Extension Update by Gary Zoubeck [May 8, 2014]

Coming Events

• May 8, 2014 — The 100th anniversary of the signing of the Smith-Lever Act
• May 14, 2014 – NRCS Local Work Group meeting, 10:00 a.m., Service Center, York
• May 27, 2014 – Extension Board Meeting, 8:00 p.m., Extension Office, York

Cropping Update
We’ve continued to make progress getting the crops into the ground.  Some of the first corn planted was coming up April 28!  It’s always difficult to guess how far along we are at relative to planting, but I’m guessing we’re on the downhill side of getting the corn in and really just getting started on the soybeans.

Our soil temperatures have not warmed up a lot this past week, but I’m guess that will change with the high temperatures in the seventies predicted for the next few days along with some eighties and nineties.  What I’d really would like is a slow gradual warm-up, but I guess we’ll take what we get!

The soil temperature are averaging a couple degrees below our long term normal, but they have climbed back up to slightly above 50° F the past couple of days.  Hopefully we’ll stay above that now for the rest of the season.

So, what soybean population do you plant?  One of our really great on-farm research studies has been soybean planting populations.  Since 2006, producers in the Nebraska On-Farm Research Network have conducted on-farm soybean seeding rate research.  The objective of these studies has been to determine if reducing seeding rates would maintain yields while reducing seed costs.

Planting rates of 90,000, 120,000, 150,000, and 180,000 seeds per acre were planted in 13 irrigated soybean fields on 30-inch rows. Prior to this research, many of these producers planted 160,000-200,000 seeds/acre. The 90,000 low rate was determined based on UNL research recommending not to replant a hailed soybean stand if at least 90,000 plants/acre remained in the field.  Planting dates ranged from late April to early June.  Soybean fields planted in late April or early May were treated with a fungicide, insecticide, or combination seed treatment, but later fields were not treated.

In 2006, yields varied from 65.6 to 67.4 bu./acre across the four treatments and in 2007 they varied from 59.4 to 60.2 bu./acre across the four treatments and in 2008 they varied from 68.1 to 69.9 bu./acre across the four treatments.

Most likely, these results are indicative of soybean’s ability to compensate for reduced populations, and these results were consistently observed regardless of the presence of a seed treatment.  Plants in lower populations had an increased amount of branching.

Based on five years of on-farm research, producers should consider planting soybeans at 120,000 seeds/acre in 30” rows.  A reduction of 40,000 seed/acre from 160,000 seeds/acre to 120,000 seeds/acre would could result in seed saving oaf $10.00 to $20.00/acre depending upon seed costs.  Complete study results can be seen on our CropWatch website: http://cropwatch.unl.edu/.  I hope you’ll take time to check it out as well as take our short survey “Soybean Planting Survey”.

Finally, how about considering conducting a soybean population?  All you need to do is do two strips of the treatment and then two strips of the check and repeat the process seven or eight times.  The plot would look like the following:

By using this plan we can get great statistical information for you.  If you have any questions and are interested in conducting and On-Farm Research study, give me a call at 402-326-8185 or email me gary.zoubek@unl.edu.

Good luck as you finish up planting!

Online Courses
I just wanted to let you know that the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska is celebrating the expansion of online program offering for working professionals.  We now have twelve Graduate program offerings and two Undergraduate program offerings.  So you can earn a degree online or on campus.  The online courses are taught by the same faculty as our on-campus courses.

For more information about these opportunities, contact me at gary.zoubek@unl.edu or visit http://online.unl.edu/CASNR or http://online.unl.edu/.  You can continue to work and go to get an advance degree at the same time.

NRCS Work Group Meeting Planned
Jim Husbands with the NRCS asked that I share the following information about a Work Group Meeting planned for May 14!

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service will be holding a Local Work Group Meeting at the York Service Center, 419th W 6th Street in York on May 14, 2014, from 10:00–11:45 a.m. to discuss natural resource conservation priorities for 2015 for the entire UBBNRD counties involved including parts or all of York, Hamilton, Polk, Fillmore, and Seward and small portions of several other counties.

This meeting is open to the public according to Jim Husbands with the NRCS.  The recently passed new Farm Bill is in the process of finally bringing forth the details with conservation programs and cost share available through these various programs such as EQIP.  Local input is desired and this is the time to bring forth ideas which are incorporated as much as possible in the final ranking process for contract applications.  For individuals needing special accommodations or anyone with questions about the meeting, please contact NRCS at 402-362-5700 Ex 3.  Also the NRCS has announced that the cut off for EQIP application for 2015 is October 17, 2014.

Farm Bill Webinar
The 2014 Farm Bill provides agricultural producers with a variety of different programs and opportunities to participate; however, the decisions facing them have never been more complex.  This bill is designed to offer more of a risk management approach to the federal farm safety net as opposed to the more traditional price and yield support.  It is important participants understand how the 2014 Farm Bill works and how these programs may affect their operations.  Nebraska offers some unique challenges relative to variability in the type of commodities and the practices in which they grown.  In the Spring and Summer of 2014, agricultural producers will be offered an opportunity to update their base acres and program yields.  It is important that they understand how these decisions work to make a well informed decision.

UNL Extension will be hosting a public webinar open to any interested party, to assist the producer with these decisions.  The following are details on how to participate:

Name: Farm Bill Public Webinar

URL: https://connect.unl.edu/publicfarmbill/

Start Time: 10:00 a.m. Central Time Zone

Start Date: May 21, 2014

Duration: 2 hours

Participants will need to have adequate speakers with their computer to hear the presentation.  This meeting will also be archived for later viewing; however those connecting live will have an opportunity to ask questions of the speaker.  If you have additional questions, direct them to Tim Lemmons, Ext. Educator, at tlemmons2@unl.edu.

UNL BeefWatch May 2014
Are you a beef producer or are you simply interested in beef production?  Topics in this month’s issue include: Branding Time and Beef Quality Assurance; Controlling Flies on Pastured Cattle in Nebraska; Harvesting Sunlight; 2014 Beef Feedlot Roundtable Webinars Are Now Available On-line (part 3); Grilling Great Taste with Beef Value Cuts; and Certify Hay as Weed Free.

If you like to subscribe go to: http://newsroom.unl.edu/announce/beef/3199.  You will get email each month when a new issue comes out.  You can also go back and check out the archived issues.

UNL Extension Tractor Safety Courses  
As I mentioned last week, in the past, I have taught Tractor Safety training, but we been encouraged to have a few key people across the state conduct the training, so I have not conducted them the past few years, but the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Tractor Safety/Hazardous Occupations Courses will be offered at seven locations in Nebraska during May and June.  Any 14 or 15-year-old teen that plans to work on a farm other than their parents’ should plan to attend. Federal law prohibits youth less than 16 years of age from working on a farm for anyone other than his or her parents.  Certification through the course grants an exemption to the law allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to drive a tractor and to do field work with mechanized equipment.

Classes consist of two days of instruction plus homework assignments. Classes are from 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. each day. Dates and locations include:

— May 22-23, Fairgrounds, Kearney

— May 28-29, Haskell Ag Lab, Concord

— June 2-3, West Central Research and Extension Center (WCREC), North Platte

— June 5-6, Fairgrounds, Valentine

— June 12-13, Farm and Ranch Museum, Gering

— June 16-17, College Park, Grand Island

–June 19-20, Ag Research and Development Center (ARDC), Mead

Pre-registration is strongly encouraged at least one week before a location’s start date to the Extension Office at the course site. Cost is $60, which includes educational materials, testing, supplies, lunches, and breaks. For more information, contact the Extension Office or Sharry Nielsen at (308) 832-0645, snielsen1@unl.edu.

Lawn & Garden Update
This past week I’ve received a few questions about junipers and spruce trees that are tuning light green to brown in color.  The few I’ve examined appear to be desiccation or winter kill damage.  Our UNL horticulturalists and forestry personnel have seen considerable amounts of damage this past winter.  We’ve had one of those winters that were drier than normal, we’ve had big swings in temperatures, and not a lot of snow cover.  Trees and perennials that were not well watered in the fall may have been the most affected.

Things that can help include watering deeply when precipitation is lacking and maintaining a mulch layer of 2-3″ around perennials.   I know I have several rose bushes and most of them have leafed out, but the ones on the north side of the house are really slow and in fact I may lose one or two of them.  I’m just going to give them a little more time before I decide if they need to be replaced.

Now that soil temperatures are beginning to warm up, it would be a good time to get those preemergence or crabgrass control products on your lawns.  They’ve been really slow at greening up, but are now beginning to take off.  For the latest turf updates, check out http://turf.unl.edu/.

The 100th Anniversary of the Signing of the Smith-Lever Act   
So, I’m sure most of you have no idea of what the Smith-Lever Act was the significance of it!  Well, 100 years ago on May 8, the signing of Smith-Lever Act officially created the national Cooperative Extension System.  It’s hard to believe the Extension is 100 years old.  While we want to celebrate our history, we’re more interested in sharing information about how Cooperative Extension is addressing current issues and preparing Extension for the next 100 years of educational programming.

I’ve been looking at our Annual Reports and have been pulling out some interesting facts about Extension programming over the years.  I hope to be sharing some of the interesting facts over the next few months.  From the first history I can find, the first County Agent in York County was in 1926.  We’ve had several name changes since….County Agent, Extension Agent, and now Extension Educator.  No matter what the name, we teach our goal is for UNL Extension to be Responsive, Innovative, and Trusted!