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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Last week I covered important considerations in getting your field pea crop off to a good start. I discussed using certified seed, planting population and how to calibrate according to the size of the seed to get the desired 350,000-375,000 final plant stand, and planting the seed at a depth of 2 to 2.5 inches deep. There are also a couple of other important considerations to getting your field pea crop off to a good start. It is very important to do everything you can to get a good, healthy stand of field peas. A good stand will increase the...
I want to start off by thanking everyone who made this year’s Panhandle No till Partnership’s winter conference a success. I especially want to thank the members of the PNTP for all their efforts in putting together this conference and congratulate them for a job well done. I also want to thank the 135 individuals who attended the conference to further educate themselves on all aspects of no till crop production. More than 100 producers attended the two day conference to gain more knowledge on improving their soil health, conserving our water r...
I’ve been discussing 10 tips for successful no-till crop production and thus far I have covered choosing a good crop rotation, winter wheat as the most important crop for supplying a consistent amount of residues to make the rest of the crop rotation function, and utilizing a stripper head to manage this amount of residues. I’ve also discussed the value of adding field peas to the crop rotation. Field peas are the ideal legume to add to the rotation in the spring prior to seeding winter wheat in the fall. I have also seen firsthand on our far...
I’ve been discussing 10 tips for successful no-till crop production and thus far I have covered choosing a good crop rotation, winter wheat as the most important crop for supplying a consistent amount of residues to make the rest of the crop rotation function, and utilizing a stripper head to manage this amount of residues. I think another important production tip for our area is to add field peas to the crop rotation prior to the winter wheat. Field peas have proven to be the best crop prior to winter wheat seeding in our diverse cropping r...
Last week I started off my 10 tips to successful no-till crop production with a discussion on crop rotations. I feel this is the most important consideration on your farm. Designing a crop rotation for your farm will affect your bottom line, weed and disease cycles and your farm’s performance well into the future. Take plenty of time each year and assess your rotation and improvements you can make in designing your rotation. As I mentioned last week designing, a good rotation for our farm has been an ongoing challenge. We’ve been utilizing a n...
I mentioned I was speaking at the No-till on the Plains annual winter conference. I am speaking to producers at the conference as part of a 40 Tips in 50 minutes presentation with Paul Jasa, UNL no-till cropping systems specialist and manager of the Roger’s Memorial Research farm near Lincoln, Nebraska and no-till producers Randy Rink and Keith Thompson. Our presentation will consist of short tips on no-till crop production. I thought I would share with you the 10 no-till tips I will talk about at this meeting. These tips are in no real o...
Market cattle are urged toward the scale during the 4-H weigh-in on Saturday. The animals will reach their peak during the County Fair....
I’m on my way to Salina, Kan. to speak at and attend the annual No-till on the Plains winter conference. I always look forward to visiting with old friends and mentors at this conference. I’ve been going to this conference every year for the past 10 years and I always look forward to another learning experience. I’m part of this year’s program and I’ll work with 3 other producers around this region giving 40 tips on no-till crop production techniques in a 50 minute program. Hopefully our talk will be well received by the audience and will prov...
As the New Year begins so do new opportunities for educational meetings during the next couple of months for agricultural producers in our area. I always make it a point to attend as many of these meetings as I can to further my education in agriculture and no-till crop production. I would encourage everyone involved in production agriculture to attend these meetings. Agriculture is constantly changing and these meetings are a great place to learn about new technologies, marketing opportunities, crop production, and the opportunity to visit...
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — At least nine people have been hospitalized and others could be trapped after an explosion and partial building collapse at an Omaha animal feed processing plant. Interim Omaha Fire Chief Bernie Kanger said Monday that nine workers have been sent to hospitals. He says firefighters are searching the building for anyone who may have been trapped by the blast or the falling debris. He declined to comment on possible fatalities. Family members who have gathered outside the International Nutrition plant say they've received c...
4-Hers who plan to exhibit a market beef animal at the Cheyenne County Fair must weigh in their animals on Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Cheyenne County Fairgrounds from 9 a.m. to noon. For more information, please contact Aaron Berger or Cynthia Gill at the Cheyenne County Extension Office at 254-4455....
As most of you are probably aware, I’m pretty excited about the opportunities yellow field peas provide for producers here in western Nebraska and around our region. We have been growing yellow field peas successfully on our farm for several years now and I’m convinced the field peas will prove to be a profitable crop for producers in this area. The best opportunities for field peas are in our dry land cropping systems and limited irrigation crop rotations. There are many agronomic benefits to including a legume in our cropping rotations. Add...
I want to start off by wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year! A few weeks ago Stateline Producers awarded me the Joe Franks Memorial Achievement Award. Stateline Producers gave me a very nice plaque which I have hanging on the wall next to my desk. I’m looking at this award as I’m writing this article. I’m also spending a little time at my desk just reflecting back on my efforts in agriculture and our rural way of life over the years. Unfortunately I didn’t know Joe Franks. I suspect Mr. Franks was just li...
I’ve joined the “social media” and now have a facebook page. After some encouragement from members of a younger generation who find social networking to be an integral part of their lives, I have taken my first step into this rather fascinating means of communication. I do see where this type of interaction may prove to be a very good means of communicating with producers and educators on the benefits of no till crop production. I’m also a little nervous about having a page that is open to anyone who has access to a smart phone or computer. Any...
Farm and Ranch Estate and Transition Planning workshops are scheduled for January in Ogallala, Sidney, Gering and Oshkosh. The program will be presented by Dave Goeller of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Beginning Farmer Program Coordinator and Joe Hawbaker, agricultural law attorney. Dates and locations: • Jan. 14, Ogallala: Valentino’s Restaurant, 55 River Road • Jan. 15, Sidney: Cheyenne County Community Center, 627 Toledo St., sponsored by PointsWest Community Bank and Insurance of Sidney, Dalton, Kimball and Chappell. • Jan. 16, Ger...
The good news is that the temperature only dropped to 16 below zero last night and the weathermen are predicting a slow warm up for this week. It’s been quite some time since we have endured a prolonged cold spell like this one. By the time you read this I hope the temperatures are at least back to what will feel like a balmy normal winter temperature for our area. We did receive about a foot of snow here in the Alliance area. Fortunately the wind hasn’t moved the snow around too much and hopefully the snow will settle down and crust before the...
Back in October when we were getting started combining our dry land corn crop I visited with a neighbor about the value of wheat residues and residue height in dry land corn production. My neighbor thought he should purchase a stripper head for combining his winter wheat crop to leave more standing residue. The year before he had combined his dry land wheat with a conventional head and had baled the straw for his cattle. He then planted his dry land corn into the wheat residue left in the field. Right beside his dry land corn field was a field...
With pheasant hunting season in full swing I thought I would look at some opportunities for recreation in our area. I know we have a recreational opportunity in our region for attracting pheasant and deer hunters to our area on a much larger scale than what is currently available. If you provide a good hunting environment for these hunters there is a real opportunity for increasing farm income and benefiting the businesses in our communities. There are many hunters along the Front Range of Colorado and surrounding areas that are willing to pay...
We finally were able to start combining our irrigated corn yesterday afternoon as the moisture in the corn dropped to below 16 percent which was welcome news. Overnight it snowed about 4 inches, so we’re back in a holding pattern again. This has been a familiar pattern this fall planting and harvesting season. I was visiting with a good friend of mine who was comparing his sugar beet harvest to the crab fishermen on the television show “Deadliest Catch.” He felt his sugar beet harvest was similar to the fishermen pulling up empty pots with...
This is the first part of a two-part feature focusing on the role of genetically-modified crops. “Improving agriculture. Improving lives.” The biotechnology giant Monsanto remains in the middle of an often-heated argument that seems to grow larger by the day. What exactly are genetically modified organisms, where can they be found, and perhaps the most important question - what are their long-term health effects on human beings? According to Dr. Richard Goodman, a former manager of the All...
Our way of life in agriculture across the breadbasket of America is being threatened by special interest groups who disagree with how we conduct our business. These special interest groups disagree with how we produce the food which feeds the world. Our image as stewards of the land and livestock is being tainted and it’s important we start telling our side of the story. These special interest groups are well organized and well funded. Their sole intention is to dictate policy so the food we produce conforms to their standards. These groups d...
ST. LOUIS (AP) — John Reifsteck looks out at his muddy 1,800-acre central Illinois farm and wonders when he’ll get to plant. Like so many other Midwest growers who were praying for rain during the recent drought, he’s now pining for enough sunshine and heat to dry out his soggy fields as the deadline approaches for deciding what he can even plant this year. It’s a troubling scenario playing out across America’s breadbasket, where the U.S. Department of Agriculture says just 12 percent of the nation’s cornfields have been planted. That’s abou...
Despite the recent weather, summer and the end of school is upon us. Soon the “happy I’m out of school” attitudes of our school-aged children turn into “I’m bored”. The best way to counter the ”I’m bored” lament is to offer some out-of-the-ordinary activities that teach a new skill or hobby. The University of Nebraska Extension - Cheyenne County Office has several interesting day camps and a fun overnight experience for local youth. Youth do not have to be a member of 4-H to participate. First up in the summer fun is a variety of day ca...
The “Brown Revolution” is a term given to the emphasis that is now being placed on improving the soil’s health on the farms and ranches across our country. Agriculture went through the “Green Revolution” years ago which helped shape modern day agriculture. During the “Green Revolution” commercial fertilizers were developed and crop varieties were developed through plant breeding to site-specific growing regions. Herbicides to control specific weeds were developed. These technologies continue today and are the reasons we have seen improved yiel...
This year’s Cattlemen’s Ball goal of clearing $2 million for cancer research in Nebraska got a big boost with the donation of a 2013 Chevy Corvette from Harchelroad Motors, Inc., of Imperial and Wauneta. The Corvette donated by Harchelroads is a 60th Anniversary Limited Edition Grand Sport Coupe, valued at $75,000. This year’s Cattlemen’s Ball will be held June 7-8 at the Hanging H Ranch between Paxton and Sutherland on Hwy. 30. The families of Ralph and Beverly Holzfaster of Paxton and Neal Ha...
