Local Interest
Nebraska Extension will be offering the ServSafe® Manager Training Program for food service managers and employees April 16-17, 2020 in Bridgeport.
The training will take place from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the 21st Century Reconditioning Center at 705 Main St.
Registrations are due by March 31. Contact Nebraska Extension at 308-632-1480 or Tammie Ostdiek at tostdiek5@unl.edu.
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.
Dr. Pablo Loza has been appointed as Feedlot Nutrition and Management Specialist, based at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Panhandle Research, Extension, and Education Center at Scottsbluff. His appointment was announced by Jack Whittier, Director of the UNL Panhandle Research and Extension Center.
Beef feedlot managers, owners, employees, and allied industries will learn new information related to feedlot nutrition and health at Nebraska Extension’s 2020 Beef Feedlot Roundtables Feb. 18-20 in Bridgeport, Lexington and West Point.
University and industry representatives will speak about improving the safety and health of employees, open pen management and repair and beef sustainability.
Employee safety is always a priority and various resources will be provided to address that issue. With recent weather challenges, discussions will center around pen maintenance options such as roller compacted concrete and the use of fly ash.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln will sponsor the first Panhandle Soil Health Workshop in Bridgeport next month. The half-day event will take place on March 3, 2020 from 8-11:30 a.m. in the Prairie Winds Community Center.
The workshop is intended to appeal primarily to farmers and ranchers, but also to crop consultants and anyone with an interest in soil, said Bijesh Maharjan, Soil and Nutrient Management Specialist at the UNL Panhandle Research and Extension Center, who is organizing it. Crop consultants will be able to receive continuing education units in nutrient management (2CEUs) and crop management (1 CEU).