Extension Update from Jenny Rees

Jenny’s REESources – December 5, 2016

UPCOMING EVENTS:  

Dec. 5:  Cover Crop and No-Till Conference featuring Gabe Brown, 9:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m., Trotter Event Center, Ord, RSVP 308-346-3393
Dec. 6:  Field to Market Workshop, 4-H Building, York, 3-6 p.m. Please RSVP to 402-362-5508 orjrees2@unl.edu
Dec. 6:  Grain Marketing Workshop, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m., Webster County Fairgrounds on the west side of Crescent Street between Helen and Mariel streets, RSVP http://go.unl.edu/marketingworkshops or 308-345-3390.
Dec. 8:  Solar Energy in Ag Workshop, 1-3 p.m., Norfolk, NE at the Lifelong Learning Center Preregister at 402-370-4040.
Dec. 14:  UBBNRD CropTip, 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Holthus Convention Center, York
Dec. 14:  Farmers/Ranchers College:  Dr. David Kohl, 1-4 p.m., Bruning Opera House, Bruning, RSVP  (402) 759-3712
Dec. 15:  Nebraska Soybean Day and Machinery Expo, 8:30-2:15, Fairgrounds in Wahoo,http://ardc.unl.edu/2016SoyExpoFlyer-Final.pdf
Jan. 6:  Crop Production Clinic, Holthus Convention Center in York, http://agronomy.unl.edu/cpc
Jan. 9:  Estate Planning Workshop, York County Club, RSVP jrees2@unl.edu or 402-362-5508
Jan. 10-11:  Precision Ag Data Management Workshop, Lincoln, http://agronomy.unl.edu/precisionag
Jan. 11:  Crop Production Clinic, Adams County Fairgrounds in Hastings, http://agronomy.unl.edu/cpc
Jan. 11-12:  York Ag Expo, Holthus Convention Center in York
Jan. 12-13:  Precision Ag Data Management Workshop, 4-H Building York, http://agronomy.unl.edu/precisionag
Jan. 18:  LBNRD Nitrogen Mgmt Training, 9 a.m., Hastings, 402-364-2145
Jan. 18:  UBBNRD Nitrogen Mgmt Training, 1:30 p.m., Aurora Leadership Center, 402-362-6601
Jan. 19-20:  NEW 2-day Crop Production Clinic, Younes Convention Center in Kearney,http://agronomy.unl.edu/cpc
Jan. 23:  Pesticide Training, 9am, York Fairgrounds, jrees2@unl.edu or 402-362-5508
Jan. 23:  Pesticide Training, 6:30pm, Harvest Hall at Seward Fairgrounds, jrees2@unl.edu
Jan. 24:  Pesticide Training, 9am, American Legion in Sutton, jrees2@unl.edu or 402-762-3644
Jan. 24:  Pesticide Training, 2pm, Davenport Community Center, jrees2@unl.edu
Jan. 25:  Land Application Training, York Extension Office.  RSVP to jrees2@unl.edu or 402-362-5508
Jan. 26:  Nebraska Grain Sorghum Symposium, Grand Island
Jan. 31:  Farmers/Ranchers Cow-Calf College, 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m., USMARC near Clay Center, RSVP  (402) 759-3712
Feb. 1-2:  Nebraska Ag Technologies Association (NeATA), Nebraska Innovation Campus
Feb. 6:  Pesticide Training, 9am, Hebron Activity Center (downtown), jrees2@unl.edu
Feb. 6:  Pesticide Training, 2pm, Nelson, jrees2@unl.edu
Feb. 7:  Pesticide Training, 9am, 4-H Building in York, jrees2@unl.edu 402-362-5508
Feb. 7:  Pesticide Training, 2pm, 4-H Building in York, jrees2@unl.edu 402-362-5508
Feb. 8:  LBNRD Nitrogen Training, 9am, Hebron Community Center, 402-364-2145
Feb. 8:  UBBNRD Nitrogen Training, 1:30 p.m., Holthus Convention Center, 402-362-6601
Feb. 13:  Pesticide Training, 9am, Nelson jrees2@unl.edu
Feb. 13:  Pesticide Training, 6:30pm, Fairgrounds in Clay Center, jrees2@unl.edu 402-762-3644
Feb. 15:  Pesticide Training, 9am, Harvest Hall Fairgrounds Seward, jrees2@unl.edu
Feb. 15:  Pesticide Training, 2pm, Harvest Hall Fairgrounds Seward, jrees2@unl.edu
Feb. 16:  LBNRD Nitrogen Training, 1:30 p.m., Fairgrounds in Clay Center 402-364-2145
Feb. 20:  Nebraska On-Farm Research Update, ARDC near Mead, http://cropwatch.unl.edu/farmresearch
Feb. 22:  Farmers/Ranchers College:  Managing for Difficult Times, 9:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m., Fairgrounds in Geneva, RSVP  (402) 759-3712
Feb. 23-24:  Women in Agriculture Conference, Holiday Inn Kearney, http://wia.unl.edu
Feb. 27:  Nebraska On-Farm Research Update, Hall Co. Extension Office, Grand Island,http://cropwatch.unl.edu/farmresearch
Feb. 27:  Farmers/Ranchers College:  Tips and Tricks for Women in Ag, 6:00 p.m., Lazy Horse Winery in Ohiowa, RSVP  (402) 759-3712
Feb. 28:  LBNRD Nitrogen Training, 9am, Shickley Community Center 402-364-2145
Mar. 6:  Pesticide Training, 2pm, Harvest Hall Fairgrounds Seward, jrees2@unl.edu
Mar. 6:  Pesticide Training, 6:30pm, 4-H Building Fairgrounds York, jrees2@unl.edu 402-362-5508

Master Gardener Training: Tuesday evenings 6-9 p.m. from February 7-March 21 at York and Clay County Extension Offices. Please RSVP to jrees2@unl.edu or 402-362-5508 for attending in York or Deanna Peshek at 402-762-3644 to attend in Clay.

Farm Finance Clinic Sites and Dates: To sign up for a clinic or to get more information, call Michelle at the Nebraska Farm Hotline at 1-800-464-0258.

Agriculture at the Crossroads December 14th: Brandy VanDeWalle shared the following about an upcoming Farmers and Ranchers College program with Dr. David Kohl.  The agricultural economic reset is in the mid inning, analogous to a baseball game. What forces will change the current economics? How will interest rate and land value changes influence profitability and your balance sheet? Dr. David Kohl, Professor Emeritus with the Dept. of AAEC, VA TECH will present his challenges & opportunities tool kit to give you some tools to help your business position for success so be sure to attend this information packed, high energy session, sponsored by the Farmers & Ranchers College.

This year’s program will focus on how to be a better borrower in these economic times. Dr. Kohl will discuss burn rates on working capital and burn rate on collateral. A special segment will examine what adjustments producers are making to navigate the economic white waters and position the business to evaluate opportunities. 

This educational program will be held December 14, 2016, starting at 1:00 p.m. at the Bruning Opera House with registration starting at 12:30 p.m. Due to the generous support of area businesses and organizations, this program is free, but arrive early to save yourself a seat!

To speed up the registration process, online registration is available at fillmore.unl.edu; this will enable you to put your initials by your name, rather than filling in your full name and contact information.    

Soybean Machinery Day Expo December 15:  The 2016 Nebraska Soybean Day and Machinery Expo on Dec. 15 will assist soybean producers in planning for next year’s growing season. The expo, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., will be in the pavilion at the Saunders County Fairgrounds, 635 W. First St. in Wahoo.

Presenters include University of Nebraska researchers and specialists, Nebraska Soybean Checkoff representatives, soybean growers and private industry representatives.

If you missed hearing him speak at the palmer amaranth resistance field day, Dr. Jason Norsworthy, a weed scientist at the University of Arkansas, will discuss the current status of herbicide resistance in the United States with specific detail given to the extent of the problem in Nebraska cropping systems. Norsworthy will outline reasons for the development of herbicide resistance and provide strategies for growers to maximize weed control and protect against further resistance. Roger Hoy, director of the Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory, will discuss large equipment, tires and compaction. Loren Geisler, Nebraska Extension plant pathologist, will provide the latest on management of soybean sudden death syndrome. Cory Walters, assistant professor and grain and oilseed economist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will discuss marketing for soybean and corn crops. The expo also will include an update on the Nebraska Soybean Checkoff and association information.

Producers will be able to visit with representatives from seed, herbicide, fertilizer and equipment companies and view new farm equipment during a 30-minute break at 9:45 a.m. A complimentary lunch will be served at noon. The Saunders County Soybean Growers Organization requests that each participant donate one or more cans of nonperishable food to the food pantry. Registration is available the day of the expo at the door. There is no registration fee. For more information about the program or exhibitor information, visit http://ardc.unl.edu/nebraskasoyexpo, call 800-529-8030 or e-mail kglewen1@unl.edu. The program is sponsored by Nebraska Extension, the Nebraska Soybean Checkoff, Saunders County Soybean Growers Organization and private industry.

Cover Crop Briefs: Thanks to a team effort, cover crop briefs were written by UNL researchers and shared at an in-service we had for Extension, NRCS, and US-MARC employees. These ‘briefs’ are two-page summaries that provide a short, easy-to-understand description of the research conducted and the application for producers.  Check them out this week at UNL’s CropWatch http://cropwatch.unl.edu!

Farm Bill Program Payments: Over the past month, I’ve received a few phone calls asking about potential farm bill program payments going forward. Dr. Brad Lubben recently wrote an article about this. As we had anticipated when we worked through farm bill decision simulations, ARC-CO looked really good early on for many farmers and PLC later in the farm bill cycle on other fields. As I worked with farmers on decisions, I encouraged splitting risk wherever possible by putting some fields into ARC-CO and some into PLC. Hopefully some did that to hopefully receive some price support in the years ahead. You can read the entire article which explains both programs and shows potential projected payments for each at: http://go.unl.edu/pnw9.

Farmers and Wildlife Survey: The 8^th grade robotics team at Heartland Community Schools asked if I’d share a survey with farmers. This year their challenge is called ‘animal allies’ and they wish to develop their challenge around how farmers interact with wildlife. This survey was designed to find a main repeating problem that farmers have with wildlife. You can fill out the survey at:  https://goo.gl/forms/6O5yVT9xGf2hbZKG2 . The 8th grade robotics team thanks you!

Winter Successful Farming Series will focus on timely topics in workshops featuring experts from the University of Nebraska Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The Friday morning workshops offer a relaxed setting to hear from the speakers and discuss that week’s topic with producers and landowners, as well as UNL and industry experts. Workshops will be held every other Friday (except December 30) from December 16 through March 3. Each workshop starts at 9 a.m. and ends at 11:30 a.m. and is held at the Lancaster Extension Education Center, 444 Cherry Creek Rd, Lincoln. The cost is $5 for each workshop or $15 for the entire series. Cash or check is accepted at the door. For more information, call 402-441-7180 or email Tyler Williams at tyler.williams@unl.edu. To preregister go to go.unl.edu/farmerseriesregistration.