Field to Market – Views from VanDeWalle

Nebraska Extension in Fillmore County announces that Geneva will be a host site for a new initiative that seeks to enhance the knowledge of Nebraska corn, soybean and wheat producers on their sustainability and operational efficiency measures. Participating farmers will use a new web based tool called the Fieldprint® Calculator. Calculating “Fieldprints” can help growers to establish benchmark data on a field and track improvements overtime, set energy saving and efficiency goals and compare performance against local, state and national benchmarks.

The Fieldprint Calculator is simple to use, though the technology behind it is very complex.

The new field assessment initiative led by Nebraska Extension is a hands-on workshop and participating growers will take home documentation on eight sustainability and efficiency indicators. These measures are Land Use, Conservation, Soil Carbon, Irrigation Water Use, Water Quality, Energy Use, Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Water Quality. Participants will select a representative crop field for 2015 and complete a data input sheet in advance of the Fieldprint® Calculator workshops. Meals and workshop materials are sponsored thanks to a University of Nebraska Extension Innovation grant. Computer laptops are provided to participants or bring your own.

The workshop instructors include a core team of University of Nebraska Extension Educators and Specialists. They are Randy Pryor, Gary Zoubek, Gary Lesoing, John Hay and Charles Schapiro along with local facilitating Extension Educators.

For more information on the Geneva workshop and to pre-register by the December 3rd deadline, contact the Fillmore County Extension office at 402-759-3712 or email Brandy VanDeWalle at brandy.vandewalle@unl.edu.

Area Workshop Times And Locations:

Lincoln
Monday, December 7, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
UNL Extension Office in Lancaster County, 444 Cherrycreek Road
Contact: Tyler Williams, (402) 441-7180 or tyler.williams@unl.edu

Beatrice
Monday, December 7, 5:30 – 9 p.m.
UNL Extension Office in Gage County, 1115 West Scott St.
Contact: Paul Hay, (402) 223-1384 or paul.hay@unl.edu

Auburn
Tuesday, December 8, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Nemaha County Hospital Meeting Room, 2022 13th St.
Contact: Gary Lesoing, (402) 274-4755 or gary.lesoing@unl.edu

Geneva
Tuesday, Dec. 8, 5:30 – 9 p.m. UNL Extension Office in Fillmore County, 1340 G St.
Contact: Brandy VanDeWalle, (402) 759-3712 or brandy.vandewalle@unl.edu

Clay Center
Wednesday, Dec. 9, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
UNL Extension Office in Clay County, 111 West Fairfield Contact: Jennifer Rees, (402) 762-3644 or jenny.rees@unl.edu

Central City
Wednesday, Dec. 9, 5:30 – 9 p.m.
UNL Extension Office in Merrick County, 1510 18th St.
Contact: Troy Ingram, (308) 946-3843 or troy.ingram@unl.edu

Fremont
Thursday, Dec. 10, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. UNL Extension Office in Dodge County, 1206 West 23rd St.
Contact: Nathan Mueller, (402) 727-2775 or nathan.mueller@unl.edu

Mead
Friday, Dec. 11, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
UNL Extension Office in Saunders County, 1071 County Road G
Contact: Keith Glewen, (402) 624-8030 or kglewen1@unl.edu

This is the time of year for agricultural programs for agricultural producers and if one wanted, they could go to a program almost every day of the week! For the most current or up-to-date information, go to our website, call our office at (402) 759-3712 or email me at brandy.vandewalle@unl.edu and if we don’t have all of the details, we’ll look them up for you! In light of all the excellence UNL Extension, NRD and industry programs, I decided to give a brief recap of them.

Field Assessments to Improve Efficiency – December 8^thThis program seeks to enhance the knowledge of Nebraska corn, soybean and wheat producers on their sustainability and operational efficiency measures. Workshop participants will use a web based tool called Fieldprint® Calculator. We want growers in Nebraska to be better able to understand and communicate how management choices affect overall sustainability performance and operational efficiency of their farm operations. Locally, it will be held Monday, December 8^th from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. at the Geneva Public Library. My colleague in Saline County, Randy Pryor is the program coordinator and is offering this free program, sponsored by Nebraska Extension to 5-10 producers.

Farmers & Ranchers College– December 11th (1-4:00 p.m.) – Bruning Opera House
Ag Outlook will feature Dr. David Kohl, Professor Emeritus with the Dept. of AAEC, VA TECH and will discuss the wild world of global and domestic economics. Dr. Kohl will discuss the major game changers influencing the agriculture landscape along with a quick tour of global economics and how it is influencing land values, commodities, and input costs. Is agriculture in an asset or credit bubble? What can you do financially in this business environment to capitalize on the economic volatility? Dr. Kohl will give tips on management practices that will help you think globally but act locally in strategic and everyday decision-making.

Farm Bill Workshops – December 16th 9-Noon, Fillmore Co. Fairgrounds, Geneva
Farm Bill informational & meetings will be conducted in every county across Nebraska with each educational session running about 2-3 hours. Check with your local Farm Services Agency (FSA) or Nebraska Extension Service office for more details. These sessions are not required but may be helpful regarding long-term decisions.

Tag: Field to Market

Field Assessments To Improve Efficiency Workshops

Extension Programming