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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WASHINGTON – Agricultural producers should make an appointment with their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office to complete crop acreage reports before the applicable deadline after planting is complete. July 15 is a major deadline for most crops, but acreage reporting deadlines vary by county and by crop. “By filing an accurate and timely acreage report for all crops and land uses, including failed acreage and prevented planted acreage, producers can avoid the loss of important safety net, disaster assistance, conservation and crop insurance...
LINCOLN, – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that agricultural producers and private landowners can now sign up for the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (Grassland CRP). The signup runs through June 28, 2024. Grassland CRP, offered by USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA), is a voluntary working lands conservation program that enables participants to conserve grasslands and provides important conservation benefits for wildlife, soil health and carbon sequestration, all w...
On June 20, 2024 at 11 am, the second in a series of webinars presented by the Nebraska Women in Agriculture program will feature speakers from the 2024 Nebraska Women in Agriculture Conference, with Samantha Smith, Program Administrator with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture. The beginning farmer tax credit (NextGen) is a program offered to producers in the state who rent an agricultural asset to an eligible beginning farmer/rancher. The farm mediation program (Negotiations) is certified under USDA FSA and grants us the ability to...
Lincoln, Nebraska, Through the Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP), USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will cover up to 75% of organic certification costs at a maximum of $750 per certification category. FSA is now accepting applications, and organic producers and handlers should apply for OCCSP by the Oct. 31, 2024, deadline for eligible expenses incurred from Oct. 1, 2023, to Sept. 30, 2024. FSA will issue payments as applications are received and approved. “Costs associated with obtaining organic certification can be a bar...
In parts of the High Plains region, recent developing dry conditions are starting to raise concerns that we may see reduced forage production from pasture and rangelands as we move on into the rest of the spring and summer. The www.weather.gov/gid/NebraskaPrecipitation map shows many parts of the Sandhills and Panhandle regions receiving below-average precipitation for the last 30 days. This time frame is critical for precipitation that drives cool-season forage production on rangeland and...
The Gordon Livestock Market will host a Nebraska Women in Agriculture event on Saturday, June 22. The program, hosted in partnership with Nebraska Extension's Women in Agriculture, will be held at Gordon Livestock Market in Gordon, Neb. The event kicks off with check-in at 8 a.m., followed by breakfast from 9 - 10 a.m. Lunch and dinner are provided and vendors will be on hand and available throughout the event. Speakers include Kurt Sexton of Farm Credit and Jenn Stomprud of Stomprud Ranch....
LINCOLN, Nebraska, June 3, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that agricultural producers and private landowners can now sign up for the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (Grassland CRP). The signup runs from today through June 28, 2024. Grassland CRP, offered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), is a voluntary working lands conservation program that enables participants to conserve grasslands and provides important conservation benefits for wildlife, soil health and carbon sequestration, all while continuing mos...
LINCOLN, Neb. - The Nebraska Women in Agriculture program, along with the Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance Program, will host the fourth annual Herd That! Conference on June 10-11, in North Platte. The event will be held at the West Central Research, Extension and Education Center, 402 W. State Farm Road. "We are thrilled to be bringing back the Herd That! Conference for women who raise livestock or work in the livestock sector," said Jessica Groskopf, director of Nebraska Women in Agriculture....
Karen DeBoer, long-time Extension Educator for Cheyenne County will be retiring after more than three decades. Rob Eirich, Extension Educator and Engagement Zone Coordinator said of the retirement, “We will miss her. We appreciate all the time and effort she’s given us.” DeBoer has dedicated much of her life to the field of Agriculture Education, having once said, “The focus of my work is to promote economic, environmental and social well-being for farmers, Ag professionals and the general public.” She has truly fulfilled that goal and given...
SPNRD - The Subdistrict 4 director vacancy and the proposed amendments to the Districtwide Ground Water Management Area Rules and Regulations were main topics at the South Platte Natural Resources District Board of Directors (Board) meeting on May 14, 2024. The Board filled the vacancy left by former Director Marc Sprenger who relocated outside of Subdistrict 4 boundaries. Following an interview, written ballots, and voting, the board appointed David Kucera. Kucera is Regional Manager for...
Leyton Public Schools 3rd and 4th grade classes were treated to a special "field" day promoting pollination, sponsored by the local Pheasants Forever High Plains Chapter #278. As part of the Pollination Program, biologists from the Panhandle were brought in to visit with students about the vital importance of pollinators not only to wildlife habitats but to our own lives as well. The PF Chapter then gifted students with orange t-shirts that read, "Pollinator Habitat Protect Pheasants Forever,"...
By Chabella Guzman, UNL PREEC communications The first installment of a planned 2024 Nebraska Soil Health School series was held on April 24 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln High Plains Ag Lab in Sidney, Neb. The event addressed the semi-arid Panhandle climate and potential management practices for soil health and had over 60 attendees. Water is the most limiting factor for growing almost anything in the Panhandle of Nebraska, from crops to cover crops. The latter is a popular topic in...
In April, students in several area communities experienced "AgSplosion," the fourth annual ag literacy event that traveled across western Nebraska. Nebraska Extension staff from the Panhandle come together to put on six day-long events designed to engage youth in interactive sessions highlighting Nebraska's number one industry, agriculture. The AgSplosion event engages youth in hands-on activities to learn about Nebraska commodities ranging from dry edible beans to beef cattle and ag...
Lincoln, Neb., May 6, 2024 — The latest trends in 2024 Nebraska cash rental rates and land values will be covered during the next Land Management Quarterly webinar, hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Center for Agricultural Profitability, at noon on May 20. Offered since 2019, the quarterly webinars address common management issues for Nebraska landowners, agricultural operators and related stakeholders interested in the latest insight on real estate trends, managing farm land and solutions for addressing challenges in the upc...
LINCOLN, Neb. – Nebraska corn farmers will plant 9.85 million acres of corn in 2024 according to the March Prospective Plantings report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). If these planting estimates hold up, Nebraska corn farmers will invest nearly 3.1 billion dollars into the state’s economy over a two-month period as calculated by the University of Nebraska - Lincoln’s crop budgets. This total is a result of inputs, such as seed, fuel and fertilizer, but does not include land costs, labor or equipment. Despite the seemi...
By Nicole Heldt, Research Project Coordinator Maharjan Soils Lab, UNL PREEC Inspired by an extension event survey comment, Dr. Bijesh Maharjan, Associate Professor & Extension Specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhandle Research, Extension, and Education Center, conceptualized the soil health cycle (SHC) as an iterative soil health management cycle to achieve agricultural sustainability. “The term 'Soil Health Cycle' was shared by a participant during the 2023 Nebraska Soil Health School event at UNL Haskell Ag Lab in Concord, N...
by Aaron Young Survey geologist with the Conservation and Survey Division UNL Groundwater levels in much of Nebraska continue to decline after several years of prolonged drought, according to the most recent statewide groundwater level report from the Conservation and Survey Division in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's School of Natural Resources. Of the 4,822 wells measured statewide, 85% exhibited declines from spring 2022 to spring 2023. Groundwater level changes in Nebraska are i...
The Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) reports that H5N1 avian influenza (bird flu) "is widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in poultry and US dairy cows with one recent human case in a US dairy worker." Migratory waterfowl promote transmission of avian influenza (AI). Spring's moist, cool days provide an ideal environment for AI to spread through puddles and ponds. Commercial poultry firms generally work with their veterinarian to monitor AI conditions....
The annual Nebraska Tractor and Equipment safety certification course with hands-on safety will be held in June at Gordon and Gering. The courses are hosted by Nebraska Extension and Central States Center for Agricultural Safety and Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Public Health. The two-day certification includes a Hands-On Safety Day with a written test and Tractor and Equipment Safety Training with a driving exam. Successful completion of Certification Days 1...
SIDNEY, Neb. - Western Nebraska Community College is thrilled to announce the launch of its expanded Commercial Driver's License (CDL) program in Sidney, beginning in Fall 2024. This expansion, made possible through a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, helps address the growing demand for skilled commercial drivers in the region. The U.S. Department of Labor's community funding appropriations request, supported by Representative Adrian Smith (NE-3), will facilitate the expansion of the CDL program at WNCC and at Northeast Community...
Nebraska's net farm income is projected to fall to $6 billion in 2024 and average $6.3 billion per year across the next decade, according to a new report from the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF) at the University of Missouri, produced in conjunction with the Center for Agricultural Profitability at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. While U.S. farm income projections topped a 2021 record with a new record in 2022 before falling in 2023, Nebraska net farm income took a fall...
UNL, Lincoln - Project partners of the Fertilizer Recommendation Support Tool have launched the nationwide tool FRST, a decision-aid that provides an unbiased, science-based interpretation of soil test phosphorus and potassium values for crop fertilization. The FRST project is a collaboration of over 100 soil science and agronomic professionals representing nearly 50 universities, four divisions of the USDA, several not-for-profit organizations and one private sector partner. This diverse partnership underscores the collective effort and...
Over 7,000 FFA members, advisors, and guests attended and participated in the 96th Nebraska FFA Convention, held April 3-5 in Lincoln. Students competed in various contests all school year to qualify for the state convention. Those winning their Leadership Development Events, Career Development Events, and Agriscience Fair projects will go onto compete at the National FFA Convention against other states in their respective areas. Proficiency Area winners will also be judged at the national...
The Nebraska Farmers Union (NeFU) Board of Directors announced they voted to support an historic “Community Benefits Agreement” between Bold Nebraska and Trailblazer CO2 Pipeline, LLC. NeFU’s grassroots driven state policy on pipelines focuses on the fair and transparent treatment of landowners, first responders, and rural communities by pipeline companies, while not taking a position on carbon pipelines. The signing of the Community Benefits Agreement does not change NeFU’s neutral position on carbon pipelines. “NeFU’s Board of Directors a...
The public hearing on the amendments to the Districtwide Ground Water Management Area Rules and Regulations will be held Monday, May 13, 2024, at 5:00 p.m., at the SPNRD Office, 551 Parkland Drive, Sidney, Nebraska. Prior to the hearing, an information session will begin at 3:30 p.m. "The final draft has been submitted for review and comment to the proper state agencies which includes the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy, and the Nebraska...
