Nebraska Extension Scotts Bluff County

Local Interest

PANHANDLE PERSPECTIVES: National paper on aquifer depletion relies on western Nebraska expertise, experiences

By Dave Ostdiek, Communications Associate
UNL Panhandle Research and Extension Center

As a growing population competes for available freshwater supplies, depletion of groundwater aquifers will be a growing challenge to water policy managers in the United States. Adopting policies to address this issue is a matter of understanding the causes and the local hydrology, then choosing a policy that fits water-management goals.

These are some of the lessons that emerge from a recent issue paper published by a national science policy group. The paper is based partly on experience and expertise from western Nebraska. It highlights a case study of what happened in the Panhandle when over-development caused aquifer depletion along a stream.

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PANHANDLE PERSPECTIVES: Marestail – invasive species in western Nebraska

By Gary Stone, Extension Educator, Panhandle Extension District

Early Detection and Rapid Response (EDRR) is a concept to identify potential invasive species prior to or just as the establishment of the invasive is taking place. An Integrated Pest Management plan (IPM) can be developed to manage, contain and eradicate the invasive species before it can spread further.  This will avoid costly, long-term control efforts.

A native species that has become a major problem in Panhandle and Sandhills rangeland is Marestail or Horseweed, a native annual forb also known as Canadian horseweed and Canada fleabane.  

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PANHANDLE PERSPECTIVES: A new way to schedule irrigation for dry beans

A research team at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhandle Research and Extension Center is developing a method of scheduling irrigation for dry edible beans that uses a sensor to remotely check the temperature of the crop canopy to determine when the crop needs water.

The method, known as infrared radiometry thermometer (IRT), has the potential to be cheaper and easier to install and manage than soil-moisture probes, according to Xin Qiao, Irrigation and Water Management Specialist at the Panhandle Center.

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PANHANDLE PERSPECTIVES: Tips for fixing Quicken mistakes quickly

By Jessica Groskopf, Ag Economics Educator, Nebraska Extension

December pre-tax planning meetings are right around the corner, so farmers and ranchers might want to spend a little time at their computers get their Quicken bookkeeping file in order.

It has been a few months since most farmers and ranchers have entered transactions. When inputting several months of entries, anyone is likely to make a few mistakes. Here are tips to tackle two common problems faced when entering transactions into Quicken:  

Missing transactions

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PANHANDLE PERSPECTIVES: What’s all that noise?

Karla H. Jenkins, Cow/Calf and Stocker Management Specialist
Panhandle R&E Center, Scottsbluff

Recently I attended a high school football game just a few blocks from that community’s local cattle auction. As I watched the players warming up, I hardly noticed the bawling noises made by the calves who had been delivered earlier that day in preparation for the big sale the next day.

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PANHANDLE PERSPECTIVES: A century of science at UNL experimental range in southern Sioux County

University of Nebraska-Lincoln scientists conduct agricultural research at many locations in western Nebraska – the Panhandle Research and Extension Center plots; the Panhandle Research Feedlot; the High Plains Ag Lab near Sidney; and in fields belonging to cooperating farmers.

One of UNL’s lesser-known research laboratories attained a landmark this year. It was 100 years ago, in 1918, that the federal government gave the university an 800-acre piece of rangeland in southern Sioux County to conduct regionally relevant research.

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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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