Coming Events
- Nov. 26 – Extension Board Meeting, 7:00 p.m., Extension Office, York
Cropping Update
It’s hard to believe that it’s Thanksgiving week and it’s almost December!  Congratulations to Ron Makovicka and the York County Corn Growers; you had a great banquet last Thursday! I’d sure encourage all area producers that grow corn to consider joining the York County Corn Growers which also makes you members of both the state and the national organizations which are working for you the producer.
Speaking of the Nebraska Corn Growers, this year’s annual corn grower meeting will be held the evening of December 11 and 12 in Grand Island at the Midtown Holiday Inn during the Nebraska Ag Classic. The Nebraska Ag Classic represents the combined efforts of twelve different agricultural, commodity, and ag leadership organizations to provide to those attending our conference one of the largest and best events to be held in Nebraska.
From looking at the program, it looks like they have a dynamic set of speakers and a trade show planned for this year. The sessions will bring you up to date on subjects such as urban/rural connections, the new farm bill, water issues and marketing information. Registration and program details can be found at: http://www.neagclassic.org/program.html. I hope you’ll consider attending as well as joining the York County Corn Grower Association. We’re currently working on a new York County Corn Grower Website, but to learn more about or join the Nebraska/York County Corn Grower go to:  http://www.necga.org/
Not much rain this week, but I did go out and check the two Watermark sensors that I installed in a rainfed corn field last Friday and even after the rain we received a week ago, they were reading between 150-160 at the one and two foot depths and I don’t think they were yet stabilized, so the rain didn’t come close to filling the profile. Hopefully we’ll get a little more rain before the soil freezes for this winter.
Lawn and Garden Update
Last week I mentioned that our office will again be offering Master Gardener Training Sessions that will also be open the public and interested gardeners.
Topics will include:
February 12 – Native/Adapted Plants — Trees, Shrubs and Herbaceous Perennials – Presented by Steve Rodie UNL Assoc. Professor & Kim Todd UNL Assoc. Professor and Extension Landscape Specialist
February 19- Drought Recovery & Water-wise Practices in Lawns and Trees – Presented by John Fech, UNL Douglas County Extension Educator & Laurie Stepanek, Nebraska Forest Service
February 26 – Soils and Soil Management – Soil properties and their characteristics greatly influence the success of plant growth and vigor in the landscape. Participants will learn about the characteristics of soil properties, textures, water retention, and nutrient binding to better understand how to prepare and amend soil for optimum plant material growth – Presented by Brad Jakubowski, Environmental and Earth Sciences adjunct faculty, Doane College
March 5 – Lawn Diseases and Insect Management – Presented by Amy Timmerman, Holt County UNL Extension Educator & Jim Kalisch, UNL Extension Educator, Entomology
March 12 – Container Gardening & Nebraska Extension Master Gardener Orientation – Presented by Terri James, Extension Assist. UNL Dept. of Agronomy & Horticulture
March 19 – Household Insects & Bedbugs – Presented by Barb Ogg, Lancaster County UNL Extension Educator
Registration information for these sessions are posted on our website at: http://york.unl.edu/water-environment.
2013 Master Conservationist Nominations
I’d like to remind area residents that the 2013 Master Conservationist recognition program is currently seeking nominations. Winners will be selected from each of the three established categories: agriculture, community and youth.
1)Â Â Â Â Â Production agriculture includes individual producers, partnerships, and family farm or ranch corporations.
2)Â Â Â Â Â The community category is for groups, individual agencies or businesses that have carried out a water and/or soil conservation program for a minimum of two years.
3)Â Â Â Â Â The youth category seeks to recognize any individual or group of individuals 19 years of age or younger for their conservation efforts.
Information about the Master Conservationist program is available at local Natural Resources District and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service offices and application information  can also be found online by visiting www.owh.com and clicking on “In the Community†link. Entries are due February 1, 2013. Think about nominating someone that you know is doing a great job with conservation efforts! The Master Conservationist program is sponsored by the Omaha World-Herald and IANR at UNL.
