Nebraska Extension in Stanton County

Heuermann Lecture to feature Chuck Hagel, Bob Kerrey

Chuck Hagel and Bob Kerrey, former U.S. senators for Nebraska, will discuss civil discourse and its impacts on the state’s future during the first Heuermann Lecture of the season Oct. 22.

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4-H Youth Help Save the Butterflies

Through the 4-H Ag Innovators Experience, youth to apply critical thinking and science, technology, engineering and mathematical skills to a real-world agriculture challenge.

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Makerspaces Transform Rural Communities

A variety of creative and learning projects are within reach of rural Nebraskans at the traveling Library Innovation Studio, also known as makerspace, at the Bridgeport Public Library this summer.

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Juntos 4-H Pilots in Nebraska

A new program offered by Nebraska Extension aims to help the state’s Latino students reach high school graduation and attend college.

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What Makes Farms Financially Resilient?

Learn some of the management strategies will consistently produce profits for farmers.

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Local Interest

2018 Online Horticulture Identification Contest

Source: Elizabeth Killinger

Mulch Volcanoes—Compromising Tree Health

By Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator

You’ve seen this before—mulch piled so high around a tree that it resembles a volcano with a stick coming out of the center. So goes the plight of trees trying to survive under such conditions. Despite the research indicating how bad this is for trees, we see it time and again.

The Hard Truth about Rocks at the Bottom of Planting Containers

By Kathleen Cue, Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator

As we get our containers ready for planting our amazing annuals or that coveted tomato plant, conventional “wisdom” dictates we must first add an inch or so of gravel. Problematic? You bet!

Rocks in the bottom of containers do not contribute to better draining soils and healthier plants. Instead plant roots encounter saturated soils that don’t drain efficiently. It all has to do with something called a perched water table.

Horticulture Helpline

The Master Gardener Horticulture Helpline is available to answer gardening questions and to take samples for identification/diagnosis during the following times and days. The helpline is a service to everyone, regardless of what county they are from.

May through September:

Mondays, 9:00 am to 12:00 noon, Washington County Extension, 402 426-9455

Tuesdays, 1:00 to 4:00 pm, Cuming County Extension, 402 672-6006

Wednesdays and Fridays, 9:00 am to 12:00 noon, Dodge County Extension, 402 727-2775

Japanese Beetles

By Kathleen Cue

Nebraska Extension Horticulture Educator

With over 300 ornamental and edible plants they like to feed on, Japanese beetles (JB) can quickly become an overwhelming insect in the landscape. Last year, one gardener brought in his peach so covered in Japanese beetles that it was hard to identify the fruit as a peach!

If you didn’t have Japanese beetles last year, then hurray, you may not get any this year or if you do get them, they will be in such low numbers that hand-picking will take care of the problem. But if you had JB last year, chances are very good you’ll have them this year, too.

Scrapie Info for Sheep & Goat Exhbitors

Updated identification requirements have come out from State Fair regarding sheep and goats. Stanton County will be following the State Fair guidelines.

From State Fair Book:

All market lambs, breeding sheep, market and breeding goats to be shown at State Fair must be tagged with a USDA official scrapie ID, owned by the exhibitor, have completed the online nomination entry.

Here is what this means for you: