Scotch thistle (also known as Cotton thistle, Heraldic thistle, Scotch cotton thistle (Onopordum acanthium L.), introduced into the United States from Eurasia as an ornamental plant in the 1800s, is a non-native biennial forb from the sunflower family, but it can behave as an annual or short-lived perennial.
Local Interest
By Gary Stone, Extension Educator, Panhandle Extension District
Early Detection and Rapid Response (EDRR) is a concept to identify potentially 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.
The devastation Nebraska has experienced these past few months is unimaginable. Communities and people’s lives have changed forever. Though not the highest priority, one item that should be addressed in the near future is the chance that invasive plants may show up in areas that have never had them before.
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.
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.
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.
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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Nebraska’s Natural Resource Districts honor Paul C. Hay and Randy Pryor with Water Conservation Award
October 4, 2024
Lincoln, Neb. —Nebraska’s Natural Resource Districts have awarded the Outstanding Water Conservation of the Year Award to Paul C. Hay (posthumous), Emeritus Extension Educator, alongside Randy Pryor, also an Emeritus Extension Educator. The two long-time educators were nominated by the Lower Big Blue Natural Resources District (NRD) for their nearly 40 years of service to agricultural sustainability in Southeast Nebraska.
4-H service project will update courthouse garden in 2025
October 4, 2024
The Scotts Bluff County Court House garden in Gering will be undergoing an update in the spring of 2025. Spearheading the update will be the Nebraska Master Gardeners of Scotts Bluff County with funds from A Watchable Wildlife Grant, Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, or Keno Funds.
Nebraska Soil Health School: An Accomplishment of Goals Through Collaboration
October 4, 2024
Lincoln, Neb. —The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) team led by Dr. Bijesh Maharjan, associate professor and extension specialist at UNL’s Panhandle Research, Extension and Education Center (PREEC), accomplished another successful series of Nebraska Soil Health Schools hosted by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and UNL.
70th Annual Nebraska State Range Judging Contest Held in Chase County
September 27, 2024
IMPERIAL, Neb. — Chase County hosted the 70th Annual Nebraska State Range Judging Contest, marking a milestone for one of the state’s longest-running educational contests. Organized by the Nebraska Range Judging Committee and local partners from the NRD, NRCS, and Nebraska Extension, six area contests culminated in a state contest aimed at promoting range management and conservation practices among Nebraska’s youth.