Local Interest
Nebraska Extension Zone 1 building and collaborating with communities
By Chabella Guzman, PREEC Communications
The 11 counties in the Panhandle are all part of the University of Nebraska Extension Engagement Zone 1. The zones are umbrellas for extension programs, from 4-H to master gardeners and disaster education. Rob Eirich is the Zone 1 Coordinator and Extension Educator in Scottsbluff. He leads the multiple departments under Zone 1 and builds relationships with local leaders and elected officials. Extension is one of many organizations that collaborates with Career Connections of Western Nebraska, a program for developing and sustaining career paths in rural communities. “Career Connections of Western Nebraska is showing young people there are opportunities and internships regionally, as well as, careers pathways where they have the opportunity to come back and be successful,” Eirich said. “We're starting to see these young people look for ways to connect with businesses. It triggers that interest of I can do what I want to do here and looking at the opportunities to come back where we need them.”
Working with and connecting with communities is only a part of Eirich’s responsibility. He adds that coordinators of the Zones have duties that can be broken down into three areas. The first is to work with faculty and staff in the various counties of the Zones. Zone 1 includes Banner, Box Butte, Cheyenne, Dawes, Deuel, Garden, Kimball, Morrill, Scotts Bluff, Sheridan, and Sioux Counties. He is in contact with County Extension Educators, Assistants, and staff, helping with their professional development and resource needs to best serve local clientele.
The second piece is engaging and connecting with all Nebraskans. “We want to make sure we are meeting them, where they are, with research-based educational resources ,” Eirich said. This includes assessing what resources are needed in each county or community.
Connections and engagement with stakeholders and their communities is the third piece for Eirich and his educators. “Whether it be county commissioners or even our state and national delegates, we are meeting directly with them to share how Extension impacts in their communities,” he said. Meeting a community's needs may include connecting with other departments within the University of Nebraska System.
Right now, Zone 1 has expertise in eight different program areas in agriculture, from livestock and cropping systems to agriculture economics and 4-H. Plus, community vitality, early childhood, disaster education, food, nutrition and health, and horticulture and landscaping.
I think our programs are unique and create a niche for extension. We're local. We want to serve our local clientele.”
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.
Connect with Us
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.
