December 4, 2020

Extension Events

corn and soybean field with center pivot irrigation — Photo by Glennis McClure

Register for Annual 4-state Crop Insurance Webinar by Dec. 7

An annual four-state crop insurance workshop for agricultural professionals will be presented in a series of three webinars on Dec. 8, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Central time. The program will offer information on designing risk management plans and providing risk management advice to clients.

2020 Nebraska Soybean Day and Machinery Expo graphic

Virtual 2020 Nebraska Soybean Day & Machinery Expo Set for Dec. 17

The Virtual 2020 Nebraska Soybean Day and Machinery Expo will assist soybean growers in planning for next year’s growing season. Growers should expect discussion on the challenges of the past year and a focus on making the new year profitable.

Farm Management

Eighty-three 2021 UNL Crop Budgets Available

Updated annually, and available in both PDF and Excel formats, these budgets are a valuable resource to Nebraska producers for managing the financial side of their crop production operation.

UNL Seeking Beta Testers for New Online Agricultural Budget Calculator

The Department of Agricultural Economics is preparing to launch an online Agricultural Budget Calculator (ABC) tool and is looking for beta test participants to use the program, report any issues, and provide feedback prior to the public launch.

Free December Webinars: Farm Tax Law Changes and Farm Program and Policy Update

The Department of Agricultural Economics’ Farm and Ranch Management team is presenting two free webinars focusing on tax law changes for 2020 and an update on farm program and ag policy in light of a new administration in Washington.

Research Updates

Industrial Hemp Tolerance to Flame Weeding

Hemp exhibited relatively good tolerance to heat from propane flaming. Temporary injury could be considered acceptable since it was only at the base of the plants and lasted only for about two weeks.

Dipak Santra, alternative crops breeding specialist, stands in the field pea variety trial plots.

2020 Pea Variety Trial Results Available Online

Pea variety trials were conducted at three sites in the Panhandle and southwest Nebraska: Box Butte County near Alliance (28 varieties), Cheyenne County near Sidney (28 varieties), and Perkins County near Venango (33 varieties). Results are now available.

Nutrient Management

snow covered manure — Manure application on frozen or snow-covered soil poses a higher risk of nutrient loss through runoff.

Tips for Winter Manure Application

A blanket of fresh white snow and icicles hanging from the trees and fences make for beautiful winter photos. They don’t, however, make for beautiful manure application weather.

Field Reports

N Field Observations for This Week

This week, Extension educators preview the upcoming 2021 Cover Crops and Soil Health Conference and offer tips on how to get prepared for chemigation training sessions beginning this month in Nebraska.

In Case You Missed It...

Managing Diseases Starts NOW with Seed Selection

Now is the perfect time to think about how you can minimize diseases next growing season. Planting disease-resistant hybrids and varieties may be a more economical way to manage certain diseases, reduce disease severity and reduce dependence on pesticides.

Solar Power and Center Pivots - Part 2: Economic Modeling

The decision whether or not to invest in solar is an individual decision. The conclusion here is not whether to invest or not, but rather which center pivot scenarios are better suited for better return on investment and which pivots a farmer may want to target first if considering solar installations.