17% over 2024.
A few observations:
- Domestic US beef production is expected to fall 3.8% from 2024 to 2025 as cattle on feed inventories declined.
- Projected at 25.6 billion pounds, US beef production in 2025 resulted from relatively stable beef and dairy cow herds: 27.9 and 9.3 million beef and dairy cows, respectively.
- Adding beef imports from January to August and projected beef imports from September to December 2025 to domestic beef production results in 31 billion pounds of beef to supply the US. In 2024, this figure was 31.2 billion pounds.
Conclusive thoughts
- Appetite for beef by the American consumer continues and it drives domestic production and the need to import beef.
- If beef and dairy herds remain stable in 2026, domestic beef production should also remain stable at 25 to 26 billion pounds. This would mean that imports of beef in 2026 should remain at 2025 levels.
- It is unclear yet whether heifer retention intensified in late 2025. When it does, domestic beef production will drop unless beef-on-dairy feedlot cattle production increases, which is unlikely.
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Week of December 15, 2025
The evolution of an industry
Whether you have been working in the beef industry for decades or started recently, recognizing the ability of this highly diverse group of people to evolve swiftly and efficiently may not be so obvious. Segmentation of the industry and the perception that the best interests of one segment are not common to the best interests of the next segment lead one to think that the US beef industry is far from modernized, efficient, and responsive.
When looking at how most other beef-producing countries deal with beef marketing, one element stands out about the US beef industry: grading standards. Grading standards for beef (USDA Quality and USDA Yield Grade) were developed in 1916 and published in 1923 to create a common language for market reports. By 1926, the United States Standards for Grades of Carcass Beef were made official.
During mandatory implementations of grading standards (World War II and the Korean War) the industry discovered that beef trade based on grading eliminated bias based on packer size or influence. Today, US beef grading is voluntary yet over 90% of beef traded in the US is graded.
In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, the US beef industry sought to “rectify” the issue of “excessive” fat. Crossing the traditional British breeds, prevalent until the mid-1970’s, with Continental breeds increased lean (and frame) of cattle. This was in response to the medical community suggesting that fat was a negative nutrient in human diets, which directly or indirectly caused heart disease.
We know now that chasing this goal drove consumers away from beef.
Somehow the industry knew what it needed to do. In the 1990’s, it refocused on beef best attributes: marbling and flavor to regain consumer trust in the product and share of the meat and poultry market. USDA Certified Beef Programs, such as Certified Angus Beef and many others, led this change.
This is where implementation of USDA Quality and USDA Yield Grades permitted producers along the beef supply chain to aim at specific targets. This advantage is unique to the US (and a few other countries) where there are grading standards.
Then, in 2003, another hiccup: the discovery in the US of the first case of Bovine Spongiform Encephalomalacia (BSE or “Mad Cow Disease”).
However, the US beef industry was refocused. By the time the 2005 Beef Quality Audit was published, the industry had rectified the issue of carcasses with low marbling. Since that time, the proportion of carcasses reaching USDA Choice, USDA Choice grades receiving premiums (upper two thirds) and Prime increased dramatically. Today, over 85% of the carcasses reach USDA Choice or better grades.
The collective effect of these efforts and the appropriate monetization of premiums and discounts by packers and USDA Certified Beef Programs for traits that enhance or detract from quality or consistency have led an industry of over 700,000 independent individuals to focus on the consumer.
The result is that in 30 years, these individuals changed the industry to meet consumer demand. Imagine what they will do in the next 30 years!
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Week of December 1, 2025
Who will raise cattle in the future?
Have you ever wondered who will raise cattle in the future? For counties like Cuming and surrounding counties, this is an extremely relevant question. For those of us in the beef industry, it is a vital question.
I don’t need to remind anyone that working with and around beef cattle is not easy. Routinely, work begins before sunrise and ends after sunset. The hours in between are no picnic: cattle with attitudes and equipment and facilities that never seem to be in condition or sufficient to get the job done right. Add to this weather events, rain and snow in winter and extreme heat and humidity in summer and you have the perfect opposite conditions of a cushy job.
As if the physical strain of cattle production wasn’t sufficiently hard, the economic returns are neither guaranteed nor consistently large.
This generates serious concern. Who will take over raising calves and feeding cattle in the next 10 years?
For the United States, answers to these questions aren’t simple.
Other than the United States, Australia and Canada, where most operations are family owned and operated, the remaining top ten beef-producing countries rely on off-farm ownership and management. For most beef cattle producing countries, the family (or corporation in certain cases) that owns or manages the business lives and conducts business off the farm site.
In a country like the US, future beef producers are raised with the operation (along with the cattle they will hopefully own and manage someday). In a country like Argentina, future beef producers learn about their family’s beef operation while living in town away from the operation.
In either case, interest (or disinterest) in cattle production is born out of exposure to the operation. Yet, because for youth in the US, the operation is also home, it is a family activity.
So, the answer to who will take over raising cattle in the future in America should be simple, correct? Yet, it is not.
Think of how many families today have grown children making a living and raising their children away from the farm. The longer those families spend making a life away from the farm the lower the chances they or their children will return to the farm.
Beyond issues of family farm succession and making a living off the farm, the culture of raising cattle may not be as appealing to children today as it once was.
For youth and families, the hardships of raising cattle, money and time required are in themselves a deterrent. Add to this the variety of school and after school activities young people are given a choice to participate in.
Interestingly, these alternative activities bring with them the promise of fame and the probability, albeit extremely minuscule, of becoming a professional athlete or performer. These are powerful attractants to our youth (and some parents).
Through all these years and for all these families, a program has existed to support American families in their efforts to have youth ages 5 to 18 exposed to agricultural activities. The 4-H program has consistently provided an educational environment within which youth explore various activities associated with farms and farming. The program’s role in generating interest and promoting beef cattle production activities is severely underrated.
How many successful cattle operations began with a 4-H beef project is not easy to determine. Yet, for many youth, particularly those not raised on a beef farm, this is the best way to explore cattle production activities.
For children of urban and suburban families, and those from immigrant families, 4-H is an excellent opportunity to learn about and be active in farming.
Ask yourselves: How many children from Hispanic families who have parents working at cattle operations currently participate in 4-H? How many more children from these families should participate in 4-H?
Raising cattle in America is a cultural experience first and a business or profession second. Please consider enrolling your children in 4-H beef projects and encouraging immigrant or suburban families to enroll their children in 4-H beef projects. The future of your beef cattle operation depends on it and everyone’s children and grandchildren benefit.
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Rural Health
Hannah Guenther, Extension Educator
Week of December 22, 2025
“Have a happy and healthy holiday!” It’s a phrase that we hear and pass around generously during the holiday season. With copious amounts of family time, great food, and Christmas movies it is hard not to be happy during the holiday season but staying healthy is a challenge all its own. Have a happy and try to have a healthy holiday would probably be a more realistic salutation to give, but staying the course on your health goals is possible during the season of sugar plums and sugar cookies. Now before I dive into this, I just say relax. I am not going to tell you avoid the sweets table and to not indulge in all that Christmas has to offer. What I am going to do is provide suggestions of healthy activities, nutritious snacks, and some helpful tricks.
Work Then Play
Schedule workouts during the holiday with family and friends. And no, you don’t always have to brave the cold and get to the gym to enjoy a good workout. Instead, get creative and workout at home. Have everyone in your workout group pick an exercise like lunges, pushups, jumping jacks, or high knees, do 25 reps of each exercise, and repeat for 5 sets. One thing we have done during the holidays is find fun online workouts. One year we all did an online dance class. We laughed and sweat together.
Stay Hydrated
Between constant grazing and hot cocoa, it is easy to forget to drink water. Assign everyone a plastic water bottle by writing their initials on top of the lid with a sharpie and use them throughout the stay or holiday to help everyone stay hydrated, reduce plastic use, and reduce the dishes that need to be washed. Remember that the minimum amount of water, in ounces, you need to be drinking each day is your bodyweight/2.
Stay Rested
The holidays make you the best kind of tired. I say that because although many of us are running around between towns, cities, and houses we are doing all that running around in order to spend more time with family and friends. That being said it is so important to stay well rested. Don’t be shy and unwilling to schedule naps in throughout the holiday. Charlotte is forced to nap during the craziness of Christmas, and I am napping right there beside her.
Half (1/2) your plate
One of the things I like to preach and practice during the holidays is when I am filling my plate, I like to fill half of it with fruits and vegetables. Sometimes that means ditching my salad bowl and filling my plate with greens instead. I like doing this because it leads me to start with my healthy choices and leaves less room in my stomach for the not so healthy offerings. If I am still hungry after my plate, I will go back for more but this is a great way to make sure I am still fueling my body properly during the large holiday meals.
Bring The Greens
I have 100% gained the reputation of “Salad Lady”, “Vegetable – bringer”, “she’s in charge of the veggie tray” individual. It all started with the fact that I started bringing lighter and more vegetable based options to holiday get to-gethers. My thought was that if I wanted to eat healthy I would bring a healthy option. Although I at times am the only one eating my vegetable offerings, I continually tell my husband that there are worse things to be known for.
Have a happy holiday and practice some of these tricks and activities to have a healthy holiday!
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Week of December 8, 2025
I want to preface this article by saying that I am a sleeper. Naps are without a doubt one of my love languages and I have been taking them my entire life. We were required to take naps on Sunday afternoons and the ritual stuck. If you are looking for me between the hours of 1–3 p.m. on a Sunday, I’m asleep. I also require a minimum, and I mean bare minimum, of 8 hours of sleep each night and let this be a warning to those who see me with less than 8 hours … beware. Now I realize that many of us do not require as much sleep as I do, but I am shocked to find how little sleep Americans are actually getting! Sleep is natural body process and for good reason. Today, we are going to discuss the importance of getting enough sleep, how much sleep you need, and finally some tips and tricks for a good night of rest.
Benefits of Going to Bed
I get my love of sleep from my mom. She instilled in us from a young age that sleep was the cure all for any and all ailments. If you had a cold, you were stuck in bed until noon. If you were stressed out, she told us to go take a nap. But here’s the deal, she was on to something! Studies have shown that sleep plays a key role in our body’s ability to fight sickness, our memory, our learning ability, and even our appetite! The effects of not getting enough sleep are more extensive than dark circles under your eyes and a short fuse. When we don’t get enough sleep, we increase our risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity. Arianna Huffington, the author of Sleep Revolution, found that in 80-90% of anxiety and depression cases there is also sleep deprivation.
How Much Sleep Do You Need?
Many of us think long naps and early bedtimes end with childhood, but as we grow and develop, we still need more sleep than you might think. As adults, age 18-60, we need 7 or more hours of sleep each night. Adults age 61-64 need 7-9 hours and 65+ need 7-8 hours of sleep. Not only do we need to be getting the recommended amount of sleep but we also need to make sure that it is quality sleep. If you are getting the recommended hours of sleep but waking up tired and feeling groggy, your sleep quality may be poor. Here are some ways to help you sleep better and improve sleep quality…
Tips and Tricks to Sleeping Better
There are some key ways that can help improve your sleep quality. First off develop a nighttime routine which can include taking a bath, reading a book, drinking a cup of decaf tea, or relaxing on the couch. Consistency can help your body begin to relax, which will help you fall asleep faster. The second tip is to put down your phone or tablet at least 1 hour before bedtime. The blue light emitted from phones can disrupt the sleep cycle – if you are struggling to fall asleep put away your phone. The third tip is to exercise. Regular physical activity has been shown to increase sleep quality. Finally, count 10 things you’re thankful for. (This is another tip from my mom.) We never counted sheep growing up but we always counted things we are thankful for starting from 10 and I will say this, to this day I haven’t made it to 1 yet.
Just as important as eating enough vegetables, drinking enough water, and exercising, sleep plays a vital role in health and wellness. Assess your sleep routine and make some changes so that you can get enough sleep each night.
Sweet Dreams!
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Week of November 24, 2025
Are We Trusting Labels More Than Food?
When you are shopping at the grocery store or picking up a snack, what is the first thing you do to determine its nutrient density or level of “health.” Look at the nutrition facts label, right? We quickly scan the calories, fat, sugar, fiber and maybe take a peek at the ingredients label to ensure it meets our standard of health and then we proceed.
Now let’s get something straight here - nutrition facts labels are very useful tools. They can help us compare products, understand portion size, and let us know exactly what is in the food we are eating. But I recently had two instances that made me realize that we are trusting labels to tell us if something is healthy instead of looking at the food itself.
Whole foods are foods that are in their whole, complete form. There is little to no processing, what you see is what you get. For example, an apple is a whole food. It is the most nutritious form of that food source, but it is missing one thing - a label. If you really take a birds eye view of our food system, the healthiest foods usually are the ones without packaging or a nutrition facts label: a head of romaine from Graybeal’s, a dozen eggs from Brunsing Farms, a bag of apples from a friend, or even a box of hamburger from a local feeder.
Recently, I attended a presentation from a chef who works with traditional Indigenous foods, and he shared a story that really stuck with me. The foods that he grows, harvests, and cooks with cannot be served in institutional settings, like schools, because they don’t have a nutrition facts label. It isn’t because the food is unhealthy - it is because they cannot trace where it came from. Doesn’t that seem backwards?
It caused me to stop and think about our relationship with labels and how we have been conditioned to believe something is healthy only if it says so right on the package. So how do we shift our thinking?
- Remember that whole foods are the healthiest option.
- Look at the ingredient list and not just the numbers. Do you recognize the foods that are listed? Can you pronounce all the ingredients listed?
- Support local and traditional food producers. The closer your food is to the person who grew or raised it, the better!
So next time you’re in a grocery store, I encourage you to step back. Look at the food itself. A nutrition facts label can tell us a lot but just because food has one doesn’t mean it’s healthier.
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Weekly News
Common Sense Farming & Ranching
- Wrapping Up Beef Production for 2025
- The Evolution of an Industry
- Who Will Raise Cattle in the Future?