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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INDIANAPOLIS – Agriculture plays a key role in society, and nowhere is that more evident than in the continuing growth of FFA and agricultural education. Today, the National FFA Organization announced a record-high student membership of 760,113, an increase from last year’s 700,170 members. The top five student membership states are Texas, California, Georgia, Florida and Oklahoma. Interest in FFA and agricultural education continues to grow as membership continues to increase as well as the...
SCOTTSBLUFF – The Nebraska Corn Board (NCB) elected four farmers to serve leadership roles at its August board meeting. The leadership roles are effective immediately and are yearlong in duration, with the possibility to be reelected. David Bruntz, District 1 director, was reelected as chairman of the board. Bruntz has been farming for more than 40 years near Friend. He grows corn and soybeans, and he also feeds cattle. Bruntz received a degree in production agriculture from the University of N...
Whether it is the significant demand at the Food Bank of Lincoln or long lines at food pantries elsewhere in our state, the images of people struggling to put food on the table are alarming reminders of the vulnerability faced by millions of people across the U.S. COVID-19 has upended the lives of millions of individuals and families already struggling to make ends meet and many more who find themselves asking for help for the first time. Given the overwhelming need, I embarked on a bipartisan...
On Tuesday, July 14, the South Platte Natural Resources District (SPNRD) Board of Directors (Board) hosted their monthly meeting at 5 p.m. at the South Platte NRD Conference Room (551 Parkland Drive, Sidney NE). Thad Kuntz, P.G., Principal Hydrogeologist with Adaptive Resources, Inc., briefed the Board on the Western Water Use Management Modeling (WWUMM) for the SPNRD. Kuntz covered details on two parts of the Modeling, the Aquifer Life Analysis, and the Modflow 2000 to Modflow 6 Ground Water Model Conversion Review. The WWUMM is an...
Scottsbluff – 21st Century Equipment, LLC has made several organizational changes to strengthen its local decision-making management strategy. Owen Palm, CEO, of 21st Century Equipment announced organizational changes effective July 1, in order to focus on localized management. Owen says, “these changes came after a lot of thought and driven by our commitment to continuous improvement to serve our customers better at the local level.” Keith Kreps, COO, who started with the company in March...
On Tuesday, June 9, 2020 the South Platte Natural Resources District (SPNRD) Board of Directors (Board) hosted their monthly meeting at 5:00 p.m. at the South Platte NRD Conference Room (551 Parkland Drive, Sidney NE). Ryan Reisdorff, SPNRD Water Resources Specialist, gave a review of the Draft Annual Report of Water Use Activities in the SPNRD. In the past report dates for industrial and municipal wells were from August 1 through July 31. Reports will now be from January 1 through December 31. To keep consistency between the different reports...
Farmers Market — Sidney’s Farmers Market vendors displayed their wares Saturday morning. Vendors are open 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays until the first frost, weather permitting. The Farmers Market is located on 10th Avenue just south of Hickory Street....
This year the Leyton FFA Chapter tried some new activities such as Milk Quality and Cheese Identification contests, and taking a group to the Nebraska State Fair and Husker Harvest Days. These activities and others help FFA with the goal of providing students for the opportunity of premier leadership, personal growth and career success. How did we accomplish these goals this year? For premier leadership , the officer team of ; President - Alyson Holt, Vice President - Megan Ernest, Secretary -...
Greetings! My name is Chaney Peterson and I will be serving your community as the Sidney Junior High and High School Agricultural Educator and FFA Advisor. I am honored to help establish this incredible organization and program in Sidney. I know many have been anxiously waiting for this opportunity and I have no doubt this establishment will continue to benefit and grow this community for years to come. FFA and Ag Education are near and dear to my heart. I have seen first-hand how The National...
INDIANAPOLIS – This spring, the National FFA Organization introduced a new online network to connect former FFA members and its supporters. The FFA Forever Blue Network, is a professional and personal development platform that allows former FFA members and supporters of FFA to find ways to volunteer, serve as a mentor, post-career opportunities and much more. It enables users to network and share with one another ways in how to connect with local chapters as well as help each other out. Now, the network is celebrating the newest FFA alumni m...
Here in Nebraska, June is both Renewable Fuels Month and Dairy Month, so it’s a fitting time to talk about how we’re working to get Nebraska agriculture growing. 2020 has been another challenging year for our state’s largest industry. The coronavirus pandemic has impacted commodity prices and caused significant changes to the nation’s food supply chain. Through it all, our farmers, ranchers, and food processor workers have delivered the food our nation and the world need. Over the years,...
The Nebraska Wheat Board (NWB) would like to congratulate Marla Prusa for being selected as this year’s recipient of the Home Baking Association’s (HBA) Educator Award. Each year the HBA requests teachers, community leaders and youth leader organizations to submit their baking lessons, community service programs or adult/teen leader skill training lesson plans. The winner receives a cash prize of $1,000 and an all-expense paid trip for two to HBA’s Annual Meeting to present a summary of their award winning project. Marla was selected as this...
Here is the weekly crop of Master Gardener tips from Nebraska Extension in the Panhandle. These tips are relevant to local lawn and garden issues in the High Plains and follow research-based recommendations. This week’s tips come from Vicki Schmitt, Nebraska Extension Master Gardener Volunteer, and each focuses on the roles that trees can play in home landscapes. Using a rain barrel to water plants: Surprise! The old-fashioned rain barrel is making a comeback. Catching water from your roof allows you to store it for later use. Even ½ inch of...
It may appear to be like a toy, but the power found in ATVs (all terrain vehicles) can quickly turn deadly when they are misused. In 2016, the Nebraska department of Health & Human Services documented 578 hospital emergency room visits due to ATV incidents. Nationally, between 1982 and 2016, 44% of child fatalities related to ATV incidents were children age 12 and under. “Education for awareness of safe behaviors related to ATV use is lifesaving for all ages,” Susan Harris, University of Nebraska Extension Educator – Rural Health, Wellness and...
This is the time of year when farmers and ranchers are receiving the valuations on their parcels of agricultural and horticultural lands. While most of these valuations have been fair and accurate, some have not been. This week I received numerous phone calls from agricultural landowners all across the state complaining about how their valuations rose astronomically this year. Worse yet, these landowners reported to me how the rise in their valuation was due to LB372, a bill I introduced in 2019...
My cowboy had some horses consigned at a sale in Laramie recently. We always arrive the day beforehand to get stalls set up, horses put away, chores done and marketing material out. Driving long distances is always an adventure anymore with 4 cowpokes in the vehicle. My cowboy took one of the cowpokes and the 8 horses in one rig and I took three cowpokes in my vehicle. Although the littlest poke is by far the easiest he still has some needs that require mom’s attention including his meal planning. He naps well, but the drive while the t...
The South Platte Natural Resources District (SPNRD) recently added a new No-Till Grass Drill to its lineup of equipment available for rent! The SPNRD has made equipment for conservation management available to District Residents for several different types of habitat improvement for years. Each piece of equipment assists District Residents to improve their own little piece of heaven out here in the Nebraska Panhandle. Some improvements are decisions made solely by the landowner/tenant and...
A growing concern across the country is the development of herbicide resistance in weed species to glyphosphate herbicide more commonly referred to as Roundup. This herbicide has grown in popularity in crop production since it first came on the market years ago. With advanced technology we now have crops such as soybeans, corn, sugar beets, and alfalfa which tolerate the herbicide. These genetically modified crops can be planted and the glyphosphate herbicide applied on them to control weeds in the crop. The widespread use of glyphosphate...
I’ve been looking through past articles I’ve written to select articles I think were important as we move forward in agricultural production. My time writing “No-till Notes” is winding down so I’m trying to select articles of importance. The original version of this article was written nearly 5 years ago and I think it carries a lot of weight today. As we strive to improve the health of our soils we work with, we are banking on these healthier soils producing more per acre. These healthier soils will also become more water efficient allowing...
I have been discussing in the past several articles important tips for continuous no-till crop production on dry land and irrigated acres. Managing residues begins at harvest with even distribution of the residues at harvest. I’m a big fan of stripper heads in harvesting small grains like winter wheat. The stripper head leaves the residues in place and attached to the soil surface. The entire plant is left undisturbed for maximum residue height. You’re not cutting the residue in half and expecting the combine to handle and distribute the res...
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...
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 you 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...
Wheat farmers in Nebraska should be prepared to scout their fields for rust diseases, which have already been reported in several states to the south and are likely to spread northward. Wheat in Nebraska is affected by three primary rust diseases – stem, leaf, and stripe rust. All share some fundamental characteristics, including being favored by wet, humid conditions. They also normally arrive in Nebraska from the south on wind currents that move up through the Great Plains in the spring. Therefore we can use reports on the status of rust d...
My time writing no till notes will be coming to an end in the near future, so I’m sharing with you some of what I consider to be the most important aspects of no till crop production in our area. The Panhandle No Till Partnership will continue to provide no till educational events around the Panhandle including field days and winter conferences. Tip number 1 for me is choosing the proper crop rotation. I feel this decision is the most important decision you will make on your farm. The crop rotation you choose will directly affect your bottom l...
I had the great pleasure of meeting and visiting with Dr. Kofi Boa at this year’s No-till On the Plains winter conference. Dr. Boa has undertaken an incredibly difficult and rewarding task in his homeland of Ghana, Africa. Dr. Boa is building soil health to stimulate economic growth in an impoverished nation. He is building wealth in Africa two acres at a time. I’d like to share his inspiring story with you. Dr. Boa was a young child when his mother returned to their home in tears. His mother farmed a two acre farm and her crop of cocoa had...
