UPCOMING EVENTS: Â
June 12:Â Generational Transition for Ranchers, Noon-5pm, Belvidere Community Bldg, RSVP erin.laborie@unl.edu or (308) 268-3105
June 13:Â Summer Grazing Tour (Reynolds, Belvidere, Bruning), RSVP:Â erin.laborie@unl.edu or (308) 268-3105
June 13:Â Contract Livestock Opportunities, 5:30 p.m., Chances R in York, RSVP to 402-362-8496
June 14:Â Contract Livestock Opportunities, 5:30 p.m., Pizza Kitchen in Milford (411 1stSt.), RSVP to 402-362-8496
June 16:Â Field Pea, Forage, and Cover Crop Tour, Hastings-Webster Co, RSVP:sstepanovic2@unl.edu or (308) 352-4340
June 17:Â Backyard Farmer Taping, 9:30 a.m. Registration with program at 10 a.m., UNL East Campus BYF Garden, RSVP:Â netnebraska.org/BYF65
June 17:Â Cow-Calf Management Field Day, 1pm, Cuming County, Â Larry Howard, 402-372-6006
June 19: Field Pea, Forage, and Cover Trop Tour, 9:30 a.m. – UNL WCREC at North Platte, RSVP: sstepanovic2@unl.edu or (308) 352-4340
June 19:Â Winter Wheat Field Day-UNL Research Farm North Platte, 3 p.m., RSVP Rodrigo Werle (308) 696-6712
June 20:Â Winter Wheat Field Day-Henry J. Stumpf Wheat Center Perkins Co, 9am, RSVP Rodrigo Werle (308) 696-6712
June 20: Field Pea, Forage, and Cover Crop Tour, 8 a.m. – Perkins County (near Grant): RSVP: sstepanovic2@unl.edu or (308) 352-4340
June 22:Â Cover Crop Conference, 2 p.m., Holthus Convention Center York.
June 28:Â South Central Ag Lab Weed Science and Cover Crop Field Day, SCAL near Clay Center, registration 8am, Weed Program 8:30-Noon, Free lunch, Cover Crop Program 1-3pm, Register:Â http://agronomy.unl.edu/fieldday
June 29: Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center Open House, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., former ARDC near Mead. RSVP: http://enrec.unl.edu.
June 29:Â Cover Crop and Annual Forage Field Day, High Plains Ag Lab near Sidney, RSVP:Â kjenkins2@unl.edu.
July 10-11:Â Youth Tractor Safety Class, 8am, Grand Island College Park (308) 385-5088.
July 12:Â Turf Field Day, 8 a.m., UNL East Campus, http://turf.unl.edu
July 18:Â Crop Management Diagnostic Clinic:Â Soil Health, ARDC (now ENREC) near Mead
Aug. 2:Â Crop Management Diagnostic Clinic:Â Precision Ag Training, ARDC (now ENREC) near Mead
Aug. 8:Â Soybean Management Field Days, North Platte
Aug. 8-9:Â Nebraska Grazing Conference, Kearney
Aug. 9:Â Soybean Management Field Days, Ord
Aug. 9:Â Nebraska Cover Crop Conference, during Lancaster Co. Fair at Fairgrounds
Aug. 10:Â Soybean Management Field Days, Auburn
Aug. 11:Â Soybean Management Field Days, Tekamah
Aug. 23:Â Crop Management Diagnostic Clinic:Â Soybean Production Training, ARDC (now ENREC) near Mead
Aug. 24:Â Crop Management Diagnostic Clinic:Â Corn Production Training, ARDC (now ENREC) near Mead
Aug. 24:Â York County Corn Grower Plot Tailgate, 5-7pm, 1416 Road I, York County.
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.
Crop Update: Corn is beginning to establish better roots moving out of the transition phase from relying on the seed to developing a greater root system. It’s nice to see plants greening up to help cover a lot of concerns farmers had with nitrogen application.Â
Concerns for me right now are the amount of palmer amaranth and waterhemp I’m seeing in fields and how quickly it’s been growing. Please be diligent with post-herbicide applications to avoid these weeds getting larger than 4†which makes them more difficult to control. Herbicide activation may be a problem for those unable to water in herbicides if we don’t receive some rain soon. The other concern we’ve been watching in corn has been potential wheat stem maggots in corn planted into wheat/rye cover crops. I’ve never seen this before and it seems to be more of a concern this year when the wheat/rye was terminated after planting (even though we’ve had good results with this in the past). Please check out my blog post at http://jenreesources.com for pictures on what to look for.
This year is also strangely feeling a lot like the beginning of last year to me…really wet May moving into a high heat period in early June with rapid growth as guys are beginning to irrigate. Some are irrigating to activate herbicide or move nitrogen into the soil. Others have been concerned about the heat or dry soil on top. As I’ve been installing moisture sensors the past several weeks, there is good moisture below the top 5†of the soil profile in the area I serve with silty clay-loam or clay-loam soils. The heat and wind are starting to harden the top 1-3†which may be challenging to replanted corn and soybeans. We would say there is moisture to allow the crops to establish their roots. Will also reference the following article for consideration from Dr. Suat Irmak that he wrote last year after we experienced a high heat period for over a week: http://go.unl.edu/d4tf.
Reminder of Field Pea Field Days upcoming at five Nebraska locations the next few weeks. More information including registration can be found here: http://go.unl.edu/3mzo.  Also a reminder of the South Central Ag Lab weed and cover crop field day June 28 near Clay Center. More information about that field day can be found here:  http://go.unl.edu/ok2v.
Lawn and Garden Update: Last week I received a number of questions regarding apples and crabapple trees with spots on leaves and leaves turning yellow and dropping from the trees. In those cases, fungal diseases such as apple scab and cedar apple rust were the culprits as the wet May with recent humidity has really brought on fungal diseases. Photos of both diseases with potential management considerations can be found here: http://go.unl.edu/7eio. The current higher temperatures should help reduce fungal diseases depending on the humidity we have so fungicides may not be necessary.
Turf Field Day: The next University of Nebraska Turfgrass Research Field day will be at the new research facility on UNL East Campus.  Come see the latest in turfgrass research, learn about new cultivars and practices and see the new research center on Wednesday, July 12, 2017.
If you enjoy Backyard Farmer, you may be interested in being a part of the live audience for a taping of the popular lawn and garden television show on Saturday, June 17 at the “Backyard Farmer” Garden on UNL’s East Campus. The taping will begin at 10 a.m. with seating opening at 9:30 a.m. Register at netnebraska.org/BYF65 to attend this free event!
Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center Open House: The inaugural open house at the University of Nebraska Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center near Mead — formerly the Agricultural Research and Development Center — is planned for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, June 29.
ENREC encompasses 53 counties and includes the University of Nebraska Southeast Extension District, Northeast Extension District, and the newly developed Metro Extension District, as well as the South Central Ag Lab, Haskell Ag Lab, Barta Brothers Ranch and Kimmel Education and Research Center. This model of collaboration specifically addresses the needs of eastern Nebraska with research initiatives and extension programs and leverages the strengths of existing programs and connections.
Morning presentations will include: Driving Nebraska’s Economic Vitality via Mike Boehm, Harlan Vice Chancellor of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; The Ag Climate: Temperatures, Trends, and Outlooks — Nebraska Extension Agricultural Climatologist Al Dutcher; and a Swine Research Facility Virtual Tour.
Afternoon tours are from 1 to 3 p.m. at three locations. Tour stops include: In-the-Field Crops Classroom, See a Live Hail Machine Demo with Keith Glewen, extension educator, and Justin McMechan, crop protection and cropping systems specialist; Carbon Farming: Reducing Greenhouse Gases with Crops with Andy Suyker, research associate professor; Drones on the Farm with Wayne Woldt, professor and extension environmental engineer; Nebraska: The Beef State: Empowering our No. 1 Ag Industry with Matt Spangler, Nebraska Extension beef genetics specialist; Plant Phenotyping: A Bird’s Eye View with Yufeng Ge, assistant professor of biological systems engineering, and Frank Bai, postdoctoral fellow in biological systems engineering.
For more information, see the event flyer and map to the facility or contact enrec@unl.edu or 402-624-8037. RSVPs for the open house are requested by 5 p.m. June 23 to assist with plans for lunch and tour transportation. Please RSVP at http://enrec.unl.edu.
