Nebraska Extension in Knox County

Local Interest

REDUCING FED HAY LOSSES

Making, transporting, and feeding hay is a large investment in time, equipment, and money. How can you reduce loss of hay during feeding to make that investment go further?

There are many ways to feed hay, with each method impacting waste differently. If hay is fed unrestricted, cattle can waste 45 percent of the hay they are provided. Limit feeding hay so only what is required is fed, will significantly reduce waste right away. Studies show that cattle fed daily versus feed every four days, needed 25% less hay. That’s a huge amount, but labor and equipment cost slightly increased.

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PRESCRIBED BURNING FOR CONTROL OF CEDAR TREES

Eastern red cedar trees are a significant and expanding problem across many pasture and rangeland acres in Nebraska.  When fire is planned and controlled properly, it can be a very useful tool to control these unwanted plants.

It is estimated that a single cedar tree with an 8-foot diameter could reduce forage production by 3 pounds.  If you had a density of 200 trees per acre, that would translate into nearly a 1/3 loss in forage production because of the effects of area coverage, moisture use, and shading.

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FERTILIZING PASTURE AND HAY GROUND

Any farmer worth their salt knows the importance of fertilizing a crop for optimal production.  Often, this common knowledge stops at row crops or high value hay like alfalfa.  Could a look at your fertility improve pasture and grass hay production next year?

 

Soil sampling now, before the ground freezes can help with planning this winter and give time to develop a fertility plan if our soil tests show fertilizer is needed.  Hay ground should be the first location to consider testing, as plant material is constantly harvested and moved to another location, slowly depleting of the major nutrients needed for plant growth. 

 

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Cull Cow Management

Cows that are unsound, came up empty this year, or have other problems that make them a drag on the herd are the typical targets of fall culling.  With dry conditions this year, pasture grass has been scarce and we may decide to be a bit more critical of our animals when making the decision about who stays and who goes this year. 

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Virtual & In-Classroom Learning Opportunities

Supporting youth’s interests and activities while encouraging growth and skill development in the classroom!

We hope this inspires our youth to have fun in your classrooms this year with the opportunity to bring their projects to the fair next summer! 

4-H Friday's

October - December 2020

October - Photography November - Kindness in a Jar December - Junk Drawer Robotics

Educator Newletter

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Pasture Leases

Every year I field questions from landowners and renters about pasture leases.  It’s often an inquiry about the UNL land value survey and what this year’s going price is.  At this point, I always have to ask a clarifying question, do you want the per-acre or per-pair rate? Both accurately put a value on a pasture, but in my opinion, only one goes above and beyond this to provide additional benefit to the landowner and renter, a per-pair rate.

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Nebraska Extension in Knox County

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Nebraska Extension, Center for Rural Affairs receives grant to provide agricultural opportunities to veteran farmers

Nebraska Extension, Center for Rural Affairs receives grant to provide agricultural opportunities to veteran farmers

December 4, 2020
Nebraska Extension, in cooperation with Center for Rural Affairs, has received a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to launch a three-year training program for veterans who are interested or already involved in agriculture.

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Panhandle Perspectives - Variety trial results for field pea available on CropWatch

Panhandle Perspectives - Variety trial results for field pea available on CropWatch

December 3, 2020
Results of University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s 2020 variety trials for field peas have been compiled and posted on the Nebraska Extension CropWatch website.

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Virtual 2020 Nebraska Soybean Day & Machinery Expo set for Dec. 17

Virtual 2020 Nebraska Soybean Day & Machinery Expo set for Dec. 17

December 3, 2020
The Virtual 2020 Nebraska Soybean Day and Machinery Expo Dec. 17 will assist soybean growers in planning for next year’s growing season.

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Grant expands Nebraska SNAP recipients’ access to fresh produce

Grant expands Nebraska SNAP recipients’ access to fresh produce

December 1, 2020
Since 2018, Open Harvest, a cooperative grocery store in Lincoln, has worked with Nebraska Extension to make it easier for SNAP recipients to buy fresh produce.

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