Extension Update by Gary Zoubeck [March 14, 2013]

Coming Events

• March 13 – UNL Crop Scout Training for Pest Mgr., 9:00 a.m., ARDC near Mead, http://ardc.unl.edu/cmwp.shtml
• March 14 – Farmers & Ranch College -Keeping Your Farm in the Family for the Next Generation, 6:00 p.m., Evening With Friends Restaurant, Milligan
• March 16 – Faller Landscape Gardening Seminar, 10:00 a.m., “Making the Most out of Your Vegetable Garden” – Elizabeth Killinger, Extension Educator from Hall County.  Call 362-2714 to reserve your spot.
• March 19 – Master Gardening Connect Session, 6:30 p.m., Extension Office, York
• March 22 – Ag After Hours, 5:00 -7:00 p.m., Cornerstone Ag Event Center, York
• March 27 – Farm Estate and Transition Planning Workshop, 9:00 to 3:30 p.m., York Country Club.  Info at: http://york.unl.edu/web/york/crops-future, or call 402-362-5508 or email gary.zoubek@unl.edu to register.

Nebraska Weather
Boy, this weekend’s weather reminded me that things can change rapidly.  Friday evening and Saturday I was really thinking spring and then things changed Saturday evening and on Sunday!  What a difference a day can make.  We did receive about .6-.7” of moisture, and that is sure welcome.  We just need it to continue for several more months!

Still Time to Dormant Seed Your Lawn?
Last week I mentioned that if you have areas of turf that did not green up, it’s most likely dead and will not recover.  I also mention that I received a “Turf Info” update from Zac Reicher, UNL Turfgrass Specialist, and he indicates that it’s not too late to dormant seed your turf.  He indicated that seeding early will enable the seed to absorb water and then start the germination process as soon as soil temperatures warm.

So that’s exactly what I did with some turf areas up by our office last Friday.  I checked the soil conditions and the surface was relatively dry, and they were calling for rain and snow over the weekend, so  I picked up some recommended varieties of tall fescue seed and power-overseeded the area after work on Friday.  I’m glad I did it then, if I would have waited to Saturday morning I would not have been able to get it done!  We received, some rain that evening followed by some snow, so I’ll keep you posted and see how it turns out?  Hopefully between the .6-7” of moisture in the form of rain and the snow, we’ll have good seed to soil contact.

For more info about seeding rates, fertilization, as well as weed control, check out Zac’s complete article at:  http://turf.unl.edu.

CropWatch Website
If you grow crops in Nebraska, I would hope that as you continue to make plans and gear up for another crop season, you will plan to visit the CropWatch Website at http://cropwatch.unl.edu on a regular basis and have it bookmarked in your favorites.  It is a one-stop resource for UNL Extension crop production and pest management information and events.

If you’re like me and often forget to check out your favorite sites, CropWatch offers a subscription service that sends emails listing and linking to new stories each week throughout the production season.  It’s a great way to stay up-to-date with timely articles and it only takes 10 seconds to subscribe.  A link on the red horizontal bar across the top of the CropWatch page just right of home offers a quick on-line subscription link!  Or go to: http://cropwatch.unl.edu/web/cropwatch/cwsubscribe.

Nebraska On-Farm Research
I and several Extension Educators in this area have been involved with On-Farm Research for several years with our Quad County Group.  It’s been some of the best Extension Educational Programs that I’ve been involved with.  For example our soybean population studies the results of which have shown that in many cases producers can reduce planting populations with no effect on yields.  Our results can be found on the CropWatch website at: http://cropwatch.unl.edu/web/farmresearch/soyproductionstudies.

Have you read articles or attended meetings about various products and practices?  The question should be, “Will that work on my farm?”  Conducting on-farm research is a great way to find the answers to that question!  UNL Extension has partnered with the Nebraska Corn Board and Nebraska Corn Growers Association in advancing the on-farm research effort in Nebraska.  We’ve combined the Quad County On-Farm Research Group with the Nebraska Soybean Field Grain Profitability Project into one Nebraska On-Farm Research effort.

This past year, we have expanded our reach to include all crops and growers in Nebraska, so if you have a production question you’d like answered, we can help.  For more information about our effort, visit our webpage at http://cropwatch.unl.edu/web/farmresearch/home.  This past season’s 33 on-farm comparison results are posted at the website I just mentioned.

It won’t be long and field work will be in full swing, so now’s the time to be thinking about production questions you may have on your farm and consider implementing an on-farm research study.   Give me a call at 402-362-5508 or email me at gary.zoubek@unl.edu or any of the other educators listed at this site: http://ardc.unl.edu/onfarmcontact.shtml.

As you know, on-farm research provides the opportunity to generate new discovery or to validate production input or management questions.  We’ll show you how to use the power of statistics and experimental design using your own equipment in field length strips to determine if differences in treatments are due to inherent field variability or because of the treatment effect.  With yield monitors this effort is made much easier, but it must be done correctly or it’s just a page of useless numbers.  Proper design is key!

My goal is to have at least 15 to 20 producers from this area involved this year, so please consider it and give me a call or stop by our office if you have an idea or product you’d like to evaluate!  I also need help in recruiting additional cooperators; please share this info with producers that you think might be interested.

Planning for the Future – Farm Estate and Transition Planning Workshop
This will be my last reminder for the March 27 “Planning for the Future” workshop to be held here in York at the York Country Club from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  Topics to be discussed include: determining goals, family dynamics and expectation in a business setting, financial viability, the transfer process, estate and gift tax, inheritance tax, efficient methods of transfer, probate, wills, trusts, titling, basis, long-term care, Medicaid, powers of attorney, and use of entities.

For more information, check out our webpage:  http://york.unl.edu/web/york/crops-future.  Then click on the Planning for the Future link.  There is no cost to attend thanks to several local sponsors who are sponsoring the breaks and noon meal.

So please register as soon as possible by emailing me at gary.zoubek@unl.edu or call at 402-362-5508 or contact the Rural Response Hotline at 1-800-464-0258.  Currently we have 65 registered for the workshop.

Agri-Business After Hours Planned
I’d like to encourage all people in the area who are interested in agriculture to plan to attend the annual Agri-Business After Hours planned for Friday March 22 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the Cornerstone Ag Event Center on the Fairgrounds.  At this event, we’ll honor someone for their contributions to agriculture as well as give a way some great prizes.  The proceeds from the raffle goes towards scholarships for youth interested in agriculture, and this year we’ll be providing six or seven $500 scholarships to area youth!  You can check out all the sponsors and details at: http://york.unl.edu/web/york/crops-future.  Just click on the appropriate link!

Start the Season Clean to Avoid Herbicide Injury
As I just finished up with my pesticide safety education classes this week, I read an interesting article about cleaning those sprayers to avoid herbicide injury.  This producer was observing injury even though the spray had been cleaned by the book.  After doing a little investigation he found that “clean” spray was not clean enough.  When finished spraying, it’s important to check the label for cleaning instructions and information about sensitive crops.  Page 50 of our “2013 Guide for Weed Management” has excellent information about this topic as well as recommended cleaning agents for selected herbicides.

The “2013 Guide for Weed Management” is an excellent publication that’s available for purchase from our office or it’s free on line at:  http://cropwatch.unl.edu/web/weed/home.  If you grow crops, I would hope that each year you purchase and utilize this publication.  Beside information about herbicides, weeds and their control, it includes information about fungicides as well as insecticides and much more.

Beef E-newsletter “BeefWatch”
If you are interested in cattle production, the UNL Beef Spire Team has a new Beef e-newsletter that will be published monthly. Here is the link to UNL BeefWatch:  http://newsroom.unl.edu/announce/beef.  At this site you will be able to subscribe to UNL BeefWatch.  I’m not sure the subscription link is working, but it will be shortly, so if you’re interested in the latest beef information, check it out!