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
May 31: DUE: Nebraska Youth Range Camp Registration, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, Curtis, NE
June 1: DUE:Holt County Shooting Sports 4-H Invitational Shoot Registration
June 1: DUE: State 4-H Horse Expo Online Entries and Horse Identification Certificate in your County Extension Office
June 2: LAST Face-to-Face YQCA Training, 7pm, Holt County Courthouse Annex, O’Neill, NE
June 3: Animal Science Discovery Day, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, Curtis, NE
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
June 8-11: Nebraska Youth Range Camp, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, Curtis, NE
June 11: Cedar Workshop, 1:00-3:30pm, Holt County Annex Building, O’Neill, NE
June 11: Management Options in Drought Webinar, 7:30pm CT
June 12: 4-H Rabbit Tattooing, 9:00am-4:30pm, Holt County Annex, O’Neill, NE - Rabbit tattooing by appointment in Boyd County.
June 15: DUE: All Clover Kid, 4-H and FFA Animal ID Sheets in your local Extension Office - Holt County Extension Office, O’Neill, NE OR Boyd County Extension Office, Butte, NE
Managing a Home When Everyone Works
We all work hard today! With commuting and demands of the job, nobody has time or energy for housework. Many couples who share a home have a hard time sharing the tasks required to keep a home running smoothly. Many parents aren’t sure what chores are appropriate for children or how to get children to help out around the house.
Children benefit from helping with household chores. They learn responsibility and work habits. However, it is also important for kids to have plenty of time to be kids. If children have excessive household responsibilities, they don’t have time to play and spend time with friends. These activities may not seem as important as chores, but playtime actually helps children develop their talents and learn important skills, such as self-direction and how to interact with others. The key is to give children age-appropriate tasks that do not interfere too much with their other activities.
Getting everyone to help with household chores can be a challenge. Having a family meeting can help. Schedule a meeting with all of those who can take responsibility for tasks. Decide what tasks must be done and how often they have to be accomplished. Decide who can do which jobs. Be sure to allow each family member to have input and listen to each person’s ideas. Some families make a chart to rotate jobs. Some family members have favorite jobs. Many jobs have required standards – use this as an opportunity to teach quality control. A large calendar is an easy way to track who has responsibility for what. After trying out the plan for a week or two, have another family meeting to talk about how well it is working. Make any changes that are needed at that time.
Some household tasks can be done as a family activity, which can help create a sense of closeness. Children can help sort unused clothing and toys for a family fund raiser or yard sale. Perhaps the proceeds can be used for family fun. These activities might even become new family traditions. Working together as a family to accomplish household tasks helps everything get done, creates a sense of family togetherness, and teaches children responsibility.
Source: Jinny Hopp, former human development specialist, Jasper County, University of Missouri Extension
Drought-Stunted Alfalfa: Cut It or Leave It?
Dry conditions have left some dryland alfalfa fields short, stressed, and slow to grow. When plants are only six to 12 inches tall, turning purple, yellow, or gray, and starting to bloom, the question becomes: should we cut it, graze it, or leave it alone?
The first thing to consider is yield. If the field is not going to produce at least about a half-ton per acre, haying may not pay for the fuel, labor, and equipment cost. From a plant health standpoint, drought-stressed alfalfa can survive while dormant, but every pass across the field still needs to be worth it.
While dormant alfalfa is resilient, the University of Wisconsin recommends not harvesting if the flowering stand is under 10 inches in height. Because quality of drought-stressed stands declines less rapidly with maturity than normal, allowing plants to reach 100% bloom can improve recovery after a harvest does occur.
Grazing can be an option where fence, water and livestock are available. Drought-stressed, bloomed-out alfalfa usually carries less bloat risk than lush, actively growing alfalfa, but the risk is not zero. Avoid turning hungry cattle directly onto alfalfa, offer hay first, and monitor closely.
If grazing, control access with strip grazing or rotation, and try to leave at least four inches of stubble to protect the stand. Once rain comes and fresh regrowth starts, cattle should come off to avoid crown damage and increased bloat risk.
If haying or grazing does not make sense, the best option may simply be to leave the field alone. Shredding may clean things up, but on low-yielding, drought-stunted alfalfa, it often adds cost without much benefit.
The bottom line: base the decision on yield, cost, livestock need, and stand recovery. Protect the crowns, avoid unnecessary expense, and be ready to adjust when rain returns.
Source: Ben Beckman – Extension Educator (CropWatch – May 28, 2026)
How is Methane from Cattle Measured? Part 5 of 6
Ruminants like beef and dairy cattle, sheep, goats, deer, and other animals have a rumen and the rumen contains microbes. Rumen fermentation is a process that converts ingested feeds into energy and protein sources. More specifically, microbes in the rumen take feed/food and break them down for the microbes to use and for the animal to use. When feeding ruminants, it is important to know that feeding microbes is important. This digestive process enables ruminant animals to eat plants that otherwise would not be digested. One result of the rumen fermentation process of feeds is methane. Methane is belched from the rumen into the atmosphere. Methane is one of the three major greenhouse gases.
Measuring methane produced by cattle is not easy and is most accurate when environmental conditions can be completely controlled. Headboxes or small calorimetry chambers offer very precise measurements, and air flow in and out can be managed. The disadvantages are that only a few animals can be monitored at a time and animals need to be trained.
Small buildings can be retrofitted to measure methane produced by cattle. There is little to no training for the animals needed and animals are in a more normal environment. The retrofitted building set-up is not as precise as the head boxes, and control of the air exchange system is tricky. Also, fans in the building need to be calibrated for air exchange, and this is really tricky. It is not easy to retrofit a building with all the moving pieces that need to be calibrated.
Green feed systems can be used to measure methane produced by cattle. In this system, methane can be captured from many animals. Using this system, methane production can be captured in a pasture setting. A disadvantage of this system is that methane is captured in a small timeframe.
It is not easy to capture methane from cattle. The methane collection systems are expensive.
A small amount of methane is produced from cattle manure. Cattle manure decomposes and releases methane. Manure runoff from feedlot pens or dairy production pens is collected in lagoons. Manure collected in lagoons decomposes and a byproduct is methane.
Digesters can be built on farms to reduce the methane produced by cattle manure. There are a number of different types of digesters. Anaerobic digesters hold manure in the absence of oxygen and are maintained so that methanogens, microorganisms that produce methane, grow. Manure digesters use microbes, heat, water, and physical agitation of the animal waste. The three main byproducts from the process are methane gas used as a renewable energy source, liquid manure that can be used for fertilizer, and solids that are dried that can be used in bedding for livestock. Digesters reduce methane release into the atmosphere that comes from manure.
Source: Tami Brown Brandl – UNL Professor of Biological Systems Engineering, Rick Stowell, Extension Specialist, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Biological Systems Engineering, Rick Rasby, Nebraska Extension Specialist, Kortney Harpestad – UNL Animal Science Extension Program Associate
News Release
Workshop to Address the Spread of Cedar Trees and Control Options
O’Neill, NE- Cedar trees are rapidly spreading across Nebraska’s grasslands, threatening valuable forage for grazing animals and habitat for wildlife. In some areas, grass production has dropped by as much as 75% over the past three decades due to cedar tree encroachment. The best time to control your cedar trees is now!
To help landowners and producers tackle this issue, a hands-on workshop will be held on Thursday, June 11, from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. CT at the Holt County Annex Building, located at 128 N 6th Street, O’Neill.
Gain insight from real-life examples of various cedar control projects, including before/after photos, cost of the projects, cost-share options, and how producers are maintaining cedar-free pastures to maximize grass. Understanding how cedar trees spread and grow will help producers decide the best control options to use. Learn how to keep your prescribed burn contained to the unit- as slope, tree height, piles, weather, crew/equipment can be mitigated to ensure a safe and controlled burn.
Walk-ins are welcome, but registrations are appreciated. Call the Holt County Extension Office at 402-336-2760, email Bethany at bjohnston3@unl.edu, or sign up online at https://go.unl.edu/cedar_signup.
Thanks to these partners: Nebraska Extension, Pheasant Forever, the Nature Conservancy, Sandhills Task Force, Nebraska Game & Parks, US Fish and Wildlife, and NRCS.
News Release
Nebraska Extension to Host June 11 Webinar on Drought management for Beef Producers
As drought conditions continue to affect much of Nebraska, beef producers are being forced to make difficult herd and forage management decisions. To support producers navigating these challenges, Nebraska Extension will host a free webinar on Thursday, June 11, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Mountain Time / 7:30 to 9 p.m. Central Time.
The webinar, “Management Options in Drought” will feature University of Nebraska–Lincoln specialists covering key management practices and decision-making strategies to help mitigate the effects of drought.
Topics include drought outlook, range/pasture conditions and production, confinement feeding cows and early weaning calves, planting summer annuals for forage, and new drought planning tools. Eric Hunt, agricultural meteorologist; Karla Wilke, cow-calf management specialist; Mitch Stephenson, range and forage specialist; Jerry Volesky, range and forage specialist; and Tonya Haigh, National Drought Mitigation Center will provide practical guidance for those in drought conditions.
“This webinar is designed to provide actionable information to help producers make sound, timely decisions during drought,” said Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension beef educator.
Lower production on rangeland, due to lack of precipitation or wildfires, will result in ranchers and cattlemen looking for alternatives.
To attend remotely via Zoom, register online at https://go.unl.edu/drought2026. No cost to attend.
A recording of the webinar will be made available following the event for those unable to attend live.
For more information, contact Berger at 308-235-3122.
News Release
Pedaling the Whooper Highway: Ecologist and Photographer to Bike 2,500 miles to Raise Awareness for America’s Most Endangered Bird
Platte Basin Timelapse co-founder Michael Forsberg and the International Crane Foundation’s Director of Central Flyway Programs Dr. Andy Caven will embark on a 50-day, 2,500-mile bike ride through the Great Plains to raise awareness for Whooping Cranes, North America’s most endangered bird. Tentatively, they will be in Nebraska in early June.
Beginning on May 11 on the Texas Gulf Coast and ending in late June in the prairies of central Saskatchewan, Forsberg and Caven will travel the migration route of the Whooping Crane. The route follows the Central Flyway, winding north through central Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, the Dakotas, and into Canada. The Central Flyway is a migration pathway followed year after year by thousands of migratory species of birds, insects, and other animals.
“We’re hoping to not just see this landscape, but feel it,” said Dr. Andy Caven. “We want to feel the miles between these patches of vital habitat, just like the Monarch Butterfly or a Whooping Crane would while on their spectacular, long migration.”
Whooping Cranes are the rarest crane species in the world, standing five feet tall and covered in white feathers. These magnificent birds embark on a harrowing 2,500-mile journey, twice a year, between their nesting grounds in northern Canada to their wintering grounds on the Texas Gulf Coast.
“The muse is the whooping crane, this lovely bird that was nearly lost to extinction–but there’s a lot more to it than that,” said Forsberg. “Most folks don’t understand how migration is not just birds or butterflies flying from place to place, it's this process that takes place over this huge landscape.”
Mike has dedicated the last seven years to telling the story of Whooping Cranes. His efforts have been made into a book, a podcast, and soon, a feature-length film. Andy is a habitat
ecologist whose work focuses on conservation policy, delivery, and research regarding whooping cranes, sandhill cranes, and their habitats.
“I want everybody to feel a part of a community,” said Forsberg. “These birds have a great story to tell. But it’s not just their story, it’s our story. This trip helps us to tell other people's stories that we come in contact with along the way and lift them up.”
Mike and Andy invite you to be part of the journey -bike with them, meet them along the route, or support the effort through a donation or other meaningful ways. For more information, and to follow along, please visit: www.WhoopingCraneChronicles.com/bike