Check out the Nemaha County Agricultural Resources webpage for more information. Besides newsletters & articles written by Nemaha County Extension Educator, Gary Lesoing, you can find farmer's tax information, Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Highlights, Nebraska trends in farmland values, rental rates and custom rates. You can also find information on pesticide certification, seed guides, grain storage management and more.
Population growth puts a greater stress on expanding yields for food, which still encouraging resource stewardship. To help meet this challenge, we share unbiased, research‐based information for a diversified agricultural audience.
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Cropping & Water Systems
Last week a client brought in a large insect that was in their high tunnel. It was a green June beetle. We have had a few of them in the area in previous years. They are large beetles and are voracious eaters. They usually like fruit; i.e apricots, plums or raspberries, but do not feed on agronomic crops. They usually like to live and lay eggs in areas that are high in organic matter, like a cow lot.
While we have received some good rains this year, the cold weather this spring limited growth on the cool-season grass pastures. With pastures shorter than normal it is easier to see the invasive weeds that are in the pasture or around the farmstead. Now is the time to check pastures, CRP and non-crop areas for any invasive or noxious weeds. One of the primary invasive and noxious weeds of concern is Sericea Lespedeza.
In 2019 with all the rain received and flooding in southeast Nebraska, much of the corn looked very anemic, even up to harvest. End of season stalk-nitrate testing indicated some growers were nitrogen deficient at harvest and corn yields were below expectations. Other growers that applied nitrogen during the growing season had adequate nitrogen to produce excellent corn yields in 2019. At the end of June this year, 2020, corn looks much better than in 2019, at least it appears to have sufficient nitrogen (corn is a dark green color).
As we move into the “Dog Days of Summer” be alert to the risk of potential insect pests in soybeans. While I haven’t seen too many grasshoppers to date, you need to continue to scout for infestations, especially along field borders if it gets hot and dry later in the summer for an extended period of time.
As the corn crop progresses, it is important to check cornfields for potential disease outbreaks.
Latest Updates from cropwatch.unl.edu
- Crop Diseases Spreading and Increasing
- Evaluating Alfalfa Stands Part 1 - Using the Hay Square Method
- Disease Reports from the UNL Diagnostic Clinic – July 31
- 2020 Custom Rates Statewide Summary Available
- USDA Investigates Packages of Unsolicited Seeds from China
- Extension Crop and Pest Reports (July 27-31)
- Free Farm and Ag Law Clinics Set for August
- Estimating a Fair Value for Standing Forage