Aaron Berger, Extension Educator
In many areas of Nebraska, drought conditions have resulted in reduced forage production on rangeland and pasture. This is resulting in a shortage of feed for many producers and a need for forage between now and when cornstalks are available for grazing. Windrow grazing annual forages allows producers to cut the crop at an optimum time for quality and increase harvest efficiency through strip grazing the windrows.
Local Interest
By Gary Stone, Extension Educator Invasive Resistant Pest Issue Team
Last year in another state, 14 horses died and another 100 were sickened from hay that contained blister beetles. Usually Blister beetles are not a problem, but growers should be aware of the insect and what to scout for in their fields.
The Pest: The blister beetle (scientific name Epicauta spp., order Coleoptera, family Meloidae) includes several species: ash-gray blister beetle (Epicauta fabricii), black blister beetle (Epicauta pennsylvania), three-striped blister beetle (Epicauta vittata), and spotted blister beetle (Epicauta maculata).
Anyone who receives a package in the mail with unsolicited seeds from China is encouraged not to plant them, but to contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) office in Lincoln.
According to John Thomas, Nebraska Extension Educator based in Alliance, Extension has been receiving some inquiries about the seeds, and has received the following guidance from the Lincoln APHIS office:
Anyone receiving the seeds should call the Lincoln APHIS office at (402) 434-2346 for additional instruction.
Leafy spurge is a non-native perennial forb. Leafy spurge is not a single species, but an aggregation of closely related, perhaps hybridized, taxa.
Leafy spurge reproduces from seed and vegetative root buds. It is an erect plant 1 to 3 feet tall with blueish-green leaves with round edges.
Flowers are surrounded by heart-shaped yellow-green bracts which hold three round to oblong seeds. They are located in clusters near the top of the plant. Flowers develop in mid-June, but flowering can occur through fall. Each stem produces an average of 140 seeds.
John Thomas, Extension Educator, Box Butte County
Jeff Bradshaw, Extension Entomologist, Panhandle Research and Extension Center
Karen DeBoer, Extension Educator, Cheyenne County
As winter wheat harvest progresses in the Nebraska Panhandle, it is becoming clear that 2020 is another year of significant wheat stem sawfly infestation and cutting. Infestations are moderate in the north and heavier in the south.
Robert M. Harveson, Extension Plant Pathologist
Xin Qiao, Water and Irrigation Management Specialist
University of Nebraska, Panhandle Research and Extension Center, Scottsbluff
On July 13, 2020 we found symptoms characteristic of Cercospora leaf spot (CLS) on lower leaves of sugarbeets from research plots at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center at Scottsbluff.
CLS, a foliar disease of the beet, has long been a problem for sugarbeet production in more humid areas of the United States. But it has been a sporadic, but potentially severe problem for us in western Nebraska. The disease is caused by the fungal pathogen, Cercospora beticola, and is spread by spores moving in wind currents throughout and among fields.
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Sugar beets begin harvest, but water still necessary for maturing crops
September 4, 2024
Western Sugar began its early harvest on Monday, Sept. 2, and sugar beets are beginning to pile up in the yard before heading into the factory for slicing and processing.
“We’ve been running for a day and a half, and our sugar content is 15.4, a record high for this time of year,” said Jerry Darnell, Vice President of Agriculture, South Region for Western Sugar. He contributed the high sugar content to some good growing degree days, the herbicide Goltix, and sugar beet seed CR+, which helped with Cercospora.
Nebraska Extension offering workshop on tax planning for farms and ranches
September 4, 2024
Lincoln, Neb. —Nebraska Extension will host an Introduction to Schedule F, Tax Planning for Farms and Ranches Workshop on Thursday, September 19, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Scottsbluff at the Panhandle Research Extension and Education Center, 4502 Avenue I.
“Farmers and ranchers, especially new and beginning producers, often have questions about tax planning for their business,” said Jessica Groskopf, Extension Educator. “This workshop will provide you with the basic information you need when filing a Schedule F.”
Nebraska in the national news: August 2024
September 4, 2024
A trio of University of Nebraska–Lincoln political scientists were interviewed by national media outlets in August. The stories were among 30-plus national news stories featuring Husker faculty, staff, centers and programs during the month.
Nebraska Extension’s program receives NIFA Grant to support STEM Education for at-risk youth
August 29, 2024
Lincoln, Neb. — The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension has been awarded a five-year grant from the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) through the Children, Youth, and Families At-Risk (CYFAR) Program.
CYFAR is a national initiative developed to meet locally identified needs, through quality research-based programs for vulnerable, at-risk, low-income, and low-resource children, youth, and families to promote positive life outcomes.