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Events
Crop production and farm management
Resources
Livestock issues
Policy issues
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Registration is required for this meeting. Preregistration is $10 by Friday, January 17. Mail or fax registrations to: University of Nebraska, 4502 Avenue I, Scottsbluff, NE 69361, fax: 308-632-1365.
Meetings are scheduled for 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the following locations:
Shari Rose
Corn and soybean variety test results available
If you’re watching the drought reports and wondering about your crop selection for 2003, be sure
to check out the results of last year’s NU Department of Agronomy corn and soybean trials. The
results are available on the Web at http://varietytest.unl.edu or in booklets at your local
Cooperative Extension office. The corn publication (EC105, Nebraska Corn Hybrid Test) is
currently available and the soybean results (EC104, Nebraska Soybean Variety Tests) are expected
to be available later this week.
Panhandle meetings tackle rural and urban drought issues
Information on the drought and strategies for dealing with it in both rural and urban settings will be the focus of several upcoming meetings sponsored by the University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center at Scottsbluff. Four meetings, to be held Jan. 27-30, will address crop production issues and tools for assessing alternatives and making decisions. A fifth program, scheduled for Jan. 22, will provide information on the impact a prolonged drought could have on cities, landowners, urban residents and businesses.The Real Story: Drought Facts and Strategies
Details: 3-8 p.m. Jan. 22, Panhandle REC, 4502 Avenue I, Scottsbluff, and broadcast via satellite to Harrison, Chadron, Rushville, Oshkosh, Chappell, Sidney, Kimball and Alliance, Nebraska.
Session topics and speakers will address urban drought issues, including:
Drought Facts and Strategies for Crop Producers
These meetings will cover the following topics:
These crop-based programs are free and registration is not required. For more information on any of these programs, contact your local NU Cooperative Extension office, or call the NU Panhandle Research and Extension Center at 308-632-1230. Information is also available on their Web site at www.panhandle.unl.edu/drought.
Communications Specialist
Drew Lyon
Extension Dryland Cropping Systems Specialist
Both at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center
Workshop topics include: reducing risk and improving yields by better variety and hybrid selection, irrigation management, pluses and minuses of combined seed and crop protection programs, doing the right things in the corn/soybean rotation, nutrient management and the current insect pest situation in corn and soybeans.
Presenters are: Lenis Nelson, NU crop variety and seed production specialist; Roger Elmore, NU crops specialist; William Kranz, NU irrigation specialist; Joel Schneekloth, Colorado State University extension irrigation management specialist; Dale Flowerday, consulting agronomist for Dalmar Consulting of Lincoln; Charles Shapiro, NU soil fertility specialist; Richard Ferguson, NU soils specialist; David Tarkalson, NU agronomist; and Bob Klein, NU cropping systems specialist.
Extension educators Ralph Kulm, Allen Vyhnalek, Ron Seymour, Dave Stenberg and Larry Peterson will present at their respective locations.
Registration is at 9 a.m. and the workshops will adjourn at 3 p.m. Dates, locations and extension educator contact information for the workshops are:
Certified Crop Advisor credits are available in the following categories: 1.0 in nutrient management, 1.0 in soil and water management and 3.0 in crop management. For more information, contact Klein at (308) 532-3611, extension 144, or the cooperative extension office where a workshop is being held.
Sandi Alswager
IANR News and Publishing
Irrigation management short courses
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The programs provide irrigators and those involved in managing Nebraska's water resources an opportunity to learn some of the latest research results and methods to improve on-farm water management. Managing water during drought will be a central theme of the meetings. Other topics will include methods of soil water monitoring, improving water management with limited water supplies and issues surrounding surface and ground water use in the state. Local water issues also will be addressed.
Short courses are scheduled for five sites:
C. Dean Yonts
Extension Irrigation Specialist
To help producers manage their water resources, three university cooperative extension divisions
have joined to sponsor the Central Plains Irrigation Conference and Exposition. It will be held at
the City Limits Convention Center in Colby, Kan., Feb. 4-5. Extension services at the
University of Nebraska, Kansas State University and Colorado State University are sponsoring
the conference in cooperation with the Central Plains Irrigation Association.
"Producers have seen a lot of deficiencies emphasized this season because of the drought
conditions that would have been masked by enough rainfall in normal years," Rogers said.
The event offers cutting edge information from both research and field experience.
Session topics include: operational characteristics and performance evaluation on CP sprinklers;
crop water needs; living with limited water; water economics and policy; and wastewater
utilization and additional workshops. General sessions will overview the 2002 season
and provide a history of Central Plains irrigation.
An equipment exposition representing many facets of the irrigation industry will be open
Tuesday and Wednesday morning.
The $50 registration fee includes all sessions, the exposition, two lunches, the social hour and a
copy of the proceedings. The fee for registering after Jan. 16 is $60. For more information call Donna Lamm at 785-462-7574 or visit the conference web site at http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/sdi/revents/cpia.html
Lucas Shivers
Registration is $10 and includes lunch. To register, contact Jim Margheim, NU project coordinator, Panhandle REC, 4502 Avenue I, Scottsbluff, Nebraska 69361; phone: (308) 632-1287; or email jmargheim1@unl.edu
"Market Journal" will move from being a Web-based and extension
office offering to something farmers and ranchers can watch weekly on TV,
said Jim Randall, NU electronic media communications specialist. The
programs will air Fridays at noon CST on University House Channel (NAUHS)
9411.
"Market Journal" is a one-hour program produced the second and fourth
weeks each month for NU Cooperative Extension and hosted by Doug Jose, NU
farm management specialist. It provides current grain/livestock market
commentary and analysis; weather, climate, and soil moisture updates;
proven marketing and management ideas; risk management strategies; updates
on current agricultural policy issues; and practical advice from seasoned
crop and livestock producers.
"Market Journal Extra" will be a companion program produced in
alternating weeks. The program will highlight extension and research
programs and activities of IANR faculty.
"This program will allow us to reach farmers and ranchers rapidly
with changing conditions," Randall said. "And it gives faculty a way to
provide outreach in a cost-effective manner."
Cooperative Extension offices in Boone, Cass, Holt, Madison,
Saunders, Sioux, Valley, Washington and York counties will allow those
without dish access to view the programs there.
The Dish network includes 7.5 million subscribers; estimates are the
network reaches about 100,000 Nebraska homes. It's estimated the programs will attract an audience of 3,000 to 4,000 Nebraska viewers per week. All programs are archived for later viewing online at
http://marketjournal.unl.edu/. "Market Journal" is presented by NU
Cooperative Extension and NU Department of Agricultural Economics.
Sandi S. Alswager
Comprehensive Nutrient Management Planning: An Educational Program
for Livestock and Poultry Producers will be offered in Cozad, Beatrice and
Grand Island. The program will introduce producers to manure utilization
and the basic concepts and requirements of CNMP, which is part of the
livestock waste control facility permit application some farmers must
submit to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, said Richard
DeLoughery, extension water quality educator at Norfolk.
"At the classes, participants will develop a manure utilization plan
for their individual animal feeding operations. They should bring
information about their operation to be used in developing the plan,
including soil tests, aerial photographs, yield information and cropping
systems information for three fields," he said.
Those attending will receive and learn to use workbooks, software and
other tools that simplify planning and documentation.
Presenters include NU Cooperative Extension educators, agronomists
and engineers.
Pre-registration is required. Sessions are from 1-4 p.m. Dates,
locations and extension educator contacts are:
For more information or to register, contact the workshop's extension
educator or send name, address, phone number, workshop location, if
additional packets are needed, and a check payable to the University of
Nebraska to Richard DeLoughery, Life long Learning Center, 601 East
Benjamin Ave., Suite 104, Norfolk, Neb. 68701-0812 or call (402)370-4061.
Sandi Alswager
The Technical Service Provider Manure Utilization Certification
Program is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 7 at the Seward County Cooperative
Extension Office in Seward and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 24 at the West
Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte.
The program will cover manure utilization and the basic concepts and
requirements of Comprehensive Nutrient Management Planning. This is a part
of the livestock waste control facility permit application some farmers
must submit to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, said
Richard DeLoughery, extension water quality educator at Norfolk.
In recent months, the Natural Resources Conservation Service has
developed a plan to pay farm advisers for developing farm Environmental
Quality Incentives Program plans that qualify for government payments. To
receive payments for their services, the adviser first must become a
certified Technical Service Provider in one or more categories, DeLoughery
said. This workshop will teach what an adviser will need to know to pass
the Technical Service Provider Manure Utilization Certification test.
"Participants will learn how to obtain the greatest economic value
from a farm's manure resources and will gain assurance they can comply with
state and federal regulations of nutrient management planning issues," he
said.
Participants will receive and learn to use software and other tools
that simplify planning and documentation, he added. Presenters include NU Cooperative Extension educators, agronomists and engineers.
Cost is $95 for registrations postmarked by Jan. 24 for the Seward
workshop and Feb. 10 for the North Platte workshop. Cost is $120
thereafter. Participants will receive eight continuing education credits
for the course, two in soil and water management and six in soil fertility
and nutrient management.
Those interested in attending can register by sending their name,
address, phone number, which workshop location they plan to attend and a
check payable to the University of Nebraska to Keith Glewen, Saunders
County Cooperative Extension, 1071 County Road G, Ithaca, Neb. 68033-2234,
or call (402)624-8030. The program is co-sponsored by the Nebraska Agribusiness Association
and Cooperative Extension in NU's Institute of Agriculture and Natural
Resources.
Speakers at the Employee Management in Production Agriculture Workshops will include: Bernard Erven, professor and extension specialist, Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics at Ohio State University, and Sarah Fogleman, extension agricultural economist at Kansas State University Research and Extension, and producers.
“Hiring and retaining quality employees can be a key challenge to an operation’s success,” said
Rick Rasby, NU beef specialist and program co-coordinator.
“In addition, personnel management isn’t a strength of most producers,” said Lon Larson, ranch
manager and chairman of the Nebraska Cattle Cow/Calf Council. “This program will allow
participants to better understand labor management and compensation to improve their success
with employees.”
Program sessions include: hiring the right employee, communication, orientation and training of
ag employees, working together as a family, keeping good employees, firing employees in a tight
market, and critical documents to keep in an employee handbook.
Workshops will be held from 1:30 to 8 p.m. at the following sites:
Bruce Treffer
Following is a tentative list of dates and topics:
Those who are not able to be present on campus can join the conversation by phone. For further
information on the seminars, notes from previous seminars, and the phone number for meetings,
check the seminar web site at http://bse.unl.edu/adamchuk/gpt_seminar
Viacheslav Adamchuk
If you regularly feed more than five or six pounds of alfalfa per day to stock cows during winter,
they probably are getting too much protein and maybe not enough TDN. Mixing grass with
alfalfa usually lowers the protein but slightly increases the TDN content of hay. Also, if you
sometimes graze your hay fields, grass will reduce the risk of bloat.
In the field, grass can grow in areas where alfalfa is not well-adapted or fill in spots as alfalfa
dies out. This is better than having weeds invade bare areas. Grass-alfalfa mixtures dry out more
rapidly after cutting than pure alfalfa so you might get more hay made without rain damage. And
if it does rain, the mixture usually suffers less injury. Likewise, grass-alfalfa bales shed rain
water better than pure alfalfa bales.
Among the disadvantages, protein yield per acre will be less with the mix, but total tonnage will
be about the same as with pure stands. Most of the grass yield will come at first cut, so regrowth
will be mostly alfalfa. Selling a mixture can be more difficult because dairies prefer pure alfalfa
and grass is more difficult to grind than alfalfa.
Bruce Anderson
Richard Ferguson, soils specialist at NU's South Central Research and Extension Center at
Clay Center, spoke at the annual meeting spotlighting UNL Department of Agronomy and
Horticulture programs.
Ferguson said that in 1965 Nebraska producers used an average of more than 1.5 pounds of
nitrogen, sometimes as high as 2 pounds, to produce each bushel of corn. By 2000, that had
dropped to 1 pound per bushel, very close to the generally recommended rate of about
nine-tenths of a pound, said Ferguson.
"Nebraska producers have steadily increased the efficiency with which they use nitrogen," he
said. "Today's farmers are on average very efficient using nitrogen compared to their parents."
Contributing to this trend is better accounting for nitrogen available in the soil and irrigation
water; improved application timing; advances in hybrids and cropping systems; and improved
irrigation efficiency. Farmers also are motivated by greater awareness about groundwater
contamination concerns.
More work is needed to improve nitrogen-application efficiency, said Ken Cassman, head of
the agronomy and horticulture department. Only about 40% of the nitrogen applied to corn
actually reaches the plant. "We've got to get 80% of that nitrogen we're applying into the
plant," Cassman said.
Dan Moser
Perhaps the Penney philosophy should apply to genetically enhanced commodities. The
European Union, Japan and China continue to be reluctant buyers of biotech corn and soybeans
from the United States. Shouldn't we just give in and supply what they want? Perhaps so. But
maybe not.
A response that seemingly rejects consumer sovereignty makes several assumptions.
First, scientific evidence consistently and unconditionally must show that biotech crops are
safe.
Second, through education, persuasion and patience, we must convince foreign customers of
that reality. In some ways, it's not unlike the local merchant who advertises regularly to keep us
buying.
Finally, biotechnology eventually needs to go well beyond just being advantageous to
producers. It needs to be perceived as being beneficial to consumers as well. This is a huge
challenge because many foreign customers currently view biotech products as undesirable.
Opposition to genetic enhancement of crops has been strongest in the 15-nation European
Union. The EU has not approved any new genetically enhanced crop varieties for human food or
livestock feed since 1998. A group of more than two dozen U.S. farm organizations want to
change that. They've asked the Bush Administration to file a formal complaint against EU
inaction with the World Trade Organization.
However, if backed into a corner, the EU may respond with new, tougher rules on labeling
and traceability. American farmers fear that widespread biotech labeling would scare away even
more consumers.
Equally significant, it would be extraordinarily difficult to maintain a labeling system
throughout the market chain. Meat products, for example, might need to be labeled, even though
no evidence of genetically enhanced feed could be identified in meat tissue.
A number of new varieties of biotech corn will be available to U.S. corn producers in 2003.
While these varieties will have been approved by our own regulatory agencies, some farm groups
are urging caution. If the EU or any other nation won't accept these varieties, then it may be
unwise to contaminate market channels, even if this corn is destined for domestic feeding
operations. It's all part of the continuing biotechnology dilemma that American farmers face.
Roy Frederick
To provide information about sustainable agricultural practices from the state's past, staff from
Kansas State University and the Kansas Rural Center recently teamed with producers to create a
Web site: Yesterday's Research for Tomorrow's
Needs.
The Web site contains information from Kansas State Research and Extension publications from the early part of the century on agroforestry, high-value crops, cover crops, pests, and soil management.
Press Release
"We didn't find a silver bullet but we have learned so much," said Animal Scientist Terry
Klopfenstein. Other scientists on the university's interdisciplinary research team agree this
research has laid scientific groundwork that eventually will contribute to better controls of the
foodborne illness culprit.
"We have a completely different picture and better understand O157:H7," said Veterinary
Scientist David Smith. "We also have a research line on interventions that look very promising"
to limit the bacteria in feedlot cattle.
NU expanded its E. coli research program with support from Nebraska's Legislature after the
massive recall of E. coli-contaminated ground beef processed at Hudson Foods in Columbus in
1997.
The beef industry, state lawmakers and NU officials agreed research was needed to tackle the
problem. In 1998, the Unicameral passed LB1206 which provided $250,000 annually for five
years to support the university's E. coli research. Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources
animal, food and veterinary scientists teamed with UNL School of Biological Sciences and NU
Medical Center researchers to tap diverse expertise.
This team focused on better understanding O157:H7 and on ways to reduce it in cattle before
slaughter. It's paying off, scientists and industry officials agree.
"In a very short research timeline, we've gained tremendous knowledge," said Sallie Atkins,
executive director of the Nebraska Beef Council, a Sandhills rancher and a member of the
committee that advised researchers. "To be at the point where we are testing interventions for
reducing this pathogen is a tremendous stride for industry."
Applying this knowledge is the next step. "People really get excited when they see the
science applied," she said. She anticipates the beef industry will be willing to put the findings to
work to ensure food safety. As a producer and an beef industry executive, Atkins said she was
pleased with the team's progress.
"What they have done for the industry is really immeasurable," she said of NU's research.
"We will continue to see how valuable it is as the applications unfold."
The team's early research helped confirm that O157:H7 is common and widespread in feedlot
cattle. Since E. coli is ubiquitous, eliminating it isn't realistic. Limiting it at key times, such as
before slaughter, is the goal.
The Nebraska team has tested several potential control methods for use in feedlots, including
two that look promising. More studies are needed, but an experimental Canadian vaccine and
using special strains of Lactobacillus acidophilus, a beneficial bacteria, as a feed additive show
potential. Early results indicate combining beneficial bacteria with the experimental vaccine is
most effective. Researchers are collaborating with the Canadian scientists who developed the
vaccine and plan more tests this summer.
Feedlot studies of the two promising strategies were based partly on Veterinary Scientist Rod
Moxley's research. Moxley has focused on understanding E. coli infection in cattle since 1985.
His research indicates that O157:H7 infects cattle by creating proteins which help it
attach to cattle's large intestines. Attachment is key because it allows E. coli to live in cattle,
reproduce and spread.
"We've worked with strains that lack the ability to attach and they don't stick around long," he
said. He showed that cattle produce an immune response to the bacteria, which supported the
idea that a vaccine could be effective.
IANR research also has revealed much about O157:H7's genetic structure. Using a new
genetic fingerprinting tool his team developed, Food Microbiologist Andy Benson discovered
two genetically distinct O157:H7 populations one that causes illness and another that may be
incapable of causing illness in humans or that isn't easily transmitted to humans from cattle.
"The evolution of the organism has been one of the main research questions and Nebraska
has played a key role thanks to Andy's group," said Bob Hutkins, a food microbiologist who
coordinated the LB1206 research project.
Using its technique, Benson's team identified more than 100 genetic markers for the different
populations. A Lincoln company used some of these markers to develop a fast, simple test to
identify different O157:H7 populations in samples from humans and animals.
Nebraska's research also produced an important tool for testing E. coli in large numbers of
feedlot cattle. Veterinary Scientist David Smith's team devised a simple way to test pens of
feedlot cattle without handling individual animals, which is impractical. Researchers found that a
rope tied to a pen fence is a great way to sample a pen. Cattle lick and chew the rope for a couple
of hours and laboratory analysis reveals the prevalence of O157:H7 or other organisms. NU is patenting the
test, including the laboratory methods behind it.
Other findings and accomplishments include:
Vicki MillerConference to focus on irrigation efficiency
After two drought-stricken growing seasons for many producers in the Plains, irrigation's value
becomes hinged on efficiency, said Dan Rogers, Kansas State University Research and Extension
agricultural engineer.
KSU Communications Assistant
High Plains Grass Seed Association to meet Feb. 12
Grass seed producers can learn the latest production recommendations at this year's High Plains Gras Seed Association winter meeting Wednesday, Feb. 12, at the NU Panhandle REC at Scottsbluff. Topics will include an industry overview with Robert Shearman, NU turf specialist; 2002 field observations -- a learning tool for future management with Cole Randol, Servi-Tech agronomist; herbicide studies for Kentucky bluegrass establishment in wheat stubbble with Robert Wilson, NU extension weed specialist; new warm and cool season forage grasses with Ken Vogel, USDA-ARS-NU forage/crops leader; implications of past research and visions for the future with David Baltensperger, NU Extension crop breeding specialist.
'Market Journal' and 'Market Journal Extra' to air on Echostar Dish Network
The University of Nebraska's "Market Journal"
program will be joined by a companion program, "Market Journal Extra," and
both will be broadcast over the Echostar Dish Network starting Jan. 10.
IANR News and Publishing
Comprehensive nutrient management workshop offered in February
A three-session University of Nebraska workshop in
February will help livestock and poultry producers develop comprehensive
nutrient management plans for managing their farm's manure resources.
Cost is $35 per farm. A second family member, employee or advisor is
free unless additional copies of workbooks and software are requested. One
farm member will need basic computer spreadsheet skills.
IANR News and Publishing
Manure utilization planning workshop for crop and livestock advisers
Advisers to crop and livestock producers will learn
to develop comprehensive nutrient management plans for managing manure in
livestock operations at an upcoming NU workshop.
Garner tips on farm/ranch employee management
How to find, hire, motivate, compensate and retain quality ag employees will be the focus of five
Cooperative Extension meetings to be held in January.
Registration is $30 plus $10 for each additional person from an operation. Registration includes
program materials and a meal. For more information or to register, call Brent Plugge at (800)
657-2113. This is a cooperative effort of University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension and the Nebraska
Cattlemen.
Extension Educator, Dawson County
Geospatial and precision technologies brown bag seminars
Monthly Geospatial and Precision Technologies Brown Bag Seminars will be held on the NU
East Campus in Lincoln for those interested in geospatial data management and precision
agriculture. These seminars will serve as an informal setting for discussion and brainstorming
related to the topic of the week. They will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the East Campus
Union.
Extension Precision Agriculture Engineer
Consider adding grass when planting alfalfa
Producers considering planting a new hay field this spring, may want to consider adding one or
more grasses. For many growers, pure alfalfa is the best choice, but for some, adding grass, like
orchardgrass, may improve the mix. The change offers advantages and disadvantages,
depending on individual goals and operations.
Extension Forage Specialist
Decreased nitrogen use a major success story in Nebraska agriculture
Decreasing use of nitrogen fertilizer on crops has been one of the major success stories in
Nebraska agriculture in recent decades, a University of Nebraska soils scientist said at NU's
Agronomy and Horticulture Highlights in December.
IANR News and Publishing
Biotechnology dilemma deepens
The customer is always right. J.C. Penney built his merchandising empire on those five
words. Had he been an economist, Penney might have said that the demand side of the market is
all-important. If the customer neither needs nor wants a product, it cannot be sold at a profitable
price.
Extension Public Policy Analyst
Web site takes farmers 'back to the future'
As concerns about the environment and markets for reduced-pesticide and locally grown foods
increase, farmers are looking for new ways to improve water quality and soil fertility with less
chemical use. Ironically, many of the farming techniques being tried today were used by farmers in the early 1900s.
Kansas State University
ERS explores identity preservation and grain market segmentation
The U.S. grain and oilseed sector is experiencing a significant shift away from production and
marketing of generic commodities toward more product differentiation and market segmentation,
according to a USDA release. In light of this, the USDA Economic Research Service will be
hosting a meeting on Product Differentiation and Market Segmentation in Grains and Oilseeds:
Implications for an Industry in Transition Jan. 27 to 12:30 p.m. Jan. 28 at the ERS offices at
1800 M Street, NW, Washington, DC. The symposium is to examine new research, industry
responses, government initiatives, and University programs related to identity preservation
(IP) in the U.S. grain system, Discussion topics will include: drivers of grain differentiation; contracting IP grain production; IP segregation costs and efficiency; IP cost distribution along supply chain; incentives and risk management under IP; price behavior under market segmentation; structural
change in IP grain system; and private and public roles in IP market facilitation.
Intensive NU research expands understanding of dangerous E. coli
From genome to farm, intensive University of Nebraska research on E. coli O157:H7 is yielding
information about possible control methods and answering critical questions to help protect
against this potentially deadly bacteria.
LB1206 funding ended in 2002, but the research it supported helped NU scientists earn more
than $2.6 million in grants to continue this work.
IANR News Service
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