Will you chop corn silage this year? Do it right and time your harvest correctly.
High-quality corn silage often is an economical substitute for some of the grain in finishing and in dairy rations. And corn silage can be an important winter feed for cow-calf producers. All too often, though, we fail to harvest silage to get its best feed value.
Most trees with petaled flowers, like crabapple and redbud, finish blooming in May. We have three trees in bloom now that do have petals. These are catalpa, linden and Japanese tree lilac.
First I’ll explain what I mean by petaled flowers. Not all flowers have petals. They have other flower parts, but no petals. Trees whose flowers have no petals are wind pollinated and do not need to attract pollinators.
Lucky for us, some trees have colorful petals to help attract pollinators. While most are fruit trees or small ornamental trees, those blooming now are good size shade trees. And we need large trees in our communities.
When should you cut prairie hay? Let’s look at some things to consider.
When is the best time to cut prairie hay? While it’s still leafy? When it heads out? After it’s done growing for the year?
Warmer than normal mid-April temperatures have allowed corn planting to jump ahead of the five-year average (11%) with 17% of acres planted and 1% emerged as of April 23. Since then farmers in some areas have completed or nearly completed planting. Early-planted corn has emerged in some parts of the state.
While several areas of the state experienced lows below 28°F this week, widespread alfalfa losses are not expected at this time.
If you're concerned about whether your alfalfa may have suffered frost injury, remember that frozen alfalfa usually needs some time to recover before damage can be estimated.
Lincoln, Neb. —
Tractors are part of rural life. They are agricultural equipment that can be spotted in fields, dirt roads, and highways. Typically driven by adults, farm families often hire their teenage children or their neighbors' teens to help with planting, harvesting, and other work. Each Spring across Nebraska, Tractor and Equipment Safety courses are held for 14-and 15-year-olds looking to be employed on farms and ranches.
Lincoln, Neb. — Rural Prosperity Nebraska, the community development arm of Nebraska Extension, announces the inaugural session of its “Lead and Succeed Lunchbox Series,” a summer-long webinars series focused on revamping community leadership development in rural communities. The first session will take place on June 27.
