Nebraska Extension Scotts Bluff County

Local Interest

PANHANDLE PERSPECTIVES: Alternative crops program at Panhandle Center investigates possibility for growing mint in western Nebraska

Dipak Santra, Alternative Crops Breeding Specialist

Mint is not grown commercially in Nebraska on a large scale yet – there are less than 500 acres – but a project at the University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center at Scottsbluff is aimed at providing answers about whether farmers could grow it here and which varieties might grow best.

A three-year project to identify the best mint varieties for western Nebraska began in 2018 and is scheduled to continue through the 2020 growing season. The project is funded by a Nebraska Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant, and is carried out in collaboration with Dr. Mahesh Pattabiraman, associate professor of organic chemistry at the University of Nebraska Kearney.

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PANHANDLE PERSPECTIVES: Healthy holiday food traditions

By Tammie Ostdiek
Extension Educator – Food, Nutrition and Health

Holidays can be filled with overindulgence. But it’s possible to avoid added calories and the pang of guilt – as well as adverse health effects – with some thoughtful planning and preparation.

Consider making little changes to create healthier meals, increase physical activity and feel your best during the busy holiday season. Here are some simple steps:

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PANHANDLE PERSPECTIVES: UNL partners with Panhandle farm to research hemp

Dave Ostdiek Communication/Technology Associate

The Panhandle Research and Extension Center has embarked on a partnership with a family farm corporation in Scotts Bluff County, Western Farms LLC, to conduct scientific research on growing industrial hemp for seed production in the Panhandle.

The public-private joint venture will take place in Scottsbluff and is titled “Evaluation of Hemp Seed Production in Greenhouse Environment in Western Nebraska.”

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PANHANDLE PERSPECTIVES: In more than 50 years, two Extension plant pathologists have been stationed in Scottsbluff

Robert M. Harveson, Extension Plant Pathologist
Panhandle R&E Center, Scottsbluff

The Panhandle Research and Extension Center (REC) was begun in 1910 with the establishment of the Scotts Bluff Experimental Substation.

Although the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) was not formally established until 1920, a decade later, plant pathology had a significant presence in western Nebraska even before the Substation in Scottsbluff was created.

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PANHANDLE PERSPECTIVES: The value of grass in Nebraska

Nebraska has one of the highest summer pasture rental rates in the nation for cow-calf pairs or stocker/yearlings, on a price-per-pair-per-month or price-per-head basis. Prices remain historically quite strong, although they have moderated after the rapid run-up that occurred after 2014 and 2015. Reported pasture rental rates are documented in a survey published annually by Nebraska Extension titled “Nebraska Farm Real Estate Report,” which can be found at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Ag Economics website at agecon.unl.edu. This all points to the importance, for ranchers, of understanding good management of their pastures. A number of factors contribute to the strong pasture rental rates found in Nebraska, including these three:
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PANHANDLE PERSPECTIVES: Did You Know? Goss’ wilt of corn and bacterial wilt of dry beans both re-emerged in Nebraska at the same time after long absence

Robert M. Harveson, Extension Plant Pathologist
Panhandle R&E Center, Scottsbluff 

Goss’ wilt and leaf blight is a destructive bacterial disease of corn, caused by Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. nebraskense. It was first identified in 1969 from Dawson County near Lexington making it a true Nebraska native.

Over the next decade, it was identified from at least 53 other counties in Nebraska and also spread into Iowa, South Dakota, Kansas, and Colorado. The disease was eventually identified from additional U.S. corn-growing states before disappearing in the mid-1980s just as suddenly as it first appeared. 

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Tractor Safety course educates next generation of agriculturalists

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

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

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

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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