Nebraska Extension Educator - Holt & Boyd Counties - LaDonna Werth
Nebraska Extension Educator - Holt & Boyd Counties - Amy Timmerman
Nebraska Extension Educator - Holt, Boyd, Garfield, Loup, & Wheeler Counties - Bethany Johnston
Nebraska Extension Educator - Brown, Rock, & Keya Paha Counties - Brittany Spieker
Nebraska 4-H Assistant - Holt & Boyd Counties - Debra Walnofer
April 28: Free Farm and Ranch Finance Clinics, O’Neill, NE; For more information and to sign up call 1-800-464-0258
April 30: ServSafe Food Handler Training, 8:30am, Holt County Extension Office, O’Neill, NE, ServSafe Food Handler Registration
May 14: Private Pesticide Training, 9:30am, Phelps County Extension Office, Holdrege, NE
May 14: Private Pesticide Training, 1:30pm, Phelps County Extension Office, Holdrege, NE
May 18: Face-to-Face YQCA Training, 7pm, Holt County Courthouse Annex, O’Neill, NE
May 27-29: Premier Animal Science Event (PASE), Animal Science Complex, Lincoln, NE
June 1: DUE: Holt County Shooting Sports 4-H Invitational Shoot Registration
June 4-5: 2026 Tractor & Equipment Safety Training, AKRS Equipment Solutions, O’Neill, NE, Tractor and Equipment Safety Training Registration
June 6-7: Holt County Shooting Sports 4-H Invitational Shoot, Holt County Fairgrounds, Chambers, NE
Choosing The Right Toy for Your Child
Because play is often described as the work of children, children need toys just as adults need tools for their particular jobs. Even children who lack commercially produced toys will find playthings such as fingers and toes, pots and pans, and hills and trees.
The national average for the number of toys a child receives during a gift-giving occasion is about 12. Most children are satisfied with three or four new toys. If a child receives too many new toys at once, he may become overwhelmed in deciding what toy to play with.
To eliminate some of the frustrations of too many toys, select toys with the child’s needs and interests in mind. A well-balanced selection of toys is necessary for the child’s total development. The selection might include:
- Toys for physical development like push and pull toys for younger children and wagons, sleds, and swings for older children.
- Toys to develop sensory skills through play with a variety of materials. Water, sand, pots, and pans are all possible examples. Anything that can be SAFELY touched, tasted, smelled, looked at, or listened to would help in developing sensory skills.
- Toys for make-believe and developing social skills might include dolls, play cars, trucks, and accompanying play sets. These toys don’t need to be expensive. Many simple household items such as clothing or discarded kitchen materials make great play props. Children can use their imaginations, and empty boxes become many interesting playthings.
Books and puzzles are also considered toys and should be readily available to children. Plain paper and crayons can be helpful in developing a child’s creative skills.
The simpler the toy the better. A toy should be versatile and flexible for a variety of uses. Toys need adult supervision, but should need little, if any, adult instruction. Toys should not be purchased with the idea of allowing the child to “grow into” the toy.
Follow the age guidelines found on the toy packages and labels. These guidelines take into consideration a child’s age, physical size, skill level, and safety concerns. Many toys designed for older children may not be safe for infants and toddlers. These toys may have small pieces that can be choking hazards, or they may have mechanisms that are too complicated for the young child.
The Consumer Products Safety Commission provides safety and recall information for all toys sold in the United States on their website.
There is no way to ensure that every toy purchased will be the best toy. Be considerate of the child’s age, interests and current developmental needs and you will come closer to selecting a toy that is the best fit. A list of activity ideas for children based on their special interests can be found in the publication Nurturing Children’s Talents (GH6127).
Source: Leanne Spengler, former Human Development Specialist, University of Missouri Extension
Early Planting: Using Soil Temperature Windows for Corn and Soybean
Key Takeaways
- Planting early during soil-warming windows maximizes yield potential and return on investment in crop inputs.
- Minimum soil temperature thresholds for germination: corn and soybean are safe to plant at 50°F or greater soil temperature, while sorghum requires 55–60°F or greater.
- Soil temperature above the thresholds during the first 24 hours after planting is critical for adequate water uptake (imbibition phase) to ensure good germination. After this imbibition phase, corn and soybean seeds can tolerate temperatures below 50°F without affecting germination as long as the seed is in proper soil moisture.
- Start planting corn and soybean when soil temperatures at 2 inches are above 50°F and the weather forecast shows 24 to 48 hours of rising temperatures or similar weather as of planting day.
- Adequate soil moisture is essential for rapid seed imbibition, making it even more important to time planting with both temperature and moisture conditions to support strong emergence.
Why do we want to plant early? The planting date management is not about when you plant your first field, but when you plant your last field. Planting early is a key factor in achieving high yields, especially in irrigated fields. Early planting is more critical for soybean than for corn. An eight-day advance in the Nebraska irrigated soybean 50% planting progress date was associated with a historic 4 bu/ac increase in irrigated soybean fields and a 2 bu/ac increase in rainfed fields. Delays in the Nebraska irrigated
corn 50% planting progress date did not have much impact on corn yields. Indeed, there is a planting window between mid-April and mid-May in which corn yield does not seem to change much.
If you have only one planter and always plant corn first, planting corn earlier can also shift soybean planting earlier and increase their yields while maintaining or slightly increasing corn yields.
Another option is to plant soybean first, followed by corn, as many farmers are beginning to do. For dryland corn in the west-central region, some research has shown that planting early increases yields because the crop has a greater chance of rain during the critical period for yield determination, as rainfall declines consistently after May. Additionally, corn development is largely driven by temperature. Therefore, later planting leads to later harvest, and a higher probability of harvesting with high moisture and late in the fall.
Extensive research shows that early planting can maximize yield potential and improve returns on crop input investments. Progressive, high-yielding farmers often plant under “cold conditions.” Exploring the potential advantages of adjusting the planting schedule in west-central Nebraska could offer new strategies to optimize yields and return on investments in the region. (See also, “Impact of Hybrid Selection, Planting Date and Seeding Rates on Dryland Corn in Western Nebraska.”)
Based on USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) crop insurance standards, the earliest corn planting date was April 10 for corn and April 20-25 for soybean in west-central Nebraska, depending on the county. In addition to insurance coverage, proper soil temperature and moisture are important for good germination. Our data show that planting windows have already occurred in west-central Nebraska for corn and soybean during the last 10 days. Therefore, it is time to plant.
Traditionally, farmers in the west-central Nebraska region wait until the risk of severe frost has passed and the soil has warmed sufficiently to ensure fast germination. Average soil temperatures that support proper germination are 50°F for corn and soybean, and between 55-60 °F for sorghum.
The key is successfully moving through the imbibition phase of the germination process with good temperature and moisture. The imbibition phase of the germination process is the rapid uptake of water by the seed, which typically occurs within 24 hours of planting. After the imbibition phase comes the osmotic phase. During the osmotic phase, water uptake slows, and seedlings in this phase are quite tolerant of soil temperatures as low as 35-40°F.
With this objective in mind, the Cropping Systems Lab at the West Central Research, Extension and Education Center (WCREEC) in North Platte installed soil temperature sensors in early April across the region (North Platte, Brule, Grant, and McCook) to track daily soil temperature changes at a depth of 2 inches.
Each sensor was connected to a datalogger, providing online access to hourly soil temperature changes on a phone or laptop. See soil temperature trends by location in on the CropWatch web page for Figures 1 through 4.
For other locations, you can check the daily 4-inch-deep soil temperature on the CropWatch soil temperature page, which will serve as a proxy for soil temperature for planting.
Temperature Records Interpretation
Overall, there have been between two and nine days, depending on the location, with soil temperatures at 2 inches at 50°F or more. Fields with soybean residue are consistently warmer than those with corn residue. In these windows, corn planting was possible and the WCREEC fields started to be planted.
Although soybean could have also been planted during these planting windows above 50°F of soil temperature, the insurance does not begin until April 20 or 25, depending on the county. Therefore, this week, April 20 to April 24 has been a good week to get started planting soybean. However, planting corn and soybean after Thursday afternoon of April 23 this year may be at risk of chilling injury as minimum air temperatures are forecasted to be considerably below 50°F for at least four days starting on Saturday, with possibilities of rain/snow. Planting corn or soybean before Friday remains a viable option. Then, it will be advisable to check soil temperatures to see if they remain at 50°F over the weekend, as some lower air temperatures are forecast, and to check whether the weather forecast will be favorable after planting.
Soil temperature sensors in dryland systems in the McCook area indicate that soil temperatures have been above 50°F for about nine days. Therefore, planting corn in dryland systems has had the longest planting window in the area so far. Even during the past weekend, when temperatures dropped in the area, wheat residue areas remained warmer. One consideration is that some dryland systems may lack sufficient moisture for the seed to germinate due to the dry conditions – Considerations for Planting into Dry Conditions.
Nonetheless, on April 15, we planted a corn field on wheat stubble in the dryland farm of WCREEC, where seeds were placed at approximately 2.75 inches deep to get moisture. These seeds have started to germinate despite the slightly cold weather we had over the past weekend.
In Brule, there is a spike in soil temperature on April 9 in the observations, and since then, soil temperature in the corn residue has been high and more fluctuating. The field was strip-tilled that day. Based on the locations and observations above, the corn residue in Brule is the only line that represents strip-till conditions in the area. All other observations are no-till conditions with no residue removal or grazing.
Final Considerations
Minimum air temperature and frost forecasts are often used as a reference for starting to plant, rather than soil temperature at the seed-planting depth. This approach can delay planting and reduce yields. While aboveground freezing temperatures can occur even after planting, this does not directly affect the underground planted seeds. Seed emergence typically take 12-23 days for corn and 13-25 days for soybean when planted in late April to early May, based on our planting-date experiment in North Platte over the last two years at WCREEC.
The most critical time for chilling injury is the first 24 hours after planting. During the remaining time until emergence, the seeds can tolerate temperatures below 50°F and exposure to aboveground frost. If you haven’t started yet, it’s time to plant. Check soil temperature, soil moisture, and the weather forecast, and get the planter to the field. It looks like this week, until Thursday, it is good to plant corn and soybean. Don’t miss the opportunity to achieve higher yields and improving the return on investment of every other input used in the season.
Source: Nicolás Cafaro La Menza – Cropping Systems Specialist, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Claudia Marchezan - Research Project Coordinator, Marcos Linzmeyer - Research Technician, Muhammad Ahmad - Postdoctoral Research Associate, Joao Bender - Field Manager, Ronaldo Marchezan - Research Technician III, Marcos Ventura - Research Scholar, Victoria Brittes Inklman - MSc Student, Ruby Collins - Extension Educator, Samantha Daniel - Extension Educator, Todd Whitney - Extension Educator, Talon Mues - Extension Educator, Jenny Brhel - Extension Educator
To see the figures that this article refers to please go to Early Planting: Using Soil Temperature Windows for Corn and Soybean.
Replacement Heifers vs. Finishing Heifers – Feeding Replacement Heifers in Confinement
After wildfires recently ravaged over 800,000 acres across Nebraska many cattle producers, now short on grass and hay, may be contemplating how to manage replacement heifers this spring and summer. While many ranchers may prefer not to develop replacement heifers in a drylot, heifers can be successfully developed and bred in confinement.
Due to extensive drought and/or fire, producers in farming areas or feedlot managers may agree to take in heifers to develop because they have access to grain and various silages that can be used for cattle rations. Understanding the needs of the replacement heifer and how they differ from a finishing heifer are very important for successful development and breeding.
Rate of Gain
A replacement heifer, from weaning to breeding, may only need to gain 1.25 pounds/day to reach her target breeding weight. A finishing heifer may be on an aggressive growing diet gaining 3 pounds per day, or a finishing diet targeting over 3 pounds/day gain. These are very different goals and therefore, very different rations.
Example Rations
Example rations for replacement heifers targeting 1.25 pounds/day gain and finishing heifers on an accelerated growing ration targeting 3 pounds/day gain can be found at Replacement Heifers vs. Finishing Heifers – Feeding Replacement Heifers in Confinement
The replacement heifers do not need a high energy diet. The corn silage provides some energy that is lacking in the poor-quality (often cheaper) hay, and the distillers grains provide metabolizable protein the heifers need to develop bone and muscle growth without gaining extra fat tissue.
If heifers are still in confinement at breeding, a diet providing 1.5 to 2.0 pounds/day gain could be provided to be similar to gain on green grass.
Producers wanting assistance with ration balancing for replacement heifers can contact the UNL beef team.
Source: Karla Wilke, Nebraska Extension Cow/Calf Systems and Stocker Management Specialist