New plans for the tractor safety training courses that were originally scheduled around the state, including Gering, are designed to protect the health of the students and trainers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students will take the first day of the course online through the eXtension Foundation Campus website. After successfully completing the online course and testing, the required driving test will be offered at five locations across Nebraska July 27-31, 2020.
By Dr. Saundra Frerichs, Nebraska Extension 4-H Youth Development
How can someone like me cope with something so unexpected? As I searched for this answer, I read recommendations for different groups of people: individuals living alone, families, children with special needs, empty nesters, and seniors. I found suggestions that can help all of us cope.
Create a routine.
Consistency and structure may be calming during times of stress. This is true whether we are creating a work and learning schedule for the whole family, or creating routines for ourselves when we are home alone. Use routine to create reasonable expectations for yourself and others.
With time on your hands and extra helpers at home, creating a beautiful and functional rain garden in your home landscape is an ideal family project. A rain garden collects water from your roof through a downspout and holds it in a shallow depression like a bathtub, until it soaks into the ground within 48 hours. The garden is planted with native and adapted perennial plants and small shrubs that can thrive in wet soil, attract pollinators, and provide year-round color in your yard. Installing a residential rain garden is a do-it-yourself home project that all in the family can enjoy.
By Jill A. Goedeken, Nebraska Extension 4-H Youth Development
While connecting in person may not be possible right now, maintaining positive social connections for youth is important for supporting their social and emotional well-being. These connections are critically important for all youth – those who appear to be doing okay with these uncertain times and for those who may be struggling. Certainly, everyone is experiencing the sudden disruptions in routines and being with friends.
During stressful times, the role of a caring adult is certainly important. Examples of caring adults include parents, extended family members, teachers, coaches, neighbors, and other mentors youth regularly interact with such as youth group leaders, 4-H club leaders, etc.
Twenty-seven percent of respondents to the 2023 Nebraska Rural Poll indicated they are worse off than they were five years ago, up from 21% last year and 11% in 2021.
In Nebraska, ag land values are up about 14 percent over last year, mirroring a nationwide rise in ag real estate prices. Click through to watch Jim Jansen, an agricultural systems economist with Nebraska Extension, talk with RFD-TV about the impact of valuations.
