Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
Serving proudly since 1873 as the beautiful Nebraska Panhandle's first newspaper
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By Chabella Guzman, PREEC Communications On a warm September day along the edge of the Sandhills in Box Butte County, a combine harvested dry edible beans. The beans were in an On-Farm Research project by John Thomas, Nebraska Extension Educator at Box Butte County, and Tim Hashman, the farmer and driver of the combine. The project looked at a product called Pod Ceal. "Last year, we had a hailstorm come through before harvest, and it (Pod Ceal) actually helped to keep the pod from shattering," H...
St. Louis, Mo. - Strong agriculture leaders are critical to the future of the soybean industry, and the American Soybean Association wants to provide a student interested in agriculture with a college scholarship as they start their education. The Soy Scholarship is a $7,000, one-time award presented to a high school senior who plans to pursue agriculture as an area of study at any accredited college or university in the 2025-26 academic year. The scholarship is managed by ASA and made possible through a grant by BASF Corporation. “Today’s stu...
Lincoln, Neb., — The latest trends in 2024 Nebraska county-level cash rental rates, ARC and PLC coverage options and leasing considerations will be covered during the next Land Management Quarterly webinar, hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Center for Agricultural Profitability, at noon Central time on Nov. 18. Offered since 2019, the quarterly webinars address common management issues for Nebraska landowners, agricultural operators, and related stakeholders interested in the latest insight on trends in real estate, managing agr...
LINCOLN, Neb. (Oct. 29, 2024) – Today, Nebraska Cattlemen announced registration is available for the 2024 Nebraska Cattlemen Annual Convention and Trade Show. This year’s event will take place at Younes Conference Center South in Kearney, Neb. from Dec. 11-13. "Nebraska Cattlemen's Annual Convention provides members with the opportunity to vote on our policy, influence regulations and legislation at all levels of government, and to have important discussions about industry issues," said Laura Field, executive vice president of Nebraska Cat...
Cattle producers can maximize the productivity of their farm ground while improving soil health by grazing cover crops. Producers can learn more about the benefits of cover crop grazing and practical management strategies to optimize productivity from both University educators as well as producers during the 2024 Cover Crop Grazing Conference. The conference will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (CT) at the West Central Research, Extension and Education Center in North Platte. “The Cover Crop Grazing Conference is designed to give producers timely,...
LINCOLN, Nebr., Oct. 21, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Acting State Director Joan Scheel announced today that USDA is partnering with farmers and small business owners to expand access to clean energy, create jobs, and help lower their energy bills through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) and the Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program. This funding includes grants that will help small businesses and farms across the country implement cost-saving, clean, efficient energy systems on their p...
Lincoln, Neb., — Nebraska net farm income is projected to decline in 2024, according to a new report from the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center. The center, working with agricultural economists from the Center for Agricultural Profitability at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said in its “Fall 2024 Nebraska Farm Income Outlook” that Nebraska’s 2024 net farm income is estimated at $7.69 billion. After record-setting farm income levels in 2023, Nebraska farm income declines in 2024. “In 2024, total farm receipts are projected t...
Sources Kathleen McGinty, Zoetis and Lori Maude, Bader Rutter A successful preconditioning program will set calves up for optimal future health and performance while enabling producers to command full market value on their calves, said Phillip Kesterson, DVM, with Zoetis beef technical services and based in western Nebraska. Preconditioned calves are four times less likely to get sick in the feedyard, so it's the right thing to do from an animal stewardship perspective, too.1 "A strong...
Lincoln, Neb. -More than 70 leaders in agriculture, public health and nutrition will gather on Nov. 7 to explore ways to improve human health and reduce healthcare costs by transforming the global food supply. The Wheat Fiber for Rural Wealth and Health Roundtable event will be hosted at the Graduate Hotel in Lincoln in cooperation with Nebraska Food for Health Center at the University of Nebraska by the Coalition for Grain Fiber. The Nebraska Wheat Board will be the lead sponsor. Registration...
Whether you are pursuing a trade school, vocational certificate or a two-year or four-year degree, don’t miss your chance to apply for a National FFA Scholarship to help with your next steps in education. If you are a senior FFA member in high school or FFA Alumni in college, just one application is required for multiple scholarship opportunities totaling nearly $2.5 million. The 2024-25 scholarship application will open on Friday, Nov. 1. https://apply.mykaleidoscope.com/login Student Application Live: Nov. 1, 2024 Student Application D...
INDIANAPOLIS – FFA members and supporters from across the country will celebrate agriculture and agricultural education during the 97th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis. This time-honored tradition will be held Oct. 23-26. The National FFA Organization is the nation's premier school-based youth leadership development organization with more 1 million members and 9,000 chapters in rural, suburban, and rural schools in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. FFA's m...
By Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension Beef Educator Accurately sampling and testing hay is the only way to get a real understanding of the nutritive value of feed. Using values from previous years or a “book value” can be costly since a producer may incorrectly develop a ration using values that aren’t representative. Guidelines for sampling When sampling hay, getting a representative sample is a critical first step. Samples must accurately represent the entire lot of hay. The UNL NebGuide “Sampling Feeds for Analyses" (PDF version, 655KB)...
SIDNEY--Early in the morning of October 2, 2024, WNCC in Sidney was buzzing with excitement as 84 FFA students from around the Panhandle region gathered to coordinate and get final instructions for the 2024 West Area Land Judging Contest. None of the competitors knew of the exact location where the event would be held to prevent any participants from gaining an advantage over others in the competition. Yolanda Hruska of SPNRD said, "The competition alternates each year between the North Platte...
By Melissa Mracek, Box Butte County 4-H Extension Educator This fall, the Nebraska Extension 4-H staff will engage fourth-grade students from across the Panhandle in Animal Education. The educators will host several events across the region entitled "Animals Inside and Out." Traveling across the panhandle, Nebraska Extension 4-H staff will teach the program with the goal of students gaining a better understanding of where their food comes from, by-products, different careers working with...
By Jessica Groskopf, UNL ag economist and Cindy Bojanski, CFP®,RICP® For many farm and ranch families, bringing children or grandchildren into the operation is the ultimate goal. Successfully bringing additional family members into the operation may require some creativity as all parties need to maintain a viable standard of living. This article is part of a series that will highlight ideas and tactics for bringing another family member into the operation. If this is the first article you are seeing in this series, I would encourage you to g...
By Nicole Heldt, Research Project Coordinator Maharjan Soils Lab, UNL-PREEC The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) team led by Dr. Bijesh Maharjan, associate professor and extension specialist at UNL's Panhandle Research, Extension and Education Center (PREEC), accomplished another successful series of Nebraska Soil Health Schools hosted by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and UNL. The schools were conducted at three locations from west to east in Nebraska in 2023 and...
WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will hold its biannual Data Users’ Meeting on October 15-16 starting at 12 p.m. ET virtually via Zoom. This meeting is free and open to the public. Registration is required. The Data Users’ Meeting is held to share recent and pending statistical program changes with the public and to solicit input on these and other programs important to agriculture. The event is organized by NASS in cooperation with the World Agricultural Outlook...
While most people do not give soil a second thought, it is one of the most important natural resources on our planet. It supports and influences the crops grown around the world for food and fiber. Soil is as important as the water humans drink, and the air we breathe. Land judging is a valuable competition that teaches local high school students how to have a better understanding of soil structure and land evaluation. Part of the goal is enabling the participants to recognize physical features...
By Sonni Cochran Nebraska Extension Educator Disaster Education Coordinator Everyone should have an emergency plan for their home, farm, or ranch operation. The plan doesn’t have to be complicated – it can be very simple. It also doesn’t need to cost a lot of money. Involve everyone in the family, as well as any employees. Below are some guidelines to get you started. Identify Hazards and Risks - Consider the hazards and risks found in your area. Not everyone will have the same hazards. You may live where severe storms or wildfire risks are c...
By Chabella Guzman PREEC Communications / Dr. Nevin Lawrence, Nebraska Extension Weed Management Specialist In 2019, Western Sugar Cooperative knew it had a problem when the herbicide-resistant weed Palmer amaranth became more common within its 135,000-acre sugar beet crop. “Palmer amaranth can seed and begin to grow in under two weeks and grow two inches a day,” said Rebecca Larsen, Western Sugar's chief scientist. “It’s competitive and can crowd out the sugar beet plant before it can get established.” Palmer Amaranth is a veritable weed powe...
SPNRD - SIDNEY The South Platte Natural Resources District (SPNRD) held public hearings on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, to receive public comments on the proposed budget and setting the final tax request for FY 2024- 2025. At their regular board meeting, the Board approved the FY 2024-2025 Operating Budget of $2,641,579.83. The property tax request is set at $1,386,394.76, which causes the levy to be 0.046954 per $100 of assessed value. “This is 1% lower than last year’s levy of 0.047342. For a home valued at $100,000, property taxes will be...
LINCOLN, NE – Nebraska Cattlemen is accepting nominations for the Young Cattlemen's Connections (YCC) Class of 2025 until Tuesday, October 22, 2024. YCC is a longstanding Nebraska Cattlemen tradition aiming to keep the future of our industry innovative and knowledgeable. This program helps emerging leaders understand the industry structure, issues management, product research and marketing, and teaches participants how to become effective communicators. The YCC program is a two-year c...
The upcoming weed management and Pesticide applicator workshop and program is recommended for anyone needing pesticide recertification credits or for those simply wanting information about controlling noxious weeds. You may attend to gather information even if you do not need the credits. The event will be held on Friday, October 24, 2024 from 8am until 2pm in the Founder’s Room at the Morgan Community College, 920 Barlow Road, Fort Morgan, CO. Coffee and breakfast pasteries will be served b...
Fall turkey season will open soon, and the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission wants to reacquaint hunters with the changes that first became effective last fall. The changes to the fall season are: • The fall turkey season is Oct. 1-Nov. 30. • Each hunter may only have one fall permit. • The bag limit allows the take of one turkey of either sex with a shotgun or archery equipment. All turkey harvests must be reported via Telecheck. Turkeys may be checked by internet at Outdoo...
By Gary Stone, Nebraska Extension Water and Cropping Educator Crops in the North Platte Valley and the Panhandle are doing well. This is good for the growers as irrigation deliveries will shut down beginning Sept. 16. According to a Pathfinder Irrigation District press release, the Interstate Canal system irrigation deliveries will terminate as water levels in the canal drop. The Supply Canal, High Line Canal, and Low Line Canal will be shut down on Sept. 18, and. irrigation deliveries will...
