Nebraska Extension Scotts Bluff County

New Program Reaches Indigenous Teens

Program is helping Native American teens gain hands-on lessons regarding traditional Indigenous peoples’ farming beliefs and practices.

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Extension partnering with AmeriCorps VISTA

There are new faces joining Nebraska Extension to increase the capacity and access of Extension programming, specifically in disaster resilience and combatting poverty.

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Study shows Nebraska’s ethanol industry continues to expand

The overall economic impact of the Nebraska ethanol industry is over $4.5 billion.

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Local Interest

UNL releases preliminary farm real estate market survey results

By Jessica Groskopf and Jim Jansen, UNL Agricultural Economists

The Preliminary Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Survey Results released this month by the University of Nebraska revealed that Nebraska agricultural land declined in value for the reporting year ending Feb. 1, 2019.

This marks the fifth consecutive year of downward pressure, as market values have dropped approximately 20 percent since reaching a high in 2014. The average farmland value in the Panhandle is estimated to be $685 per acre, 4 percent lower than the prior year.

PANHANDLE PERSPECTIVES: Women in Agriculture Conference set for April 12 at Sidney

“Keep Life Simple” is the theme of the annual Women in Agriculture Conference, which will feature information and advice about simplicity and excellence, making meals with a multi-cooker, forage production, youth loans, farming with disabilities, and more.

This year’s conference is scheduled for Friday, April 12, 2019 at Sidney. It will run from 8:15 a.m. until 3:45 p.m. at Buffalo Point Restaurant, 638 Cabela Drive.

The 2018 conference was canceled due to weather, but is being brought back in 2019.

The conference is intended to help women who are involved in agriculture improve their decision-making, increase understanding, and enhance their well-being in relation to their farm, ranch or agriculture-related business.

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.

Chemigation certification training set in Scottsbluff, Sidney, Bridgeport, Alliance

Nebraska Extension will conduct chemigation certification training sessions through early April at Alliance, Sidney, Bridgeport, and Scottsbluff, as well as other sites around Nebraska, such as North Platte and Ainsworth.

Producers who plan to apply crop nutrients and pesticides through irrigation systems during 2019, including those who need to renew their 2018 permits, are required to attend a training session and pass the test administered afterward. Attendees are asked to pre-register at the extension office whose session they plan to attend. They will receive a training manual and calibration workbook to review before the training session.

2019 Beef Feedlot Roundtable Feb. 12 at Bridgeport

Research findings and industry updates will be the focus of the Nebraska Extension Beef Feedlot Roundtables Feb. 12-14, 2019.

The first workshop will be Feb. 12 at Bridgeport, beginning with registration at 12:30 p.m. at Prairie Winds Community Center. Registration begins at 12:30 p.m., followed by presentations from 1 to 5 p.m. Following the program, Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) training and certification or recertification will be available each day. The meeting is organized by Nebraska Extension and the Nebraska Beef Council.

Online registration is encouraged and available at https://go.unl.edu/2019roundtable. Cost is $20 at the door if preregistered and $40 for walk-ins.

PANHANDLE PERSPECTIVES: Bugeye Workshop: Cutworms & Kin

Cutworm numbers have been on the increase in western Nebraska over the past several years, and the damage they can cause to dry edible bean fields has bean growers and others in the industry concerned.

Luckily, it is not too difficult or too expensive to control cutworms. But effective control depends on applying insecticide at the right time. And knowing the right time is a matter of monitoring populations of cutworm moths, which lay the eggs that produce the cutworms.

A hands-on workshop scheduled for early March is designed to train people to identify cutworms from all the other moths, and show how to monitor populations. It is organized by UNL Extension Entomologist Jeff Bradshaw, based at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff.

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Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources News

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Cullan Named Outstanding Service to Panhandle Agriculture Award Winner

August 18, 2022

The 2022 Outstanding Service to Panhandle Agriculture Award was presented to Chris Cullan of Hemingford during his Customer Appreciation Day, which he hosts each year for his wheat seed company.

Master Gardener tips for the Panhandle – Week of August 22, 2022

August 17, 2022

Here is the weekly crop of Master Gardener tips from Nebraska Extension in the Panhandle, relevant to local lawn and garden issues in the High Plains and consistent with research-based recommendations.

Marathon Kids Run More Than 5,000 Miles

August 17, 2022

More than 5,000 miles ran over the course of the summer by kids who participated in Nebraska Extension Marathon Kids. More than 200 runners signed up for the summer program and 70 runners completed marathons.