Local Interest
Spring flowers in range or pastures could be noxious weeds
By Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Livestock Systems Educator
Late April, May, and June are the months when we frequently see both native and non-native forbs begin to grow and start to flower in range and pasture. If you are seeing “pretty flowers” you may not recognize, now is the time to check them out. Those flowers or plants you don’t recognize may be a plant that is an invasive species. Early detection and rapid response are critical to helping to keep noxious weeds at bay. The cost and impact of their presence can be minimized by identifying and dealing with invasive species when the numbers are small. Also, scout now for noxious and invasive weeds you spotted last year. If you see new plants present, make a plan to control them.
Some common invasive species that are starting to grow or will be this time of year include leafy spurge, dalmatian toad flax, field bindweed, Canada thistle, scotch thistle, bull thistle, musk thistle, spotted and diffuse knapweed, and common mullein. Other species to be on the lookout for include absinth wormwood and sericea lespedeza. They are invasive species that don’t have big and robust brightly colored flowers. Preventing noxious weeds from going to seed is important for reducing seed spread. If the plant is already in the flowering stage, cutting off the seed heads prior to killing the plant will help to eliminate seed spread. Bagging and properly disposing of seed heads prevents viable seeds on plants from spreading.
Have questions about the plant you are seeing? Nebraska Extension has educators and specialists who can help you identify the plant. Bring in a plant or send a picture, and we will work with you to identify if that “pretty flower” belongs to a native plant that you can enjoy or if it is something you need to control.
The Nebraska Weed Control Association website https://neweed.org/ is an excellent resource on noxious weeds in Nebraska. To control the invasive species, check with the Nebraska Extension 2025 Guide to Weed Management, which is an excellent reference guide for herbicide options.
UNL Releases Preliminary Farm Real Estate Market Survey Results for Northwest Nebraska
The market value of agricultural land in Nebraska declined by 2 percent over the prior year to an average of $3,935 per acre, according to the preliminary results of the 2025 Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Survey. This marks the first decline in the market value of agricultural land in Nebraska since reaching the record non-inflation-adjusted statewide land value in the survey's 46-year history in 2024.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Department of Agricultural Economics annually surveys land industry professionals across Nebraska, including appraisers, farm and ranch managers, agricultural bankers, and related industry professionals. Results from the survey are divided by land class and summarized by the eight Agricultural Statistic Districts of Nebraska.
Land industry professionals responding to the annual survey attributed the drop in Nebraska agricultural real estate values to current crop prices, interest rate levels, and farm input costs commonly used by operations across the state. Lower crop prices for commodities grown across the state have tightened the financial positions of many operations. Interest rates have raised borrowing costs for leasing or real estate purchases. Farm input costs and current interest rates present elevated financial pressure and influence land or agricultural equipment investment decisions.
PREEC Irrigation and Digital Ag Lab introduces app for mobile irrigation management
By Xin Qiao, Irrigation Management Specialist | Joseph Oboamah, Graduate Student | Wei-zhen Liang, research assistant professor | Gary Stone, water and cropping systems educator
The PREEC (Panhandle Research Extension and Education Center) Irrigation and Digital Agriculture lab has launched its new mobile app PLAN: Mobile Irrigation Management.
Since 2020, the PHREC Irrigation and Digital Agriculture lab has successfully operated a web-based dashboard (https://phrec-irrigation.com/#/) to support the Peer Learning Agricultural Network (PLAN). This platform has enabled growers to access critical data, including real-time soil moisture readings, disease outbreak risks, and weekly crop water use information for the Nebraska Panhandle region. Through collaboration with more than 30 growers and various commercial partners via API (Application Programming Interface) integrations, the lab team has expanded coverage to more than 100 commercial fields spanning approximately 10,000 acres of farmland.
While the web dashboard has proven valuable, field accessibility remained challenging. The release of the new mobile application, PLAN, incorporates most features from the website while introducing significant improvements for in-field usage. The key features for the PLAN mobile app include real-time sensor data visualization, weekly crop water use reports, user-friendly irrigation scheduler, enhanced field monitoring capabilities, and potential for AI integrations.
Screenshots of the PLAN app showcase a home page with field overview and weather information, a sensor page displaying real-time readings, and weekly crop water use information updated throughout the growing season by Gary Stone and Xin Qiao.
The app features a specialized irrigation scheduler designed particularly for users without commercial soil moisture probes. Using a straightforward "checkbook" method with an intuitive interface, users can input irrigation information while the app automatically calculates irrigation needs based on data from nearby weather stations and corresponding weekly crop water use information. The scheduler is currently in final development and will be available in May.
The irrigation scheduler employs a checkbook method to assist users without soil moisture probes and will provide irrigation insights and analysis.
The PLAN app is now available for download at: https://phrec-irrigation.com/#/app_intro
Current status:
- iOS version: Available now through TestFlight (official App Store release coming soon)
- Android version: In development, coming soon
We encourage interested users to download the app and provide feedback using the floating comment icon within the application.
For tutorials and the latest updates, visit our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PHREC_Irrigation
Tractor and Equipment safety courses for the Panhandle in June
By Nebraska Extension
Nebraska Extension and Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (CS-CASH) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Public Health, have announced plans for the annual tractor and equipment safety training courses scheduled in June for Gering and Chadron.
The Tractor and Equipment Training Course will be held June 3-4, 2025 at the Legacy of the Plains Museum in Gering. The safety course will also be held June 5 at the Dawes County Fairgrounds in Chadron.
Federal law prohibits youth under 16 years of age from using certain equipment on a farm unless their parents or legal guardians own the farm. However, certification received through the National Safe Tractor and Machinery Operation Program (NSTMOP) grants an exemption to the law, allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to drive a tractor and to do field work with certain mechanized equipment.
The Nebraska Extension and CS-CASH collaborate to offer NSTMOP certification. Certification is earned by completing a two-day certification course, which includes a written test and a driving exam.
The cost of the course is $60 and includes educational materials, the online learning link (if applicable), supplies, and lunch and snacks at in-person training. Payment will be made via credit card if registering online or via check if registering by mail.
To register, visit go.unmc.edu/tractor-safety-training. Contact Kelsey Irvine at kepalm@unmc.edu or 402-321-4236 with questions.
4-H program brings embryology to elementary students
By Chabella Guzman, PREEC Communications
Chicks will be hatching the week of April 21 from eggs at many area elementary schools where 4-H educators placed embryology projects. Roosevelt Elementary welcomed Audra Brown, 4-H Extension Assistant, on April 15, for an update on the growing embryos in each classroom’s incubators.
Brown’s visit was the candling part of the project, though she used a flashlight instead of a candle. Holding the flashlight under the egg in the darkened classroom, the children could witness what a fertilized egg with a chick growing inside looked like, as well as non-fertilized eggs.
“Once they know what they are looking for, the kids really enjoy the candling process. They get excited when we are guessing as a class if there is a chick in there or not. And of course, getting to see the chick in the egg as a little black dot also brings excitement,” Brown said.
Roosevelt Elementary has had the entomology project for seven years. It’s a big activity for the third-grade classes, and they pair it with their science learning.
“They love the science, we have lessons, following what the chicks look like in the eggs at each stage,” said Alexia Lanka, Third Grade Teacher at Roosevelt Elementary. The project teaches the students not only where chickens come from and how they grow, but it also gives them the opportunity to learn something new.
4-H members present pollinator garden service project at Great Plains Conference
By Chabella Guzman, PREEC Communications
The 50th annual Great Plains conference was held on April 8-10 in Lincoln, and a poster session was held at the Great Plains Art Museum. Nebraska Extension Master Gardener Laurie Zitterkopf and Scotts Bluff County 4-H members presented a poster on a service project they will be performing this spring to introduce a pollinator garden at the Scotts Bluff County Administration Building in Gering, Neb.
“Mike (Zitterkopf) and I were able to transport the display and poster to the conference,” Laurie Zitterkopf said. Three of the 4-H project members from Scottsbluff, Hunter, Brooklyn, and Gage Creech, joined her at the conference. “Our 4-H youth attended to answer questions from the attendees. They had wonderful interest in the project and did very well presenting.”
Zitterkopf and the 4-Her’s used guidelines for native landscape design from the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum. The team will create a garden that focuses on the larval (caterpillar) stage of the butterfly’s life cycle. They also chose host plants for butterflies of Scotts Bluff County, as listed on the Nebraska Lepidoptera, 89 Species, website. “With our research of the chosen butterflies, we have already learned that the Icaricia shasta, Shasta Blue, takes two years to complete its life cycle.”
The garden will have signage highlighting the featured butterflies and the host plants needed for these insects to complete their life cycle. “We want to show with our educational sign and our garden how we can bring the rich landscape of the Great Plains into our living spaces.”
The 4-H youth were approached by a number of attendees commenting on their presentation and project. “Dr. Larkin Powell, Director of the School of Natural Resources, asked to receive pictures of their blooms this summer so that he might share them on his social media,” Zitterkopf said.
Work on the pollinator garden will begin soon, and the space has been added to the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum's Wildflower Week schedule on Friday, June 6. The gardeners will finish planting on June 6, and there will be a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. The public is invited.
Nebraska Extension Zone 1 Building and Collaborating with Communities
By Chabella Guzman, PREEC Communications
The 11 counties in the Panhandle are all part of the University of Nebraska Extension Engagement Zone 1. The zones are umbrellas for extension programs, from 4-H to master gardeners and disaster education. Rob Eirich is the Zone 1 Coordinator and Extension Educator in Scottsbluff. He leads the multiple departments under Zone 1 and builds relationships with local leaders and elected officials. Extension is one of many organizations that collaborates with Career Connections of Western Nebraska, a program for developing and sustaining career paths in rural communities. “Career Connections of Western Nebraska is showing young people there are opportunities and internships regionally, as well as, careers pathways where they have the opportunity to come back and be successful,” Eirich said. “We're starting to see these young people look for ways to connect with businesses. It triggers that interest of I can do what I want to do here and looking at the opportunities to come back where we need them.”
