Category: Programming

Crops, Irrigation, Livestock, Programming

Farmers & Ranchers College 2018-19

Brandy VanDeWalle

nature-field-sun-agricultureThe Farmers & Ranchers College was formed in January 2000 with the purpose of providing high quality, dynamic, up to date educational workshops for area agricultural producers in south central Nebraska through a collaborative effort between business, industry and higher education leaders. Furthermore, the Farmers & Ranchers College will provide the tools necessary so that agricultural producers will be able to respond positively to these changes using a profitable decision making process.farmersrancherscollege1819dates

The Farmers and Ranchers College is a unique opportunity to educate agricultural producers in south central Nebraska. Approximately three hundred producers participated in the 2017-18 Farmers & Ranchers College programs. Producers attending these workshops managed over 155,000 acres and managed nearly 15,000 head of beef animals. Participants surveyed indicated an average of $6.00/acre of knowledge gained from participating for a potential impact of nearly $1 million. The seventeenth annual Partners in Progress- Beef Seminar featured a variety of industry, University and agricultural organization presenters. Ninety-five percent of participants surveyed were very satisfied or satisfied with the program quality and seventy-six percent indicated that previous programming improved their knowledge of making risk management decisions.

Contributions and support of area businesses allow participants to attend at no cost, however for programs that have meals, it is requested that people RSVP at least a week in advance for an accurate meal count by calling Fillmore County Extension at (402) 759-3712.

The Farmers and Ranchers College Committee consists of Fred Bruning of Bruning, Bryan Dohrman of Grafton, Sarah Miller of Carleton, Jennifer Engle of Fairmont, Ryne Norton of York, Jim Donovan of Geneva, Bryce Kassik of Geneva, Eric Kamler of Geneva, and Brandy VanDeWalle of Ohiowa.

2018-2019 Program Schedule

  • November 27, 2018 – “Agricultural Update & The Road Ahead” w/ Dr. David Kohl, Professor Emeritus, Dept. of AAEC, VA TECH at the Opera House in Bruning, NE from 1-4:00 pm
  • January 14, 2019** – “Partners In Progress Beef Seminar” Cow/Calf College at U.S. MARC near Clay Center, NE from 10-3:30 a.m., Registration at 9:30
  • February 12, 2019** – “Managing Ag Land in the 21st Century” with Nebraska Extension Educators, Nebraska Extension at  the Fillmore Co. Fairgrounds- Geneva, NE from 9:30- 3:00 p.m., Registration at 9:15 a.m.
  • March 14, 2019** – “Connecting Gate to Plate” with Michele Payn with Cause Matters, Corp., one of North America’s leading experts in connecting farm and food at Lazy Horse Vineyard near Ohiowa, NE with registration at 6:00 p.m. Light meal and program to follow.

 ** Programs are free; however registration is appreciated for a meal count. Please call the Fillmore Co. Extension Office at (402) 759-3712 one-week prior to the program to reserve your spot.

Programming, Youth

Celebrate National 4-H Week

Brandy VanDeWalle

1.pngFor the 76th consecutive year, millions of youth, parents, volunteers and alumni across the country will be celebrating National 4-H Week during the first full week of October. This week celebrates the doers of the community who will become the leaders of our nation. 4-H was founded on the belief that when kids are empowered to pursue their passions and chart their own course, their unique skills grow and take shape, helping them to become true leaders in their lives, careers and communities.1.jpg

4-H alumni around the country are always the first to acknowledge the significant positive impact 4-H had on them as young people; the opportunities and experiences that 4-H provides youth empowers them to become true leaders. In fact, research has shown that young people in 4-H are almost four times as likely to contribute to their communities, and are twice as likely to engage in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs in their free time.

In Nebraska, more than 25,000 youth are enrolled in 4-H and 12,000 volunteers are involved in 4-H. In addition, approximately 56,000 youth participate in Nebraska 4-H school enrichment experiences. One of the most anticipated events of National 4-H Week every year is 4-H National Youth Science Day, which sees hundreds of thousands of youth across the nation taking part in the world’s largest youth-led science challenge.

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This October, 4‑H and Google will launch an exciting National Youth Science Day challenge, Code Your World, inviting kids to get involved in computer science (CS) through hands-on doing. The national NYSD celebration kicks off October 1, and coding events will take place during October. Easier than ever to facilitate, Code Your World is a four-part challenge that teaches kids ages 8-14 to apply CS to the world around them through hands-on activities. Developed by Google and West Virginia University Extension Service, it includes a computer-based activity on Google’s CS First platform and three unplugged activities that bring coding to life through games and interaction. To learn more about National Youth Science Day, please visit http://www.4-h.org/nysd/.

About 4-H: 4-H, the nation’s largest youth development and empowerment organization, cultivates confident kids who tackle the issues that matter most in their communities right now. In the United States, 4-H programs empower six million young people through the 110 land-grant universities and Cooperative Extension in more than 3,000 local offices serving every county and parish in the country. Outside the United States, independent, country-led 4-H organizations empower one million young people in more than 50 countries. National 4-H Council is the private sector, non-profit partner of the Cooperative Extension System and 4-H National Headquarters located at the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) within the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Learn more about 4-H at http://www.4-H.org, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/4-H and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/4H. For Nebraska 4-H, go to 4h.unl.edu.

Livestock, Programming

Beef Quality Assurance meetings

Brandy VanDeWalle

The Beef Quality Assurance meetings have been finalized. Nebraska Extension Educator and Director of Beef Quality Assurance (BQA), Rob Eirich, will be leading in-person BQA trainings in our area during October. Topics addressed include BQA best management practices, animal handling, and animal health stewardship. These meetings will update producers on implementing BQA practices and answer questions on packer requirements and FDA regulations.

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Photo by Kat Jayne on Pexels.com

Dates and locations include:

  • Tuesday, October 2, 1:00 – 3:30 p.m. CST, Ag Hall Fillmore County Fairgrounds in Geneva, NE
  • Tuesday, October 2, 6:30 – 9 p.m. CST, Dick’s Place, Lawrence, NE

All producers are invited to attend. The meetings will also be a Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Certification for those producers needing certification or recertification. There is a $20 fee for those wanting to become BQA certified/recertified, which is good for a three year time period. There are operation discounts for those certifying more than three individuals.

Refreshments will be provided in Geneva. A meal will be provided in Lawrence. Please pre-register by September 28th to Brad Schick, Nebraska Extension Beef Educator (402-746-3417 or brad.schick@unl.edu ).

Programming

Area Electronic Recycling Events

Brandy VanDeWalle

What should you do with those old computers, television sets, cables, wires, batteries, cameras, cell phones and other electronics in your house?  An opportunity to safely dispose of them is approaching the area so here is your chance to clean out your house or shop!  Trailblazers RC&D received a grant from the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality with donations from the supervisors and commissioners from each of the participating counties to college electronics at several locations in both the Little Blue and Republican Natural Rescamera-98398_1280.pngources Districts.

A report conducted by the Consumer Electronics Association in 2013 showed that the average American household uses about 28 electronic products such as personal computers, mobile phones, TVs and electronic readers (e-readers), Unfortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency reported that in 2015, Americans generated 3.09 million tons of obsolete electronic products and only 12.5% of that waste is recycled. That electronic waste put in landfills poses a serious threat to the environment as they contain hazardous materials such as mercury.

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Not only is recycling electronic devices good for the environment, but good for the economy too! By recycling one million cell phones, the EPA states that 35,274 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of gold and 33 pounds of palladium can be recovered. There is also 30 to 40 times more copper in a ton of circuit boards that can be mined from one metric ton of ore.

The upcoming recycling events are free and open to businesses, schools, government entities, non-profits and households! Locations and times in our area include:

  • September 20th– Hebron –East of Road Department Shop – 8 am to Noon
  • September 21st– Geneva – Bullpen East of Courthouse – 8 am to Noon
  • September 24th– Clay Center – Clay Center Fairgrounds – 8 am to Noon
  • September 24th– Nelson –Nuckolls County Road Department – 1:30 to 5:00 pm
  • September 25th-Guide Rock – 355 University Street – 8 am to Noon

Electronics that are accepted: cables, wires, batteries, UPS backup units, cameras, cell phones, smartphones, circuit boards, computers, computer equipment, copiers, cordless telephones, data center equipment, DVD players,  Blueray players,  gaming systems, hard  drives, hubs, ink/toner (empty or full), iPods, iPads, iPhones, keyboards, microphones, joysticks, lab equipment, LCD monitors, mainframe equipment, modems, routers, medical  equipment, networking equipment, pagers, beepers, PCI Cards, printers, power supplies, scanners, servers, Telecom equipment, microwaves and TVs. Please do not bring any other types of appliances.

Any questions can be directed to the event coordinator Jim Farmer with Trailblazers RC&D of Red Cloud at (402) 746-4132.

(Source: Little Blue Resources District)

Crops, Programming, Youth

Future Agronomists at Work

Brandy VanDeWalle

IMG_3598Three states competed at the 3rd Annual Regional Youth Crop Scouting Competition on August 27, 2018 at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center near Mead, Nebras­­ka. Teams of youth participated by completing six crop scouting exercises in field plots.  This educational, hands-on program provided students an opportunity to learn crop scouting and principles of integrated pest management (IPM) for corn and soybeans, obtain knowledge and skills that will be helpful in future careers and to demonstrate newer crop scouting technologies.

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Youth worked in teams of 4-5 to create a solution or answer to the crop scouting exercise. 

The top two teams from Nebraska, Iowa and Indiana qualified for the competition. Extension faculty from Nebraska served as judges for the program and tested the teams’ knowledge on the basics of scouting corn and soybean fields. This included crop staging; looking for patterns of crop injury; disease, insect and weed seedling identification; etc.
Results from the 2018 competition were as follows:

  • First place- Nebraska Team, Colfax County 4-H (Logan Nelson, Brad Kratochvil, Austin Steffensmeier & Korbin Kudera)

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    Colfax County 4-H received top honors as the 2018 Regional Crop Scouting Competition Champion.
  • Second place – Indiana Team, Heritage Hills FFA (Sydney Hassfurther, Bryce Peter, Gabe Gogel, Alex Gehlhausen and Luke Rahman
  • Third place (Tie) – Nebraska Team of Kornhusker Kids 4-H Club of Cuming County (Payton & Levi Schiller, Matthew & James Rolf and Kaleb Hasenkamp) and Iowa Team from Clayton County (Team #1) consisting of Andre Shirbroun, Max Gibson, Matt Whittle, Cassidy Penrod and Cole Deitchier.

Also participating was Indiana Team, Eastern Hancock FFA with Jackson Beaudry, Ryan Kohlstrum, Loren Matlock, Zach Sickle and Brent Sorrell and Iowa Team from Clayton County (Team #2) which consisted of Mia Gibson, Jon Whittle, Tom Whittle, Laci Orr and Macy Weigand.

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More information about the crop scouting competition are available online at cropwatch.unl.edu/youth.

This program was sponsored by DuPont Pioneer, the Nebraska Independent Crop Consultant Association and Farm Credit Services of America in collaboration with Nebraska Extension. If you know of a company or you would are interested in sponsoring the 2019 program, please contact me at brandy.vandewalle@unl.edu.

Programming, Youth

Nebraska State Fair

Brandy VanDeWalle

The Nebraska State Fair will be held August 24-September 3, 2018 at the Nebraska State Fairgrounds in Grand Island, Nebraska. The state fair is a great opportunity for youth to showcase the skills gained through their projects. I’d like to wish all youth the best of luck at the state fair and hope they have lots of fun and learn. For more information or to check results on the 4-H side of things, go to https://4h.unl.edu/state-fair.  Nestatefair.png

Crops, Irrigation, Programming

South Central Ag Lab Field Day

Brandy VanDeWalle

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Wednesday, August 29th will be the South Central Ag Lab (SCAL)  Field Day with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. and concluding at 4:00 p.m. Approximately 100 applied field research trials are conducted at SCAL annually by University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty and the United States Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Service scientists. Trials are focused on irrigation and water management, soil fertility, entomology, weed science, cropping systems, disease management and crop variety testing. Field day speakers will share information about their research for improved crop production and profitability.

Specific topics and speakers include:

  • Cropping Systems: From cover crops to corn earissues – Roger Elmore, NE Extension Cropping Systems Agronomist; Katja Koehler- Cole, UNL Agronomy Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Justin McMechan, UNL Crop Protection & Cropping Systems Specialist; and Osler Ortez Amador, UNL PhD Grad Student
  • Insect Management: European corn borer, Corn rootworm & Western bean cutworm – Robert Wright – NE Extension Entomologistagenda.png
  • Weed Management: Opportunities & challenges for weed control in soybean – Amit Jhala, NE Extension Weed Management Specialist
  • From Inhibitors to Sensors: Nitrogen fertilizer management in irrigated corn – Leonardo Bastos, UNL PhD candidate in Soil fertility/precision ag, Brian Krienke, NE Soils Extension Educator and Joe Juck, NE Extension Precision Ag Specialist
  • Disease Management: Corn and Soybean disease updates – TamraJackson-Ziems, NE Extension Plant Pathologist
  • Water Management: Fundamentals of variable rate irrigation & fertigation in comparison to fixed rate irrigation & conventional fertilizer management & Imapct of cover crops on soil quality, Suat Irmak, Harold W. Eberhard Distinguished Professor of Biological Systems Engineering

Register online by August 26th for lunch planning purposes which can be done at https://go.unl.edu/2018scalfieldday. For more information, call the South Central Lab Office at (402)762-3536. CCA credits are available.

Programming, Youth

The “Buzz” at the Extension Office

Brandy VanDeWalle

Did you know there are 90 crops ranging from nuts to berries to flowering vegetables that require insect pollination. Managed honey bee colonies are the primary pollinators which add at least $15 billion a year by increasing yields and help ensure high-yielding crops (USDA, 2017). As many of you have heard in the news, beekeepers have been steadily losing colonies. In fact, an article by the USDA states, “the number of honey bee hives in this country (U.S.) has decreased from 6 million in the 1940’s to about 2.5 million today. This has drawn attention to the importance of honey bees and seems to have even created a renewed interest in honey bees.

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One of the great things about my job is how I am able to continue learning about a variety of topics and have been inspired by one of my own 4-H’ers!  Madeline Kamler, a Fillmore County 4-H’er became involved in the Nebraska Beekeepers Association youth program. She received beekeeping supplies and was assigned a mentor to get her started with beekeeping and has learned so much! In conversation with her mom last year, I mentioned how I’d like to

expand our landscape at the extension office to include a pollinator garden and she asked if we’d like to have our own bees at the office. With lots of help and tons of hours Madeline and her mom, Renae have spent the idea became a reality.

IMG_3053I’d like to give special thanks to the Geneva City Council and Fillmore County supervisors for their support of this endeavor. Since April of this year, we have been very fortunate to have our own hive north of the Fillmore County Extension office. The Fillmore County 4-H Council generously provided funds to get the project started. This project has been able to educate youth with 4-H workshops and even offer an adult program to the Geneva Garden Club. During honey extraction time, youth from Sowing Seeds Academy even had the chance to extract honey from the frames!  I’m so excited for more opportunities to increase educational programming, not only related to beekeeping, but on the business and entrepreneurship side as well.

We extracted over 20 frames of honey in the end of July and have started to sell some of the honey! Proceeds from the honey go directly back into the production of beekeeping so the project will be able to sustain itself for future years. If you are interested in purchasing some honey, feel free to contact the extension office and we’ll gladly sell you some “Bee Sweet” 4-H honey.IMG_3154.jpg

Plans to continue this “sweet” educational endeavor are already being made for next year, with the potential of workshops this winter as well.  Without the hours of labor, the Kamler family has so freely given, this project would not be as successful as it is, so I’d like to thank them for sharing their knowledge, resources and expertise to not only 4-H’ers and community members, but the extension staff as we’ve all learned so much!

Crops, Programming, Uncategorized, Youth

Youth Learn Crop Scouting Skills

Brandy VanDeWalle

At the end of the July I coordinated the fifth annual Crop Scouting Competition for Nebraska youth in which four teams from across Nebraska competed. It was held in at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center near Mead, Nebraska on July 26, 2018. Teams of students (those completing 5-12th grades) participated by completing a written knowledge test and seven crop scouting exercises in field plots.

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The purpose of the competition was to provide students an opportunity to learn crop scouting and principles of integrated pest management (IPM) for corn and soybeans in Nebraska, to obtain knowledge and skills that will be helpful in future careers and to demonstrate newer crop scouting technologies.

Results from the 2018 competition were as follows:

First place- Colfax County 4-H (Logan Nelson, Brad Kratochvil, Austin Steffensmeier & Korbin Kudera)

Second place – Kornhusker Kids 4-H Club of Cuming County (Payton & Levi Schiller, Matthew & James Rolf and Kaleb Hasenkamp)

Third place – Humphrey FFA Team #2 (Mikayla Martensen, Bryce Classen Jacob Brandl and Wyatt Wegener)

Also participating was IMG_3144.jpgFillmore Central FFA with Carson & Brock Tatro, KayLynn Sieber, Kaylea Geiser and Gunner Gewecke.

Top-scoring teams won prizes: $500 for first, $250 for second, $100 for third place. The top two teams will represent Nebraska at the regional competition held in Nebraska on August 27, 2018.

Teams were expected to know the basics of scouting corn and soybean fields. This included crop staging; looking for patterns of crop injury; disease, insect and weed seedling identification; etc.

More information about the crop scouting competition are available online at cropwatch.unl.edu/youth. Click on the link that says, “Crop Scouting Competition”.

This program was sponsored by DuPont Pioneer, the Nebraska Independent Crop Consultant Association and Farm Credit Services of America in collaboration with Nebraska Extension. If you know of a company or you would are interested in sponsoring the 2019 program, please contact me at brandy.vandewalle@unl.edu.

 

Crops, Programming

Weed Management & Cover Crops Field Day

Brandy VanDeWalle

To see on-site demonstration of new technologies and herbicides for weed control in corn, soybean sorghum and cover crops research, plan to participate in the Weed Management & Cover Crops Field Day held June 27, 2018 from 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Registration starts at 8:00 a.m. for this free event which will be held at  the South Central Ag Lab near Clay Center, NE. Thanks to numerous sponsors, this event is free for participants. Registration is appreciated for a meal count and can be done by going to http://agronomy.unl.edu/fieldday.pexels-photo

Some topics include: comparison of herbicide programs for weed control in soybeans and corn, weed control and crop safety in MGI soybean, response of white and yellow popcorn hybrids to glyphosate Enlist DUO, or XtendiMax (26), control of Roundup Ready/Liberty Link volunteer corn in Enlist corn, weed control and crop response in INZEN sorghum, soybean yield and critical time for weed removal as influenced by soil applied herbicide. In addition, an overview of the effects of cover crops on weed suppression pests and beneficial insects will be shared.

There are CCA credits available for those who need them. More information may be obtained by contacting Roger Elmore at roger.elmore@unl.edu or (402) 472-1451.