UPCOMING EVENTS: Â
Aug. 25-Sept. 4: Nebraska State Fair, http://www.statefair.org
Sept. 6: Sorghum Field Day, Mike Baker Farm near Trenton, NE, 5:00 p.m., RSVP (402) 471-4276
Sept. 7: Sorghum Field Day, John Dolnicek Farm near Lawrence (1 mile east Lawrence on HWY 4, turn north on Road 2700 for one mile to Road X, then East for ½ mile), 5:30 p.m., RSVP (402) 471-4276
Sept. 8: Sorghum Field Day, John Dvoracek Farm near Farwell, NE, 11:00 a.m., RSVP (402) 471-4276
Sept. 12-14: 40th Husker Harvest Days near Grand Island, http://huskerharvestdays.com/hh17/Public/Enter.aspx
Sept. 18-20: Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Training, KState Polytechnic Salina, KS, 855-552-0079
Sept. 20: Grazing Cover Crops Field Day, 10am-3pm, ¼ mile East of Hawk (N St) on 130TH Road,  Kearney RSVP:  308-743-2565
Sept. 30: Forestry Field Day, 9am-4pm, Horning Demonstration Forest near Plattsmouth, NE
Oct. 2: Paul Hay Retirement Party, 3:00 – 6:00 pm (presentation 5:15 p.m.), Gage County Extension Office in Beatrice.
Oct. 28: From Recipe to Reality, UNL Food Processing Center, RSVP: Jill Gifford at 402-472-2819 or jgifford1@unl.edu
Nov. 13:Â Â So You Inherited a Farm, Now What? and Land Management Meeting, 4-H Bldg York.
Nov. 16:Â York County Corn Grower Banquet
Dec. 7: Farmers and Ranchers College: Dr. David Kohl, 1-4 p.m., Bruning Opera House, Bruning
Dec. 12:Â Grain Marketing Seminar, 4-H Building York
Jan. 10-11:Â York Ag Expo, Holthus Convention Center, York
Jan. 11:Â Crop Production Clinic, North Platte
Jan. 16:Â Crop Production Clinic, Norfolk
Jan. 18:Â Crop Production Clinic, Lincoln
Jan. 24-25:Â Crop Management Conference, Kearney
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 Updates: It’s hard to believe we’re at the end of August already! This week brought the beginning of seed corn harvest for some. I’ve been seeing and made aware of more situations of corn plants dying in fields next to healthy plants. In some situations we’ve been seeing anthracnose top die-back and stalk rot. In other situations, it’s puzzling, but they may be more fusarium related and it’s something our diagnostic lab is working on. Thus far I’ve seen anthracnose, fusarium, and charcoal rot for stalk rots, so it will be important to continue to check fields as they mature to know which fields are more prone to stalk rot this year. We’re also seeing some sudden death syndrome appearing in soybeans and mid-group 2’s beginning to turn towards maturity. For those who received hail damage to soybean stems, it will be important to harvest earlier to avoid them lodging. Crops are faring well in spite of drought in some areas and injury to soybeans. In general, seeing more 3-bean pods on soybeans this year than 4-bean pods last year.Â
For those of you who did any on-farm research plots this past year or who tried any of the protocols I sent out for hail damage, please be sure to look through them again so they are harvested correctly. We want to ensure you obtain good data for your efforts!
Also, be sure to check out this week’s UNL CropWatch as it is our “Focus on Wheat†edition at http://cropwatch.unl.edu. Reminder of Sorghum Field Days September 6-8.
Husker Harvest Days will be held September 12-14 near Grand Island again this year. It’s the 40th anniversary of the Show and I think it’s neat that Extension has been a part of the program from the beginning! This year’s focus for the Big Red Building which houses the Institute of Ag and Natural Resources is “Small Changes, Big Benefitsâ€. It’s ultimately around our efforts in Strengthening Nebraska’s Agricultural Economy. Topics include: Expected Farm Bill Payments; Crop Insurance; Budgets (including family budgets); Land Values; Cost Savings in the areas of Crops, Livestock, Irrigation, and information on Solar Energy for farms/ranches. A number of IANR and Extension faculty will be there to answer your questions on these or other topics. Look forward to seeing you there!
From Recipe to Reality: The University of Nebraska Food Processing Center is offering a one-day seminar October 28, 2017 for all individuals interested in exploring the idea of starting a food manufacturing business. Pre-registration is required and space is limited. Registration deadline is October 15, 2017. Contact Jill Gifford at 402-472-2819 or jgifford1@unl.edu for an information packet.
Unmanned Aerial Pilot Course: Kansas State Polytechnic in Salina, KS is again offering their three day Part 107 course to prepare professionals for the written FAA exam. 14 CFR Part 107 is the new FAA Regulation governing commercial Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems, or sUAS. This new requirement requires Remote Pilot in Command (RPIC) operators to take an FAA written exam if they do not hold a manned pilot certificate. The course dates are September 18-20, 2017 with the FAA exam scheduled the day after the course on Sept. 21. More information can be found at: https://ksu-uas.com/suas-commercial-pilot-training/ or calling toll free 855-552-0079.Â
Paul Hay Retirement Reception: Paul Hay will be retiring September 30th after 42 years of service to Nebraska Extension. His open house reception is Monday, October 2, from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. at the Gage County Extension Office in Beatrice. Paul has requested to have a retirement “roast†during his reception. Anybody who desires to speak or share stories about Paul during his retirement “roast†must donate paper money to speak. Proceeds will go to Gage County 4-H Foundation. The roast will take place at 5:15 pm. Congratulatory cards can be mailed to the Gage County Extension Office, 1115 W. Scott St., Beatrice, NE 68310.
Forestry Field Day: The Nebraska Forest Service is excited to announce the return of its Forestry Field Day open house held at Horning State Farm Demonstration Forest with activities for all ages. The field day combines the latest innovations in forest management and educational sessions on the following topics: Professionally led tree climbing; Meet local firefighters; Wildfire education and interactive modeling; Tree planting techniques; Growing nuts on the farm and at home; Hardwood tree valuation & marketing; Timber harvesting and portable sawmill demonstrations; Forest management; Controlling invasive weeds; Birding walk. It will be held Saturday, September 30 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Horning Demonstration Forest near Plattsmouth, NE. This event is free and open to the public. Horning State Farm Demonstration Forest is located 1.65 miles east of the interaction of US 34/75 and Horning Road. The entrance is on the north side of the highway.
Free Trees for Fall Planting: This effort supported by the Nebraska Environmental Trust and US Forest Service Landscape Scale Restoration Grants, is to help enable the planting of trees during the fall of 2017 in conjunction with ReTree Nebraska Week and other planting events. Anyone is eligible to submit a request for trees. Priority for trees will be given to Nebraska Community Forestry Council Members, ReTree Nebraska ambassadors, Tree City USA tree boards, Nebraska Statewide Arboretum curators, individuals volunteering/supporting community forestry programs and Project Learning Tree facilitators. Schools, non-profit groups and civic organizations are encouraged to apply. Individuals must represent a group or organization. NOTE: All applicants must receive written permission from property owners/managers before planting can begin. Trees may be planted any time between September 1st and November 15, 2017 (October 15 for Panhandle). For more information including the application, please go to: http://communityenvironment.unl.edu/free-trees-fall-planting.
