Spring is still a couple months away, but it’s not too early to talk about gardening, landscapes, turf, trees, shrubs, and other horticulture topics.
The 2018 Nebraska Extension Master Gardener training will begin in late January, with weekly training classes running into mid-March for volunteers who want to add to their own knowledge and share what they know with others in their communities.
Results of the 2017 variety trials for dry edible beans conducted by the University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center have been posted on the Nebraska Extension CropWatch website.
The direct link for variety trial results for both peas and beans is http://cropwatch.unl.edu/varietytest/othercrops. Or, navigate to the Other Crops Variety Trials page from the main Cropwatch page (http://cropwatch.unl.edu ) by clicking on these links: management > variety testing > other crops.
The peppers were harvested weeks ago from a small research plot at the Panhandle Center where a type of fabric mulch is being tested for potential use in USDA certified organic produce fields.
During the off season, researchers are checking to see what becomes of the biodegradable mulch, an experimental product from 3M that is being tested to see if it is suitable for USDA-certified organic vegetable production.
Last spring, six rows of peppers were planted through 3-foot-wide strips of mulch. Two different types of mulch, one black and the other white, are being tested. Recently, workers were busy in the plot setting up six different treatment regimens for the harvested plots, to see if the fabric mulch will disintegrate differently under different conditions.
When commodity prices go down, it’s important to keep financial books on the ranch for more than just tax time.
Nebraska Extension Educators will teach how to use Quicken, a popular commercial record-keeping package that is user friendly, inexpensive and easy to find, in two upcoming workshops in Scottsbluff. Quicken is flexible for ag and non-ag business enterprises and separates out family living expenses.
These workshops are limited to 10 participants. The cost is $20 per participant. Dates and locations:
Scottsbluff, Dec. 20, 2017: 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center. To register call Jessica Groskopf 308-632-1247.
Lincoln, Neb. —May is National Beef Month, and Nebraska Extension is celebrating the first anniversary of Tailgate Talks, a YouTube channel aimed at beef producers.
As part of the celebration, there will be a featured video message on the Tailgate Talks channel and a giveaway to its subscribers to commemorate the channel’s success and emphasize the importance of the beef industry in Nebraska, home to the top three beef cow counties in the U.S. — Cherry, Custer and Holt Counties.