Local Interest
Nebraska Extension and Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Public Health, have announced dates for the annual “tractor safety” training courses scheduled at sites across Nebraska in early June. Students will complete the first day of the course by attending online training through the eXtension Foundation Campus website. The required driving test will be offered on June 1 in Gering and June 5 in Gordon.
Teens 14 or 15 years of age who work on farms, or others who are interested in learning about safe farming practices, are encouraged to register for the certification course. Students under age 14 are not eligible for certification. Children under 14 years of age must be accompanied by an adult.
Leaders from the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska—Lincoln and the Agriculture Builders of Nebraska will visit communities across Nebraska during a statewide listening tour in April and May.
The Yonts Water Conference will be held on Wednesday, April 12, 2023, at the UNL Panhandle Research Extension and Education Center in Scottsbluff.
The event will be from 8:30 a.m. to noon with a meal.
Guest speakers will be Rick Wilson, PE with the JEO Consulting Group Inc, discussing the irrigation district infrastructure funding sources; the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation with an update on the 2023 North Platte River Snowpack/Runoff; Dr. Xin Qiao, Nebraska Extension irrigation specialist with a research update; Marcus Krall, project manager, HDR Engineering with a tunnel repair update for GID/GFD; and Don Day, Day Weather Podcast providing a Spring/Summer 2023 weather outlook.
The Nebraska Farm Real Estate Survey’s 2023 preliminary report has been published with updated land values and cash rental rates. Land is up 14% across the state compared to the prior year. The full results are published on the Center for Agricultural Profitability’s website at https://cap.unl.edu/realestate.
There is also a new Cornhusker Economics article that offers additional analysis: https://agecon.unl.edu/nebraska-farmland-values-and-cash-rental-rates-2023.
Drought resiliency for the cowherd and how beef producers can position themselves for the future.
The last few years drought conditions, input costs, inflation and volatile market conditions have challenged beef cattle producers.
Nebraska Extension will be hosting a program titled “Learning from the Past – Looking to the Future” Tuesday, March 28, 2023 from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the 4-H Building in Kimball. Don Adams and Ivan Rush, Professors Emeriti from the University of Nebraska will be discussing the following topics: