Coming Events
Jan. 23, 2014 – 9:00 a.m. Land Application Training, Extension Office, York
Jan. 23, 2014 – Private Pesticide Training, Heartland Community School, Henderson, 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 24, 2014 – Private Pesticide Training, York 4-H Building, 9:00 a.m.
Jan. 24, 2014 – Private Pesticide Training, York 4-H Building, 1:30 p.m.
Jan. 28, 2014 – Cow/Calf College,US-MARC, Clay Center 9:30 a.m.; Register: Webster Ext. Office
Jan. 29, 2014 – Precision Ag Workshop, Fairgrounds, Clay Center, 8:00 a.m.
Jan. 30, 2014 – Precision Ag Workshop, 4-H Building, York, 8:00 a.m.
Feb. 3, 2014 – Private Pesticide Training, York 4-H Building, 6:30 p.m.
Feb. 7, 2014 – 1st Annual Nebraska Ag Water Management Network Conference, 9:00 a.m., York City Auditorium
Feb. 11, 2014 – Center Pivot Irrigation Conference, Fairgrounds, Clay Center, 9:00 a.m.
Feb. 11, 2014 – Master Gardner Connect Session, Integrated Pest Management Options in Landscapes – Wayne Ohnesorg, 6:30 p.m., Extension Office York Info at: http://york.unl.edu/water-environment
March 13, 2014 – Private Pesticide Training, York 4-H Building, 1:30 p.m.
March 21, 2014 – Chemigation Training, York 4-H Building, 1:00 p.m.
Private Pesticide Training Sessions Planned
It’s going to be a busy week with trainings this week. I’m doing them Thursday evening in Henderson and Friday morning and afternoon in York. This training is for recertification as well as initial for those producers that want to purchase and apply restricted use products. I have other meetings planned for February and March if you can’t make the ones I’m having this week. Let me know if you have any questions.
Precision Ag Workshop
I’ve picked up several registrations this past week for our Precision Ag Workshop planned for January 30 here in York. We also have one planned for January 29 in Clay Center. Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. with the program from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This program is for anyone interested in precision ag and cost is $45 for the first person in an operation or $10 to cover lunch if the second person in an operation is willing to share a computer. Computers, software, and data will be provided, but you are welcome to bring your own yield monitor data card to work on if you wish.
Our goal is to have the participants learn: best management practices to improve data quality and collection, how to use YieldEditor software to clean data, creating yield maps, how to interpret differences between raw and clean data, and quantifying yield within zones. Please register for the January 30 session at the York Extension Office at 402-362-5508 or gary.zoubek@unl.edu or for the January 29 session at the Clay County Extension at 402-762-3644 or jrees2@unl.edu. We’re limited to 20 individuals per location. Give me a call if you have any questions or need more information. Hopefully we’ll have a full house at both locations!
Featured Website of the Week UNL Beef
The UNL Beef website address is: http://beef.unl.edu/.
Nebraska historically has been known as the Beef State. Beef production is foundational to the agricultural economy of Nebraska.
The Beef website focuses on providing research based information and resources to beef producers to help them provide an economical, safe, quality product to consumers while protecting and preserving Nebraska’s vast natural resources.
The site is organized to allow you to find information specific to your area of interest. The unbiased, research-based information is designed to provide you with the knowledge you need to make informed decisions related to beef production.
The following are facts about beef production in Nebraska and the role it plays in our economy that I found on the website:
- $12.1 billion impact to Nebraska’s Economy
- 20,000 beef cow operations
- 1.88 million head of beef cows
- The average herd size is 94 head
- 4,570 cattle feeding operations statewide
- 5.1 million cattle fed and marketed per year
- On average, there are 2.3 million head of cattle on feed
The links along the top of the beef website include: Home; Cattle Production; Learning Modules, Apps and Webinars; Reports and Proceedings; UNL BeefWatch Newsletter; and Find a Faculty Expert. When you click on these links you’ll have access to much more additional information.
The Cattle Production link subtopics include: Cow-calf, Bull and Heifer Nutrition and Management; Breeding, Genetics and Reproduction; Backgrounding, Yearling and Feedlot Nutrition and Management; Forages, Pasture, and Range Management; By-Product Feeds; Beef Forage Crops Systems; Herd Health; Beef Products and Quality Assurance; Marketing and Livestock Budgets; and Drought.
The Learning modules, apps and webinars link includes several apps and links to many webinars or a wide variety of beef topics. Some of the apps include:
NUBeef-BCS App
NU Beef Anatomy App
Market Journal App
Corn Stalk Grazing Calculator
The webpage also has links to the latest beef reports and the monthly beef newsletter. The January Beef Newsletter issue topics include:
UNL Extension talks Agriculture through Social Media Outlets
Make Disaster Preparedness a Priority for the New Year
Feeding Cows for Cold Weather
How Much Can I Afford to Pay for a Bred Female to Restock After the Drought?
Understanding the FDA’s December 11, 2013 announcement to remove “improve growth, gain, and efficiency†use of feed grade antibiotics.
Ranching for Profitability
Finally the last link is a find the expert link that let you search for various UNL faculty based on their area of expertise.
As you can see from the long list of topics, the beef website is a very valuable resource. If you’re involved in beef production or would like more information on the topic, I hope you’ll check it out!
Some of the other websites that I’ll be sharing information about in future columns include:
UNL Acreage Information: http://acreage.unl.edu/
UNL 4-H Information: http://4h.unl.edu/
UNL Extension in York County: http://york.unl.edu
UNL Extension Publications: http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/pages/index.jsp
1st Annual Nebraska Ag Water Management Network (NAWMN) Conference
Hopefully by now most of you all know what NAWMN stands for. It’s our Nebraska Ag Water Management Network which started in 2005 with a few participants and has grown to over 1,100, so we’re planning a one day conference to thank all of our producers and partners for your collaboration. We will hear research updates from Dr. Suat Irmak and have an innovation sharing time-so bring your ideas and inventions you’ve created whether it was how you hook up the sensors, a sensor puller, etc. There will be a State-wide NRD update, an update on the status of the Network, keynote speaker and an open session for discussing questions and concerns about the Network.
If you are currently involved in the NAWMN using watermark sensors and/or Etgages or are planning to in the future, you’re welcome to attend! That date is February 7 at the York City Auditorium here in York. Registration will begin at 9:00 a.m. with the program beginning at 9:25 a.m. and concluding at 3:00 p.m. There is no charge and lunch is being provided by Upper Big Blue NRD. If you’re planning to attend, please RSVP to Gary Zoubek at (402) 362-5508 or gary.zoubek@unl.edu. It should be a great event!
For the complete schedule, go to our webpage and click on the appropriate link: http://york.unl.edu/crops-future.
Wind Energy Conference
Are you interested in wind energy? A symposium is planned for Feb. 12 at the Quality Inn and Suites Sandhills Convention Center in North Platte. It will provide education and initiate a conversation on the appropriate siting of wind energy farms in Nebraska. It is being sponsored by the Sandhills Task Force, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, Nebraska Cattlemen, Nebraska Grazing Land Coalition and Western Nebraska Bank, “Siting of Wind Energy in Nebraskaâ€.
The one-day symposium will provide information in a balanced pro and con format, representing various viewpoints important to landowners, rural communities and Nebraska’s natural resources. The symposium is open to the public and will give an overview of wind energy development in Nebraska, implications of wind energy development for natural resources and implications of wind energy for people. Landowners, farmers and ranchers, community public policy and business leaders are encouraged to attend.
Presentations/topics include:
Balancing Economic Development and our Natural Resources
Wind Energy 101, which will cover equipment used and wind turbine installation considerations
Wind Energy Development Plans in Nebraska
Implications for Wildlife
Nebraska’s wildlife resource
Nebraska’s Mitigation Process for Wind Development
Panel discussion of landowner and local community perspectives
Registration is $15 by Feb. 2.  After Feb. 2 through the day of the symposium, registration is $25. Walk-ins will be accepted. For more information or questions about the symposium, contact UNL Extension at 402-472-2966. To register, visit go.unl.edu/windenergyconference .
