January, 2004

Carbon sequestration and its implications for Nebraska producers

Left unchecked, atmospheric heating and the resulting impact on weather patterns and climate could lead to substantial changes in how and where crop production occurs. This article will explore agriculture’s role in sequestering carbon and the implications for Nebraska producers.

Impact for Nebraska farmers

Average soybean seed weights from University of Nebraska trials conducted across Nebraska, 1998-2003. (Link to graph)

Soybean seeds from University of Nebraska trials are weighing in at about 3,400 seeds per pound this year, said Roger Elmore, extension crops specialist. The last two years seeds weighed around 3,000 to 3,200 seeds per pound. Before the current drought, in 1998, seeds were at 2,500 seeds per pound.

Soybean seed weight is determined in August.

"If you have a hot, dry August, you'll have smaller seeds," he said.

And it's worse the further east one goes.

"Some companies are talking 4,000 seeds per pound," Elmore said. "Since there isn't as much irrigation further east, the seeds get smaller."

However, since soybean seeds are sold by the pound, growers actually can save money this year by getting more seeds per pound. More seeds per pound can plant more acres. Since prices shouldn't be going up, soybean growers should be getting about 1,000 more seeds per pound than in wetter years, the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources specialist said.

However, this will require some extra caution when calibrating the planter this year.

"If soybeans are planted too thick, farmers will waste seed," he said. "Growers can save a lot on seed costs, but need to estimate seed needs carefully."

To make sure seed isn't wasted this year, growers will need to look at the seed weight listed on the bag to calibrate their planters correctly. If not listed, contact the seed dealer to obtain seeds per pound for that specific lot number.

For example, at the pre-drought average of 2,500 seeds per pound, the normal seeding rate would be 60 pounds per acre, or about 150,000 seeds. However, a seed lot with 3,500 seeds per pound would have a planting rate of about 43 pounds per acre. That would be a 28% savings of seed costs relative to normal seed weights and a normal year, Elmore said. At today's seed prices, that would be equal to about a $9 per acre savings.

Also, in good soil conditions, smaller seeds will come up out of ground faster and there will be more root development.

However, it isn't all good news, Elmore said. Some researchers have found that if the soil crusts after a rain, there will be decreased emergence and decreased seedling and root weights. This means a poorer stand, increased weed control problems and possibly reduced yields.

Adams, an animal scientist and beef specialist, takes over for Gary Hergert, a soil scientist, who will move to the Panhandle Research and Extension Center at Scottsbluff, said John Owens, NU vice president and Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources vice chancellor.

Adams has been at West Central Center since 1990 and serves as faculty supervisor for the Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory near Whitman. The Utah native, whose specialty is nutrition and management systems for beef cattle, was honored in 2001 with Cooperative Extension's Distinguished Specialist Award, in part for his role in establishing the Nebraska Ranch Practicum.

Hergert became interim director at West Central in 1997 and permanent director in 1999. The West Central center is the oldest of four research and extension centers in the NU system, celebrating its centennial this year. It serves a 20-county region. Situated near the heart of Nebraska's Sandhills cattle country, the center is a leader in rangeland and cow-calf production research and education.

The center is part of the University's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

"The faculty and staff of West Central have a rich history of providing valuable research results and extension education programs for the people, counties and communities of Nebraska. We greatly appreciate Dr. Hergert's contributions at West Central and look forward to the results of his new programs at the Panhandle Center, and we welcome Dr. Adams to his new interim assignment," Owens said.

The research strongly confirms the benefits and economies of switching from furrow irrigation to center pivot and from conventional tillage to no-till. In some cases, says Bob Klein, extension cropping system specialist, these changes could cut the amount of water required to grow a viable corn crop by half. These changes also can enhance pest control and fertilization, while meeting their primary goal – to conserve as much water and moisture as possible - in a sustainable way.

“Market Journal” is a 30-minute television program produced by the University of Nebraska Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and presented by Cooperative Extension and the Department of Agricultural Economics. The program is hosted by Doug Jose, extension farm management specialist.

The program is scheduled for Fridays at 12:30 p.m. on Dish Network channel 9411 and Time Warner Cable (Lincoln) channel 21; Saturdays at 6:30 a.m. on Nebraska Educational Television; and Sundays at 9:00 a.m. on NETV2, all Central Time.

Dale Blasi, Kansas State University Extension beef cattle nutrition and management specialist, and Gary Rupp, director of NU's Great Plains Veterinary Educational Center, will address the technological, economic and other challenges facing the livestock industry as it comes to terms with changing times. Blasi and Rupp are among the speakers at this year's "Partners in Progress Beef Seminar" on Jan. 21 at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center. Highlights from the seminar and comments from participants will be included in "Market Journal."

"Market Journal" is a 30-minute television program produced by the NU Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and presented by Cooperative Extension and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Agricultural Economics. The program is hosted by Doug Jose, NU farm management specialist.

Program times and channels are: Fridays at 12:30 p.m. on Dish Network channel 9411 and Time Warner Cable (Lincoln) channel 21; Saturdays at 6:30 a.m. on Nebraska Educational Television; and Sundays at 9:00 a.m., NETV2, all Central Time.

The featured speaker is Marion Calmer, a conservation farmer who owns and operates a diversified cash grain farm in west-central Illinois. He developed Calmer's Agronomic Research Center, Calmer Manufacturing and invented the patented "Universal Corn Picking Row Unit".

Calmer will provide information to help producers make practical, environmentally and economically sound decisions. Topics will include:

• year round residue management in no-till;
• making no-till nitrogen and narrow rows profitable; and
• combine settings for better harvesting.

Paul Jasa, NU Extension Engineer, will address additional no-till topics, including:

• soil structure benefits and water management;
• no-till equipment and the systems approach; and
• yield and equipment management.

A panel of growers who are successfully using no-till also will be on the program and share their experiences in Nebraska farming situations.

To provide support for these farm and ranch projects, USDA’s North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NCR-SARE) established a Producer Grant program to help provide financial support. The program funds competitive grants to producers with an economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable idea. “A lot of good ideas are generated at the producer level,” said Jim Faulstich, a South Dakota cattle producer who received an NCR-SARE Producer Grant in 2002. “If they get the funding, they can try and prove to themselves – and the industry – that they’re right, that their ideas work.”

NCR SARE, which is hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is currently accepting applications from producers for research, demonstration, or educational projects. The projects must be environmentally sound, socially responsible, likely profitable, and show a potential benefit to other farmers in the North Central Region. Applicants must live in the 12-state region – Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. About $400,000 will be available on a competitive basis. Individuals can receive up to $6,000 and groups of three or more independent producers can receive up to $18,000. Past projects were in a variety of topic areas, including weed and pest management, reducing off-farm inputs, marketing, improving water and soil quality, sustainable grazing techniques, and recycling farm waste.

“The Producer Grant Program emphasizes the importance of farmer-driven research and indigenous knowledge,” said Ken Schneider, NCR-SARE’s producer grant liaison and a former farmer/rancher. “We support innovative farmers and ranchers looking for ways to overcome obstacles to a sustainable operation.”

In 2002, Wende Elliot of Colo, Iowa, had an idea for an organic meat farmer coop, Wholesome Harvest. She needed funding to develop a business plan and start marketing efforts. By 2004, she had 41 farms in four states working together, selling their products nationally. Next year, she intends to start selling internationally. “The grant gave me the psychological confidence that people believed in my idea, and the money to try. If NCR-SARE hadn’t come along to water the seed, Wholesome Harvest wouldn’t have become the tree it is now,” Elliott said.

Grant proposals are due at NCR-SARE's office in Lincoln, Nebraska by 4:30 p.m. March 24. The proposals are evaluated in the spring, applicants are notified in late summer, and funds are usually available in early fall. Application forms are available on the NCR- SARE Web site at www.sare.org/ncrsare/ or contact the regional office at NCR-SARE, University of Nebraska, 13A Activities Bldg., 1734 N. 34th St., Lincoln, NE 68583-0840; phone: 402-472-7081 or e-mail ncrsare@unl.edu.

The classes emphasize that producers can make profitable use of manure by applying it where crops will make the greatest use of its nutrients, said Richard DeLoughery, extension educator at the University of Nebraska's Northeast Research and Extension Center at Norfolk.

"In return, better managing manure will help producers protect our state's groundwater and surface waters," he said.

The classes use the Nebraska CNMP workbook developed by NU Cooperative Extension. A CNMP is part of the livestock waste control facility permit application some farmers have to submit to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, he said.

Classes on managing manure for profit and NDEQ permit maintenance are available in two sessions at seven locations across the state. Participants need to attend both sessions. Among many topics, this class teaches producers how to use a spreadsheet that will calculate manure rates that meet crop needs, and also how much they can reduce phosphorus in rations.

These classes are approved by the NDEQ for meeting education requirements for land application training for livestock producers who have state operating permits, DeLoughery said.

A manure nutrient planning for writing a NDEQ permit class also is available at some locations. This class will help livestock producers develop comprehensive nutrient management plans for managing manure from their livestock.

Presenters include extension educators, agronomists and engineers.

Pre-registration is required since seating is limited at each site. Cost is $35 per operation for the maintenance classes and $20 for the planning class. Fees include three CNMP workbooks, a case-study farm example, software, CD and follow-up assistance.

For more information or to register, contact the workshop's extension educator. Dates, times, locations and extension educator contacts for managing manure for profit and permit maintenance are:

• Jan. 27 and 29, 1-4:30 p.m. Scottsbluff, Tom Holman, (308) 262-1022.
• Feb. 6 and 13, 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m., Ainsworth, Denny Bauer, (402) 387-2213, lunch will be served.
• Feb. 10 and 17, 1-4:30 p.m., courthouse, Columbus, Allan Vyhnalek, (402) 564-8560.
• Feb. 11 and 18, 1-4:30 pm, Aurora Technology Center, Gary Zoubek, (402) 362-5508.
• Feb. 12 and 19, 1-4:30 p.m., Beatrice, Paul Hay, (402) 223-1386
• Feb. 20 and 25, 1-4:30 p.m., Holdrege, Chuck Burr, (308) 995-4222
• March 1 and 8, 1-4:30 p.m., Haskell Ag Lab, Concord, Del Hemsath, (402) 584-2234.

• Jan. 27, 9 a.m.-noon, Scottsbluff, Tom Holman, (308) 262-1022.
• Feb. 11, 9 a.m.-noon, Aurora, Gary Zoubek, (402) 362-5508.
• Feb. 12, 9 a.m.-noon, Beatrice, Paul Hay, (402) 223-1386.
• Feb. 20, 9 a.m.-noon, Holdrege, Chuck Burr, (308) 995-4222.

The two-day event, hosted by the University of Nebraska, will feature speakers from Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado and other surrounding states, said Dean Yonts, irrigation engineer at the NU's Panhandle Research and Extension Center at Scottsbluff.

General and technical session topics will include subsurface drip irrigation, center pivot system efficiency, water-conserving residue management, management strategies for limited water supplies and center pivot performance evaluation software.

Participants also can visit with regional leaders in the irrigation industry at the exposition.

And in SW Nebraska . . . A similar set of workshops on computerized farm financial management is being hosted by NU Cooperative Extension in southwest Nebraska in March. Information on these is available on the CropWatch Events Web page.

The Computerized Farm Financial Recordkeeping workshops will use Quicken 2004 software, although the concepts also would apply to other systems. Participants do not need to have prior experience with computerized financial recordkeeping, although experience with a hand-kept single entry accounting system (such as the extension blue book) would be helpful. Sample files based on a typical Nebraska farm will be used in the course.

Participants will receive instruction on establishing a computerized farm financial system and transferring existing records, entering data and retrieving information for various reports, organizing transactions by enterprise, dealing with specific types of loans, reconciling the bank statement and electronic banking.

Cattle on feed up 7% in Nebraska and 6% in U.S.

Placements during December totaled 350,000 head, up 3% from 2002 and 17% above 2001. Fed cattle marketings for the month of December totaled 340,000 head, down 8% from last year but 5% above December two years ago. Other disappearance during December totaled 10,000 head compared with 10,000 head during December 2002 and 15,000 head during December 2001.

In U.S. feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head cattle and calves on feed for slaughter totaled 11.2 million head on January 1. The inventory was 6% above January 1, 2003 but 3% below January 1, 2002.

Placements in feedlots during December totaled 1.75 million, 10% above 2002 and 11% above 2001. Marketings of fed cattle during December totaled 1.74 million, 3% below 2002 and 4% below 2001. Other disappearance totaled 90,000 during December, 9% below 2002 and 3% below 2001.

Seeding was underway by Sept. 1. Minimal rainfall allowed seeding to progress at a slightly faster than normal pace. At the end of December, the crop condition rated 36% good or excellent, near the 38% of a year ago.

Soybean production for 2003 totaled 180 million bushels, up 2% from the November forecast and up 2% from last year. This is the third largest crop behind 2001's record production of 223 million bushels followed by 1999's production. Yield, at 40 bushels per acre, is 1.5 bushels above 2002. Area for harvest, at 4.49 million acres, is down 2% from 2002.

Sorghum for grain production in 2003 is estimated at 31 million bushels, down 2% from the November forecast but more than double the production of last year. Yield is estimated at 62 bushels per acre, up 12 bushels from last year. Area harvested for grain was 500,000 acres, up 67% or 200,000 acres from last year.

Hay production totaled 7.6 million tons, up 28% from the previous year's crop. Acreage harvested is 3.15 million acres, down 100,000 acres from 2002. Yield, at 2.41 tons per acre, is up 0.6 ton from last year and equal to the 1999 record high. Alfalfa production is up 29 percent from a year ago and all other hay production is up 25%.

Soybeans stored in all positions on December 1, 2003 totaled 134 million bushels, down 5% from last year and the lowest since 1998. On-farm stocks are 42 million bushels, down 25% from last year. Off-farm stocks of 92 million bushels are up 9% from 2002.

Wheat stored in all positions on December 1, 2003 totaled 59 million bushels, up 13% from a year ago. On-farm stocks of 14.5 million bushels are up 67% from 2002. Off-farm stocks, at 45 million bushels, are up 3% from last year.

Sorghum stored in all positions on December 1, 2003 totaled 32 million bushels, up 29% from 2002 and the second lowest since 1956. On-farm stocks are 9 million bushels, up 34% from a year ago. Off-farm stocks, at 23 million bushels, are 27% more than 2002.

Hay stocks on Nebraska farms totaled 5.2 million tons on December 1, 2002, up 54% from 2002.

The University of Nebraska High Plains Ag Lab will hold its annual meeting Feb. 10, 2004, at the Holiday Inn in Sidney. Extension Educator Karen DeBoer will moderate the meeting, which will begin with registration at 8:30 a.m. and is expected to adjourn at 3:45 p.m.

Preregistering by Jan. 31 is strongly encouraged so appropriate arrangements can be made for the meeting. The registration fee is $20. To preregister contact the High Plains Ag Lab at 308-254-3918 or the Cheyenne County Extension Office at 254-4455.

Program

8:30 a.m. Registration

8:45 a.m. Administrative update and report on Panhandle Review with Charles Hibberd, director, Panhandle Research and Extension Center (PHREC) in Scottsbluff

9:05 a.m. Farm Update, Tom Nightingale, farm manager, High Plains Ag Lab

9:10 a.m. Where does wheat fit? And flexible fallow, Drew Lyon, dryland crops specialist, PHREC

9:40 a.m. Alternatives that work with wheat and some that don’t -- new varieties with David Baltensperger, alternative crops specialist, PHREC

10:30 a.m. Insect pest potential during drought / wheat curl mite update with Gary Hein, entomologist, PHREC

11:00 a.m. Wheat fertility -- adjusting for rotations with David Tarkalson, soil fertility specialist, West Central Research and Extension Center in North Platte

11:20 a.m. Livestock management for drought with Ivan Rush, Beef Specialist, PHREC

11:40 a.m. Detecting meth production with Scot Blehm of Congressman Tom Osborne’s Western Office

12:00 p.m. Lunch

12:45 p.m. New wheat varieties and mechanisms for release -- What do intellectual property rights mean? With P. Stephen Baenziger, professor, Department of Agronomy and Horticulture

1:15 p.m. Diseases of wheat -- A career perspective on what we need to do next! with John Watkins, extension plant pathologist

1:45 p.m. Another approach to solving the wheat streak problem with Robert Graybosch, USDA/ARS research scientist in Lincoln

2:15 p.m. Wheat quality - how can genes help us? Quality of new wheat varieties with Brian Beecher, plant breeder

2:40 p.m. Economics of wheat in dryland agriculture with Paul Burgener, agricultural economist, PHREC

3:00 - 3:45 p.m. Advisory Futuring and Evaluation Session for HPAL with Milt Rogers, chair, High Plains Ag Lab Advisory Board, David Baltensperger, supervisor, High Plains Ag Lab, Karen DeBoer, ag educator, Cheyenne County Extension Office

Business Meeting: Milt Rogers, chair, and Bryce Halstead, vice chair

For more information Estimating Winter Wheat Grain Yields, NU Cooperative Extension NebGuide G1429, discusses how to assess winter survival and three methods for estimating wheat yields.

"Contrary to what some people might think, we found that a percentage of winterkill loss does not result in the same percentage yield loss," said Merle Witt, southwest area agronomist with K-State Research and Extension. "Also, growing conditions in early spring when tillering is occurring and during the grain-filling period when kernel numbers and kernel size are being determined affect the extent to which winterkill damage expresses itself. Thus, 25% winterkill damage in one year may not be as damaging as the same percent winterkill in another year."

Witt's study, which simulated winterkill in Kansas wheat, was conducted over a two-year period at the Southwest Research-Extension Center near Garden City. The site was a Ulysses silt loam soil in a wheat-fallow rotation. To reflect a range of winterkill levels, four treatments were used: 0% (check) winterkill, 25%, 50% and 75% winterkill. The research was funded by National Crop Insurance Services, based in Overland Park, Kan.

In the study's first year, wheat plants were hoed out in February to the appropriate winterkill levels. In the second year, a beardless, spring wheat variety was mixed at planting with the winter wheat varieties so that when the spring wheat died during winter, the result was the desired levels of winterkill damage. Two winter wheat varieties, TAM 107 and Trego, were used.

The average yield for the check treatment (0% winterkill) in the first year was about 59 bushels per acre. The yield for the 25% winterkill treatment was 55.3 bushels per acre or about a 6.5% yield loss. With the 50% winterkill treatment, the yield was 50.7 bushels per acre or about a 14% yield loss. For the 75% winterkill treatment the yield was 46.8 bushels per acre or about a 21% yield loss.

Average yields in the second year of the study were lower because growing conditions during grain-filling were not as good, Witt said. The check or 0% winterkill treatment yielded 46 bushels per acre. The 25% winterkill treatment yielded 39 bushels per acre or close to a 15% yield loss. The average yield for the 50% winterkill treatment was 32.5 bushels per acre (29.5% yield loss), and the average yield for the 75% winterkill treatment was 18.5 bushels per acre (59% yield loss).

In both years the most severe winterkill treatment resulted in a delay in the heading date.

"This (delay) is a common occurrence and probably would be more pronounced in a field situation where there was winterkill in a pure stand of winter wheat, instead of the (killed) spring wheat of the spring-winter wheat mixture that was used in this experiment," Witt said. "Also, it is common to observe a reduction in test weights with delayed heading dates. The first year there was only a small reduction in test weights, while in the second year, with less conducive growing conditions, there was a 3.5-pound-per-bushel reduction in test weight from the 0% winterkill treatment to the 75% winterkill treatment.

"The study gave us a range of expected yield losses over a range of winterkill damage. A limitation of the study, however, is the fact that winterkill damage was distributed uniformly over the study area and that doesn't normally occur in a field-wide situation," Witt said. "Generally, winterkill damage occurs on terraces and elevated areas of the field where soils tend to be drier, and it can be large areas of the field with little chance for the surviving plants to compensate."

Mary Lou Peter
K-State Research and Extension

A primary goal of the program is to increase the diversity of crop production in the region by successfully producing and marketing alternative crops. The program will match new producers with mentor producers and University scientists.

Mentor producers will help provide timely crop management and marketing advice for various alternative crops, including grain and forage peas, chickpea (commonly referred to as garbanzo beans), specialty millets, sunflowers, perennial grass seed, and brown mustard (used for bio- diesel fuel production).

A team of NU specialists, including a plant pathologist, entomologist, cropping systems specialist, fertility specialist, and economist, will provide research-based support and learning opportunities in association with field tours, on-site demonstrations, and informational meetings. The program also will provide funding to help offset seeding and other participatory costs. The program will be conducted for a three-year period, with enrollment being limited to 25 new producers each year.

Individuals in western Nebraska and eastern Wyoming can get further information or apply to participate in the program by calling Baltensperger at (308) 632-1261, Jim Margheim, PHREC project coordinator, at (308) 632-1287, or a local county extension office. The preliminary application deadline is Feb. 7.

"The discussions will totally be producer-led and items discussed are solely based on the information they are seeking," Anderson said.

"One of the values of the overall effort is I will get to hear the specific challenges and problems they are facing, and, as a result, I'll get to better know how to direct my programming in the coming years," he said.

Each meeting will include a broad range of topics and time for discussion. For more information, contact a local Cooperative Extension office. The meetings are free and will be held at the following locations:

• Jan. 13, Cooperative Extension office, North Platte, 2 p.m.; fairgrounds, Imperial, 7 p.m.
• Jan. 14, Southwest Public Power offices, Palisade, 10 a.m.; Community Building on fairgrounds, McCook, 2 p.m.
• Jan. 15, Legion Hall, Elwood, 9 a.m.; Community Building, Hordville, 2 p.m.
• Jan. 20, Harvest Bowl, Tecumseh, 9 a.m.; Leech Agency, Humboldt, 2 p.m.
• Jan. 27, Opera House, Bruning, 9 a.m.; auditorium, Chester, 2 p.m.; Vestey Center, Superior, 7 p.m.
• Jan. 28, Webster County Museum, Red Cloud, 9 a.m.; City Hall Auditorium, Blue Hill, 2 p.m.
• Jan. 29, Bank, Tekamah, 9:30 a.m.; First National Bank, Emerson, 1:30 p.m.
• Feb. 3, 4-H Building, Fairbury, 10 a.m.; Community Center, Wymore, 2 p.m.
• Feb. 4, A & B, Shelby, 10 a.m.; Legion Hall, Palmer, 2 p.m.
• Feb. 10, Community Hall, Western, 9:30 a.m.; 4-H Building, York, 1:30 p.m.
• Feb. 11, Kirby's Family Restaurant, David City, 9:30 a.m.; Courthouse, West Point, 2 p.m.
• Feb. 24, Outlaw Steak House, Garland, 10 a.m.
• Feb. 25, New Community Center, Loup City, 10 a.m.; Courthouse, Burwell, 1:30 p.m.
• Feb. 26, New Frontier, Belgrade, 10 a.m.; Club 81, Humphrey, 2 p.m.
• March 18, Courthouse annex, Neligh, 10 a.m.; Courthouse annex, Center, 2:30 p.m.; Our Savior Church, Spencer, 7 p.m.
• March 19, City Auditorium, Springview, 9:30 a.m.; Courthouse annex, O'Neill, 2 p.m.

"It's important for producers and agribusiness representatives to remain competitive in today's agricultural industry," said Dave Varner, Cooperative Extension educator and precision agriculture coordinator. "Conference participants can expect to see and experience the latest in emerging agricultural technologies."

Participants may choose from 26 workshops that address topics such as precision agriculture economics, setting up a geographic information system on the farm, advances in machine vision weed detection, telemetry networks for agriculture, E-agriculture, and using global positioning systems to track cattle grazing patterns.

The interactive program will cover several precision agriculture topics including the capabilities of current technology to provide reliable and useful data for site-specific crop management.

Program topics will include:

• a comprehensive review of tools and methods involved in precision agriculture;
• current issues on Global Positioning System and vehicle guidance;
• potentials and limitation of commodity crops yield mapping;
• the role of sensor technology for precision agriculture; and
• the multilayer approach for spatial data management.

Speakers will include Viacheslav Adamchuk, Precision Agriculture Engineer, University of Nebraska Department of Biological Systems Engineering; Richard Ferguson, Extension Soil Specialist, University of Nebraska Department of Agronomy and Horticulture; Paul Jasa, Extension Engineer, University of Nebraska Department Biological Systems Engineering; and Dave Varner, University of Nebraska Extension Educator.

Effective weed control begins with proper identification and treatment, according to Brady Kappler, Weed Science Extension Educator. "The more you understand about grasses and weeds - the better you are at dealing with them in the field and reducing the negative impact they can have on your bottom line."

The program will include:

• Hands-on identification of grasses and broadleaf weeds found in Nebraska;
• Weed biology and how it affects your operation;
• Hands-on techniques for identifying unique characteristics in grasses and broadleaf weeds; and
• using the biology and morphology of weeds to simplify identification.

With the recent case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy and associated required changes, the Feb. 17 meeting in Grand Island will be of interest to those in the feedlot industry, said Galen Erickson, feedlot specialist.

Registration begins at 8 a.m. with the program from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Topics will cover the benefits and challenges of tracing beef from conception to consumption. Allen Bright, Nebraska Cattlemen president and chairman of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association animal ID committee, discussing challenges for beef operators. Dell Allen, with Excel, will discuss the challenges for the packing industry. Challenges facing retailers will be included and other information related to BSE in cattle.

The Nebraska Beef Council will present a new beef product at lunch and in the afternoon host a session on consumer confidence, lunch again this year. Recent market trends will be presented by Dillion Feuz, extension agriculture marketing specialist; an economist view of demand: wholesale and retail prices and trade issues, will be presented by Jim Robb, director, Livestock Market Information Center; and a brief discussion on the livestock revenue protection programs will be presented by project leader Dave Bracht.

Other topics are: E. coli 0157:H7 intervention strategies for feedlots, presented by Dave Smith, NU dairy/beef veterinarian, and by the packing industry, also presented by Allen. Environmental Quality Incentives Program funding for feedlots will be discussed by Jim Reedy, U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resource Conversation Service in Norfolk and the program will end with a discussion on UNL facility enhancements and recent research, presented by Erickson.

Cost is $25 by Feb. 11 or $30 at the door. For more information, contact Erickson at (402) 472-6402, fax (402) 472-6362 or e-mail geericks@unlnotes.unl.edu. The Beef Roundtable is sponsored by Cooperative Extension in NU's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the Nebraska Cattlemen and the Nebraska Beef Council.

Darrell Mark, NU Cooperative Extension agribusiness management specialist, and David Steffen, director of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Veterinary Diagnostic Center, will appear on the Jan. 10 Nebraska Educational Television program to discuss how the discovery of the disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, in a cow in Washington could affect Nebraska producers.

Mark will talk about the case's likely long-term impact on cattle prices and provide some perspective about how the U.S. BSE case compares to earlier cases detected in other countries. Steffen will address animal health and production issues and talk about some of the realities that cattle producers will probably have to deal with as the industry and federal government come to terms with BSE.

"Market Journal" is a 30-minute television program produced by the NU Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and presented by NU Cooperative Extension and the UNL Department of Agricultural Economics. The program is hosted by Doug Jose, NU farm management specialist.

Beef Conference Jan. 14 The Four-State Beef Conference will give cattle producers the latest information in determining profitability and managing their cow/calf enterprises, says University of Nebraska beef specialist Rick Rasby, one of the presenters. The half-day moving conference will be held in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. The Nebraska program will be Wednesday January 14 at 9:30 a.m. in Tecumseh. The same conference also will be held in Lewis, Iowa (afternoon); St. Joseph, Mo. (morning); and Maple Hill, Kan. (afternoon). The morning sessions are from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the afternoon sessions are from 3:30-7 p.m. Other presenters include: Daryl Strohbehn, beef specialist, Iowa State University; Darrell Mark, NU agribusiness management specialist; and Pat Murphy, agricultural engineer, Kansas State University. Topics include: estrus synchronization, beef prices, reducing summer grazing costs and environmental considerations for cattle producers. For more information or to register visit the conference Web site at http://www.exnet.iastate.edu/feci/4StBeef/.

If domestic consumer beef demand holds steady, fed cattle prices are likely to trade in the mid- to upper $70-per-hundredweight range during the first quarter of 2004, said Darrell Mark, livestock marketing specialist in NU's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Before the BSE case was reported in Washington Dec. 23, live cattle prices were at $91 per hundredweight. They have initially stabilized around the $75 range as many countries closed their borders to U.S. beef, Mark said. However, even after the price drop, fed cattle prices remain about where they were at the beginning of 2003, he said.

"The drop in prices was a hit on historically high cattle prices," Mark said. "If we would have taken this hit last year, prices would have dropped down to $60. The good news, if there is any, is that the price decline we've seen started from historically high price levels."

Also, U.S. consumer demand doesn't appear to be dropping off.

"The USDA and the beef industry have been proactive in getting information out there and doing a good, aggressive job of assuring consumers that beef remains safe to eat," Mark said. Each 1% decrease in consumer demand of beef means about a 1.5% drop in price.

In 2002, U.S. beef exports of 2.45 billion pounds, valued at more than $2.5 billion, accounted for about 9% of U.S. commercial beef production. The 15% decline in fed cattle prices stemmed from the loss of more than 40 U.S. beef export customers, including the No. 1 buyer, Japan, Mark said.

"It appears the price decline as a result of the export markets is roughly equivalent to the actual price decrease observed in the past two weeks," Mark said. "This indicates the market has not significantly discounted beef and cattle prices in expectation of a decline in domestic beef demand. This is good news since domestic demand accounts for nearly 90 percent of U.S. beef production."

When BSE turned up in Canada last year and halted that nation's exports, Canadian cattle prices dropped substantially more because Canada exports between 50% and 60% of its domestic beef supply, Mark said. The loss of export markets due to BSE "had a much bigger impact in Canada," he said. "In the U.S., we're looking to increase domestic supply by 10%, in Canada they had to add 50% to 60%."

Unfortunately, beef export markets may not be fully restored for months, he said. Producers can expect increased price volatility as the market reacts to mixed signals of border re-openings. Also, a modest price decline in the first and second quarter of 2004 was likely to occur based on increasing slaughter numbers and heavier carcass weights projected for the first and second quarter, Mark added. This increase in beef production was not changed as a result of the BSE case, so that pressure on prices still could be expected. This impact also could be worse if cattle sales slow and carcass weights grow as a result of producers holding back cattle in anticipation of recovery.

Depending on the status of regaining export business, second quarter fed cattle prices are expected to be in the upper $60 per hundredweight to lower $70s.

Sandi S. Alswager
IANR News Service

Conference participants will look at developing and marketing alternative agriculture enterprises. Speakers will address three themes: Alternative Agriculture, Marketing and Using the Internet for Your Rural Advantage.

John Baker, an attorney for the Beginning Farmer Center at Iowa State University, will be keynote speaker. His topic will be "Farms, Families, Food and Futures." Another speaker will be David Kohl, an agricultural economics professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, whose topic will be "The Megaforces of Agriculture and Implications on Your Management Practices."

"From Farming to Festivals: Putting the Small Town of Comstock on the Map" will be the topic of a talk by Henry Nuxoll, founder of the annual Comstock festival. A panel discussion titled "Your University – Partners in Enterprise Development" will feature the University of Nebraska's David Aiken, an agricultural economist and law specialist; Laurie Keeler, general manager of the Food Processing Center's pilot plants; Jim Crandall, coordinator of the Center for Applied Rural Initiative; and David Goeller, coordinator of the Beginning Farmer Program.

Speakers from a variety of enterprises will be featured in the three themes in the conference. Participants will have the opportunity to choose which theme they would like to participate in or mix and match their programs depending upon their interest. Participants will be able to visit with resource providers and producers who have successfully developed alternative agriculture enterprises and marketed them.

The $55 registration fee will cover two noon luncheons plus help pay speaker fees and other expenses. Partial funding for the conference is provided by the Small Farms Initiative Program. There will be an additional fee of $25 for those participants who would like to attend a Nebraska Wine and Cheese Tasting Session and an all-Nebraska banquet on Friday evening. Contact the New World Inn in Columbus regarding room reservations.

For more information, contact your local Cooperative Extension Office or Extension educators Jim Peterson at (402) 426-9455 or Gary Zoubek at (402) 362-5508. Register for the conference by contacting the York County Extension Office, 2345 Nebraska Ave., York, NE 68467.

March conference to address water issues from varied perspectives

“From endangered species to ground and surface water use and management, Nebraska is at the crossroads of many of the most vexing and contentious legal battles over scarce water resources. We hope to foster continuing dialogue and research among legal experts, scientists, engineers, economists and other water-related disciplines in an effort to understand ecological and human needs and reach sustainable management solutions,” said Sandi Zellmer, visiting associate professor of law.

Conference topics include strategies for reaching consensus in multi-jurisdictional contexts, water marketing and its implications for human priorities and fish and wildlife; water as property; constitutional “takings” claims; and using best available science to resolve conflicts between water uses and the needs of endangered species. These issues will be explored through interdisciplinary discussions, and placed in context by looking at water management issues on the Platte and Missouri Rivers.

Keynote speakers include Sandra Postel, director of Worldwatch Institute’s Global Water Policy Project, speaking on security, agriculture and the value of water: Joseph Sax, University of California-Berkley Boalt Hall College of Law; and Robert Glennon, University of Arizona College of Law, speaking on the impacts of groundwater pumping on stream flow. Other invited speakers include Roger Patterson, director of the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, on avoiding a litigation “shipwreck” and reaching consensus over scarce water resources; University of Colorado at Boulder economics professor Charles W. Howe on protecting public values in a water marketing setting; Lincoln attorney LeRoy Sievers on the nature of water as private property or as a public trust resource; and Tim Searchinger of the Environmental Defense Fund on management and restoration of the Missouri River ecosystem. Conference outcomes will be published in a symposium issue of the Nebraska Law Review and used in other NU publications, Zellmer said.

The WRRI leverages external funding to help provide for a broad spectrum of surface and groundwater research. It involves faculty and staff from UNL’s School of Natural Resources, Water Center, Departments of Geosciences, Biological Systems Engineering, Civil Engineering, Agronomy & Horticulture, Chemistry, and the College of Law, cooperating on research and programming relevant to Nebraska and the Great Plains.

The clinics, offered in Lincoln, Omaha, Columbus and Grand Island, will give acreage owners knowledge and skills to better manage their rural living environment, said Sarah Browning, extension educator for Dodge and Saunders counties.

The first clinic will focus on planning for and incorporating grasses and wildflowers into the acreage landscape and maintaining the plantings for long-term survival. Wildflowers and native grasses are beautiful, drought tolerant, and provide habitat for many types of wildlife from butterflies to birds, Browning said. The program speaker will be Rich Lodes, Natural Resource District forester, who has worked for 25 years helping acreage owners in the Lower Platte South NRD plan their plantings. Lodes will share his extensive knowledge of the establishment and use of Nebraska grasses and wildflowers in acreage settings, Browning said.

Additional programs in the series will be offered in subsequent months, including: February, acreage weed control; March, pasture management; April, septic systems and waste water treatment; May, vertebrate pest management; June, small scale meat animal production; July, private drinking water systems; August, ponds; September, windbreak design and maintenance; and October, grapes.

Pre-registration for each program is $10 per person, and must be received three working days before the program. Late registration is $15 per person. If a minimum number of registrations is not received, clinics will be cancelled without notification. In the event of cancellation, pre-registered participants will receive a full refund.

Clinic dates, times and locations:

• Douglas/Sarpy County Extension office, 8015 W. Center Road, Omaha; all meetings are 7-9 p.m.; Jan. 12, Feb. 9, March 15, April 19, May 17, June 21, July 19, Aug. 16, Sept. 20, Oct. 18;

• Platte County Court House, 2610 14th Street, Columbus; all meetings are 7-9 p.m.; Jan. 15, March 18, May 20, July 22, Sept. 23;

• Lancaster County Extension office, 444 Cherrycreek Road, Lincoln, all meetings are 9-11 a.m.; Jan. 17, Feb. 14, March 20, April 24; May 22, June 26, July 24, Aug. 21, Sept. 25,Oct. 23; and

• College Park, Main Extension Meeting Room, 3180 W. Highway 34, Grand Island; all meetings are 7-9 p.m., Feb. 12, April 22, June 24, Aug. 19, Oct. 21