Panhandle Extension News

• Update from Panhandle Extension Director
• MONTHLY PANHANDLE CROP REPORT
• 2013 Crop Budgets for the Nebraska Panhandle
• UNL Wheat plot tours scheduled for June 25
• Panhandle Center, Extension offices use temporary entrance during renovation
• NU Panhandle Alumni chapter recognizes Alumni of the Year
• High Plains Ag Lab nears fund-raising goal to replace headquarters

Drought Resources

WATER WISE at home:

• A look at the municipal side of water conservation
• When to start watering, fertilizing and mowing?
• Fertilizing and mowing your lawn to conserve water
• Trees, turf have different water needs
• Consider using native plants in home landscapes
• Dos and don'ts when mowing the lawn
• Alternatives to bluegrass turf

FARM AND RANCH:

• Forage options following irrigated wheat
  Wheat harvest in Nebraska will soon be upon us. As drought conditions continue it appears there will be quite a bit of demand for hay and forage this fall and winter. This may lead many producers to consider what annual forages could be planted into irrigated wheat stubble in July and August. Summer annual forages such as sudan grass, sorghum x sudan hybrids, pearl millet, foxtail millet and teff are all options for producing additional forage. Determining the best option for each operation will depend on water availability, individual goals, available harvesting equipment and when forage is needed.
• Tax implications of selling beef herd
  Anyone who sold cows and bulls as a result of drought and elected to defer income has probably settled their 2012 tax bill, assuming they are on a cash basis for taxes. Extension Educator Tom Holman offers some reminders of what producers must do to avoid recapturing tax bligations, as well as some thoughts on herd management during a drought.
• Irrigation water management – water optimizer and other tools
  The 2013 water outlook does not look good. The area is still in a severe to exceptional drought, and the predicted surface-water irrigation supply may be in the 50- to 60-day range. Groundwater users continue to be under allocations and in a few cases may have exceeded their pumping amounts. With all of this uncertainty, what are producers to do? There are a number of tools available to help manage water resources. One tool a producer can use is Water Optimizer, a Microsoft Excel-based program that can estimate a profit-maximizing cropping mix based on a limited amount of water.
• Alternative crops for winter wheat producers
  Dryland winter wheat producers in the Nebraska Panhandle anticipating reduced yields or crop failure due to drought have several options to choose from, according to a specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhandle Research and Extension Center.
• Management of limit feeding cow-calf pairs in confinement
  Nebraska’s continuing drought is limiting residual forage, soil moisture, hay production, and 2013 grass growth. In order to reduce grazing pressure and delay pasture turn out as long as possible, many producers are considering limit feeding cow-calf pairs in confinement. This can be a viable option, but there are several management considerations that need to be addressed.
• Irrigating dry edible beans with limited supply of water
  Despite recent precipitation, dry bean growers in western Nebraska could still face limited supplies of irrigation water in 2013, whether their water supply is surface water or groundwater. Research performed at the Panhandle Center shows that yield loss caused by water stress varies, depending on which growth stage or stages the bean plant is in when water is limited. The general recommendation is to make sure that the bean crop gets adequate water in the first two growth stages, the vegetative and flowering phases, and if it’s necessary to cut back on irrigation, try to do so later in the season, during pod filling.
• Drought increases toxic and poisonous plant risk to livestock
  Drought increases poisoning risks for livestock by making their desired forages less available, causing timing shifts in grazing, and causing physiological changes in the desired forages on rangelands and pastures. Impacts of toxic and poisonous plant consumption can be as obvious as rapid death, as gradual as hair loss, or as discrete as early abortions and/or failing to breed.
• Extension Educator stresses including a drought clause in your grazing lease:
  The two most important components of a grazing lease agreement are stocking rate and lease rate, according to Jay Jenkins, UNL Extension Educator in Cherry County. Jenkins recommends that grazing leases should include a clause that covers how grazing pressure will be reduced in response to drought or other natural disaster.
   
• For ranchers, trigger dates and stocking rates are drought mitigation cornerstones:
  As the area enters its second year of below average moisture, having and using a written drought management plan to mitigate the impact on grazing lands is key for 2013 and also for long-term forage production.
   
• Grazing and forage management in drought-affected 2013:
  Ranchers in drought-stricken parts of Nebraska are facing tough decisions in 2013, including how many livestock their depleted pastures will be able to support and whether to supplement pastures by planting forage crops to be grazed or harvested.

• More information for farmers, ranchers and homeowners on the Panhandle Drought Resources page.

More Panhandle News

Men: Pay attention to your health

Men’s health issues significantly impact everyone around them, and far too many men never see a doctor unless there is something seriously wrong or a partner or spouse makes the appointment for them. June is Men’s Health Month, and every year Men's Health Week is celebrated in the week leading up to and including Father's Day. Men's Health Month is celebrated with screenings, health fairs, media appearances, and other health education and outreach activities.

Drought and groundwater supplies

During times of drought people often ask University of Nebraska-Lincoln water scientist Steve Sibray the same question: Will the groundwater aquifer dry up? The answer isn’t simple and also varies from one location to the next, said Sibray, a hydrogeologist with the UNL Conservation and Survey Division who is stationed at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center.The effects of groundwater level declines vary according to which part of the water-bearing formation a well was drilled into.

The miller moth returns

Earlier this year a large population of army cutworm larvae was reported in western Nebraska. In the spring, cutworm larvae turn into moths that are commonly known as miller moths, and now the millers have begun emerging in parts of Nebraska.

Direct harvest of dry beans draws a lot of interest

Dry bean producers who want to switch to direct harvest need to do more than simply change their harvest routine. They must adapt their entire production system, according to several speakers at a packed meeting in Alliance. Extension experts and others shared research and experience in direct harvest at a recent meeting at Alliance to an audience of 84 people who included producers, bean processor representatives, equipment company reps, and others.

Quick, easy method to measure harvest loss In pinto or Great Northern bean fields

This system incorporates use of a measuring frame, made to specific dimensions ahead of time in any farm shop. This method combines three key elements necessary for quick, easy, yet appropriately accurate measurement of harvest loss by producers in fields of Pinto or Great Northern bean fields: It is easy; no weighing or calculators are necessary. It is fast; each sample should take less than 3 minutes. It provides sufficient accuracy for growers to make good decisions while harvesting.

Historical Panhandle crop price report updated for 2012

Extension has issued the annual update to its report on crop prices in the Panhandle: Access “Historical Crop Prices, Seasonal Patterns, and Futures Basis for the Nebraska Panhandle, 1992-2012” by clicking. The report provides a basic price analysis for significant crops in the Panhandle to help growers and others make the best possible marketing and production decisions. It lists historical crop prices and seasonal patterns for corn, wheat, proso millet, sorghum, alfalfa hay, and dry edible beans. For corn and wheat, which are traded on futures commodity markets, the report also compares local cash prices to national futures prices to establish local basis.

Survey: Rural residents say communities can help businesses transition to new owners

Every business owner in small-town Nebraska eventually will retire or sell the business. When that happens, most rural Nebraskans feel their community can play a role in facilitating business transition, according to results from the 2012 Nebraska Rural Poll. “Business and Wealth Transfer in Nonmetropolitan Nebraska” is the title of the third report released from the 2012 poll. Results are online at ruralpoll.unl.edu.

Understanding AUMs (Animal Unit Months)

As producers get ready to take cattle to summer pasture, questions often arise about the relationship between range management and stocking rate. Clearly, if the range resource is underutilized, then profitability will be decreased as more animals could have been using the range. Conversely, and more commonly, the tendency is to overgraze the range and put the sustainability of the range in jeopardy. Developing a grazing plan to utilize pastures can help producers effectively manage their forage resources. More useful information and links on Beef Production in Western Nebraska Web Site.

Is organic better for you?

The term ‘organic’ has specific guidelines set by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP). In order for foods to be labeled organic, a government-approved certifier must inspect the farm to make sure the above standards have been met. There are also USDA standards for processing and handling organic food.More at Nebraska's Nutrition Education Program web site. 

The North Platte River: Surface Water Irrigation Projects and Power Generation

This presentation provides a basic history and information about the North Platte River U.S. Bureau of Reclamation projects – surface irrigation, power generation and other related irrigation and power generation projects – on the North Platte River drainage. By Gary Stone, Extension Educator, Panhandle Research & Extension Center.

More Information You Can Use:

• Mining industry could use aerial survey techniques now used for groundwater, UNL hydrogeologist says
• Today’s 4-H: More than meets the eye
• Fenugreek investigated as potential alternative crop
• Developing drought tolerance is goal of dry bean breeding program
• UNL, Chinese university look to collaborate in proso millet research
• The Importance of building positive relationships with children
• Dung beetles key to range management?
• New Community Forester for western NE covering a lot of ground
• Skip-row corn stabilizes dryland grain yields
• CENTENNIAL STORIES
• TEAMS work to keep kids involved in school, headed toward college
• Tips for heart health
• Goal of fund-raising drive: Boosting proso millet breeding program
• 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans: Food and Food Components to Reduce
• Dealing with stress
• Prevent or delay type 2 diabetes with healthy habits

Farmers: Check the CropWatch web site

Answers about crop varieties, fertilizer, irrigation, pest control, harvest, and many other issues are a click or two away on the University of Nebraska’s expanded and reorganized CropWatch web site. Click below to go directly to sugarbeets, dry edible beans, wheat, or potatoes.

• Sugarbeets
• Dry Edible Beans
• Wheat
• Potato Education Guide
• Corn