Extension Update by Jenny Rees

It seems like January flew by! This week sharing on some upcoming programs in February.

Hamilton County Ag Day on February 4^th at the Fairgrounds in Aurora at 1 p.m. is focused on nitrogen management. Pre-registration is required at go.unl.edu/merrickhamiltonag. Your attendance counts toward Upper Big Blue NRD Nitrogen Recertification and there’s no fee to attend. The educational program includes the following presentations: “Project SENSE Results & Update (active sensors in irrigated fields)”, “Precision Ag Equipment for Managing Nitrogen”, “Fertigation Equipment and Procedures for In-Season N Application”, “Project SENSE Fertigation Trials”, “A Farmer’s Perspective after Participating in the N Trials”, “Commercially available cloud-based tools for N management”, “Other N Management Results from On-Farm Research”, and “Collaborative On-Farm Research Opportunities, Some with Stipends”.

Nebraska Cover Crop and Soil Health Conference will provide information to growers who are just getting started with cover crops and to those who are already making cover crops part of their operation. The program will take place on Thursday, Feb. 11 from 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. CST. Attendees have the opportunity to attend either virtually or in-person at a number of sites throughout Nebraska. In-person sites (limited attendance) include: Beatrice (30), Central City (50), Hastings (100), Holdrege (50), North Platte (28), Syracuse (50), and York (25). There’s no fee to attend and pre-registration is required at: https://go.unl.edu/tmj5 . CCA credits are pending.

Topics and presenters include:  Soil Sensing and Soil Health – Kristen Veum, Research Soil Scientist at USDA-ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit, University of Missouri-Columbia; Optimizing Your Cover Crop ROI – Rebecca Clay, Strategic Initiatives Agronomy Coordinator at Practical Farmers of Iowa; Using Aerial Imagery to Determine Cover Crop Impacts on Cash Crop Growth and Development – Dr. Andrea Basche, Assistant Professor, Agronomy & Horticulture University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Experiences and Economics Using Cereal Rye as a Cover Crop – Chad Bell, Farmer; Pathway toward a Healthy and Resilient Soil to Achieve Optimum Productivity and Environmental Quality: Cover Crops are Key! – Jerry Hatfield, Retired Director, National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment; On-farm Research of Incorporating Cover Crop into a 3 Crop Dryland Rotation, Ken Herz, Owner/Operator of Herz Land and Cattle, and Cover Crop Panel – discussion with growers, landowners, and consultants.

Soils School: This is a great opportunity for those needing CEUs for soil and water credits and for anyone wanting to learn more about soils. Co-sponsored by the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the Nebraska Agri-Business Association, this virtual course has been specifically designed for new employees and a refresher course for all employees to give them the basics in soils. Watch it live on February 17-18, 2021 or earn credits by accessing the recordings and self-reporting your CEUs. A total of 9 Soil & Water (SW) and 7 Nutrient Management (NM) CEUs are being made available through this course. More info here: https://na-ba.com/member-resources/calendar/.

Nebraska On-Farm Research Updates will be held both virtually and in-person on Feb. 25 and 26. Nebraska farmers conducted over 100 on-farm research studies in 2020! There were 20 studies locally where farmers worked with me. These updates are an incredible opportunity to learn from these farmers and network with other innovative producers! There is no cost to attend, but pre-registration is required. Seating is limited, so register early. Visit https://go.unl.edu/2021onfarmresearch for registration, details, and program updates.