Nebraska Extension Educator - Holt/Boyd Counties - LaDonna Werth
Nebraska Extension Educator - Holt/Boyd Counties - Amy Timmerman
Nebraska Extension Educator - Brown/Rock/Keya Paha Counties - Brittany Spieker
Nebraska Extension Educator - Holt/Boyd/Garfield/Loup/Wheeler Counties - Bethany Johnston
Nebraska 4-H Assistant - Holt/Boyd Counties - Debra Walnofer
June 15: DUE: ALL Other Clover Kid, 4-H and FFA Animal ID Sheets, Holt County Extension Office, O’Neill, NE
June 15: DUE: Nebraska 4-H Enrollment Deadline
June 19-20: Premier Communication Event, UNL East Campus, Lincoln, NE
June 22-27: 4-H National Shooting Sports National Championships, Heartland Public Shooting Park, Alda, NE
June 23: DUE: President’s Environmental Youth and Educator Awards application, PIAEE@epa.gov
June 27: Technology in Action: Improving Pasture and Cattle Management Field Day, Mead, NE
June 2: Holt County 4-H Shooting Sports - .22 Rifle, SB Pistol, Muzzleloader, SG, BB Gun, AR, AP, Archery Practice; Holt County Fairgrounds, Chambers, NE
July 1: DUE: Holt and Boyd County Pre-Fair Day Entries DUE, https://holt.fairwire.com/ or https://boyd.fairwire.com
July 7: Holt County 4-H Shooting Sports - .22 Rifle, SB Pistol, Muzzleloader, SG, BB Gun, AR, AP, Practice + Coach’s Meeting; Holt County Fairgrounds, Chambers, NE
July 11: Young Rancher Workshop - Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition and Ranch Management Consultants - Burwell, Nebraska, Contact Leah Peterson: director@nebraskagrazinglands.org, 308-872-1250
Staying Home Alone: Is Your Child Ready for Self-Care?
Deciding when a child is capable of staying home alone is a difficult one for any parent. At some point in time, most children will need to stay alone before or after school, during the summer break or while a parent runs an errand. Communicating and working with a child can help him prepare for being alone and thrive while parents are away.
How do I determine if my child is able to stay at home alone?
Several factors should be considered before a child stays home alone:
- Does your child express a desire to stay alone?
- Can your child make good decisions, show responsibility over tasks you have given in the past, and communicate well with you?
- Is the area you live in safe?
- Are there other adults in the area that would be available to assist your child if needed?
- Are there younger children in the house the child would be responsible for?
There is not a magical age at which children are ready to be home alone. Every child is different. Not every child is able to handle
LaDonna Werth
Extension Educator
Phone: 402-336-2760
E-mail: lwerth2@unl.edu
the responsibility of staying alone the same.
Your child could be 13, yet she may not make decisions well. She may not feel comfortable staying home alone all summer watching her younger sister. Finding alternative child care arrangements while working with your child to develop her decision-making skills will eventually help her succeed at staying home alone. On the other hand, a 10 year old who is comfortable being alone, lives in a safe area, and has proven herself to be responsible, may be ready to stay at home by herself while her parents run some errands.
Check with your local Family Support Division for their recommended minimum age guidelines for children staying home alone in your community. Then work with your child to determine if she is ready to stay home without parental supervision.
What skills should my child have before staying home alone?
Answer the following questions to see if your child can succeed while home alone. You may have others to add to the list.
- Does your child know what to do if someone knocks at the door? Children should know what to do if a stranger is at the door as well as what to do should someone come to the house looking for help or trying to deliver a package or attempting to repair something on your home (checking gas lines, etc.).
- Does your child know how to answer the phone without giving away personal information or mentioning that no adults are home? Does your child know what to do if he receives a prank phone call?
- Does your child know who to call if there is an emergency or fire?
- Is your child able to make a snack or entertain himself when bored?
Don’t simply ask your child if she is able to do something - have her show you. For example, practice calling your child to see what her phone skills are like or have her show you where she would go in case of severe weather.
Role playing with your children can teach valuable skills and can help you evaluate where your child needs some improvement. Some example role plays are:
- A man knocks at the door and says he has a delivery for you. He says he needs a signature and that it must be delivered today.
- A woman parked in front of your house says she has locked her keys in the car. She wants to know if she can use the phone in your house.
- You arrive home and a window is cracked open. Normally all windows are kept closed.
- You slip down the steps and twist your ankle. You can still walk, but it hurts.
- While walking home with a friend, an older child pushes you down and then walks off.
As you work with your child on these and other role plays, remember that it is beneficial to review/replay them every several months. Reviewing these difficult situations will help keep decision-making skills fresh in your child’s mind. Role playing, instead of just discussing these situations, will help your child know what to do in case one of these circumstances arise.
What can I do to make my child’s time at home easier?
Begin with setting clear rules for your child. Work with him to develop these rules. If your children are involved in this process and understand the reasoning behind the rules, they are more likely to follow them. Keep in mind what your child is able to do at his age and what is safe for him to do on his own. For example, it may not be safe to require a ten year old to mow the entire yard before his parents return home. A more reasonable alternative would be for him to feed the dog and water the plants.
Remember to post the rules in clear view so your child can remember what is expected of her. Clear and consistent consequences will also help direct your child’s behavior.
There are many other things you can do to improve the quality of your child’s time at home. Post important telephone numbers near the phone. Always make sure the child can contact a designated adult in case you are not available. Discuss activities your child should accomplish (chores, homework, etc.) and help her think of new, fun things that she could do until you return. Leave notes of encouragement to let your child know she is doing a good job.
Obviously, the safety of your child is extremely important. Consider having a family password for other adults that may have interactions with your child while he is alone. Hide a spare key somewhere for your child or leave a copy with a trusted neighbor. Reassure children that it is okay not to answer the phone, not to open the door and not to provide help to a stranger. Teach your child to ask for help if he feels uncomfortable at any time.
Remember to periodically reevaluate your child’s situation and keep communication lines open to relieve any fears she may have about being alone. Working closely with your child can bring her relief and confidence, and can make your child’s experience at home satisfying and beneficial to her development.
Source: Suzi McGarvey, Extension Associate, University of Missouri Extension
Reviewed by Kim Leon, Ph.D., Former Human Development and Family Studies, College of Human Environmental Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia
How Plants Respond to Drought - and Why It Matters
When drought hits, it’s not just soil moisture that changes—plants change too. However, no two plants are the same in how they deal with dry weather. Understanding the different ways forage species respond to drought conditions can help livestock producers make better grazing decisions, protect pasture productivity, and maintain long-term range health.
Here are a few different ways plants respond to drought conditions:
1. Growth Shutdown and Dormancy
Some grasses respond to drought by essentially shutting down. Cool-season species like smooth bromegrass and Kentucky bluegrass often enter dormancy to conserve energy and moisture.1,4 While they may look dead, these plants are still alive and capable of regrowth when conditions improve. With the growth stoppage because of drought, there is a reduction in replenishment of carbohydrates (energy) in the grass plants. This will affect the growth and vigor of the grass plant the following year. In many cases, the lack of seed production and maturity when early dormancy occurs can result in a higher quality of forage, although quantity is greatly reduced.
What this means for producers:
Once plants are fully dormant (no longer actively growing and able to regrow after grazing), grazing can be a strategic way to utilize
Amy Timmerman
Extension Educator
Phone: 402-336-2760
E-mail: atimmerman2@unl.edu
remaining forage. Because dormant plants aren’t actively growing, grazing has minimal negative impacts - as long as a protective stubble height is maintained to shield crowns and buds. However, it’s important to ensure plants are truly dormant; grazing too early during slowdown can further weaken already stressed plants. Management during the year following drought should consider the impact of lower energy reserves in the recovering plants.
2. Early Maturity
Other species - often warm-season grasses like prairie sandreed or sideoats grama—respond by speeding up their development, shifting energy toward reproduction rather than vegetative growth, which accelerates seed set and reduces forage quality.1,3 This typically occurs when early moisture allows plants to grow but is followed by a dry spell. When this happens, forage quality drops fast once seed heads form. In contrast, when conditions start out dry and maintain a drought cycle, limited moisture more typically results in plants limiting all growth and going dormant (see above) before maturing.
What this means for producers:
Fast maturity reduces palatability and nutritional value. Keep an eye on growth stage progression and time grazing to capture these species before quality declines, especially in rotational systems.
3. Nutrient Reallocation to Roots
During drought, many perennials slow or stop aboveground growth and divert resources to roots or other underground storage structures sch as rhizomes or crowns. This survival response helps the plant ride out dry conditions and prepares it to regrow once moisture returns. J.E. Weaver’s early 20th century prairie studies at UNL showed how deep-rooted species like big bluestem prioritize root health during drought.1,2,6
What this means for producers:
Grazing during this reallocation phase can compromise plant recovery by draining those stored reserves. Providing growing season recovery - especially following a drought period - supports root recovery and stand longevity. Adjustment of stocking rates to ensure plants already stressed by drought are also not overgrazed is an important first step to limit the damage done during drought. Additionally, adjusting the timing of grazing in pastures can help with maintaining desirable plant growth. For example, deferring pastures that were grazed heavier than expected in the year of the drought to later in the growing season of the following year provides opportunities for recovery.
4. Short-term Increases in Annual Plants
Perennial species that have been stressed by drought do not always produce as much surface cover through leaf growth, especially the year following a drought, as they recover. This reduction in competition and canopy cover creates a window of opportunity for opportunistic annual species to establish, often temporarily. Species such as sunflower, ragweed, and kochia respond well to low cover and infrequent precipitation events.5 As drought breaks or lessens as some precipitation events occur, large ‘booms’ of annual plants can quickly dominate the landscape. Often as range health improves post drought, native species are able to outcompete annual weeds, resulting in a decrease in those annual plants.
What this means for producers:
Annual species have much shorter windows of palatability, compared to the desirable perennial grasses they pop up around. Monitoring rangeland after heavy rainfall events during a drought period can be a good insight into understanding what plants are available for foraging. Rapid buildup and maturity of annual plants can feel alarming, but the build-up of annual species is often temporary. They often provide a service by giving cover and forage a drought stressed pasture would otherwise lack. Good grazing management will allow perennial species to outcompete annuals and shift back without the need for dramatic weed control measures.
5. Long-term Species Composition Shifts
Over time, drought can change what species dominate a pasture. Observational studies and long-term monitoring in the Great Plains have shown that drought-hardy species like blue grama and buffalograss often increase in dominance, while moisture-sensitive grasses such as smooth brome, big bluestem, or indiangrass decline. This is especially true following repeated drought years.2,3,4”
What this means for producers:
By frequently observing and taking note of what species are available in your pastures, you can be better able to see if your pasture composition is shifting. A move toward more drought- and/or grazing-adapted species may suggest that management needs to change. Using a simple monitoring technique like photo point monitoring can help detect changes in species composition quickly and accurately. Management plans that worked before may need to evolve with your forage base.
Managing with Drought in Mind
Understanding how plants respond to drought allows for smarter grazing decisions. Consider these strategies during dry periods:
- Develop and follow trigger dates to guide stocking and de-stocking decisions based on forage growth progress.
- Lower stocking rates or adjust rotations when active growth slows or stops.
- Be careful not to further stress drought impacted plants. When fully dormant, grazing can have minimal impacts on stand vigor, but stubble height needs to be preserved.
- Delay grazing after rainfall to give plants time to recover and regrow.
- Time rotations to catch peak forage quality, especially in fast-maturing species.
- Track species composition over time to identify shifts that may require management changes.
- Have a simple monitoring protocol in place to help detect changes in forage species.
From early prairie science to modern grazing research, we’ve learned that plant resilience and adaptive grazing management go hand in hand. Recognizing what plants are doing during drought - and responding accordingly - can help producers protect their forage base and maintain herd performance through dry times.
For tools, drought planning guides, and forage updates, visit https://beef.unl.edu.
Source: Ben Beckman - Nebraska Extension Educator, Ryan Benjamin - Nebraska Extension Educator, Jacob Harvey - UNL Barta Brothers Ranch, Research Project Coordinator (BeefWatch – June 10, 2025)
Feed, Ship or Sell - Three Options to Reduce Stocking Rates
Current drought conditions across many parts of Nebraska are prompting cattle producers to consider options for reducing stocking rates on rangeland and pasture as we look forward to this spring and summer. There are three main options to reduce stocking rates: supplement/substitute feed, ship cattle to non-drought areas and sell cattle.
Supplement/Substitute Feed
Feeding cattle on pasture can be an option to reduce the amount of forage that cattle are grazing. This option is likely best suited for use on perennial planted pastures where non-native species such as smooth brome, orchard grass, fescue and wheatgrass varieties have been established.
These species tend to be more resilient should over grazing occur. Research conducted by the University of Nebraska at the Agricultural Research and Development Center has shown that feeding a mixture of modified wet distillers grains and ground cornstalks in a 30/70 ratio (dry matter basis) replaced grazed grass on approximately a 1:1 basis. In this study, cow-calf pairs were delivered 15.7 lbs of dry matter of the feed mixture daily. Feeding high levels of low-quality forage, (ground cornstalks) with the modified distillers grains is necessary to reduce intake of grass. For more information on this study, please see the 2015 Nebraska Beef Cattle Report, “Supplementing Cow-Calf Pairs Grazing Smooth Bromegrass.”
Bethany Johnston
Extension Educator
Phone: 402-336-2760
E-mail: bjohnston3@unl.edu
Drylot feeding of cow-calf pairs, replacement heifers or yearlings is another option to replace grazed forage. Removing cattle from drought stressed rangelands and pasture will help to minimize damage to grass plants, allowing full recovery more quickly when the drought breaks. Several long-term research studies have been conducted on drylot feeding of cow-calf pairs by the University of Nebraska. For more information, see the Dryloting Beef Cows - A Drought Management Strategy web page at beef.unl.edu.
Ship Cattle to Another Location
Often when one part of the country is experiencing drought conditions, there are other parts of the country that are not. Currently many states to the south and east of Nebraska are not experiencing drought conditions at the same level as Nebraska. When considering shipping of cattle to other locations for grazing, carefully take into account all of the factors involved. Risks associated with cattle performance, death loss and biosecurity for breeding cattle returning to the operation should be evaluated.
Sell Cattle
There are several factors that producers should consider when deciding which cattle to retain and which cattle to sell. Here are a few to consider:
- What are the plans and the outlook for the business?
- Which enterprises in the operation have been profitable in the last several years?
- How would selling cattle impact the cost structure of the business?
- Is now a time to make changes to the enterprises that make up the operation?
- Within the herd, what age groups and classes of cattle will likely depreciate the most over the next 2-4 years? Which ones are most likely to appreciate in value?
- What age groups of females retained now would best position the operation to take advantage of anticipated higher calf prices when the drought breaks?
- What are the tax implications for selling cattle due to drought conditions and what opportunities may that provide?
Under drought conditions, selling breeding cattle early usually will result in higher prices being received than waiting until many other producers are marketing cattle also. Strategically thinking through which cattle to keep and which ones to sell can help producers position themselves to make the best of a challenging situation.
Nebraska Extension has Specialists and Educators available to help with questions related to drought feeding and management.
Interviews with the authors of BeefWatch newsletter articles become available throughout the month of publication and are accessible at https://go.unl.edu/podcast.
Source: Aaron Berger - Nebraska Extension Educator (BeefWatch – June 10, 2025)
News Release
More Control, Less Effort: Cattle Technology Field Day Set for June 27 at ENREEC
Producers looking to improve grazing efficiency and reduce labor demands are invited to attend the Technology in Action: Improving Pasture and Cattle Management field day, hosted at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension, and Education Center (ENREEC) near Mead, Nebraska on Friday, June 27, 2025 from 8:30AM to 3:00PM CT.
This free, full-day event features hands-on demonstrations and in-depth discussions focused on technologies that help producers get more from their pasture and streamline cattle management. Topics include virtual fencing, remote water monitoring, and tools for estimating forage mass in cereal rye using a smartphone.
Key highlights include:
- See virtual fencing in action with cow/calf pairs and observe how more intensive grazing management improves pasture utilization
- Explore different remote water monitoring systems in the field and compare their real-world performance—battery life, signal coverage, and alert reliability.
- Learn how to use a simple photo-based forage estimator to support stocking decisions and timing of grazing cereal rye and other winter cereals.
Indoor sessions will provide practical details on virtual fencing platform comparisons, pricing structures, and research findings on using VF to manage multiple groups and to strip graze annual forages.
Lunch is provided, and registration is free.
Register at: https://go.unl.edu/tech_act
This event is sponsored by USDA-SARE and organized by Nebraska Extension
For more information, contact:
Mary Drewnoski – mary.drewnoski@unl.edu
Yijie Xiong – yijie.xiong@unl.edu
