Local Interest

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.

Hot, dry conditions in early summer have taken a toll on grass growth in much of the Great Plains this year. There are several options cattle producers may want to consider to conserve grass in these dry areas. Every producer should have a drought plan that includes trigger dates and a culling strategy, but once those top cuts are made, what feeding options are there for the core herd?

Gary Stone, Jessica Groskopf, and John Thomas, Extension Educators; Dr. Xin Qiao, Extension Water & Irrigation Management Specialist; and David Ostdiek, Extension Communications

July 17 will mark the one-year anniversary of an event that many irrigators in western Nebraska will not forget – the Goshen / Gering-Ft Laramie Irrigation Districts Tunnel No. 2 collapsed, causing a breach in the main canal that dried up water deliveries for irrigators on the south side of the North Platte River under these two districts.

The farmers lost water for 42 days during the critical crop growing time, affecting over 107,000 acres in the North Platte River Valley of Nebraska and Wyoming.

Phragmites is also known as common reed, giant reed and canegrass. Its scientific name is Phragmites australis subsp. australis (non-native) and Phragmites australis subsp. Americanus (native), of the family Poaceae, the grass family.

Soil health advocates say interest is growing in nurturing the health of the vital natural resource. But there’s no standard way to measure soil health or predict its potential for improvement.

Now, a soil scientist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is proposing a name and a concept that could help establish the parameters for measuring baseline soil health and its potential for improvement.

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Tractor Safety course educates next generation of agriculturalists

June 28, 2024

Lincoln, Neb. —

Tractors are part of rural life. They are agricultural equipment that can be spotted in fields, dirt roads, and highways. Typically driven by adults, farm families often hire their teenage children or their neighbors' teens to help with planting, harvesting, and other work. Each Spring across Nebraska, Tractor and Equipment Safety courses are held for 14-and 15-year-olds looking to be employed on farms and ranches.  

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Nebraska Extension projects look at viability and economics of mint in Panhandle

June 26, 2024
Two recent projects at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhandle Research Extension and Education Center in Scottsbluff involved growing peppermint and spearmint, doing it well, and saving money and greenhouse gasses.

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Lead and Succeed webinar series continues leadership development discussion

June 19, 2024

Lincoln, Neb. — Rural Prosperity Nebraska, the community development arm of Nebraska Extension, announces the inaugural session of its “Lead and Succeed Lunchbox Series,” a summer-long webinars series focused on revamping community leadership development in rural communities. The first session will take place on June 27.

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MarketReady webinars help farmers expand market reach

June 14, 2024
Rural Prosperity Nebraska and the Heartland Regional Food Business Center, a multi-state organization focused on strengthening farm and food enterprises, are kicking off a summer-long series of market-ready webinars, beginning June 20.

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