Author: Brandy VanDeWalle

Extension horticulturist, Nicole Stoner shared some tips on selecting the perfect live Christmas tree. If you have heavy ornaments, consider a Fraser Fir, Scotch pine, blue spruce or Black Hills spruce because they have stiff branches that hold ornaments better. If you’d like a Christmas tree scent, consider a Balsam Fir. If you prefer softer needles, go with a White pine.

Stoner also said, when choosing your tree, assess the tree condition. Walk around the tree to look for holes in the branching. Slightly tug on the needles that are on the tree to ensure they are tightly attached to the tree and have some flexibility. Also, give the tree a good shake, if green needles fall off or if it has a lighter green color that is not a fresh tree, choose another. Brown needles will naturally fall from the interior of the tree, that doesn’t mean there is a problem with it.

Finally, she provides some tips for home care of a real tree. When you take your tree home, place it immediately into the tree stand with plenty of water. If the tree was cut within the past 12 hours it doesn’t need to be recut but if it has to sit longer than 12 hours prior to placing it in the stand, it will need to be recut to improve water uptake. Place the tree in a stand that holds at least 1 gallon of water and be sure to add water daily. Research has shown that additives and water alternatives are not as effective as plain water in maintaining a tree through the holiday season.

Keep the tree away from sources of heat to reduce water consumption and help reduce fire hazards. Christmas trees rarely start fires in our homes, but they need to be watered to help them retain their color and keep your floor from getting too messy from fallen needles.

The American Farm Bureau Federation annually calculates the cost of a Thanksgiving meal to serve 10 people with plenty for leftovers. This year, with a traditional Thanksgiving meal, Farm Bureau estimated a meal total of $61.17 which is a slight decrease from $64.05 last year. This is a 4.5% decrease in last year’s cost. The turkey price is about $1.71 per pound compared to last year which is a 5.6% decrease from last year. Included in the meal is a 16-lb. turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a relish tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie with whipped cream and beverages of coffee and milk. You can thank our American farmers and ranchers who are able to provide us the bounty of safe and affordable food. Another interesting fact about Thanksgiving include that 88% of Americans are expected to be feasting on turkey for Thanksgiving this year (National Turkey Federation). The top turkey producing states are: Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Indiana, Maine, Virginia, Iowa and California.

Now let’s talk trivia:

Q: Why are turkeys raised?   A: Because of their excellent quality of meat and eggs

Q: What is a male turkey called?  A:  Tom

Q: What is a female turkey called?  A:  A Hen

Q: What sound do turkeys make?  A: Only tom turkeys gobble; the female makes a clucking sound.

Q: How many feathers does a turkey have at maturity?  A:  3,500 feathers

Q: How big was the heaviest turkey ever raised?  A: 86 pounds, about the size of a large dog

Q: Which gender of turkeys are usually consumed whole?  A: Hens (females) are usually sold as whole birds. Toms (males) are processed into turkey sausage, turkey franks, tenderloins, cutlets and deli meats.

Q: How long does it take a turkey to reach market size?   A: Hens usually grow for 16 weeks and is 8-16 lbs. when processed while tom usually takes 19 weeks to reach market weight and weighs 24 lbs. Large toms (24-40 lbs. are a few weeks older.

Regardless of what you do this Thanksgiving, remember to be thankful for what really matters.

If you need tips or resources to help you prepare a turkey or any other food for Thanksgiving, go to Nebraska Extension’s Food Website at https://food.unl.edu/article/thanksgiving-central.

A recent UNL Extension CropWatch article featured an upcoming program on strategies to creating family harmony through transition planning which I’ve decided to share in this week’s column. This is such an important topic in our rural areas and needs to be addressed.

According to census data, 70% of U.S. farmland will transfer to the next generation in the next 20 years, but today many families struggle to keep those farm operations in the family.

When it comes to transition planning, there is a close relationship between how well a family communicates and the probability of success. Good communication provides a good foundation to work from. It helps define what the issues are; it can validate or invalidate assumptions; and it minimizes misunderstanding, clarifies expectations, and develops understanding. It is critical to discover the expectations of all family members as each individual needs to think about and share with the others what they would like to see happen regarding the future ownership and management of the business. Family and business decisions should not be based on assumptions.

In a Center for Ag Profitability webinar which can be found at cap.unl.edu, Lisa Quist will share with tips for successful communication and best practices, which can help make the transition of our farms and ranches smoother, with the end goal of all the children still celebrating holidays together after the transition has taken place.

Lisa Quist is the central regional vice president for Nationwide’s Land As Your Legacy® program, a division of the Nationwide Retirement Institute®. Along with her team in Ohio, Lisa helps farmers, ranchers and other ag business owners build transition plans with the goal of keeping their family’s operation intact and suited to transition to the next generation.

This webinar is presented in partnership with the Nebraska Women in Agriculture program.

If you have recently enjoyed some juicy pork loin, pork chops, sausage, or my favorite – bacon, they you should thank a pork producer. In Nebraska, we grow nearly 7.8 million pigs each year from 1,230 family farms, making us the sixth-largest pork-producing state. These family farms have people who are locally involved in various community organizations, schools, churches, etc. and have families of their own to feed. This is just one of the reasons you can know that pig farmers raise a safe, wholesome product that you can serve your family. According to the Nebraska Pork Producers Association, there are nearly 18,000 jobs involved in pork production and an economic impact of 1.66 billion dollars in Nebraska.

October is National Pork Month, and the Nebraska Pork Producers Association website has some fantastic recipes on their website which can be found at nepork.org. There are also some delicious recipes including an air fryer pork and apple burger and pork rice bowl recipes on Extension’s food.unl.edu website.

Speaking of meat, did you know that pork carcasses are separated based on percent fat free lean (%FFL), which estimate how many pounds of boneless, closely trimmed retail cuts (BCTRC) that animal will provide.  Let’s take an example hog that has a live weight of 275 lbs. If that animal had a dressing percentage (the amount of weight from the live animal that makes it to the carcass) of 75%, the carcass weight would be 210 lbs. With a percent fat free lean of 57%, the boneless, closely trimmed retail cuts (BCTRC) of meat would be 120 lbs.   

Wholesale cuts are large meat cuts that the animal carcass is cut into for ease in handling and shipping. Some wholesale cuts are higher in value than others. In hogs, the wholesale cuts are the shoulder/“Boston butt”, shoulder/“picnic”, loin, belly, and leg/“ham”. These cuts are then broken down into retail cuts which is what most consumers will purchase at the grocery store. Some popular examples include sliced bacon and spareribs from the side and country style ribs, tenderloin and center cut chops from the loin.

Often when any meat turns out dry, it is often prepared and cooked incorrectly.  Using a meat thermometer is one of the best ways to ensure meat it not overcooked. For example, boneless pork chops and pork tenderloin only need an internal temperature of 145 degrees (Fahrenheit). Ground pork patties should reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees. For more tips on properly preparing pork, which include grilling pork, air frying pork, using an instant pot, roasting pork and more, go to the National Pork Board’s website at pork.org. Happy National Pork Month!

4‑H is America’s largest youth development organization—empowering nearly six million young people with the skills to lead for a lifetime. Every year, National 4-H Week sees millions of youth, parents, volunteers and alumni come together to celebrate the many positive youth development opportunities offered by 4-H. The theme for the 2023 National 4‑H Week is “I love 4-H”. National 4-H week runs from October 1-7, 2023.

With so many children struggling to reach their full potential, 4-H believes that young people, in partnership with adults, can play a key role in creating a more promising and equitable future for youth, families and communities across the country. In 4-H, we believe every child should have an equal opportunity to succeed. We believe every child should have the skills they need to make a difference in the world. 

Fillmore and Clay County 4-H will observe National 4-H Week this year by highlighting some of the inspirational 4-H youth in our community who are working tirelessly to support each other and their communities. Check out activities being done on the Fillmore County 4-H Facebook page at (https://www.facebook.com/fillmorecounty4h) or Clay County Extension Facebook page at (https://www.facebook.com/UNLClayCounty).

In both Clay and Fillmore Counties one out of two, age-eligible 4-H youth from the community are involved in 4‑H. One of the most anticipated events announced during National 4-H Week every year is the 4-H STEM Challenge, formerly known as National Youth Science Day. Developed by 4-H educators from Cornell University, University of Illinois, Utah State University and West Virginia University, Power Protectors is a collection of three activities that teach kids how to address real-world issues and explore careers in energy. The STEM Challenge kit is perfect for youth ages 8-14.

To learn more about how you can get involved, visit http://www.4-h.org/.

About 4-H

4‑H is delivered by Cooperative Extension—a community of more than 100 public universities across the nation that provides experiences where young people learn by doing. For more than 100 years, 4‑H has welcomed young people of all beliefs and backgrounds, giving kids a voice to express who they are and how they make their lives and communities better. Through life-changing 4‑H programs, nearly six million kids and teens have taken on critical societal issues, such as addressing community health inequities, engaging in civil discourse, and advocating for equity and inclusion for all.

In 4‑H programs, kids, and teens complete hands-on projects in areas like health, science, agriculture, and civic engagement in a positive environment where they receive guidance from adult mentors and are encouraged to take on proactive leadership roles. Kids experience 4‑H in every county and parish in the country through in-school and after-school programs, school, and community clubs and 4‑H camps.

4‑H’s reach and depth are unmatched, reaching kids in every corner of America – from urban neighborhoods to suburban schoolyards to rural farming communities. Our network of 500,000 volunteers and 3,500 4‑H professionals provide caring and supportive mentoring to all 6 million 4‑H’ers, helping them grow into true leaders today and in life.

Learn more about 4-H at www.4-H.org, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/4-H and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/4H.