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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OGALLALA-- During the June 11 Quarterly Committee meeting for the Nebraska Brand Committee, after the review of annual financials, it was determined that the brand inspection charge will be raised from the current $.85 per head back to $1.00 per head. In the 2021 session Nebraska Legislature imposed a 2-year reduction of fees to assist in depleting the Brand Committee’s cash reserve account that had grown due to efficiencies gained with the implementation of the electronic brand inspection program and other advances and improvements. Those e...
LINCOLN – The Nebraska Department of Agriculture's (NDA) Poultry Photo Contest is currently accepting entries from poultry-raising 4-H and FFA members. Current 4-H and FFA members can submit up to four photos that they have taken during the year to be featured in NDA's 2025 poultry calendar. Official contest rules and entry forms are available at nda.nebraska.gov/animal/avian/. Entries must be submitted online at https://tinyurl.com/NDAPhotoContest by the July 15 deadline. "Caring for poultry i...
As we roll into mid-summer, many farmers are looking for opportunities to do some forward contracting for fall. This has led some farmers to ask, “What is a ‘good’ price for 2024 corn?” When asking yourself this question, recognize that “good” is a relative term. A good price for one farmer may not be a good price for another. First, determine what you are comparing the price against. Once you have determined your measuring stick, we can assess the viability of a price. Here are a few comparisons you might want to make as you consider pr...
For the fifth consecutive year, the average all-land value of agricultural land in Nebraska increased, reaching $4,015 per acre in the 12-month period ending Feb. 1, 2024, according to the final report from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s 2023-2024 Farm Real Estate Market Survey. This marks a 5% increase over the prior year and is the highest non-inflation-adjusted statewide land value in the history of the survey. Based on 2024 market values, Nebraska's estimated total value of agricultural land and buildings rose to approximately $17...
Two recent projects at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhandle Research Extension and Education Center in Scottsbluff involved growing peppermint and spearmint, doing it well, and saving money and greenhouse gasses. "Way back in 2017, there was a farmer, a native of Nebraska, who had been living in Idaho and been involved in mint production. When he came back, he wanted to start growing mint. He contacted me on everything mint. I had no idea, so I started doing research," said Dipak Santra,...
Tractors are part of rural life. They are agricultural equipment that can be spotted in fields, dirt roads, and highways. Typically driven by adults, farm families often hire their teenage children or their neighbors' teens to help with planting, harvesting, and other work. Each Spring across Nebraska, Tractor and Equipment Safety courses are held for 14-and 15-year-olds looking to be employed on farms and ranches. "The purpose of the tractor safety course is for kids (14 and 15-year-olds), if...
Lincoln, Nebraska, June 18, 2024 – Agricultural producers in Nebraska should make an appointment with their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office as soon as possible to complete crop acreage reports before the applicable deadline after planting is complete. The acreage reporting date for spring planted crops, perennial forage such as pastures and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres is July 15, 2024. “Many USDA programs require producers to file an accurate crop acreage report by the applicable deadline in order to receive program ben...
Over the past several weeks, severe storms have damaged crops in the North Platte Valley and the Panhandle with heavy rainfall, hail, high winds, and low-land flooding. The National Weather Service reported a confirmed EF-1 tornado on Thursday, June 20, which damaged homes, crops, and pivots along a two-mile path between Morrill and Mitchell, Neb. Hailstorms in the southern Panhandle have damaged the winter wheat crop. Heavy rainfall also flooded fields and county roads. "High winds and a confirmed tornado have turned over pivots, damaged...
Lincoln, Neb. -Rural Prosperity Nebraska and the Heartland Regional Food Business Center, a multi-state organization focused on strengthening farm and food enterprises, are kicking off a summer-long series of market-ready webinars, beginning June 20. The MarketReady Advanced Topic Webinar Series will explore a range of topics, from insurance to packaging, aimed at aiding producers interested in expanding their businesses into retail, wholesale and restaurant markets. The free webinars will focus...
This year's Women in Agriculture conference will be held at the Elks Lodge #1894, located at 1040 Jackson Street in Sidney, NE. Registration Fee: • If registered by July 22: $35 • After July 22: $45 ***Walk-ins are welcome!! Agenda 8:30 am: Registration, Breakfast Buffet 9:00 am: Welcome 9:15 am: Backyard Ag by Jami Theone - Having over 20 years with NRCS as a conservationist as well as a being a beginning farmer, specialty crop grower, wife, and mom to 3 energetic boys I am thrilled to sha...
Are there certain advantages old wheat varieties have over newer wheat varieties that are commonly grown today? This was a question presented to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) High Plains Ag Lab (HPAL) specialists at a recent workshop. "It was a grower's question. They wanted to know the difference between old and new varieties. Some claim the old varieties have deeper roots and are more drought tolerant," said Milena Oliveria, UNL post-doctorate research associate. Wheat is sensitive...
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...
