Local Interest

New Nebraska Master Irrigator Program
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is set to launch a new Master Irrigator program, providing Nebraska growers with a platform to connect with the latest agricultural innovations and conservation practices.
The program will begin in February with design summits offering an introduction to the initiative and allowing Nebraska growers to shape its future direction.
The goal of the Nebraska Master Irrigator program is to provide farmers with locally relevant insights into innovations from industry, policy, and research.
The goal of the program is to meet the needs of the state’s top irrigators, said Derek McLean, dean and director of UNL’s Agricultural Research Division. Nebraska’s Master Irrigator program will cater to those seeking to elevate their fields to the next level. Topics will include leveraging new technologies, implementing conservation and regenerative practices, navigating current events, and managing the complexities of modern farming.
The meeting in Scottsbluff is being held March 6 and is open to the public.
For more information or to register, visit go.unl.edu/master_irrigator.

Calculating the annual cost of cows in 2025
By Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Livestock Educator
The 2025 year is starting off with extremely strong prices for calves, feeder cattle, and fed cattle. The Nebraska Extension will host the Calculating Annual Cow Costs webinar series on Monday and Thursday evenings, February 17, 20, 24, 27, March 3, and 6 from 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. CST to assist producers. The interactive program will explain the fundamentals of knowing and calculating annual cow costs.
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ServSafe Manager is an 8-hour food safety training and certification course. This course is designed for restaurant owners, managers, food handlers, dieticians, and dietary managers.
- Protect your customers from food-born illness & improve food quality
- reduce liability risks
- improve profitability & give your business a competitive edge
- course includes: food microbiology, sanitary food handling & storage, personal health hygiene & housekeeping, and pest control & safety precedures
A course is being offered in Scottsbluff at the Panhandle Research Extension & Education Center on May 13, 2025 from 9:00a.m.-5:00p.m. Register 3 weeks prior to course date, $140 (all materials received at time of class), $150 (class manual mailed prior to class).
Register at go.unl.edu/westservsafe. Servsafe Food safety training registration opens January 1, 2025.
For more information, contact Brenda Aufdenkamp 308-532-2683 or baufdenkamp1@unl.edu.

New 4-H program will bring STEAM to area students
By Chabella Guzman, PREEC Communications
This winter, kindergarteners to middle schoolers in Scottsbluff and the surrounding area will benefit from a recently awarded Beyond School Bells, Think Make Create (TMC) Lab. The mobile trailer lab is designed to meet Nebraska’s rural Expanded Learning Opportunity (ELO) programs. The Nebraska Extension 4-H received a grant from the Nebraska Children and Families Foundation for the trailer.