Uncategorized – Page 34 – Views from VanDeWalle

Cow/Calf College on January 31

January 11, 2017December 29, 2016 Brandy VanDeWalle

The annual Farmers and Ranchers Cow/Calf College “Partners in Progress – Beef Seminar” will be held at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center and Great Plains Veterinary Education Center near Clay Center on January 31, 2017 with registration, coffee and donuts starting at 9:00 a.m. The program will run from 9:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. This program is sponsored by Nebraska Extension’s Farmers and Ranchers College and will feature several outstanding speakers discussing issues and management strategies that can affect the profitability of all beef producers. There is no cost for the event and the public is invited. It does include a noon meal, which means that early registration is necessary to reserve materials and a meal.

The “Cow/Calf College” will begin at 9:35 a.m. with a welcome by Dr. John Pollak, Director of USMARC and Dr. Dale Grotelueschen, Director of the Great Plains Veterinary Education Center. Mary Drewnoski, Nebraska Extension Specialist and Chad Engle, USMARC Livestock Operations Manager, will kick off the seminar with “Annual Forage Systems – A Pasture Alternative.” They will offer strategies for utilizing cover crops and other forages. Kate Brooks with UNL’s Department of Agricultural Economics will present an update on the “Cattle Market”. Kate will share latest trends with beef marketing to make a profit.

Lunch is provided and will be handled with a rotation system during two noon sessions featuring split sessions on: “Management Tips and Strategies” from a local producer and the 2015 Leopold Conservation Winner, Brian Shaw.

The afternoon session will start with Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Educator on “Strategic Ranch Management during an Economic Downturn”. With lower prices, it is imperative for producers to have a plan in place and follow through with it in order to remain viable in today’s rapidly changing global markets.

Dr. Kip Lukasiewicz, Sandhills Cattle Consultants Inc., will lead you through “The Veterinary Feed Directive Update”. Back from last year, Dr. Kip is sure to entertain you while being right on target to address some of critical health issues that face beef producers. For our beef producers Dr. Kip will also inform participants how to comply with the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) as well as other feed and vaccine protocols.

All presenters will then join pull everything together, give their final thoughts and considerations and provide a coffee-shop style panel discussion during which cattlemen can ask questions and get answers on questions that came to them during the day’s sessions. A chance for door prizes will be awarded to those that stay for the entire event.

Please pre-register by January 24^th, to the Nebraska Extension Office in Fillmore County or call (402) 759-3712 to insure a seat and lunch. Walk-ins are accepted, but may not get a lunch. You may also complete your registration online on fillmore.unl.edu by going to the agricultural page and clicking on the “registration link”. Remember, your contact information is required, so pre-registration is helpful!

Crops, Livestock, Uncategorized

Financial Literacy Workshops

January 5, 2017December 29, 2016 Brandy VanDeWalle

Financial Literacy Class for Farmers and Ranchers

Are you ready to renew your farm or ranch operating note? Learn about preparing the information your lenders need and how to develop a solid financial record keeping system at a Financial Health Check workshop. The workshop will be held January 19^th, 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Clay County Fairgrounds in Clay Center, NE. RSVP to Clay Co. Extension at (402) 762-3644 by Jan. 13^th. The cost to attend this workshop is $20 per person. The ideal class size for the financial heath check class is 10-12 participants; classes will be limited to 15.

This workshop is designed to help farmers and ranchers develop a financial plan for their operation during this period of low income. Upon completion of this program, participants will have a better understanding of how financial records can be used to make management decisions and confidently discuss their financial position with their family, business partners, and lenders.

Topics covered include:

Basics of balance sheet construction and analysis
Cash flow and keeping farm/ranch financial records
Income statements for measuring profitability

Quicken Workshop for Farms & Ranches

Keep books for more than just your taxes! In this 2.5-hour class, you will learn to use Quicken (a minimum cost bookkeeping software) to keep farm/ranch financial records, as well as your household expenses. This “hands-on” training will help you understand how to set up categories & classes (for taxes & management), use the budget & loan features, and separate enterprise expenses. You will also learn where to find online Quicken help resources directly related to farm records.

This workshop will be held January 19^th, 2:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Clay County Fairgrounds in Clay Center, NE. RSVP to Clay Co. Extension at (402) 762-3644 by Jan. 13^th. The cost to attend this workshop is $20 per person. The ideal class size for the Quicken workshop is 10-12 participants; classes will be limited to 15.

Uncategorized

New Year’s Resolutions

December 30, 2016December 28, 2016 Brandy VanDeWalle

If you are like many nearly half of the American population, you probably have a New Year’s Resolution set for 2017, while 38% of Americans absolutely never make New Year’s Resolution according to research by University of Scranton, 2016. A majority of those resolutions are self-improvement or education related resolutions (47%), weight related (38%), money related (34%) or relationship related (31%). University of Southern California’s John Monterosso who is an expert on psychology and neuroscience of self-control offers insight on how to achieve setting those resolutions.

Monterosso suggests thinking of a resolution as a special kind of plan and visualizing your future-self. If you have already made that resolution or still working to tweak it, he suggested keeping the following in mind:

Failed resolutions are not harmless. Most people don’t like to fail; in fact it hurts our confidence and can actually lead to worse behavior. Keeping this in mind and accepting the fact that one might not have accomplished all that was planned is important. If you get off track, you can always start again and don’t have to wait until a new year.
Resolutions work by linking single decisions to a bigger picture. For example, if you have a goal of quitting smoking or eating unhealthy foods and let a craving lead to poor decisions, you might think, “it’s just one cigarette or just one meal of fried foods” which may or may not lead to the continuation of a bad habit. If one takes a resolution seriously, think about the health consequences and the potential “relapse” that could occur.
Consider being less ambitious in your resolutions. We tend to be overly confident when making a resolution and think we can change our behavior overnight. While it is good to be confident with your goals, be careful not to make overly ambitious goals. For example, if you plan to work out one hour/day every day of the week and have an already packed life with a career, community obligations and a family, consider starting at 20 minutes/day and work up to more minutes if time allows. Setting a good resolution requires being realistic.
Resolutions should not be vague. If you set a resolution of “eating healthier.” What does that mean? Does it mean drinking 64 oz. of water/day? Does it mean to include a fruit or vegetable at every meal? Write down a SMART goal that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-based.
The New Year is a fresh start. Setting resolutions/goals at the first of the year helps us “clean the slate” and put past failures away. It gives us a sense of confidence and optimism. Capitalize on that.
Even successful resolutions can be mistakes. If you set restrict your diet to the point of starvation or over-exercise to the point of hurting yourself, you must be able to adapt, know yourself and use common sense and wisdom to correct the resolution.

In summary, Monterosso suggests that done correctly, “resolutions play a role in great human achievements.”

Crops, Irrigation, Programming, Uncategorized

Precision Ag Data Management Workshop

December 22, 2016 Brandy VanDeWalle

Production agriculture continues to evolve into a data-intensive system as producers and other agricultural professionals look for ways to gather more actionable information from their data. Topics for the 2017 Nebraska Extension Precision Ag Data Management Workshops were developed to provide hands-on data analysis instruction on how to apply variable rate technologies for improving crop production efficiency and on-farm economics. Sessions will teach attendees options for creating management zones within fields as well as how to create variable rate application maps (for planting) and evaluate planting studies using GPS-enabled yield monitor data. In addition, exercises will provide information related to creating profitability maps using different data layers collected during the growing season.

Four two-day workshops will be held in Lincoln, York, Norfolk, and North Platte during January and February. Interested individuals can register for one or both days.

Program Sites
Lincoln — Jan. 10-11
York — Jan. 12-13
North Platte — Jan. 26-27
Norfolk — Feb. 7-8

For more information, please visit the 2017 Nebraska Extension Precision Ag Data Management Workshop registration website at http://agronomy.unl.edu/precisionag

Please contact Joe Luck (402-472-1488 or jluck2@unl.edu) if you have questions related to the workshops.

Horticulture, Programming, Uncategorized

Extension Master Gardener Program Trainings Offered

December 16, 2016 Brandy VanDeWalle

Do you enjoy plants and gardening? Looking to learn more and hone your skills but don’t know where to go? The Extension Master Gardener program will educate you on many aspects of horticulture, allow you to test your knowledge and skills, all while serving your local community.

The Nebraska Extension Master Gardener program is a horticulture related volunteer training program based in many counties throughout the state. It has been part of Nebraska Extension since 1976. Master Gardener volunteers are trained by Nebraska Extension faculty and staff. They contribute time as volunteers working with their local Extension office to provide horticulture-related information to their community. Participants are required to complete 40 hours of training and 40 hours of volunteer service during the initial year of their involvement in the program. Master Gardener volunteers retain their certification through annual training and volunteering. bea-mg

Volunteer hours can be completed through various activities. These activities could include: planting and maintaining demonstration gardens, collecting data on research projects, helping with county and state fair activities, speaking to community groups, leading garden tours, collecting plant samples, answering phone questions, teaching youth programs, or whatever sparks your interest and utilizes your talents.

Educational topics will cover a wide range of horticultural issues. Topics that have been covered in previous training sessions include: native plants for water conservation, an in-depth look at fertilizers, turfgrass and related insects, beneficial pollinating insects and vegetable garden pests, tree and shrub pruning, pesticide safety and non-chemical pest control techniques, and small fruits and tree fruit basics. The content of the topics is focused on the home gardener, but those employed in the green industry are also welcome.

Are you interested in becoming a Master Gardener? Nebraska Extension in Hall County will be offering two Master Gardener training sessions at the Hall County Extension Office meeting rooms in Grand Island. The first session will offer six trainings on Tuesday evenings February 7 through March 21, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. The second session will be held during the day from 9:00-12:00 noon and from 1:00-4:00 p.m. March 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, and 24. Individuals who wish to become new Master Gardeners the fee is $170. With that fee the Master Gardener interns receive a large resource notebook, an integrated turfgrass management book, a short-sleeved t-shirt, and a name tag. The fee will also help fund handout materials, speaker travel expenses, room rental, and other costs associated with the training program. For returning Master Gardeners, the fee is $20 to help fund costs associated with the training program. The ProHort program is for green industry professionals and has a fee of $325. ProHort participants will receive a large resource notebook, an integrated turfgrass management book, and 40 hours of education. The general public is also welcome to attend sessions for a fee of $5 per person for each training session. Please contact Elizabeth Killinger, 308-385-5088, prior to January 30^th with the Master Gardener training session you are interested in attending. More information, updated schedules, and a brochure can be found at http://hall.unl.edu

For more information e-mail Elizabeth Killinger at ekillinger2@unl.edu, call 308-385-5088, or visit the Nebraska Extension in Hall County website.

Locally, Clay County Extension will host six trainings on Tuesday evenings February 7 through March 21, 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. via a webinar format. If interested contact Deanna at the Clay County Extension office at (402) 762-3644.

Crops, Irrigation, Programming, Uncategorized

Successful Farmer Series

December 9, 2016 Brandy VanDeWalle

Now that the growing season is coming to an end, there are many opportunities in the upcoming months to enhance your knowledge and garner new ideas to take back to your operation. Nebraska Extension provides numerous workshops, conferences and trainings all across the state to help you increase your profitability and environmental stewardship. successfulfarmer

One opportunity available to southeast Nebraska is the Successful Farmer Series. It is unlike many other Extension educational events and that it encompasses a host of agricultural topics in six individual events. Each event covers a different topic and you can choose which topics/events you wish to attend. Each topic will feature two to three speakers from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. We will also invite other experts surrounding the topic to be in attendance and address more specific questions or interact with attendees during the breaks.

This is the second year of the Successful Farmer Series and the reviews from year one were quite positive. Nearly 90% of the attendees said they are very likely to attend the series in 2016-2017, so spots may fill up fast.

Workshops are every other Friday this winter (except December 30^th) from 9:00 am until 11:30 am at the Lancaster Extension Education Center in Lincoln. CEUs are available and Refreshments will be provided.

Here are the dates and topics for this year’s Successful Farmer Series:

December 16^th – Cover Crops & Wheat
January 6^th – Ag Management Technology
January 20^th – Farm Financial Management
February 3^rd – Soil & Climate Tools
February 17^th – Soybeans
March 3^rd – Corn

The cost to attend is $5 for individual workshops or you can sign up for the entire series and pick which events to attend for $15. Pre-registration at least two days in advance is appreciated by contacting Karen Wedding at 402-441-7180 or online. Pay at the door, check or cash.

(Source: Tyler Williams, Extension Educator in Lancaster County)

Crops, Livestock, Programming, Uncategorized

Agriculture at the Crossroads

December 2, 2016 Brandy VanDeWalle

The agricultural economic reset is in the mid inning, analogous to a baseball game. What forces will change the current economics? How will interest rate and land value changes influence profitability and your balance sheet? Dr. David Kohl, Professor Emeritus with the Dept. of AAEC, VA TECH will present his challenges & opportunities tool kit to give you some tools to help your business position for success so be sure to attend this information packed, high energy session, sponsored by the Farmers & Ranchers College. kohl-program

This year’s program will focus on how to be a better borrower in these economic times. Dr. Kohl will discuss burn rates on working capital and burn rate on collateral. A special segment will examine what adjustments producers are making to navigate the economic white waters and position the business to evaluate opportunities.

This educational program will be held December 14, 2016 starting at 1:00 p.m. at the Bruning Opera House with registration starting at 12:30 p.m. Due to the generous support of area businesses and organizations, this program is free, but arrive early to save yourself a seat!

To speed up the registration process, online registration is available at fillmore.unl.edu; this will enable you to put your initials by your name, rather than filling in your full name and contact information.

Programming, Uncategorized

Farmers & Ranchers College Programs

November 30, 2016October 28, 2016 Brandy VanDeWalle

frcollege16-17programschedule

Horticulture, Uncategorized

Christmas Tree Farms

November 28, 2016November 21, 2016 Brandy VanDeWalle

With the Holiday season approaching, I thought it was appropriate to include some pointers on selecting a real Christmas tree. If you plan to use a live cut tree, buy a fresh tree. The best way to ensure freshness is to buy from a local grower. To locate area Christmas trees growers, refer to the Nebraska Christmas Tree Growers Association at nebraskachristmastreegrowers.com. There are Christmas tree farms in 16 counties so it shouldn’t be difficult to find a tree farm. xmastree

When buying an already cut tree, check the tree closely for freshness. Do not buy a tree with brittle or shedding needles. Tap the base of the trunk on the ground and comb your fingers through branches to look for shedding needles. Bend a few needles in half to check for brittleness. After bringing the tree home, make a clean cut across the base of the trunk to better allow the tree to take up water. Keep the tree in a sturdy stand that holds at least one gallon of water. Check the stand daily as a fresh tree can take up one or more gallons of water each day. Selecting Nebraska grown trees and checking for freshness will help increase safety during the holidays.