Coming Events
- May 20 – Extension Board Meeting, 8:00 p.m., Extension Office, York
Cropping Update
Our soil temperatures have averaged about 12° F less than last year and about 5° F lower than the long term average since 1996. This information is posted on our CropWatch webpage http://cropwatch.unl.edu. Hopefully the cold temperatures and storms are now past and we’ll get back to normal conditions and finally get the crops planted in the next few weeks.
It’s sure been a mixed bag planting-wise so far this season. I’ve talked to producers that are nearly done with corn while I’ve also talked to several that haven’t planted any or just barely have begun. This weather has also created a lot of discussion and several stories on our CropWatch pages. I hope you’ll take time to check them out.
Just a reminder, it’s not too late to get involved with our On-Farm Research efforts. If you’re comparing a single product or a treat to your normal practice all you need to do is do two strips of the treatment and then two strips of the check and repeat the process three more times, we’ll have a plot designed to get an adequate number of reps to get great statistics on your study. If you have any questions or have a possible idea for a study, give me a call at 402-326-8185. We’d really like to work with you.
Tractor Safety Training Planned
School will be out soon and those interested in attending Tractor Safety Training will have the opportunity to do so June 10 & 11 on the Fairgrounds in Osceola or June 17 & 18 at College Park in Grand Island. Five other sessions across the state will also be held between May 23 and June 14.
Any youth 14 or 15-year-old who plans to work on a farm other than their parent should plan to attend. Federal law prohibits youth under 16 years of age from working on a farm for anyone other than their parents. Attending and completing this course grant an exemption to the law allowing 14 and 15-year-olds to drive a tractor and to do field work with mechanized equipment. The most common cause of death in agriculture accidents in Nebraska is overturn from tractors and ATVs and overturn prevention is featured in the class work.
A key component of this course is to instill an attitude of “safety firstâ€. It’s important that youth learn respect for agricultural jobs and the tools involved. The first day of the class will consist of classroom instruction with hands-on demonstrations, concluding with a written test that must be completed satisfactorily before students may continue the driving tests the next day. Homework will be assigned to turn in the next day.
The cost of the training is $60.00. For more information or to register, contact the Polk Extension Office at 402-747-2321 or the Hall Extension Office at 308-385-5088.
LEAD Applicants Needed
It is hard to believe that the Nebraska LEAD (Leadership Education/Action Development) Program is seeking applicants for its 33rd class that will be starting this fall. Applications are due June 15, 2013.
The purpose of LEAD is to accelerate leadership development and improve leadership skills and abilities of Nebraska’s future agricultural leaders. In addition, to increase the participants knowledge of state, national, and international affairs and prepare problem-solvers, decision makers and spokespersons for the agriculture industry.
They are currently recruiting up to 30 highly motivated men and women with demonstrated leadership potential. The program will include twelve three-day, theme-driven seminars conducted monthly from mid-September through early April. Over the two years, participants will visit almost every public and private college and university in Nebraska. The first year, the focus is on local, state, and national issues, with a ten-day national study/travel seminar in February. The second-year focus is on the international community and includes a 14-16 day international study/travel seminar.
I hope we’ll have several participants from this area. For more information or to request an application, go to www.lead.unl.edu.
Yard and Garden Update
Have you applied your crabgrass control products yet?  If not, the next couple of weeks are probably a good time to get it done! Since we’ve had much colder than normal temperatures this past month, we’re definitely not too late.
It’s been about a month since I planted a few of my garden crops, but they’ve not progressed much. The potatoes are barely poking thru as is the lettuce, radishes, spinach and peas. The cole crops I covered with plastic milk jugs survived the cold temperatures, but those that were not covered did not make it.
Are you new to the area or gardening? If so, a few years ago I compiled a list of suggested planting dates for vegetables in our area. It can be found at: http://york.unl.edu/water-environment. Another great site for all your horticulture questions is: http://environment.unl.edu/. I hope you’ll take time to check it out.
