Feature stories/news
Local Interest
Brake for Breakfast: A drive-thru event brings cancer prevention to Nebraskans
Nebraska Medicine | Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center, Nebraska Extension, and the Elkhorn Valley Public Health Department invite the community to enjoy a free breakfast and learn about cancer prevention at Brake for Breakfast on Friday, April 24, from 7 to 9 a.m. at the Panhandle Public Health District in Scottsbluff.
Brake for Breakfast is a statewide drive-thru event designed to make cancer prevention easy, accessible, and engaging for all Nebraskans.
Volunteers at locations around the state will hand out a free breakfast to participants, along with a personalized checklist to help them understand what screenings they may need based on their age and risk factors.
“Early detection saves lives,” said Rachael Schmidt, DNP, FNP-C, AOCNP®. “Brake for Breakfast brings screening awareness directly to communities in a convenient, welcoming format.”
At each event, attendees will receive:
- A grab-and-go breakfast
- A “Check Yourself” cancer screening checklist
- Information about how to access local screening services
- Navigation resources for people who are overdue for screening
- A QR code to subscribe to the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center’s Prevention & Screening Newsletter
This initiative supports the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center’s mission to reduce cancer burden, promote early detection, and improve outcomes across Nebraska’s diverse communities.
Brake for Breakfast events will take place at partner sites across the state, including hospitals, health departments, and community centers.
The Scottsbluff Break for Breakfast Event will be held at the Panhandle Public Health District Building, 18 W 16th Street.
For more information, or to subscribe to prevention updates, visit: Go.UNMC.edu/Breakfast
ACREE: Nebraska’s Free Irrigation Scheduling App is Ready for the 2026 Season
By Shuhua Xie, postdoc at PREEC Irrigation and Digital Ag Lab / Xin Qiao, Nebraska Extension Irrigation Management Specialist / Gary Stone, Nebraska Extension Water and Crops Educator
Nebraska is experiencing below-normal snowfall and rainfall during the past winter and this early spring. In addition, the below-average snowpack in the North Platte River Basin has raised concerns about irrigation water supplies for this upcoming growing season. With potentially high irrigation demand expected this summer, making informed irrigation decisions will be critical.
As the irrigation season approaches, this is a good time for producers to register for the free irrigation scheduling tool: ACREE (Applied Collaborative Research, Extension and Education) app.
The ACREE app was released in April 2025 as a mobile irrigation scheduling tool designed to support irrigation management across Nebraska. The app estimates soil water depletion using basic field agronomic information from producer and estimated crop water use from nearby Nebraska Mesonet weather stations. Based on these inputs, ACREE tracks crop water use and estimates the amount of water remaining in the soil profile.
The app doesn’t require installation of any soil moisture sensors. Key features include:
- Irrigation scheduling recommendations for your particular field
- Weekly crop water use reports (this is generalized weekly crop water use for panhandle Nebraska, especially Scotts Bluff County)
- Visualization of the soil water depletion throughout the season
- Field journaling to record crop and irrigation management activities
For producers with soil moisture sensors installed in their fields, most commercial capacitance soil moisture probes can be integrated with ACREE to provide additional functionality. One such feature is the integration of AI to interpret past 7-day soil moisture patterns (see details in: ACREE App Launches SPADE AI to Detect Soil Moisture Patterns and Anomalies | CropWatch | Nebraska). Please note this is an experimental feature, and AI can make mistakes.
To register and access the app. Start with ACREE in a few simple steps:
- Download the app. Search for “ACREE” in the iOS App Store or Google Play Store and install the app (PHREC AgLab).
QR Codes may be placed here
- Create an account and request field setup.
After creating an account in the app, email the irrigation team at the UNL Panhandle Research & Extension Center at phrecirr4502@gmail.com to set up your fields. Provide the field name and location using a legal description or GPS coordinate of the center of the field.
For example:
- Panhandle Research & Extension Center, Northwest quarter of 10-22N-55W
- Panhandle Research & Extension Center, 41.899053, -103.690129
- Enter crop information.
Once the field is created, its boundary will appear on your app's home page. Enter the crop type and planting date, which are the minimum inputs required for the irrigation scheduling tool to operate.
Enter irrigation event or adjust rainfall during the season. Producers will need to record irrigation events as they occur. Otherwise, the app won’t be able to calculate meaningful soil-depletion figures. Simply click the “scheduling” tab and click on the date the irrigation event occurred, then enter the amount. The app pulls the nearest Mesonet weather station for rainfall amount. Sometimes this may differ from actual field conditions. Users can adjust the rainfall amount by manually selecting the date and then adding or subtracting from the recorded rainfall.
More detailed information about the app’s features and how to use it can be found in: Update to the ACREE app Irrigation scheduling tool | Panhandle Research Extension and Education Center | Nebraska
For any assistance, contact phrecirr4502@gmail.com. Users can also submit feedback directly through the in-app comment icon. The development team will continue improving ACREE based on producers’ input. The team will be holding a webinar to provide more detailed training for using the app. Interested producers can email the address above to sign up.
Upcoming ServSafe® Food Safety Trainings available across the Nebraska Panhandle
Nebraska Extension is continuing to offer ServSafe® Food Safety training across the Nebraska Panhandle in 2026, with several upcoming opportunities still available for food service managers and employees to become certified or renew their knowledge.
These nationally recognized training courses are designed to help restaurants, food trucks, schools, and other food establishments strengthen food safety practices, reduce the risk of foodborne illness, and meet Nebraska certification expectations. With increased emphasis on food safety through updated state regulations aligned with the Nebraska Pure Food Act, having trained and certified staff remains a critical component of safe and successful food service operations.
“ServSafe training helps food establishments build confidence, protect customers, and support consistent, safe operations,” said Ashley Fenning, Nebraska Extension. “We encourage businesses to take advantage of these remaining training opportunities to ensure their staff is prepared and compliant.”
The ServSafe® Food Protection Manager course is a comprehensive, one-day training intended for food establishment owners, managers, and supervisors responsible for overseeing food safety. This course covers essential topics including preventing contamination, time and temperature control, employee health and hygiene, and effective cleaning and sanitation systems. Participants will also learn how to implement safe food-handling procedures throughout the food flow, from purchasing to service. The training includes the course manual, eight hours of instruction, and a proctored ServSafe Food Protection Manager certification exam, allowing participants to complete certification in one session.
Upcoming ServSafe Food Protection Manager Trainings:
- July 9 - from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Prairie Winds Community Center in Bridgeport
- Oct. 6 - from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Box Butte County Extension Office in Alliance
- Nov. 3 - from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Panhandle Research, Extension & Education Center in Scottsbluff
The ServSafe® Food Handler training is a shorter, half-day course designed for employees who handle or prepare food. This training provides practical, easy-to-understand instruction focused on everyday food safety practices. Participants will learn about personal hygiene, prevention of cross-contamination, allergen awareness, time and temperature control, and proper cleaning and sanitation procedures. Each session also includes a proctored ServSafe Food Handler test, allowing participants to complete both training and certification during the course.
All upcoming ServSafe Food Handler Trainings will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- June 9 - Platte Valley Bank Conference Room in Chadron
- Aug. 13 - Cheyenne County Fairgrounds in Sidney
- Dec. 1 - Prairie Winds Community Center in Bridgeport
The cost for the ServSafe Food Protection Manager training is $160 per participant, and the ServSafe Food Handler training is $40 per participant, which includes instruction, materials, and the proctored exam. Registration is required three weeks prior to each course date to allow time for materials to be prepared and mailed.
Participants can register online at https://go.unl.edu/panhandleservsafe2026 or by calling the Morrill County Extension Office at 308-262-1022.
For additional information, contact Ashley Fenning, at 308-262-1022 or astevens4@unl.edu
