Weekly News and Columns

Week of August 31, 2026

 

Cuming County 4-H Council

The Cuming County 4-H Council will meet on Thursday, September 10, at 6:00 p.m. in the Cuming County Courthouse Meeting Room. The full agenda for the meeting is available for review at the Extension Office.

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SOURCE: Melissa Hagemeister, Extension Associate 

RELEASE DATE:  August 24, 2026

 

Cuming County 4-H Members Shine at the 2026 Nebraska State Fair

The 4-H weekend, August 28-30th of the Nebraska State Fair was a success for Cuming County 4-H members!

From static entries to livestock shows to Fashion Revue, Cuming County had a great presence at this year’s NE State Fair!

The Nebraska State Fair continues through Labor Day weekend.

STATIC EXHIBITS

  • Mila Ahrens
    • Home Design & Restoration – pillow – Blue
    • Visual Arts – Purple
    • STEAM 3 – red dress – blue
  • Kendall Bayer
    • Perennial – blue
  • Annamae Bloedorn
    • Home Design & Restoration – crocheting – Purple
  • James Bloedorn
    • Citizenship Essay – Purple
  • Deidrick Bodwell
    • Virtual Geocache – Purple
  • Lindsey Borgelt
    • Home Design & Restoration – quilt w/ grandmother embroidery – Purple
    • Home Design & Restoration – doll house - Purple
  • Miley Breitkreutz
    • Quilt Quest – Blue
    • Home Design & Restoration – mosaic box – blue
  • Charlie Brunsing
    • Horticulture – mini pumpkins – red
  • Ada Butterfield
    • Photography – jellyfish – Purple
    • Photography – splash pad – Purple
    • Photography – purple flower – Purple
    • Food & Nutrition – donut bread – Purple
  • Campbell Consbruck 
    • Horticulture – zucchini – blue
  • Ameer Doescher
    • Citizenship – clothespin flag – red
  • Abigail Eisenmenger
    • Conservation & Wildlife – paper quilling – Purple & Special Recognition
  • Emma Engelmeyer
    • Quilt Quest – Barn quilt – Purple
  • Sutton Ernesti
    • Consumer Management book – blue
  • Hadley Goeden
    • STEAM 2 Unlined jacket – blue
  • Peri Guenther
    • Heritage – Shadowbox – purple
    • Food & Nutrition – Recipe Binder
  • Annabelle Gull 
    • Crochet – Blooming flowers – Purple & Special Recognition
  • Brynn Hagemann
    • STEAM 2 – Quilted Bag – Purple
  • Beau Hanson
    • Vet Science – Large Animal First Aid Kit – Purple
  • Amelia Heller
    • Food & Nutrition – cookies and cream layer cake – Purple & Special Recognition
    • Photography – blue
    • Horticulture – sweet pepper – purple
  • Emilyn Hilsinger
    • Visual Arts – pheasant – purple
  • Ezra Horn
    • Photography – flag & silhouette – purple
  • Barrett Jacobsen
    • Floriculture – marigolds – blue
    • Barrett Jacobsen – Forestry – maple syrup poster – purple
  • Emma Jacobsen
    • Photography – red
    • Photography – blue
    • Food & Nutrition recipe file – purple
    • Floriculture – celosia – red
  • Olivia Jacobsen
    • Human Development play dough – blue
    • Food & Nutrition recipe file – purple
    • Floriculture – marigolds – purple
  • Brynn King
    • STEAM 4 – Fashion Accessory – Blue
  • Kinsley Knievel
    • Photography – Purple & Selected for UNL East Campus Exhibit
  • Ayva Knobbe
    • Human Development nursery rhyme songbook -purple
  • Kansas Knobbe
    • Home Design & Restoration – 3D Bird Painting – purple
  • Braxton Kreikemeier
    • Aerospace – Blue
  • Nora Lewis
    • Food & Nutrition – macaroons – purple
  • Conner Maas
    • Conservation & Wildlife – Case IH birth bath – purple
  • Julieann Maas
    • Food & Nutrition – strawberry jam – purple
  • Alaina Meiergerd
    • Photography – Blue
    • Human Development math activity – blue
    • Visual Arts Pencil drawing – purple
    • Entomology – spider picture – Blue
  • Emerson Meiergerd
    • Photography – blue
    • STEAM 4 – Disney painted jeans – Purple
  • Gemma Nadrchal
    • Quilt Quest – purple
  • Lane Oerman
    • Horticulture – Pears – blue
  • Clement Otte
    • Conservation & Wildlife – bird nest box – blue
  • Kendyll Penrose
    • Food & Nutrition – herb biscuit loaf – red
  • Cameron Person
    • Aerospace – white
  • Mabel Petersen
    • STEAM 4 Clothing – Embroidered Jeans – purple
  • Millie Petersen
    • STEAM 4 Clothing – Patchwork denim jeans – blue
  • Jaxon Pierce
    • Conservation & Wildlife – Build a Fishing Rod – Purple & Special Recognition
    • Food & Nutrition – Peach Jam – Purple
    • Aerospace – Blue
    • Woodworking – Adirondack chair – blue
  • Jerzey Pierce
    • STEAM 4 – flag t-shirt – purple
    • Crochet 2 – headband – purple
    • Home Design & Restoration – apple cart wheelbarrow – blue
    • Aerospace – blue
  • Jozie Pierce
    • STEAM 4 – Fashion Accessory – stitched hat – purple
    • Home Design & Restoration – patriotic pillow – purple
    • Home Design & Restoration – red truck – purple
    • Aerospace – Purple & Special Recognition
  • Vanessa Praest
    • STEAM 4 Fashion Accessory – clay earrings – purple
  • Chesney Prinz
    • Heritage – purple
  • Henry Prinz
    • Safety – First Aid Kit – purple
  • Cohen Reha
    • Horticulture – garlic – Purple & Special Recognition
  • Kyler Reha
    • Citizenship – shots of freedom – purple
    • Home Design & Restoration – Buck Hat Rack – Blue
  • Ashlyn Roeber
    • Visual Arts – Andi Jackson drawing – Purple & Special Recognition
    • STEAM 4 Embellished garment – flag sweatshirt
  • Zachary Roeber
    • Visual Arts – CeeDee pencil drawing – Blue
  • Chesney Ruskamp
    • Food & Nutrition – pumpkin snickerdoodle muffins – blue
  • Colton Schrad
    • Heritage – 4-H Life Skills – Blue
    • Heritage – Scrapbook – Purple
    • Heritage – Trip to Black Hills – Blue
  • Hudsyn Schroeder
    • Floriculture – Strawflower Swiss – Red
  • Gunnar Schultz
    • Shooting Sports – Paracord Rifle Sling – Blue
  • Ryker Schultz
    • Shooting Sports – Paracord Rifle Sling – Blue
    • Conservation & Wildlife – Duck Knowledge Check – Purple
  • Spencer Schweers
    • Horticulture – Acorn Squash – Purple
  • Brenna Siebrandt
    • Food & Nutrition – Biscuits – Purple
    • Food & Nutrition – Chiffon Cake – Purple
  • Quinn Skoda
    • Visual Arts – whale shark – Purple & Special Recognition
  • Joshua Snodgrass
    • Horticulture – Houseplant – Purple
    • Horticulture – Salad tomatoes – blue
  • Ryder Stigge
    • Electrical – extension cord – purple
  • Brecken Strehle
    • Home Design & Restoration – Upcycled baseball laces – blue
  • Clayton Strehle
    • Electricity – Re-wiring Poster – purple
  • Kaidyn Strehle
    • Home Design & Restoration – Kobe Bryant Mural – Purple & Special Recognition
  • Sutton Strehle
    • Conservation & Wildlife – Robin House – blue
  • Carlie Stutzman 
    • Food & Nutrition – chocolate chip braid – blue
  • William Stutzman
    • Electrical – Extension Cord – Purple & Special Recognition
  • Madeline Thiele
    • Home Design & Restoration – Original Art – chicken – Blue
  • Blake Wegner
    • Potted Plant – Blue
  • Chayton Wemhoff
    • Aerospace – Blue
  • Henry Wooldrik
    • Woodworking – Step Stool - blue

FASHION SHOW 

  • Jerzey Pierce – Constructed STEAM 2 Clothing – Purple
  • Jozie Pierce – Constructed STEAM 2 Clothing – Purple
  • Emerson Meiergerd – Constructed STEAM 3 Clothing – Purple
  • Morgan Meiergerd – Constructed STEAM 2 Clothing - Purple
  • Mayda Reimers – Knitted or Crocheted Clothing – Purple
  • Sutton Ernesti – Shopping In Style Purchased Outfit – Blue
  • Kendyll Penrose – Shopping In Style Purchased Outfit - Blue

LIVESTOCK & SMALL ANIMAL EXHIBITS

BEEF

  • Hudsyn Schroeder
    • Commercial Breeding Heifer – Purple
    • Simmental Yearling Heifer – Blue
    • Jr Showmanship - Purple
  • Harper Lofgren
    • Feeder Heifer – Purple
    • Intermediate Showmanship - Blue
  • Kazimir Holeka
    • Feeder Steer – Purple, Champion Feeder Calf/Steer, Overall, Champion Feeder Calf
    • Crossbred Steer – Blue
    • Intermediate Showmanship - Blue
  • Chesney Prinz
    • Hereford Heifer – Purple, Reserve Champion Hereford & Polled Breeding Heifer
    • Intermediate Showmanship – Purple
  • Kutter Prinz
    • Crossbred Steer – Purple, Champion Steer Crossbred Division III
    • GRAND CHAMPION 4-H MARKET BEEF
  • Leo Bellar
    • Crossbred Steer – Purple
    • Jr Showmanship - Blue
  • Jase Ritter
    • Crossbred Steer – Purple
    • Jr Showmanship – Purple, 5th place
  • Josie Ritter
    • Crossbred Steer - Purple

GOAT

  • Nolan Hasenkamp
    • Commercial Doe Kid – Blue
    • Senior Showmanship - Blue
  • Amelia Heller
    • Commercial Doe Kid – Blue
    • Commercial Yearling Does – Purple
  • Kaizley Hunke
    • Market Meat Goat – Purple
    • Intermediate Showmanship - Purple
  • Beckett Nebuda
    • Market Meat Goat – Blue
    • Jr Showmanship - Blue
  • Garrett Nebuda
    • Market Meat Goat – Blue
    • Jr Showmanship - Purple

POULTRY

  • River Butts
    • Duck – Hvy Saxony Old Fem – Blue
    • Duck – Hvy Saxony Old Male – Blue
    • Senior Showmanship - Blue
  • Kelby Hunke
    • Duck – Lt Runner White Young Fem – Blue
  • Isabella Linster
    • Feather Legged Bantam – Purple
    • Feather Legged Bantam, Cockerel – Blue
    • Feather Legged Bantam, Pullet – Blue
    • Feather Legged Bantams, Brahma, Pullet – Purple
    • Reserve Champion Bantam, Reserve Champion Best of Show
    • Intermediate Showmanship – Purple, 3rd place

RABBIT

  • Skylar Buderus
    • Mini Rex Senior Doe – Red
    • Polish Senior Buck – Purple
    • Jr Showmanship - Blue

SHEEP

  • Jentrye Frederickson
    • Commercial Meat Breed Ewe – Blue
    • Crossbred Market Lamb – Blue
    • Natural Color Market Lamb - Blue
  • Kenna Gentrup
    • Southdown Ewe Lamb – Blue
    • Crossbred Market Lamb – Purple
    • Senior Showmanship - Blue
  • Kaizley Hunke
    • Crossbred Market Lamb – Blue
    • Intermediate Showmanship - Purple

SWINE

  • Rylea Ritter
    • Jr Showmanship – Purple, 5th place
    • Crossbred Market Barrow – blue
    • Crossbred Market Gilt - Purple
  • Emmet Ritter
    • Jr Showmanship – Purple
    • Crossbred Market Barrow – Blue
    • Crossbred Market Gilts - Purple
  • Jasper Ritter
    • Jr Showmanship – Purple
    • 3rd Place Crossbred Breeding Gilt
    • Crossbred Market Gilts - Purple
  • Alli Ritter
    • Senior Showmanship – Blue
    • Crossbred Market Barrow – Blue
    • Crossbred Market Gilts - Blue
  • Collin Nebuda
    • Crossbred Breeding Gilt – Purple
    • Crossbred Market Gilt - Purple
  • Amelia Heller
    • Crossbred Market Barrow – Purple
    • Crossbred Market Barrow – Blue
  • Addison Kaup
    • Crossbred Market Barrow – Blue
    • Crossbred Market Gilt - Blue
  • Avery Kaup
    • Crossbred Market Barrow – Blue
    • Crossbred Market Gilt – Blue
    • Crossbred Market Gilt - Red
  • Colton Knievel 
    • Crossbred Market Barrow – Blue
  • Madyson Stewart
    • Crossbred Market Barrow – Purple
    • Crossbred Market Gilt - Purple
  • Hudsyn Schroeder
    • Crossbred Market Gilt - Purple

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SOURCE:  Melissa Hagemeister, Extension Associate 

RELEASE DATE:  August 31, 2026

 

Late Summer Pasture Weeds 

August always seems to be a time when certain weeds become quite noticeable in pastures.  That is especially true of areas that have had abundant summer rains and in pastures that have relatively thin grass stands, where animals congregate, or if some overgrazing has occurred.

Common pasture weeds include annuals such as sunflowers, lamb’s quarter, or kochia and perennials like western ragweed, ironweed, and verbena.

Spraying weeds now does little good as many weeds are too large to kill. In species that produce seed, herbicides might only reduce some seed production.  If the goal is to improve appearance, shredding areas that have an abundance of weeds might be the best option, and may reduce some seed production, if it’s not already too late.

Two other approaches are better for long-term weed control.  First, focus on the grazing management of your pastures with an overall goal to increase the health, vigor, and density of your grass.  Use the proper stocking rate and develop a good rotational grazing plan.  Healthy, competitive grass stands are essential to reduce weed populations economically over time.

Second, target herbicide applications for when they will do the most good.  Both perennial and annual species can be better targeted with a spring application when plants are smaller and therefore easier to control.  For perennials, if a second application is needed, waiting closer to a killing frost is best.  These fall applications can be more effective as more product is translocated down to the roots.

Pasture weeds may look unsightly now; but hold off on spraying. Improve grazing management and time herbicides for the best window of control so herbicides won’t be needed as often in the future.  

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SOURCE: Samantha Daniel, 

Assistant Extension Educator & Entomologist

RELEASE DATE: August 31, 2026

 

Corn Silage Harvest

Silage harvest for fully irrigated full-season corn usually begins 45 days or 800 GDD’s after the tassel / silking growth stage. However, growing conditions and the season length of the plant itself can make predictions based on the calendar fuzzy at best.

Accurately assessing whole plant moisture is key to proper silage pile fermentation and tight packing. If silage is too dry; then, packing is difficult and may allow oxygen into the pile causing overheating, mold/yeast/bad microbe growth, and spoilage. When the silage moisture content is too high, piles can weep with valuable energy and nutrients flowing out as a loss from the pile. Also, damaging clostridia bacteria colonies can grow when silage is too wet. So, target silage storage moisture content should be 65-70% moisture.

Another factor to consider for silage chopping is milk line (a corn kernel starch content indicator). Starch is one of the most energy dense feed components; so, silage that contains higher amounts of starch will be higher energy overall. The further down the kernel milk line is established; the more starch content has been stored in the kernel.

Plant moisture and milk line may not be directly correlated and may vary among hybrids. While these development factors trend in the same direction, the moisture content may vary from field to field, even if milk line is the same.

Corn silage is a great feed resource that can benefit from moisture content monitoring at harvest. Target harvesting silage at 65-70% moisture content for best results. Use the ear kernel milk line (closer to the cob means more starch and higher energy silage) to find your ideal harvest window based on your hybrids.

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SOURCE: Ben Beckman, Extension Educator Livestock Systems

RELEASE DATE: August 31, 2026

 

PRF Insurance Deadline is Coming Up

December 1 may seem like a long way off, but it’s just around the corner. Before we know it, it will be time for family to visit, holiday preparations to begin, and producers to make decisions about Pasture, Rangeland, and Forage insurance, commonly called PRF.

PRF insurance provides producers with the opportunity to insure 70% to 90% of the expected grid index precipitation, in 5% increments, across a series of two-month intervals throughout the year. PRF is an area-based insurance plan that covers perennial pasture, rangeland, or forage used to feed livestock.

PRF provides producers with a risk management tool to help manage the risk associated with the precipitation needed to produce forage for their operation. However, it is important to remember that PRF does not guarantee that a pasture will produce a certain amount of forage.

With the December 1 deadline approaching, producers should give themselves time to review their acres, rainfall history, coverage levels, selected intervals, and premiums with their insurance agent. If pasture or hay ground is one of your operation’s biggest resources, when was the last time you looked at how you are protecting it from drought?

Now is the time to think about whether you want to make any changes to your PRF coverage. Some questions I encourage producers to ask themselves include:

    • Did my operation change?

    • Did I add or remove pasture?

    • Did my grazing strategy change?

    • Are my selected intervals still the most important months for my operation?

    • Has my need for drought risk protection changed?

These are just a few questions to consider when reviewing your PRF coverage. Don’t wait until December 1 to start the conversation. Take some time now to review your coverage and talk with your insurance agent about whether your current PRF policy still fits your operation.

For more information about PRF, visit cap.unl.edu or contact your local crop insurance agent.

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SOURCE: Shannon Sand, Extension Educator Ag Economics

RELEASE DATE: August 31, 2026

 

 

4-H Special Edition - Norfolk Daily News

Nebraska Extension in Madison County is excited to be producing the 51st Annual 4-H Special Edition newspaper insert for National 4-H week in partnership with the Norfolk Daily News. This special insert is distributed to over 12,000 homes during the first week in October and has a digital reach of 1.5 million pageviews every month. What an exciting way to share our 4-H stories! All 4-H members are invited to submit articles on their 4-H experiences with the theme "Ready Today, Leading Tomorrow”.

If you write an article, Please save your article as a text file or paste the article directly into an email. Also, submit at least one photo of you while doing your project or with your final project. Close-up, action shots with one or two people are generally preferred. Include information to run under the photo. Identify the people (left to right). Describe what is happening in the photo. Please save the photo as a JPEG file. Also, when ending your article, please include your county of participation. (ex. Madison County, Cedar County, etc.) You can email the article and photo to Kiley Truex at ktruex@norfolkdailynews.com with the subject line stating: 4-H Special Edition 2026.

The deadline for submission is Friday, September 11, 2026.

Contact the Extension Office with questions!

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SOURCE: Melissa Hagemeister, Extension Associate

RELEASE DATE:  July 6, 2026

 

Rental Rates for Nebraska in 2026 

What does it cost to rent pasture this year? The final 2026 Nebraska Cash Rental Rates Survey results are now available.

Average monthly pasture rental rates increased between 2% and 8% compared to last grazing season, continuing the upward trend across Nebraska.

The North reporting district, primarily the Sandhills, reported the highest average rate at $82.10 per cow-calf pair per month. The Northeast and Central districts followed at $77.35 and $74.60, while the Northwest district, including much of the Panhandle, had the lowest average at $56.45 per pair per month. Most other areas of the state averaged between $61 and $70 per pair each month.

Keep in mind these are averages. Actual rental rates depend on factors such as pasture quality, fences and water, management responsibilities, cattle size, and local demand.

Whether you're renting pasture or leasing it to someone else, a written lease is one of the best risk management tools available. Be sure it clearly outlines the stocking rate or number of cattle, grazing period, payment terms, and how unexpected events like drought will be handled.

To view the complete 2026 Nebraska Cash Rental Rates Survey, visit the Center for Agricultural Profitability website.

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SOURCE: Shannon Sand, Extension Educator Ag Economics

RELEASE DATE: July 27, 2026

 

Common Sense Farming and Ranching

Alfredo DiCostanzo, Beef Systems Extension Educator

University of Nebraska

 

Week of August 24, 2026

Appraising crops through cattle feeding

The economic approach to assigning economic value to a crop grown for the feedlot (it could be in association with a family member or another partner unit) is based on a simple principle. Subtract the value of off-farm expenses from the gross return (generally receipts of cattle sold, but manure value as fertilizer should also be included here) and assign the balance to the cropping operation.

From the gross value of the economic return (cattle sales), one subtracts the cost of all other items used in the cattle feeding process including cattle, yardage (which includes labor, fuel and oil, repairs, utilities, facilities depreciation, etc.), veterinary medicine expenses, purchasing and selling costs including trucking, and feed or supplements (distillers grains, micro-ingredients, supplements, additives, etc.) purchased off the farm. The balance is then assigned to the crop operation to pay for feed raised on the farm.

Following this approach, the feedlot activity results in zero return. Therefore, one must calculate an acceptable return to the feedlot activity, generally prime lending rate plus 2 points. Currently, that value is 10% annual return. This return is applied to the feedlot activity using the investment in cattle feeding (using the figures from the feedlot closeout for example) and feeding period say 210 days or 58% of a year, which translates to 5.75%. If feeding a single lot for 210 days results in a 1-million-dollar investment, then a reasonable net profit to the feedlot activity is $57,500.

This return must be subtracted from the balance left over from the calculation of gross return minus off-farm expenses to ascribe a proper feedlot activity return. Once this is accomplished, the balance (positive or negative) belongs to the farming activity. 

The next challenge is the proper allocation of value from this balance to each crop using in the feedlot activity. Using the energy contribution of each feed ingredient to the diet, the allocation to each crop raised on the farm is obtained. 

The examples I am using included three lots of cattle fed between the fall of 2025 and this summer. Cattle performed well in the feedlot, gaining at 3.7 lb daily for cattle starting at 600 to 700 lb and finishing at around 1,500 lb. As expected, feed conversion was great, under 6.4 lb feed per lb gain. 

When assigning economic value to the farming activity after allocating off-farm costs and feedlot profit, corn ranged from $6.50 to $8.90/bushel or between 166% to 224% the value at the local grain market. At an average yield of 200 bushels to the acre and cost of $1,000 per acre, the farming operation received $1,300 to $1,780 per acre and made between $300 and $780 per acre because of the feedlot activity. 

Similar values were assigned to high-moisture corn (between 170% and 230% of their market value). Interestingly, both crops used to provide fiber in the diet benefited greatly. Corn silage and hay value were over 216% and 144%, respectively, greater than their market value. This would imply that corn silage was valued at over $80 and hay at over $200 per ton, respectively. 

This exercise can be applied to backgrounding or even cow-calf operations. Regardless of application, and despite the poor conversion efficiency (or any other perceived negativity including methane emissions), these are examples of how cattle operations improve the value of land and contribute to economic development.

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Week of August 10, 2026

Resilient American agriculture begins with thriving youth

As the 2026 edition of the Cuming County Fair ends, a casual observation, of great influence in the future of American agriculture, is watching young people thrive as they participate in 4-H, FFA or other fair-sponsored events or while they simply act as kids.  The thunderstorms and rain that came on Saturday, to the delight of all, particularly children, provided the perfect element to watch children thrive. 

It did not take very long for many children to enjoy the water present in many situations.  Water, either coming down from the sky, puddling and running down the street, or even through downspouts provided the perfect element for children to enjoy. Many children came running joyfully right down the stream of water draining the main thoroughfare.  At times, running simply was not enough; many children resorted to rolling in it.  Their giggles and laughter contagiously carried to many bystanders watching them from under buildings’ eaves.  One, more adventurous youth, decided to drink water discharging from the downspouts of the Watson Livestock Arena roof.  (Note to all concerned parents or health experts: by this time, it had rained sufficiently to rinse the metal roof of the building clean).  Once he tasted it, he looked around satisfied that he had tried one new thing in his young life.

For many other youths, who chose to remain indoors, a pickup game of soccer on the sands of the Watson Livestock Arena gave them the opportunity to flex their muscles and use their lungs.  For any adult witnessing this game, it was difficult to tell who belonged to what team or even where the goal posts were.  Never mind what we adults thought, the children had their own rules. Or did they?  At some point, perhaps imitating some so-called professional teams’ behavior during the recently completed World Cup, tempers flared. It took an adult referee to talk sense back into the situation.  With great skill, this individual diffused the situation; peace was promptly restored and children gained new experience.

What, might you ask, does any of this have to do with resiliency in American agriculture?  Although I do not hold a degree in psychology or child development, when children act as children, exploring, testing, learning, and interacting with their peers, they develop their own sense of self while learning to manage inter-personal relationships.  This is crucial to the development of a well-adjusted adult. 

Someday, like their parents, some of these youth will take the reins of their parents’ businesses or begin their own.  The experiences they accumulate as young people, including their days at the Cuming County Fair, will be the basis for their success as adults. In the meantime, I am grateful the Cuming County Ag Society, the Cuming County Fair Board, Cuming County 4-H, Cuming County Extension, and many volunteers and parents make this experience possible.  American agriculture is resilient because it invests in its youth.

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Week of July 27, 2026

Cow size and efficiency 

 

Much is written about what it costs to keep a cow in America and how size affects costs. Recently, we reported on cow weight increases over time associated with heavier carcasses from fed cattle. 

If cows are getting heavier, at least relative to the weights of cows originally studied in the 1980’s, what are the implications on their energy requirements for maintenance? I had the opportunity to investigate how the requirements of cows resulting from modern genetics changed. In addition, I studied whether breed, region of the country, stage of production, and metabolic activity affected their energy requirements. 

The good news is that despite a trend for heavier cows, their energy requirements for maintenance per unit of metabolic size have not changed. Neither region of the country nor whether cows were the product of beef or beef x dairy crosses affected energy requirements. This is good news unless of course as cows got heavy, weaning weight of their calves did not increase to compensate for greater energy needs.

Using data from auction markets reporting to USDA between 2019 and 2026, we determined calf weights for Northwest, Northern Plains, Midwest, Northeast, Southwest, Southern Plains, and Southeast regions of the country. Except for calves in the Southern Plains, cows in northern states had calves that weighed 40 lb more than cows in other southern states.  Yet, cows in northern states were also heavier (they should be weaning heavier calves to compensate for greater maintenance requirements).

Relative to their requirements, however, cows produced calves in either region at the same efficiency. It takes 4,600 to 4,900 lb of TDN (or from 8,300 to 8,800 lb hay) to produce a weaned calf weighing 510 or 550 lb in southern or northern states respectively.  Calculating the ratio of weaned calf to TDN results in an efficiency of energy capture of 11%.  Data from cows tested in the 1980’s resulted in similar efficiency of energy capture. 

We can safely conclude that although cows have gotten heavier, their offspring is also heavier offsetting the net increase in energy requirements of the modern beef cow.  Some of us believe this increase in weight was necessary to permit their offspring to reach harvest weights needed to maintain beef production at the current (and perhaps) future cowherd inventories. 

Relative to the efficiency of energy transformation of solar panels from solar to electric (around 25%), the humble cow may be considered only half as efficient.  Yet, production of calves to weaning (and beyond) incorporates use of forage fiber of little use to other livestock or humans.  Therefore, this system relies on energy sources that result from photosynthesis transforming forage nutrients into nutritious and flavorful beef protein and other beef nutrients. 

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Rural Health

Hannah Guenther, Extension Educator

 

Week of August 31, 20206

What is Public Health?

I truly can’t remember if I’ve shared this in a previous newspaper article, but I recently graduated with a degree in Public Health. My educational path has been unique, to say the least. I started with a degree in Dietetics and later earned a master’s degree in education. But as my career in Extension grew and evolved, I began to realize there was a gap in my own education.

I have devoted much of my professional career to improving the health and well-being of rural Nebraskans. And the more I worked in this space, the more I realized that food and nutrition are only one piece of a much bigger puzzle.

Our health is influenced by what we eat, but it is also shaped by where we live, where we work, the air we breathe, the water we drink, the resources available in our communities, and even how far we must travel to see a doctor. In other words, our health is influenced by the places where we live, work, learn, and play.

That is public health.

When you say “public health” in our current climate, people may have a lot of different thoughts. For many, their mind immediately goes to vaccines or infectious disease. And while those are certainly pieces of public health, the field is so much bigger than that.

So today, I want to answer a seemingly simple question: What is public health?

Public health focuses on prevention. Public health is right under your nose, keeping you safe and preventing illness and injury every day. Did you buckle your seat belt today? That is a public health intervention designed to reduce traffic-related injuries. Have you noticed the lack of people smoking in restaurants? Smoke-free policies are a public health intervention that reduces secondhand smoke exposure. Have you enjoyed our walking trail in town? Creating spaces that encourage physical activity is public health, too.

Public health looks beyond individual choices. We love to tell people to “eat healthy” or “exercise more,” but what if the nearest grocery store is 30 miles away? What if there isn't a safe place to walk or access to a gym? One of the things that I love the most about Public Health is that it looks at the circumstances and environment that an individual is currently in and how that impacts their choices.

Public health is often invisible when it's working. This area of work is truly a silent hero because we reap the benefits every day without calling it out directly. Eating food from a restaurant that is meeting food-safety standards, safety requirements in the workplace - we benefit from public health systems constantly without necessarily calling them “public health.” 

Dietetics taught me a great deal about how our individual choices influence our health. Education taught me how to help people learn and make changes. Public health helped me understand the bigger picture: the communities, systems and environments surrounding those choices.

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Week of August 17, 2026

Flipping the Pyramid:  A Breakdown of the New Dietary Guidelines. Part II

Checking in, how are we doing after Part I? If you missed my last article, let’s get you caught up to speed. Every 5 years the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) get updated based on the current nutrition landscape, administration, research, etc. The most recent rendition flipped the script (literally) inverting the food pyramid. These guidelines influence everything from federal nutrition programs to how health professionals talk about nutrition with the public. 

In today’s episode of breaking down the new DGA, we’re going to review a few more of the key recommendations and start talking about how you can put these guidelines into practice in your daily life.

The Current Guidelines: In part I, we learned that protein, whole grains, and a focus on whole foods are key components. In addition: 

  • Fruits & Vegetables: eating a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables throughout the day has remained a consistent recommendation. Remember that fresh produce is great but frozen, dried, or canned fruits and vegetables with limited added sugar also count! 
  • Full Fat Dairy: Previous guidelines emphasized low-fat dairy, while the new guidance allows full-fat options as part of the recommended three daily servings. This reflects evolving research around dairy fat and health. Moral of the story? Choose the dairy options that work for you and your family.
  • Whole Foods: Did I mention the focus on whole foods? One of the loudest messages in the new DGA is to prioritize whole, nutrient-dense foods more often and limit highly processed foods.

Turning Guidelines into Action: As mentioned, these guidelines aren’t simply for health professionals. They’re intended to help all Americans make informed choices about what they eat. Recommendations on paper are one thing figuring out how to use them in your own kitchen is another! Here’s one simple place to start.

  1. Read Your Ingredient List. One of the easiest ways to eat more whole foods is to check ingredient lists. Can you identify what each ingredient is? If the list is long or filled with ingredients you don’t recognize, can’t pronounce, or wouldn’t typically have in your kitchen, look for a simpler alternative. Take ranch dressing. A store-bought bottle may have a long ingredient list, while a homemade version can be made with just a handful of familiar ingredients.

Homemade Ranch Dressing 

In a bowl or mason jar, add ½ cup mayo, ½ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream, ½ cup milk, 1 tsp dried dill, ½ tsp dried parsley, chives, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper. Combine and enjoy! 

I swear, I just get going and I am already out of words. In Part III, we will continue talking about how to put these guidelines into action with simple tips of how to bring the DGA into your kitchen! 

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Week of August 3, 2026

Flipping the Pyramid:  A Breakdown of the New Dietary Guidelines. Part I.

Every five years, nutrition gets a makeover. New headlines pop up, social media debates begin, and it can seem like the rules for healthy eating have changed yet again. If you're wondering whether you should still be following MyPlate or if there's a new pyramid to learn, you're not alone. While the illustrations have certainly changed over the years, the purpose of the Dietary Guidelines has remained the same: to provide evidence-based recommendations that help Americans make healthy food choices. In this article series, we'll unpack the newest guidance, starting with what the Dietary Guidelines actually are and why this upside-down pyramid is getting so much attention.

What are Dietary Guidelines? Food based dietary guidelines are recommendations regarding specific nutritional principles based on current evidence and over 100 countries around the world have them! The goal is truly to promote human health and reduce chronic disease in their specific country. These guidelines typically use visual tools to make it easier for audiences to understand. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) are created by the United States Department of Agriculture as well as the Department of Health and Human Services. They are written every 5 years and utilize a scientific advisory committee to review current nutrition research. 

Why do we have Dietary Guidelines? Although dietary guidelines aren’t typically a part of our daily life at home or in the kitchen, they do play a huge role in influencing the National School Lunch Program and other federal programs. The Guidelines shape what we teach in schools, how we develop educational programs, and the recommendations we share with individuals and families who want to improve their health and lower their risk of chronic disease.

The Current Guidelines: So let’s talk about the current pyramid, including what are the current recommendations are and how you can implement the Dietary Guidelines in your daily life: 

  • Protein: one of biggest changes in the pyramid is the push towards protein. Protein is a key nutrient throughout the life cycle. It is important to VARY YOUR PROTEIN sources to include fish, nuts, and eggs in addition to red meat. 
  • Avoid Processed Foods: if you look at the pyramid you will see that it a made up primarily of WHOLE FOODS, this is to emphasize the importance of reducing ultra processed foods.
  • Whole Grains: although grains are at the bottom of the pyramid that doesn’t mean that they should be avoided! Whole grains are an important part of the diet and prioritizing fiber is key. 

We've only scratched the surface of the new Dietary Guidelines – hence the series! In Part II, we'll dive into the remaining recommendations and discuss practical ways to put them into action in your own kitchen. 

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