Dave Ostdiek, Communications Associate
Panhandle Research and Extension Center, Scottsbluff
Four high-school students from Scottsbluff and Bayard are spending their summers teaching elementary students, and in the process learning a few things themselves.
They are participants in the Teens as Teachers program, sponsored by Nebraska Extension and in its third year in Scotts Bluff, second year in Morrill, and a handful of other counties in Nebraska.
Karla Wilke Cow/Calf, Stocker Management Specialist
Panhandle Research and Extension Center
The July 17, 2019 breach of the Gering-Fort Laramie canal left over 100,000 acres of irrigated crops in eastern Wyoming and western Nebraska without water. Without irrigation water and adequate rainfall, taking the corn to full maturity and grain production may not be the best option for the crop.
Producers with a corn crop impacted by the canal breach may want to consider making corn silage out of this year’s crop. There are several things to consider when making the decision to make silage.
Rural Stress
Stress has become a fact of life for farm families. A number of factors are behind this: low commodity prices; shifting international trade outlook; and damage and obstacles created by storms, floods, and other natural disasters. There’s added stress this summer in Scotts Bluff and Goshen counties from the loss of irrigation water to more than 100,000 acres of crops due to the collapse of the Fort Laramie Canal tunnel. But there are resources to help farm families address problems caused by stress.
Susan Harris-Broomfield, Nebraska Extension Educator, Rural Health, Wellness, & Safety
A recent study into how pinto beans help lower cholesterol was a collaborative effort among several departments at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln that spanned the state from west to east.
Results of the study are reported in the June issue of the Journal of Nutrition (JN), a publication of the American Society for Nutrition. JN has drawn attention to the journal article by featuring it in a news release distributed universally on the World Wide Web.
The difference between a good farmer and a great manager often comes down to knowing the true financial position of a farm. Good records make it possible to track an operation’s true financial position. Inaccurate records can lead to misguided management decisions.
A “Good Farmer to Great Manager” record-keeping class, designed to teach farmers and ranchers to keep accurate records for their operations, will be held July 25-26, 2019 at the Prairie Winds Community Center (428 N Main St) in Bridgeport. It will run from 1-5 p.m. the first day, and 8 a.m. until noon the second day.
Numerous factors may cause stress for farmers and ranchers. Many face financial problems, marketing uncertainties, farm transfer issues, production challenges, and more. When temporary stress turns into chronic stress, it can impact health and mental wellness.
Nebraska Extension, in partnership with Michigan State Extension, is offering workshops in Scottsbluff and Chadron in July for individuals who work with farmers and ranchers on a regular basis, such as bank lenders, ag suppliers, healthcare professionals, and anyone involved with the lives of farmers and ranchers. These workshops offer four objectives:
* Build awareness around potentially stressful conditions affecting some farmers and ranchers.
Twenty-seven percent of respondents to the 2023 Nebraska Rural Poll indicated they are worse off than they were five years ago, up from 21% last year and 11% in 2021.
In Nebraska, ag land values are up about 14 percent over last year, mirroring a nationwide rise in ag real estate prices. Click through to watch Jim Jansen, an agricultural systems economist with Nebraska Extension, talk with RFD-TV about the impact of valuations.