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Cover Crops

Using Aerial Imagery to Help Determine the Impact of Cover Crops on Cash Crop Growth and Development

Through education and on-farm assessment, Nebraska landowners part of the Soil Health Initiative (SHI) are evaluating the effects of diverse cover crop mixtures on both soil properties and agronomic indicators of soil health.

Assessing Cover Crop Biomass Using Aerial Imagery: Lessons Learned During the UNL-NRCS Soil Health Initiative

Using aerial imagery, a non-destructive and easy-to apply method, we are able to gain insight into cover crop biomass production across an entire field, which would not be possible with traditional, boots-on-the-ground biomass sampling.

Pest Management

Identifying Fall-emerging Weeds

Can you identify henbit, field pennycress, prickly lettuce and other fall-emerging weeks? Marestail in particular may be a problem this fall and require an alternate herbicide as the majority of marestail in eastern Nebraska is resistant to glyphosate and ALS-inhibiting herbicides.

Subscribe to the CropWatch Podcast

New Episode! In this episode, Michael Sindelar and Greg Kruger talk about tank cleanout. When should you clean out your tank? How does your tank material affect cleanout? Listen to find the answers to these questions and more.

Farm Management

Ranch manager working with other employees — Photo credit Troy Walz.

Leading Farm and Ranch Employees Virtual Seminar Series to be Held in December

Nebraska Extension will host a virtual seminar series in December designed to help agricultural employers learn techniques and leadership practices to help motivate and empower employees.

Crop Reports

Extension Crop and Pest Reports (Oct. 12-16)

Extension educators report on what they are seeing in the fields this week in Butler, Polk, Clay, Fillmore, Nuckolls, Thayer, Brown, Boyd, Cherry, Holt, Keya Paha & Rock counties.

N Field Observations for This Week

This week, Melissa Bartels talks about stalk rot disease and fire safety during harvest, Sarah Sivits discusses stalk quality and prioritizing fields for harvest, and Megan Taylor looks at thistle control in your pastures.

Nebraska Crop Progress and Condition for Oct. 11

Corn harvested was 34% which is ahead of average, while soybean harvest was well ahead of average at 82%, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. Winter wheat was 89% planted and 60% emerged. Sorghum harvested was 31% and dry edible beans harvested was 87%.

In Case You Missed It

USDA Designates Six Nebraska Counties as Primary Natural Disaster Areas

Producers in Colfax, Cuming, Dawes, Dodge, Stanton and Thurston counties who suffered losses due to recent drought may be eligible for emergency loans.

Plowing a field — Anticipated high residual soil nitrate-N levels in NE rainfed crops of dry 2020 can be credited to reduce N rates for 2021

Planning 2021 Fertilizer-N Application Following a Dry 2020

Fertilizer-N is a big investment for crop production in Nebraska and elsewhere. After harvest, growers tend to plan their fertilizer-N management for the next year’s crop. But the question is how much nitrogen can they apply to get the most profit from their fertilizer-N investment?