Panhandle Extension News

• MONTHLY PANHANDLE CROP REPORT
• 2013 Crop Budgets for the Nebraska Panhandle
• UNL Extension tractor safety courses in Gering, Valentine, NP
• Panhandle Center, Extension offices use temporary entrance during renovation
• Annie’s Project classes begin in May at Thedford
• High Plains Advanced Cropping School 2013: Sugarbeets
• 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

FARM AND RANCH:

• 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.

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.

Update from Panhandle Extension Director Linda Boeckner

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.

Healthy Bites for May: Beef Month

With thought and planning, beef can make meal times tasty and healthy. Lean beef is a naturally nutrient-rich source of several essential vitamins and minerals. May is beef month. Beef not only helps you meet nutrient needs, but also fuels Nebraska’s economy. Nebraska produces more beef per square mile than any other state. A three-ounce serving of lean beef is an excellent source of protein, zinc, vitamin B12, selenium and phosphorus; and a good source of niacin, vitamin B6, iron and riboflavin.

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.

Mining industry could use aerial survey techniques now used for groundwater, UNL hydrogeologist says

A technology used increasingly to search for groundwater in Nebraska is airborne electromagnetic survey (AEM), where an electromagnet sensor is suspended beneath a helicopter that flies parallel, systematic routes over a designated area.The same technique is useful in locating uranium-bearing formations, according to Steve Sibray, a hydrogeologist with UNL’s Conservation and Survey Division based at Scottsbluff.

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.

• Part 1
• Part 2

 More Information You Can Use:

• 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
• Consider irrigated winter wheat next year to balance crop water use
• Dung beetles key to range management?
• New Community Forester for western NE covering a lot of ground
• Skip-row corn stabilizes dryland grain yields
• Gardening for your health
• Reducing the risk of colon cancer
• CENTENNIAL STORIES
• TEAMS work to keep kids involved in school, headed toward college
• Tips for heart health
• Family Fun-Time: Make Cooking a Family Affair
• 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
• A resource for water-conserving landscapes

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