Coming Events
Jan. 29, 9:00 a.m. – Gabe Brown Cover Crop, No-till Meeting, Ag Park, Columbus
Jan. 29, 1:00 p.m. – Unmanned aerial systems (drones) in agriculture, East Campus Union, Lincoln http://agronomy.unl.edu/unmanned-aerial-systems-drones-agriculture
Cover Crops, No-till Meeting Planned
I mentioned it last week, but thought I’d mention it again this week!
Gabe Brown will speak on cover crops and no-till in Columbus January 29th with registration at 9:00 a.m. and the program to begin at 9:30 a.m. Brown is from Bismarck, ND and is one of the most sought after speakers for no-till, cover crops, livestock grazing, and soil health presentations in the United States.Â
The day-long event will be at Ag Park and is free; however, attendees are asked to register by Jan. 27 by calling the Extension Office at 402-563-4901.
Topics include:
• No-till management tips
• Proper management, utilization, and advantages of cover crops
• Establishing and maintaining good soil health
• Importance of no-till practices for soil erosion and moisture conservation
Brown, who is featured in several YouTube videos, also has a farm website: http://brownsranch.us/. The Browns strive to solve problems in a natural and sustainable way. Improving soil health is a priority and no-till farming has been practiced since 1993. A diverse cropping strategy, which includes cover and companion crops are used. They have now eliminated the use of synthetic fertilizers, fungicides, and pesticides.
Brown’s presentation is sponsored by Nebraska Extension, Platte County; Natural Resources/Conservation Service Office in Columbus; Lower Platte North NRD, Lower Loup NRD, Lower Elkhorn NRD, Prairieland RC&D, and the Shell Creek Watershed Improvement Group. Several local banks and businesses are sponsoring the lunch.
For more information or assistance, please contact Allan Vyhnalek, Extension Educator, Nebraska Extension in Platte County at 402-563-4901 or e-mail avyhnalek2@unl.edu.
Unmanned Aerial Systems (Drones) In Agriculture
I also mentioned this last week. The Department of Agronomy and Horticulture is going to have a mini-symposium on Unmanned Aircraft for the afternoon of Friday January 29th in the Arbor Suite, East Campus Union in Lincoln. This symposium will feature four talks from UNL faculty and two talks from external speakers from the UAS industry. The talks will cover a wide range of material from technical aspects of UAS usage to data analysis and applications in agriculture. The symposium will end with a brief panel discussion. Â
The program will take place from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information: http://agronomy.unl.edu/unmanned-aerial-systems-drones-agriculture
If you cannot attend in person you can join online at https://connect.unl.edu/FridaySeminarSeries (enter as a Guest).
Nebraska On-Farm Research Updates Planned
Variable rate seeding, seed treatments, cover crops, and fungicide applications are among the research topics to be presented at the Nebraska On-Farm Research Network programs this February.
Growers will share results from the on-farm research they conducted in 2015 in field-length, replicated treatment comparisons.
The Nebraska On-Farm Research Network is a statewide, on-farm research program that addresses critical farmer production, profitability, and natural resource questions. The on-farm research projects are conducted on Nebraska farms by Nebraska farmers using their equipment. The research is in partnership with University of Nebraska faculty and sponsored by Nebraska Extension in partnership with the Nebraska Corn Growers Association, the Nebraska Corn Board, and the Nebraska Soybean Board.
Research projects to be discussed include:
•variable rate seeding,
•planting populations,
•Maize-N nitrogen rate decision tool for sidedress nitrogen,
•starter fertilizer,
•fungicide applications,
•row spacing,
•cover crops,
•foliar micronutrients,
•seed treatments (including new treatment for Sudden Death Syndrome), and others.
Project SENSE (Sensors for Efficient Nitrogen Use and Stewardship of the Environment) also will be discussed. This is a special three-year research initiative focusing on using crop canopy sensors to direct variable-rate, in-season nitrogen application to improve the efficiency of nitrogen fertilization in corn.
Certified Crop Advisor Credits are applied for and pending upon approval.
The event is free, but preregistration is requested for meal planning purposes. Call (402) 624-8000 or e-mail onfarm@unl.edu to register for any site.
Private Pesticide Applicator Training and Chemigation Training
Next week I’ll share dates I’ve set for these trainings. They are in February and March.
