Local Interest

Leafy spurge is a non-native perennial forb. Leafy spurge is not a single species, but an aggregation of closely related, perhaps hybridized, taxa. Leafy spurge reproduces from seed and vegetative root buds. It is an erect plant 1 to 3 feet tall with blueish-green leaves with round edges. Flowers are surrounded by heart-shaped yellow-green bracts which hold three round to oblong seeds. They are located in clusters near the top of the plant. Flowers develop in mid-June, but flowering can occur through fall. Each stem produces an average of 140 seeds.

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.

The University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center will partner with the Nebraska Dry Bean Growers Association on August 20, 2020 to host the annual field tour, Panhandle Agricultural Research and Technology Tour (PARTT). The in-person event will be conducted with social distancing and other precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The 2020 event will highlight up-to-date research on dry beans, corn, sugarbeets, and alternative crops. Entry is free.

PARTT will include tours of crop research plots; lunch; afternoon presentations on timely topics under the main tent; and a chance to see new ag technology. Anybody who can’t come for the entire day is free to come for any part of the event and stay as long as they can.

Dave Ostdiek, Communications Associate
Panhandle Research and Extension Center, Scottsbluff

Cassandra Rodriguez, a senior-to-be at Scottsbluff High School, is expanding her horizons this summer in the Teens as Teachers program at the Scotts Bluff County Extension office.

And as a teacher, she is helping expand the horizons of a group of elementary-age children with lessons about different cultures and countries of the world.

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?

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Jansen discusses farmland valuations with RFD-TV

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