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
September 22: ServSafe Manager Certification Program, 8:30am-6:30pm, Brown County Courthouse Basement Meeting Room, 148 West 4th St, Ainsworth, NE - https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/bkr/food-nutrition-health/servsafe-workshops
October 1: ServSafe Manager Training, 8:30am-6:00pm, Hall County Extension Office, Grand Island, NE - https://events.unl.edu/hall-county/2025/10/01/190088/
October 1: Knowing, Growing, and Grazing Grass Registration Deadline, Register at: go.unl.edu/knowing_grass
October 4: Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports Instructor Initial Workshop, 8:00am – 6:00pm, Panhandle Research Extension Center, Scottsbluff, NE - https://events.unl.edu/NE4H-Shooting-Sports/2025/10/04/189870/
October 4: Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports Instructor Update Workshop, 9:00am – 12:00pm, Panhandle Research Extension Center, Scottsbluff, NE - https://events.unl.edu/NE4H-Shooting-Sports/2025/10/04/189872/
October 5: Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports Instructor Initial Workshop, 8:00am – 12:00pm, Panhandle Research Extension Center, Scottsbluff, NE - https://events.unl.edu/NE4H-Shooting-Sports/2025/10/05/189871/
Oct 11-12: Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports Instructor Update, 9:00am – 12:00pm, Ashland Gun Club, Ashland, NE - https://events.unl.edu/NE4H-Shooting-Sports/2025/10/11/188974/
Oct 11-12: Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports Instructor Training, 8am – 6pm, Ashland Gun Club, Ashland, NE - https://events.unl.edu/NE4H-Shooting-Sports/2025/10/11/188969/
Oct. 13-30: Knowing, Growing, and Grazing Grass Webinar Series, Monday and Thursday evenings, 7:30pm – 8:45pm CT, go.unl.edu/knowing_grass
October 26: Holt County Achievement Ceremony, 5:00pm, Faith Wesleyan Center, Atkinson, NE
Sensory Play: An Essential Path to Learning
Sensory play involves activities that stimulate the senses - sight, touch, smell, taste, and hearing. For young children who are still discovering how their bodies work and the world around them, sensory play is like embarking on a treasure hunt. It helps them form important connections in their brains and develop essential skills that lay the foundation for future learning.
Activities for Sight and Touch
One of the simplest sensory activities for early learners is playing with different textures. Whether it's finger painting, exploring a bin filled with rice or sand, or squishing playdough between their fingers, these experiences help children refine their fine motor skills and grasp cause-and-effect relationships. They also sharpen their visual perception as they observe colors, shapes, and patterns in their environment.
Engaging the Sense of Smell and Taste
Sensory play isn't limited to what children see and touch - it also includes what they smell and taste. Setting up a scent station with jars of herbs, spices, or flowers allows children to explore different scents and learn to identify them. Similarly, cooking or baking activities introduce them to new flavors and textures while teaching them important life skills.
LaDonna Werth
Extension Educator
Phone: 402-336-2760
E-mail: lwerth2@unl.edu
Exploring Sound and Movement
For early learners, sensory play encompasses activities that engage their sense of hearing and movement. Singing songs, playing musical instruments, or simply listening to sounds in nature can help children develop their auditory skills and enhance their language development. Additionally, activities involving movement, such as dancing, jumping, or playing with rhythm instruments, allow children to explore spatial awareness and coordination while having fun.
Benefits of Sensory Play
The benefits of sensory play go beyond just having a good time. Research shows that engaging in sensory activities can help children regulate their emotions, develop problem-solving skills, and improve their concentration and attention span. It also provides opportunities for children to express themselves creatively and build confidence in their abilities.
Creating Sensory Play Experiences
Parents and caregivers can easily incorporate sensory play into their daily routines using simple, affordable materials found at home. Whether it's creating a sensory bin with rice or beans or setting up a water table for pouring and splashing, there are countless ways to engage children's senses and spark their curiosity.
In the realm of early childhood development, sensory play is not just play—it's a gateway to learning, growth, and discovery. By providing children with opportunities to explore their senses and engage in hands-on experiences, parents and caregivers can set them on a path to a lifetime of curiosity and learning.
Late-Season Soybean Diseases and Insect Issues
Late-season conditions bring new stress to soybean plants as they begin to reach maturity. Hot and dry conditions can reveal or exacerbate significant symptom development in many fields. These symptoms can also be complicated by late-season rain on maturing soybeans. This document is meant to be a quick reference guide to help growers compare symptoms for diagnosis.
Diseases
Sudden Death Syndrome
This disease is caused by the soil-borne fungal pathogen Fusarium virguliforme. This pathogen infects the plants root system, but a toxin it produces causes foliar interveinal chlorosis symptoms when it is translocated to the leaves.
The roots of infected plants will sometimes have a blue-gray fungal growth on their exterior. Taproots are often weak or broken while being pulled from the ground, and split stems display light brown discolored tissue around the crown.
Brown Stem Rot
This disease is caused by the fungal pathogen Cadophora gregata. The most obvious symptom is foliar interveinal chlorosis, which is easily confused with sudden death syndrome foliar symptoms. However, brown stem rot has brown rot in the stem. Also be cautious that it is in fact a brown fungal rot, and not damage caused by the Dectes stem borer.
Amy Timmerman
Extension Educator
Phone: 402-336-2760
E-mail: atimmerman2@unl.edu
Red Crown Rot
This disease has never been observed in Nebraska, but it is becoming more common in neighboring states.
Symptoms include foliar interveinal chlorosis like sudden death syndrome and brown stem rot, so be cautious about making assumptions. This can be differentiated from the reddish-brown staining at the base of the stem, which will grow diagnostic spherical fungal structures under wet conditions. The pith of the crown may have gray discoloration and the root system will be rotted.
If you think you observe this in your field, please contact the UNL Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic, Attn. Dylan Mangel at 402-472-2559.
Pod and Stem Blight
This fungal pathogen infects in the early summer but has little effect on yield when only the plants are infected. In wet years, the seed can become infected which will lead to a seed decay. The symptoms of this disease are small spherical structures called pycnidia on the surface of the soybean stem. These are often arranged in vertical rows.
Northern Stem Canker
This fungal disease shows up as small reddish-brown spots at the base of branches or leaf petiole, which then expand longitudinally into slightly sunken, dark-colored cankers. Within these split stems, “zone lines” can often be observed. These can be seen in season but are often not noticed until after maturity. This disease is sometimes associated with interveinal chlorosis symptoms. This can result in premature plant death.
Charcoal Rot
This fungal disease is associated with microsclerotia (pinpoint-sized black spherical fungal structures) within the host tissue. While infection occurs early, symptoms are latent until late-season stress like drought and high temperatures allow the pathogen to spread within. This is most common in dry areas.
Common Late Season Insect Issues
Dectes Stem Borer
Splitting soybean stems in late August and September can reveal a hidden pest: the Dectes stem borer (DSB). Infestation of soybean begins when the adults emerge in June and lay eggs in soybean petioles. As the season progresses, the larvae move from the petiole into the main stem, where they feed almost entirely on the pith, hollowing out the center of the plant. As we get close to harvest, the larvae move to the base of the stem and girdle it, which weakens the plant and increases the risk of lodging.
Damage from DSB can sometimes be mistaken for brown stem rot; however, DSB-infested stems typically contain larvae, insect waste, and small holes at the points where petioles attach to the stem. When more than half the stems in a field are infested with DSB, it’s worth considering an earlier harvest to reduce the chance of yield losses from lodged plants.
Late Season Gall Midge Damage
Soybean gall midge is a relatively new pest in soybean, and many farmers and crop advisors are still learning how to recognize it. Infestations often begin once plants reach the V2 stage. The larvae feed at the base of the stem and, under heavy pressure, can kill plants in as little as two weeks.
Symptoms of soybean gall midge can look very similar to Phytophthora root rot. One way to tell the difference is by pulling the plant from the soil. If it comes out easily, it is more likely Phytophthora. If it resists pulling or snaps off near the soil line, soybean gall midge is the more likely cause.
Gall midge does not always kill the plant right away. In many cases, it weakens the stem base, making plants more likely to break during high winds. Plants that break from gall midge usually have a jagged edge. This can sometimes be confused with Dectes stem borer, but Dectes larvae girdle stems later in the season — just before harvest — leaving a smooth cut rather than a jagged break.
Other Issues
Triazole injury
Triazole fungicides can sometimes cause interveinal chlorosis symptoms. While this is most common around growth stage R3, these damaged leaves can be observed later in the season, in the mid-canopy. This is not likely to cause yield damage and there are no associated stem or root symptoms.
Additional Information
- Crop Protection Network Efficacy Guides: https://cropprotectionnetwork.org/publications/fungicide-efficacy-for-control-of-soybean-seedling-diseases
- Nebraska Extension EC130: https://marketplace.unl.edu/extension/ec130.html
- Soybean Gall Midge Alert Network: www.soybeangallmidge.org
Source: Dylan Mangel - Extension Plant Pathologist, Justin McMechan - Crop Protection and Cropping Systems Specialist (CropWatch – September 12, 2025)
Watch Out for Whorled Milkweed: Identification, Toxicity, and Control in Pasture and Hay Ground
Whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata) has been showing up in more pastures and hayfields this year, raising concerns for both livestock safety and forage quality.
While milkweeds are native plants that support pollinators, some species - like whorled milkweed - can be toxic to livestock if consumed.
Knowing how to identify and manage this plant can help avoid losses and maintain safe forage systems.
Identification
Whorled milkweed is one of the smallest and most inconspicuous milkweed species, making it easy to overlook:
- Growth habit: Slender, upright stems 1-3 feet tall, often forming small colonies.
- Leaves: Narrow, linear leaves 2-4 inches long, arranged in whorls of 3-6 around the stem.
- Flowers: Small white to greenish-white flowers in clusters at the top of the plant, blooming mid to late summer.
- Latex sap: A milky white sap is exuded when leaves or stems are broken—a telltale sign of all milkweed species.
- Roots: Deep, fibrous root system with rhizomes that help it spread.
Bethany Johnston
Extension Educator
Phone: 402-336-2760
E-mail: bjohnston3@unl.edu
Toxicity and Risk to Livestock
Whorled milkweed contains cardiac glycosides - compounds that interfere with heart function. It’s one of the most toxic milkweed species, especially late in the season or when dried in hay. Even small amounts can be dangerous.
- Species affected: Cattle, sheep, goats, and horses are all susceptible.
- Symptoms: Labored breathing, irregular heartbeat, muscle tremors, incoordination, and eventually death.
- Toxic dose: As little as 0.1-0.5% of body weight in dried plant material can be lethal.
- Treatment: Once clinical signs appear, treatment options are limited, and survival is often poor-making prevention critical.
The biggest risk is contaminated hay, where animals may unknowingly consume toxic amounts.
Management Strategies
Early detection and prevention are key to reducing the risk:
- Scout regularly: Especially in hayfields and lightly grazed areas. Pay attention mid to late summer when plants flower.
- Watch hay fields closely: Seeds can begin to form while plants are still flowering, so early control is important to reduce spread.
- Monitor purchased hay: Boughten hay can also be a source of contamination—visually inspect bales and ask about weed control history.
- Avoid feeding contaminated hay: If milkweed is present in a hayfield, either avoid cutting or test bales visually before feeding.
- Grazing management: Livestock typically avoid milkweed unless other forage is limited. Maintain adequate pasture availability.
Control Options
Controlling whorled milkweed can be difficult due to its deep roots and ability to spread by rhizomes. An integrated approach is best.
Cultural
- Competitive forage: Promote dense, vigorous pasture species that reduce bare ground and outcompete seedlings.
- Avoid overgrazing: Weakens desirable species and opens the door for milkweed establishment.
Mechanical
Mowing: Can suppress seed production if timed before flowering but will not control root systems. May require repeated cuts.
Follow-up opportunity: If mowed mid-summer, there is often enough time for regrowth to occur before fall, allowing for a fall herbicide application on the regrowth.
Hand pulling: Effective in small patches, but roots must be fully removed.
Chemical
Herbicides can be effective, especially on young, actively growing plants or regrowth after mowing.
| Herbicide | Active Ingredient(s) | Application Timing |
| GrazonNext HL | Aminopyralid + 2,4-D | Spring to early summer, before bloom |
| Milestone | Aminopyralid | Spring through early bud stage |
| Chaparral | Aminopyralid + Metsulfuron | Spring through early bud stage |
| Remedy Ultra | Triclopyr | Post-bloom or fall |
| Tordon 22K | Picloram | Spring through early summer |
| Grazon PD (Gunslinger PD) | Picloram + 2,4-D | Spring through early summer |
Note: Tordon 22K and Grazon PD are Restricted Use Pesticides. You must be a certified applicator to purchase and apply them. Be sure to check for and follow any grazing and/or haying restrictions. Always read and follow label directions carefully.
Summary
Whorled milkweed may be small and easy to overlook, but it poses a serious risk to livestock—especially when it ends up in hay. Knowing how to identify this plant, understand its toxicity, and apply the right combination of prevention and control practices is key to reducing risk. Whether you're managing native pasture or producing hay, staying vigilant and taking action early can help protect both forage quality and animal health.
Source: Ben Beckman - Nebraska Extension Educator (BeefWatch - September 1, 2025)
Tai Chi For Health – Gentle Movements; Real Results
When we think about staying active, high-intensity workouts often come to mind. But movement does not have to be fast or strenuous to be effective. Originating in China over 500 years ago as a martial art, tai chi has evolved into a gentle, slow-moving activity that promotes physical and mental well-being.
Tai Chi for HealthTM, an evidence-based program developed by Dr. Paul Lam, uses these intentional movements to:
- Improve balance and coordination
- Increase flexibility and stability
- Reduce the risk of falls
- Ease arthritis-related pain
- Boost energy and reduce fatigue
- Lower stress and improve focus
Because it can be done standing or seated, and does not require any special equipment, Tai Chi works well for a wide range of people - whether you're just getting started, returning from an injury, or looking for a more relaxing way to stay active.
Brittany Spieker, Extension Educator
Phone: 402-387-2213
E-mail: bspieker2@unl.edu
Learn from Home: Virtual Tai Chi for Energy
Nebraska Extension is offering a 10-week virtual Tai Chi for Energy class this fall. The class blends two traditional styles - Sun and Chen - and focuses on mindful movement that helps improve focus, balance, and energy. This midday class is a great way to reset during your lunch hour or take a break from your screen.
When: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 12:10–12:50 p.m. CT
Starts: October 2nd, 2025 (ending December 11th)
Where: Online via Zoom
Cost: $20 for the full program
Register: bkr.unl.edu or scan the QR code (QR Code is in printed version).
Note: Space is limited - early registration is encouraged!
Want to Bring Tai Chi to Your Community?
Nebraska Extension partners with workplaces, community centers, and other organizations to bring Tai Chi for Health™ classes to local groups.
Class Options
In addition to Tai Chi for Energy, there are other program options available:
- Tai Chi for Arthritis & Fall Prevention - Standing
- Tai Chi for Arthritis & Fall Prevention - Seated
- Tai Chi for Energy
If you're curious about the program or want to explore hosting a class, reach out to: Brittany Spieker, Food, Nutrition & Health Extension Educator at (402) 387-2213 or bspieker2@unl.edu.