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
Aug 28 – Sep 7: Nebraska State Fair, Grand Island, NE
September 12: 2026 4-H Shooting Sports Shotgun Championships, Heartland Public Shooting Park, Alda, NE
September 19: 2026 State 4-H Outdoor Archery Championships, Heartland Public Shooting Park, Alda, NE
September 20: State 4-H Outdoor 600 Target Tournament, Heartland Public Shooting Park, Alda, NE
October 3: Nebraska Shooting Sports Instructor Update, Imperial, NE
October 3-4: Nebraska Shooting Sports Instructor Certification Workshop, Imperial, NE
October 12-29: Knowing, Growing, and Grazing Grass Webinar Series, Monday and Thursday evenings, 7:30pm – 8:45pm CT, https://go.unl.edu/knowing_grass
Helping Children Resolve Conflicts
Children, like adults, have disagreements with others from time to time. These conflicts happen with playmates, friends, and siblings. When family conflicts occur, how well children resolve them is dependent on how parents have intervened in the past and what has been taught about solving problems.
There are times when parents should intervene in sibling disagreements and times when parents should let the children work the situation out on their own. The problem with parental intervention is that we might take sides with one child over the other; we might be upset ourselves and not able to think of solutions; and children need to develop skills for resolving conflicts and solving problems. Parents should intervene when:
- there is threat of pain or injury
- there are prolonged or repeated arguments over the same problem
- there is a power imbalance
- children are extremely emotional and not in control of themselves
In teaching children how to resolve conflicts, we need to remember that younger children need more help from parents. They don't know how to solve problems with words. They only know physical methods such as pushing, taking something, or maybe biting. Older children have some experience in resolving conflict, but still need practice. Older children benefit from a balance of parental guidance and independence. With this in mind, there are some guides for teaching conflict resolution.
- Have everyone calm their emotions first, including the parent and the children involved in the conflict. When emotions are high and strong, we aren't able to think of reasonable solutions.
- Let each child give their side of the story without interruption.
- Help them name the problem and try to see the point of view of others, including your neutral view as the parent.
- Brainstorm possible solutions and then decide which solutions would work for the family.
- Try out the solution and adjust as needed.
Conflicts and disagreements are a part of living in families. Maintaining a peaceful household requires encouragement for children to work out problems on their own, offering assistance if they need help and appreciation for the times children do cooperate and resolve their conflicts without parental intervention.
Source: Leanne Spengler, former Human Development Specialist, University of Missouri Extension
Breaking Even on Biochar: Expanding Biochar Adoption in Nebraska
Key Takeaways
- Early soil benefits: Biochar produced from locally harvested redcedar had rapid (less than 6 months) positive impacts on soil health, including an increase in soil carbon content and nitrate retention. However, further data are needed to evaluate the economic feasibility of this practice.
- Larger-scale application: At a lower application rate (8 tons/acre) and larger (16-acre) field experiment, wood-based biochar increased soil carbon and retention of nitrate and phosphate within the first 12 months of amendment. High-efficiency biochar application was accomplished with standard equipment used for other organic amendments (manure spreader and disc).
- On-farm research: On-farm trials are helping researchers evaluate biochar under local conditions. A research network established in 2025 is testing biochar effects on soil at different nitrogen fertilization rates at four on-farm field experiments to determine whether biochar can improve nitrogen use efficiency in Nebraska corn-soybean systems.
- Growing the Biochar Network: Starting in 2026, rancher-farmer partnerships will begin local production of biochar from eastern redcedar, with up to 10 such partnerships added to the network by 2027. Ranchers joining the network will receive assistance with redcedar removal while helping evaluate the costs and benefits of producing biochar from the removed wood. Farmers joining the network will apply locally produced redcedar biochar to determine impacts on crop yield and soil health across a range of site locations and conditions.
Why Biochar?
Practices that reduce nutrient losses, build soil organic carbon, and improve water-holding capacity can help sustain crop productivity and reduce input costs. Biochar has emerged as one promising soil amendment that may provide some of these benefits. However, Nebraska currently lacks a biochar production industry and, although commercially available biochar prices have decreased over time, costs can still exceed $1,000 per ton (Trapero et al. 2025).
What Is Biochar and How Is It Used?
Biochar is a high-carbon conditioner produced by heating organic materials — such as crop residues, wood, or manure — in a low-oxygen environment, a similar process to making charcoal. Biochar can contain more than 80% carbon, is highly resistant against microbial decomposition and can persist in soils for generations (Silva et al. 2021). Biochar can improve crop yields and yield stability by:
- Improving soil water and nutrient (including nitrate) retention, reducing fertilizer losses.
- Remedying deficiencies such as low pH, poor soil structure, very low organic matter content, or poor water retention.
- Improving soil health through addition of organic carbon (Karki et al. 2025).
Eastern Redcedar Biochar: Reducing Costs Through Local Production
Producing biochar locally from readily available materials could help lower costs and increase adoption (Zilberman et al. 2023). In the Great Plains, eastern redcedar offers a promising local feedstock. Woody encroachment degrades rangeland productivity, with the extent of impacted land estimated at nearly half a million acres (Shrestha et al. 2025).
Concerns about efficacy and costs limit biochar adoption and constrain development of a biochar industry in Nebraska, with active research efforts addressing the following questions:
- Is locally produced redcedar biochar effective for addressing nutrient and water use concerns when applied to both corn-soybean crop systems and other crop rotations used in Nebraska?
- Is biochar application efficient at larger (greater than 1 acre) field areas and across diverse locations?
- How efficient is biochar production from redcedar, and what are the lifecycle costs of this strategy from tree harvest to field application?
Case Studies: Evaluating Biochar Under Nebraska Field Conditions
Field Trials: Redcedar Biochar
In 2022, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) researchers Michael Kaiser, Arindam Malakar, Katja Koehler-Cole, and Britt Fossum evaluated eastern redcedar-derived biochar in field trials at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center (ENREEC) and South Central Agricultural Laboratory (SCAL). This study was one of the first Nebraska field trials using biochar produced locally in the Nebraska Sandhills.
Biochar was applied at 31 tons/acre to assess its potential to increase soil carbon storage, improve nitrogen retention and prevent nitrate leaching under rainfed and irrigated corn production. Nitrogen fertilizer was applied at a uniform rate of 220 lb N/acre using urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) to ensure differences observed were due to the biochar treatment rather than fertilizer management.
Field Trial: Acre-Scale Application of Biochar
A third field experiment was established in 2023 in Lincoln by the same UNL research team to test biochar performance combined with two fertilizer sources: an organic fertilizer (biosolid) at a rate of 10.9 tons/acre, and a commercial fertilizer supplying matched rates of nitrogen and unmatched rates of phosphorus and potassium (monoammonium phosphate, MAP at 81 lb/acre and potash at 121 lb/acre).
Biochar was applied at a lower rate of 8 tons/acre to one-acre plots within the 16-acre experiment. A manure spreader was used to apply target rates of biochar and biosolids, and both amendments were incorporated using a disc plow to a depth of approximately 3 inches.
Key Findings
- Biochar increased soil carbon storage and influenced nutrient retention. The greatest increases in soil carbon were observed under rainfed conditions, while nitrogen and phosphorus retention varied depending on fertilizer source and irrigation management.
- Biochar showed potential to improve fertilizer efficiency. Under the higher biochar application rate and high-er-yielding irrigated conditions, residual nitrogen suggested potential fertilizer savings of up to 35 lb UAN/acre. At the lower biochar application rate (8 tons/acre), reductions of approximately 22 lb/acre of MAP or 11 lb/acre of biosolid fertilizer may be possible. These results require validation through additional on-farm research.
- No significant yield differences were observed between biochar-treated soils in corn or soybean crops at both low and high biochar application rates. Biochar may increase profitability primarily through lower input costs associated with enhanced fertilizer retention. The field experimental data indicate that biochar did NOT immobilize fertilized nutrients (i.e., NO reduction in crop yield or nitrogen uptake).
- Eastern redcedar biochar can be produced locally using an abundant Nebraska biomass resource.
- Biochar can be applied with equipment used for other amendments. Initial experiments at research plots (ENREEC and SCAL) used hand tools to spread biochar prior to tillage, which is not practical for larger field trials or most row cropping systems. A conventional manure spreader successfully applied biochar at 8 tons/acre. Incorporation after application was necessary to minimize wind and erosion losses.
Building a Nebraska On-Farm Biochar Network
An ongoing project led by UNL researchers Guillermo Balboa and Michael Kaiser is developing biochar experiments across the United States, with individual trials tailored to regional issues. The project is funded by the American Farmland Trust through the USDA NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant program.
The nationwide network will connect producers and researchers using biochar to address challenges within different production systems.
Within Nebraska, the primary aim is to use on-farm data to determine biochar impacts on nitrogen utilization in corn-soybean systems. Four five-acre fields in eastern and south-central Nebraska (Cass, Merrick, and Hamilton counties) received 8 tons/acre of biochar in the fall of 2025, establishing long-term field trials that will monitor the effect of biochar over multiple years. Each site tests three nitrogen application rates with and without biochar amendment. Yield data will be available after the first season in September 2026, along with soil moisture and soil nitrate.
Growing the Biochar Network
Rancher-Farmer Partnerships for Redcedar-Derived Biochar Adoption and Industry Development
Field experiments and on-farm trials have generated critical data about effective biochar use in Nebraska agricultural systems, but the economic feasibility of in-state biochar production has not been assessed.
A new project beginning in fall 2026 will bring together ranchers removing eastern redcedar, biochar producers and neighboring crop producers interested in improving soil health and nutrient management. Led by Kaiser and funded through a UNL Department of Agronomy and Horticulture seed grant, Led by Kaiser and funded through a UNL Department of Agronomy and Horticulture seed grant, the project is a collaboration with Sandhills Biochar, founded by UNL alumnus Treaven Scheideler. Researchers will use mobile pyrolysis units (CharBoss) to turn removed redcedar into biochar for use on nearby cropland.
Producing and applying biochar close to where wood feedstock is harvested reduces transportation costs while creating value from a resource that is often burned, chipped, or left to decompose.
Data from the partnerships will help researchers develop strategies for sourcing feedstock, producing biochar and expanding its use in Nebraska. Participants in this project will expand on the existing AFT network by establishing new trials in biochar production and utilization.
Partnership Strategy
- Rancher partners: Project funding will help cover labor costs for redcedar removal and biochar production, along with resources for managing treated acres.
- Farmer partners: Project funding will support biochar application and soil testing. Participants will receive results from soil health testing conducted before and after the experiment.
- Both partners: Researchers and other network members will provide guidance throughout the process.
- Two pilot partnerships have been established in Seward and Lancaster counties to begin producing biochar from locally harvested redcedar in fall 2026.
- Data from these demonstrations will be used to develop protocols for future partnerships, including recommendations for tree harvesting, biochar production, expected biochar yield and quality, labor requirements and production costs.
- Additional partnerships are being recruited throughout fall 2026. Protocols for biochar production and/or field trials can be adjusted to accommodate site-specific needs.
Interested in Partnering? Join Nebraska’s Biochar Network
The project is recruiting eight partnerships of ranchers and crop producers. Participating ranchers will supply redcedar for biochar production, and crop producers will evaluate locally produced biochar on up to 2 acres.
For more information, please contact Michael Kaiser or Britt Fossum.
Disclaimer: The research activities described in this article are made possible through funding from the USDA Hatch Capacity Program, the Nebraska Center for Energy Sciences Research, the Nebraska Forest Service, the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, the American Farmland Trust through the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service – Conservation Innovation Grants Program, and the UNL Department of Agronomy and Horticulture. We also gratefully acknowledge the support of our collaborators, including the City of Lincoln, the Nebraska Biochar Initiative and Oregon Biochar Solutions.
Source: Britt Fossum - Ph.D. Student, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Guillermo Balboa - Research Assistant Professor, Nutrient Management and Digital Agriculture, Arindam Malakar - Research Assistant Professor, School of Natural Resources, Katja Koehler-Cole - Extension Educator, Michael Kaiser - Associate Professor, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture
Is Your Free-Choice Mineral Program Meeting Cow-Calf Needs? New Resources Can Help
Free-choice mineral is a common part of cow-calf management, but selecting the right product can be challenging. Forage mineral concentration, stage of production, mineral intake, and interactions among minerals all affect whether cattle are likely to meet their needs.
To help producers work through those decisions, Nebraska Extension has developed a new mineral calculator tool with funding from NCR-SARE and the Iowa Beef Industry Council. The calculator is designed to help producers evaluate free-choice mineral products in relation to cattle requirements and the mineral contribution from forage and other feed sources.
The mineral calculator and related resources can be found at https://go.unl.edu/minerals
Why the Mineral Calculator Can Help
Mineral decisions are not always straightforward. One of the major challenges with evaluating a mineral program is that cattle mineral requirements are expressed as a concentration in the total diet. However, a free-choice mineral mix is only a small fraction of what the animal consumes each day. This makes it difficult to look at a requirement, look at a mineral tag, and know whether the product is actually filling the gap. The mineral calculator is designed to overcome this barrier. In addition, some minerals interact with one another. This means that looking only at the concentration of one mineral may not accurately reflect what the animal can use. The calculator is designed to account for some of the common mineral interactions that influence mineral availability.
The mineral calculator is intended to help producers compare mineral products and evaluate whether a supplement is likely to help meet the needs of the class of cattle being fed. It is a decision-support tool, meaning the results depend on the information and assumptions entered.
Tips for Using the Mineral Calculator
Start with the class of cattle and production stage. Mineral needs are not the same for every animal. A lactating cow, a dry pregnant cow, and a growing calf have different requirements. Be sure the animal type and stage of production match the cattle you are evaluating.
Use forage test results when available. Forage can provide a substantial portion of some mineral needs, but forage mineral concentrations vary by forage type, maturity, soil, and weather. A forage mineral analysis from your own pasture or hay is best and will provide the most reliable results.
When a forage test is not available, the calculator includes forage mineral values from samples submitted to Ward Laboratories over an 8-year period. These values are broken down by Nebraska region based on where samples were submitted and placed into regional libraries. These book values can provide a general estimate, but results should be interpreted with more caution because the actual forage being fed may be higher or lower than the average value.
Pay attention to mineral mix intake. Free-choice mineral programs are built around expected intake, often expressed as ounces per head per day. If cattle consume less than expected, they may not receive enough supplemental mineral. If they consume more than expected, cost increases and some minerals may be oversupplied. Checking mineral disappearance is one of the most practical ways to evaluate whether intake is close to the target. Tips for managing mineral intake can be found at: https://go.unl.edu/mineralintake
In addition to herd-level intake management, it is important to remember that individual animals do not all consume the same amount of mineral. Some cows will consume more than the target intake and others will consume less. Accounting for intake variation may mean that some overage is needed in the mineral mix formulation to reduce the risk that a large portion of the herd does not meet requirements. For example, based on typical intake distributions observed within a herd, increasing the concentration of supplemental minerals in a 4-ounce mineral by 53% would be expected to meet the needs of approximately 75% of the cows in the herd. The calculator allows users to account for this variation by adding an enhancement to the mineral targets in the supplement.
Remember that calves consume mineral too. In cow-calf pairs, mineral disappearance reflects intake by both cows and nursing calves. If calves have access to mineral, they can begin consuming mineral within the first few weeks of life. By 3 months of age, calves may consume 20 to 60% of the amount consumed by cows. Accounting for this additional intake is important for ensuring that disappearance is high enough to allow the cows to meet their needs. For more information on nursing calf free-choice mineral intake, visit: https://go.unl.edu/calfmineral
Tips for Using the Mineral Calculator
Start with the class of cattle and production stage. Mineral needs are not the same for every animal. A lactating cow, a dry pregnant cow, and a growing calf have different requirements. Be sure the animal type and stage of production match the cattle you are evaluating.
Use forage test results when available. Forage can provide a substantial portion of some mineral needs, but forage mineral concentrations vary by forage type, maturity, soil, and weather. A forage mineral analysis from your own pasture or hay is best and will provide the most reliable results.
When a forage test is not available, the calculator includes forage mineral values from samples submitted to Ward Laboratories over an 8-year period. These values are broken down by Nebraska region based on where samples were submitted and placed into regional libraries. These book values can provide a general estimate, but results should be interpreted with more caution because the actual forage being fed may be higher or lower than the average value.
Pay attention to mineral mix intake. Free-choice mineral programs are built around expected intake, often expressed as ounces per head per day. If cattle consume less than expected, they may not receive enough supplemental mineral. If they consume more than expected, cost increases and some minerals may be oversupplied. Checking mineral disappearance is one of the most practical ways to evaluate whether intake is close to the target. Tips for managing mineral intake can be found at: https://go.unl.edu/mineralintake
In addition to herd-level intake management, it is important to remember that individual animals do not all consume the same amount of mineral. Some cows will consume more than the target intake and others will consume less. Accounting for intake variation may mean that some overage is needed in the mineral mix formulation to reduce the risk that a large portion of the herd does not meet requirements. For example, based on typical intake distributions observed within a herd, increasing the concentration of supplemental minerals in a 4-ounce mineral by 53% would be expected to meet the needs of approximately 75% of the cows in the herd. The calculator allows users to account for this variation by adding an enhancement to the mineral targets in the supplement.
Remember that calves consume mineral too. In cow-calf pairs, mineral disappearance reflects intake by both cows and nursing calves. If calves have access to mineral, they can begin consuming mineral within the first few weeks of life. By 3 months of age, calves may consume 20 to 60% of the amount consumed by cows. Accounting for this additional intake is important for ensuring that disappearance is high enough to allow the cows to meet their needs. For more information on nursing calf free-choice mineral intake, visit: https://go.unl.edu/calfmineral
Additional Resources
Recordings from a two-part webinar series, Making the Most of Your Free-Choice Mineral Program, are also available to provide an in-depth look at cow/calf mineral nutrition.
- Part 1: Cow-Calf Mineral Basics Webinar
This session provides the foundation for evaluating and selecting a mineral program. The webinar discusses mineral supplementation as a form of insurance, why subclinical deficiencies can limit performance, and which minerals are stored in the body compared with those that require more consistent intake. It also covers common mineral challenges in cow-calf systems, how forage testing can help guide mineral decisions, and why producers need to look at more than just the amount of one mineral to understand what the animal can actually use. - Part 2: Meeting Needs and Managing Intake Webinar
This session focuses on meeting vitamin A needs in cow-calf systems, practical strategies for managing mineral intake, and how to use the new calculator tool to evaluate mineral products or formulate a custom mineral.
Final Thoughts
Producers interested in improving their free-choice mineral program can use the calculator, webinar recordings, and related Nebraska Extension resources to work through key questions:
- What are the mineral needs of the cattle being fed?
- What does the forage or diet already provide?
- What does the mineral product add?
- Are cattle consuming the needed amount?
Free-choice mineral supplementation is often viewed as insurance, but the value of that insurance depends on whether the product fits the cattle, forage, and management situation. These new resources are intended to help producers make more informed decisions and get more value from their mineral program. Producers are also encouraged to reach out to their local Extension educator for help using the calculator and working through mineral decisions for their own operation.
Source: Mary Drewnoski, Nebraska Extension Beef Systems Specialist, Jesse Fulton, Former BQA Coordinator
News Release
Center for Agricultural Profitability Offers Free Financial Analysis Services for Nebraska Farmers and Ranchers
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln's Center for Agricultural Profitability is offering free, confidential, one-on-one financial analysis services to help Nebraska farmers and ranchers better understand their financial position, evaluate business options and plan for the future.
The service is designed for agricultural producers seeking support with farm or ranch finances, debt management questions, lender communications or short- and long-term business planning. Individual consultations are tailored to each operation's unique circumstances and goals.
Financial Analysis Economist David Haupt works directly with producers to review financial information, discuss challenges and opportunities, and identify practical strategies and resources to support informed decision-making.
"Understanding the financial health of an operation is critical in today's agricultural environment," Haupt said. "These consultations provide producers with an opportunity to take a closer look at their numbers, explore options and develop a plan that supports the long-term success of their business."
Through one-on-one consultations, producers can receive assistance with:
- Reviewing balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements.
- Evaluating debt management options.
- Developing or reviewing farm and ranch budgets.
- Assessing cash flow projections and repayment capacity.
- Preparing for lender conversations or loan applications.
- Considering the financial impacts of production, marketing, and risk management decisions.
- Identifying resources and next steps to support financial stability.
The financial analysis service is intended to provide clear, practical guidance that helps producers make informed decisions for their operations. While the service does not replace legal, tax or lending advice, it can help producers better understand their financial position and prepare for discussions with lenders, accountants, and other advisors.
Nebraska farmers and ranchers interested in scheduling a consultation can book an appointment online at https://go.unl.edu/financial-analysis.
For additional information, contact David Haupt through the Center for Agricultural Profitability at dhaupt2@unl.edu.
