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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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...
Have you ever wondered what just how fast your Internet service really is? A website from the Nebraska Public Service Commission can help answer those questions. The website, broadbandmap.nebraska.gov, is part of the Nebraska Broadband Initiative, which aims to increase broadband access and adoption, especially in rural areas. The Nebraska Public Service Commission contracted with BroadMap to collect, verify, report and map the availability of broadband Internet access by location within Nebraska. Data provided by the Internet Service Providers...
LINCOLN – Despite recent precipitation, much of Nebraska is still facing dry conditions. As we head into spring, farmers and ranchers are planning how to best deal with the dry conditions. Conservation agencies including the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts (NRDs) are working together with farmers and ranchers as they get ready to hit the fields. Faced with limited water resources, farmers and ranchers are turning to the NRCS and NRDs for expert advice and assistance to conserve water...
The American Farm Bureau Federation recently released its proposal for the stalled Farm Bill. The plan, which looks to save $23 billion in farm program spending, would create a new safety net for U.S. farmers. Under the new proposal, producers would be able to choose between a Stacked Income Protection Plan (STAX) program and an updated target price program. All program crop producers would have marketing loan programs and crop insurance available to them as well. STAX would allow farmers to add-on yield or revenue coverage to the crop...
It’s sure been an ugly April and that is exactly what we needed. The majority of us have experienced several days of snow, wintery mix, spring showers, and back to blowing snow. April has been above normal in precipitation and it couldn’t have come at a better time. With this moisture has come an optimism that the drought may be easing and we’ll have a chance at producing good crops and hay this growing season. All we need now is for Mother Nature not to forget about us and give us “normal” precipitation the rest of the growing season. O...
We live in a part of the country where it is a challenge to grow things. I have heard that comment many times since moving here 27 years ago. It is true. For example, last summer I had several calls from people about their tomato plants blooming and not setting on fruit. It was just too hot, windy and dry, and the blossoms dried up. When it finally cooled off, they set on fruit, but it was late in the season. The summer of 2011 was wet, if you remember, and we had different problems to deal with. That’s what makes my job as an Extension E...
Thankfully we finally received a blanket of wet snow across our growing region. There is also more snow in the forecast which should help us to recover from the prolonged drought we’ve experienced since last growing season. This welcome moisture will begin to add to our soil moisture profile for the upcoming growing season. The past couple of weeks I’ve shown that no-till crop production on our irrigated acres has many benefits. Economic analysis of no-till crop production has shown no-till to be the least costly production system. No-till cro...
The southern Panhandle is in the second consecutive spring of drought conditions. Precipitation September 1 to April 15 for the Southern Nebraska Panhandle is less than half of normal for this time period. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension CropWatch website has weather information that shows precipitation summaries for all of Nebraska. This summary shows recent historic precipitation amounts and compares them to long term averages at locations throughout the Panhandle. Lack of precipitation beginning in the fall of 2011 has resulted...
The recent snow fall is “better than nothing” for the drought, according to John K. Hansen, president of the Nebraska Farmer’s Union—although he would prefer a good, soaking rain. At least the state has been targeted by fronts that produce some moisture. From the first of March to the beginning of June is when Nebraska generally receives substantial rainfall. If rain does not hit the region during those times, chances are nowhere near as strong over the rest of the year. Hanson added that the area needs long, steady rains to soak the pasture...
Jessica Johnson, UNL agricultural educator at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center located in Scottsbluff has compiled budgets for the majority of the irrigated crops commonly grown here in our region. I’d like to take a look at these budgets that compare strip till, conventional tillage, and no-till crop production systems. Jessica’s budgets assume equal use of irrigation in producing these crops. When you compare these budgets you also need to factor in that the no-till crop production system actually requires less irrigation to pro...
I have believed in the power and potential of youth my whole life. This past fall, I was given the chance to offer learning opportunities for youth and volunteers in Cheyenne County as an extension educator with the University of Nebraska – Lincoln with a focus on youth. This is a new position that includes 4-H. My responsibilities also include Kimball and Banner Counties. Through this column I hope to share some of the exciting things that happen with 4-H youth! Nationally, 4-H is the largest youth development organization that is c...
