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
February 23: Face-To-Face YQCA Training, 7:00-8:30pm, Holt County Courthouse Annex Meeting Room, O’Neill, NE
February 24: UNL Land Application Manure Training, 9:00am-4:00pm, Brown County Courthouse Meeting Room, Ainsworth, NE
February 25: Private Pesticide Training, 1:30pm, New Community Building, Bassett, NE
February 26-27: Nebraska Women in Agriculture Conference, Holiday Inn Convention Center, Kearney, NE
February 28: Holt County Market Beef and Second Year Bucket Calf Weigh-In, 9:00-11:00am, Atkinson Sale Barn, Atkinson, NE
February 28-March 16: Holt County Market Beef and Second Year Bucket Calf Weigh-On-Your-Own Days
February 28: 2026 Nebraska State Three-Position CMP Championships, 7:00am MST, Burkholder Building, Alliance, NE, Contact: Bryant Quick, (308) 760-8713, bryantquick1@gmail.com
February 28: Pierce County Shooting Sports 4-H Club 36th Annual BB Gun; Air Rifle and Air Pistol Shoot, 8:15am CST, Pierce County Fairgrounds Pavillion, Pierce, NE, Contact: Jen or David Thomsen, (402) 329-4504, djgunsnroses@hotmail.com
March 3: Private Pesticide Training, 1:00-4:00pm, Methodist Church, Verdigre, NE
March 4: UNL Land Application Manure Training, 9:00am-4:0-pm, Madison County Extension Office, Norfolk, NE
March 5: UNL Land Application Manure Training, 9:00am-4:00pm, Nielsen Community Center, West Point, NE
March 9: Deadline: Enroll on 4-H Online For a Chance to Win a 4-H T-Shirt, v2.4honline.com
March 9: Face-To-Face YQCA Training, 6:30pm, Holt County Courthouse Annex Meeting Room, O’Neill, NE
March 19: Private Pesticide Training, 1:30pm, Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Spencer, NE
Helping Children Learn About Kindness
Learning to be kind and to help is important for building strong friendships. Children who have strong friendships with other children care about how they feel. They stick up for them when others tease them, and they try to make them feel better when they are hurt or sad.
Helping others is not only a key to good friendship. It is also an important social skill that will help children in all types of relationships. Even at a very early age, children can tell when others are in distress, but they still must learn how to help others. Parents and other adults can help children learn these skills.
Different Kinds of Helping
Children can help others in many different kinds of situations. The most common ways to help are those that take place every day. Children can learn to give praise when others do well and thank them when they help. They can also encourage others and take an interest in what other children are doing. All of these kinds of help take place as a part of daily life.
Other kinds of help may not be needed every day, but it is always important for children to learn what to do in these situations. When a child is being teased or yelled at, others should step in and stick up for the child or suggest doing something else. When another child is sad or lonely, helpful children will try to comfort the sad one by thinking of something to do or talking about times when they too were unhappy. Children can help others in many ways and learning how to help will make them feel better about themselves and build stronger ties with friends.
LaDonna Werth
Extension Educator
Phone: 402-336-2760
E-mail: lwerth2@unl.edu
Learning To Put Yourself in Others’ Shoes
It is critical for children to learn how to put themselves in someone else’s shoes if they are going to learn to help others. During the school-age years, children can begin to see things from another person’s point of view. They begin to understand that others may not view things just as they do, and they can think about how they would feel if they were in that person’s situation. Picking up on how others may be thinking and feeling allows children to understand how others might need help. For example, when a child sees another child get hurt, he or she can think about how it would hurt and understand the need for help.
In our daily lives, we can encourage children to care about others’ feelings and thoughts by helping them think about how they might feel in a certain situation. When we see people in real life or in books and on television going through good and bad situations, ask children to pay attention to how others are feeling and thinking. For example, when someone gets hurt on television, we can ask, “How do you think that person is feeling?” and “What is he or she thinking about?” These questions focus the child’s attention on how others feel and think. Also, when children talk about school or the playground, about who pushed who or who got in trouble, ask them to think about how those children must feel and what they might be thinking. Learning how to put themselves in others’ shoes and imagining how they are thinking and feeling is an important first step in learning to help others.
Teaching Helping
Parents and adults can help children learn about helping others in many ways. In general, you can let them know how important it is to help. When others are unhappy or in trouble, talk about it with your children. For example, if there is a news story about someone in an accident or someone who is hungry or homeless, talk about why it is important to help these people. Children’s values come from the values they hear from others.
Children also learn how to help by doing what they see adults do. When you as an adult help someone, you can make a point of showing the child how it works when someone is helpful. For example, a little brother or sister might fall down and start crying. As you help, talk about how you understand that the child is hurt. Explain your own feelings of distress at seeing someone else hurt. And as you comfort the crying child, talk about the good feelings you have when you can make others feel better. By sharing your thoughts and feelings, children can both see and hear about your kindness, and they will have a better idea about how to help. You may want children to pay special attention to everyday situations where other children are crying, frustrated, or lonely. These are important times to help.
You can also teach children how to help by telling them how good they are when they are helpful. When children show care or have ideas about helping others, take note of it. You might say something like, “You are being a big help to your little brother today,” or “You’re really helpful to our family.” By praising children when they help, we teach them how important it is to be helpful and how others notice it.
Children also learn about helping by taking care of others. When children have a chance to look after younger brothers and sisters or to help other playmates, they get good practice in helping. School-age children are too young to babysit all alone, of course, but they can look out for others for short times while adults are in another room. Explain clearly to children what they are to do. “I want you to look after your sister while I do some laundry.” Tell children that they are really in charge of caring for the little one.
There are many other chances to encourage children to help each other. They can teach others how to do chores, such as how to sweep, how to set the table, or how to fold clothes. They can teach others how to care for themselves or get dressed or how to play games and do homework. By learning to help brothers, sisters, and playmates, they are learning how to be good friends to each other. Children can also learn to help by caring for adults. Doing chores for grandparents, neighbors, or others who need help can also teach them about helping.
Finally, we teach children about helping others by treating them with love and kindness. When their cares and hurts are treated with kindness, they experience the good feelings that come from being helped. From this, they understand for themselves the value of helping. They know that when they show kindness, they are making others feel good.
Discussion Questions
The following questions could be used to talk with children.
- Sometimes children call other kids names or tease them. Have you ever seen other kids get teased? What could you do to help?
- Do you think it’s important to help your friends? Why?
- It can help to think about how others feel. How can you tell how others are feeling? What can you do to put yourself in their shoes?
- How would someone feel whose best friend moved away? What could you do to help them?
Activity
Ask children to think about how they would think and feel if they were in the following situations and how they would want to be helped.
- You are a new kid in school.
- You have just lost a favorite pet.
- You can’t do some of the math problems in school.
- You aren’t very good at playing sports.
Source: Robert Hughes, Jr., Ph.D., former Professor, Department of Human Development & Family Studies, College of Human Environmental Sciences, University of Missouri
February is National Pesticide Safety Education Month
February is National Pesticide Safety Education Month - a timely reminder to prepare for the busy season and reinforce the habits that protect people, livestock, pollinators, and water resources.
In Nebraska, pesticides are used in many settings, including row crops, pasture and rangeland, lawns and landscapes, rights of way, grain handling, and structural pest control. Because their use is so widespread, small daily decisions can quickly add up - for better or worse.
Pesticide safety education is more than a regulatory requirement. It helps prevent issues we see every year, including off-target movement that injures neighboring crops, exposure incidents affecting workers and families, and contamination that reaches wells or surface water. With thoughtful planning and consistent practices, most of these problems can be avoided.
Conditions Can Raise the Risk
Once we move past Nebraska’s “false springs,” fieldwork often happens in narrow weather windows - and conditions do not always cooperate.
Wind is one of the biggest challenges for safe application and can shift quickly. Temperature inversions are another concern, especially on cool, still mornings or evenings. During an inversion, fine droplets can remain suspended and travel farther than expected, even when wind speeds appear acceptable. Recognizing when conditions are not right is essential to protecting neighbors, sensitive sites, and the environment.
Amy Timmerman
Extension Educator
Phone: 402-336-2760
E-mail: atimmerman2@unl.edu
What Pesticide Safety Education Protects
Good safety practices extend well beyond the applicator - they protect communities and shared resources.
- People and families: Many exposure incidents involve skin contact or contaminated clothing. Proper PPE, clean-up routines, and safe storage reduce risk.
- Neighbors and bystanders: Off-target movement can damage gardens, shelterbelts, trees, and sensitive crops - and create lasting conflicts.
- Pollinators and beneficial insects: Warm days can bring early activity. Timing, product selection, and drift control matter.
- Water and wells: Private wells are common in Nebraska. Backflow prevention, careful mixing and loading, and spill preparedness help safeguard water supplies.
- Your bottom line: Misapplications waste product and time. Drift or crop injury can result in complaints, reapplications and added costs.
Learn more through Nebraska’s Pesticide Safety Education Program, which offers NebGuides on laws and regulations, health and safety, environmental protection, and pest management.
Source: Josh Villazana - Pesticide Safety Education Program Coordinator, Extension Educator
What Heifers Will Fit My Forage Resouces?
The old phrase, “horses for courses” now has a complementary phrase of “cows for resources.” Approximately 75% of the feed that goes towards producing a pound of beef comes from forage. Recent research at Oklahoma State University by Dr. David Lalman has shown that there are significant differences in how efficiently heifers convert forage to pounds of beef in a growing diet consisting of good quality hay. In a recent article titled “Finding Forage Efficient Heifers” in the December 15 issue of the Cow-Calf Corner Newsletter, Dr. Lalman shares groundbreaking research examining forage efficiency.
Research has been conducted for almost three decades, measuring individually how efficiently cattle convert feed into pounds of gain. The feed used in these research studies tends to be high quality, energy dense, and utilizes some grain as a part of the ration. What has not been studied is feed efficiency utilizing a medium to high quality, long stem grass hay which is more similar in type to what most beef cattle are expected to utilize through grazing.
The research results show tremendous variability in the performance of the weaned heifer calves utilized in this study. Average daily forage intake ranged from 9 to 19 pounds per head per day, while average daily gain ranges from a slight weight loss to a gain of 1.6 pounds per day. In the study, there are heifers that have an unacceptable rate of gain on the forage-based diet. There are also heifers that have moderate forage intake and acceptable to even exceptional levels of gain. There are also heifers that ate a lot but only had moderate levels of gain.
Bethany Johnston
Extension Educator
Phone: 402-336-2760
E-mail: bjohnston3@unl.edu
In a recent BeefWatch Podcast, https://go.unl.edu/heifer_forage_efficency, Dr. Lalman shares data that consistently shows there is statistically no correlation between feed efficiency on a long stem grass hay diet when compared to an energy dense diet that has a grain component. While there is a correlation of level of feed intake in individual cattle across these diets, there is no correlation in feed efficiency! This means that cattle that eat a lot when fed an energy dense diet are likely to eat a lot when fed a long stem grass hay diet. However, cattle that are identified as being efficient when fed an energy dense diet may not be efficient when fed a diet consisting of medium to high quality long stem grass.
These research results give food for thought for those selecting bulls to produce replacement heifers and when thinking about replacement heifer development systems. Sires that have genetics for increased levels of feed intake when compared to their contemporaries, will likely pass this trait on to their resulting heifer calves. However, sires that have been shown to be efficient at converting an energy dense diet to pounds of beef, may not sire heifers that are efficient at converting forage to pounds of beef.
In the BeefWatch podcast, Dr. Lalman shared some practical thoughts for cow-calf producers wanting to produce heifers that will efficiently convert forage to pounds of beef and fit available grazing resources.
- After weaning, conduct a forage test for heifers either through grazing a medium quality forage or through feeding of medium quality hay for a 60-to-90-day period. Heifers that perform acceptably in terms of average daily gain will likely be heifers that will make cows that will effectively utilize forage resources.
- Sires with genetic potential for high levels of feed intake will likely pass these traits on to their daughters. Selecting for higher levels of feed intake will eventually necessitate a decrease in stocking rate as the same size herd of cows will eat more.
- Sires that are efficient at converting high-quality energy dense diets to pounds of beef, may not sire heifers that are efficient at converting forage to pounds of beef. The data shows no correlation between feed efficiency on a high-quality energy dense diet and feed efficiency on a medium to high-quality long stem hay diet.
The primary feed resource for cattle is forage. The competitive advantage of cattle, when compared to poultry or pigs, is that they can harvest and convert forage into high-quality protein products. Utilizing selection tools and management practices that can identify forage efficient cattle will aid in developing cows that fit grazing resources and effectively convert forage into beef.
Source: Aaron Berger - Nebraska Extension Educator (UNL Beef – February 1, 2026)
News Release
Workshops Aim to Boost Crop Yields by Improving Manure Management
LINCOLN, NE - Turning manure nutrients into improved crop yields while protecting water and soil quality will be the focus of seven Nebraska Extension workshops scheduled across the state in February and March.
“Our workshops focus on choosing the best possible field for manure application and therefore are useful for any crop farmer utilizing manure, even though they have traditionally been attended by livestock producers,” said Leslie Johnson, Nebraska Extension’s Animal Manure Management Extension Educator. “The workshops will still meet the educational requirements for permitted livestock operations laid out by the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy and Environment’s Title 130.”
The day-long sessions, held from 9:00am to 4:00pm local time, provide DWEE Land Application Training certification. Participants must attend the full program, which includes lunch, to earn certification. Sessions will cover regulatory updates and strategies for using manure effectively on cropland. While certification is available, anyone may attend, including crop farmers and smaller livestock operators seeking practical guidance for their operations.
Hands-on activities will help participants evaluate which fields are best suited for manure application. Each session will present a scenario in which attendees assess potential fields and determine whether manure use would be beneficial or if certain limitations make the site less desirable. Participants will then rank fields by priority based on factors such as nutrient value, transportation cost, soil health, water quality, neighbor proximity, and odor concerns. Regulations and record-keeping requirements for manure storage and application will also be covered.
Workshop dates and locations:
- Gothenburg – Feb. 9
- Ainsworth – Feb. 24
- Broken Bow – Feb. 25
- Bridgeport – Feb. 27
- Norfolk – March 4
- West Point – March 5
- Aurora – March 17
Because seating is limited and meals are provided, advance registration is required at least one week before each event. Additional sessions may be added if demand is high. Registration is available at water.unl.edu/lat.
The cost is $100 per operation requiring certification - typically larger livestock facilities - or $25 per person for attendees not seeking certification, including smaller livestock producers, crop farmers, NRCS staff, and landlords.
The workshops are sponsored by Nebraska Extension’s Animal Manure Management Team, which works to help livestock and crop producers maximize the agronomic and environmental benefits of manure. For more information, visit manure.unl.edu or contact Leslie Johnson at 402-584-3818 or ljohnson13@nebraska.edu.
News Release
Nebraska Extension to Host Webinar on Low Pregnancy Rates in Young Cows
Lincoln, Neb. - Low pregnancy rates in young cows can significantly impact herd replacement costs and long-term profitability for cow-calf producers. To address this challenge, Nebraska Extension will host a webinar, Considerations of Causes of Low Pregnancy Rates in Young Cows, on Tuesday, March 10.
The webinar will begin at 6:30pm Mountain time (7:30 p.m. Central) and focus on key biological and management factors that influence reproductive success in young cows.
Topics and presenters include:
- Heifer Development – Dr. Rick Funston and Dr. Kacie McCarthy
- Genetic Selection – Dr. Matt Spangler
- Nutrition for the Cow – Dr. Karla Wilke
- Infectious Diseases and Infertility – Dr. Brian Vander Ley and Dr. Matt Hille.
The first 40 minutes of the program will feature short presentations from each speaker, followed by a live questions-and answer session. Participants will have the opportunity to engage directly with Nebraska Extension specialists, veterinarians, and educators.
The webinar is open to cow-calf producers, veterinarians, and consultants. The goal of the program is to encourage discussion around low pregnancy rates in young cows and to provide research-based insights that can be applied in herd management decisions.
There is no cost to attend, but advance registration is requested. To register, email Aaron Berger at mailto:aberger2@unl.edu by Friday, March 6. A recording of the webinar will be made available to registered participants following the program.
If you would like to attend an in-person location to view the webinar and engage in discussion with other producers, the following locations will also host the webinar. Please RSVP by March 6.
- Buffalo County, Office Building, 1400 E 34th St., Kearney, Brent Plugge, 308-236-1235
- Holt County Courthouse Annex, 128 N 6th St., O’Neill, Bethany Johnston, 402-336-2760
- Nance County Office, 304 3rd St., Fullerton, Josie Crouch, 308-536-2691
- Sheridan County Office, 800 South Loofborrow St., Rushville, Brock Ortner, 308-327-2312
- Lincoln County Office, 402 W. State Farm Rd., Snyder Building, North Platte, Randy Saner,
- 308-532-2683
- Central Sandhills Area Office, Thomas County Courthouse, Thedford, TL Meyer, 308-645-2267.
For more information, contact Berger at 308-235-3122 or mailto:aberger2@unl.edu