Extension Update by Gary Zoubeck [September 10, 2015]

Coming Events

Sept. 23, Managing the Cow Herd With Today’s Uncertainty, 4:00 p.m., ARDC, Ithaca

Sept. 28, 29, Oct. 5 & 6, Firearm Hunter Education, 7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m., 4-H Building, York

Sept 28, NaturePalooza, 3:00 – 8:00 p.m., Harden Hall 33^rd & Holdrege, Lincoln

Sept. 29, Extension Board Exec. Meeting, 8:00 p.m. Extension Office, York

Hunter Education Classes Planned In York

I’ve mentioned it before, but just a reminder that Dan Barrett is currently teaching archery Safety Education and will soon be teaching Hunter Safety Education Training. He will be conducting these classes in the 4-H Building here in York located at 2400 Nebraska Avenue. Hunter Education Classes will be held 7:00 – 9:30 p.m. on September 28, 29, Oct. 5 & 6.   

These classes are designed for youth 12 years old and above. Ten hours of training is required. To register go to huntsafenebraska.org and click on the appropriate link. For more information call Dan Barrett at 402-366-4380.

Managing the Cow Herd with Today’s Uncertainty

A meeting for cattle producers will be held on Wednesday, September 23, at the ARDC near Mead. There is NO registration cost as the meal has been sponsored by local livestock and cattlemen’s groups, and a feed and grain company, but if you are planning to attend, on attending, please pre-register by September 18 so they can get an accurate count for handouts and the meal. 

For more information and details: http://york.unl.edu/crops-future and click on the appropriate link.

Cropping Update

Hopefully you have received at least an inch or two or more rain this past week and not the severe hail and wind.  At the office in York we’ve received nearly three inches. I’ve talked to a few producers that indicated it helped them finish irrigating for the season.  It’s important to monitor that soil moisture and try to dry the profile some so that Mother Nature can refill it during the off season. When soybean leaves begin to yellow we will need about 1.9” of moisture and about the same for corn at full dent (2.25”).  For the latest crop water use or ET go to:  https://nawmn.unl.edu/ and click on view weekly ET data.

With the irrigation season now over or nearly over, it’s also a good time to pull your Watermark Sensor clean them up and store them for next season. It’s always a good idea to get it done before you’re in the heart of harvest season. I’m planning to pull the ones I’ve installed soon since we’ve received the moisture.

If you have several sets to pull, I suggest purchasing a Watermark Sensor puller yet, it sure makes the job a lot easier on you and your back and you don’t damage the pvc pipe that your sensors are attached to.

Bill Collett of Collett Enterprises has been an active participant of our NAWMN the past several years and has been using the Watermark sensors. In 2010 he made a crude jack and used pliers to clamp onto the sensors. In 2011 he used the locking pliers with the extended jaws which helped to hold on better with no damage to the sensor.  He realized that other producers also had a difficult time removing their sensors were asking if there was a puller available, so he started manufacturing them. You can check them out at: http://www.colledun.com/wdc_puller/.  Be sure to check out his you tube video on how to use the puller.

Are you ready for soybean harvest season? With the bean leaves beginning to yellow and drop, it’s not far away. I want to remind area soybean growers of the importance of harvest soybeans in a timely basis so that you don’t let them dry down too much. I know easier said than done. Often, even though the stems may be green, the soybeans may be dry.   think harvesting soybeans can be a combination of luck and skill.  It’s probably more common for soybeans to be harvested at 9-10% moisture than the desired 13%.  That 3 or 4% difference between the actual and desired moisture dollars lost to the producer. Beans testing over 13% are assigned a penalty that shows up on the scale ticket, however soybeans that test under 13% are also penalized, but not on the scale ticket, it shows up as less bushels to sell. 

A standard bushel of soybeans weighs 60 pounds and is 13% moisture. That’s 52.2 pounds of dry matter and 7.8 pounds of water. If you harvest soybeans at 12% moisture you have 52.2 pounds of dry matter, but the bushel of beans weighs 59.318 pounds instead of 60 pounds. The lost water is .682 pounds or a 1.137% loss in yield. 

So if you are harvesting 60 bushel soybeans at 13% moisture at $9.00/bushel, letting them dry down 3 points to 10% moisture will result a loss of about $18.00/acre or nearly $30.00/acre if you harvest them at 8% moisture.

I know that it’s difficult to get them harvested at exactly 13%, but that should be a goal.  Try adjusting your harvest practices:

1)  When harvesting tough or green stems, make combine adjustments and operate at slower speeds.

2)  Begin harvesting at 14% moisture. What appears to be wet from the road may be dry enough to harvest. Try harvesting when some of the leaves are still dry on the plant; the beans may be drier than you think. Soybeans are fully mature when 95% of the pods are at their mature tan color.

3)  It’s too late now, but  plan your planting and variety selection to spread out plant maturity and harvest.

4)  Harvest under optimum conditions. Moisture content can increase by several points with an overnight dew or it can decrease by several points in low humidity, windy conditions. Avoid harvesting when beans are the driest, such as on hot afternoons, to maintain moisture and reduce shattering losses.

5)  Avoid harvest losses from shattering. Four to five beans on the ground per square foot can add up to one bushel per acre loss. If you are putting beans in a bin equipped for drying grain, start harvesting at 16% moisture and aerate down to 13%. Harvest at a slow pace and make adjustments to the combine to match conditions several times a day as conditions change.

Good luck with all your harvest.

Yard & Garden

How is your garden doing?  We’re nearing the end of the season for many of us.  A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I had a season long battle with Mr. or Mrs. Cottontail this spring and summer eating my first several planting so green beans. I did plant a fall crop in late July or early August assuming I’d probably just continue to feed the rabbits, but the rabbits must have felt sorry for me and have left them alone. 

I also mentioned about the garden not far away that’s right on the curb with no fence and the rabbits have left it completely alone?  I was looking for the secret and we got a call from that gardener!  They spray the plants with water and then sprinkle hot pepper on the leaves and it’s worked well for them. I’m filing that away for next season.

NaturePalooza Planned

Finally, I received a note from the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is hosting our NaturePalooza event again! This event will be held Tuesday September 29^th at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s School of Natural Resources NaturePalooza! This family fun event is from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the lawn at Hardin Hall, East Campus.

You’ll see wildlife up close, browse the exhibits, cast for bass, call for turkeys, sing and dance with the String Beans, dare to venture down to the snake pit and bone yard, learn to make your yard a wildlife habitat, and sample Lincoln’s hottest food trend: food truck cuisine! Free prizes and gifts too!

Check it out at: http://snr.unl.edu/event/naturepalooza2015/index.asp