CropWatch Oct. 25, 2013 - List of Articles
With soybean harvest nearly done, growers focused on harvesting as much corn as possible before the next storm, predicted to arrive in western Nebraska on Monday and move eastward through the state. (Photo by Paul Jasa)
October 25, 2013
Farm Management
- Adjusting Cash Rents for 2014. While there's no magic number for all situations, Extension Educator Allan Vyhnalek discusses one calculation option in this column.
- Checklist of Points to Consider for a Farmland Lease. The contract should encourage the most profitable, long-term operation of the farm and be beneficial for both parties. Learn what to include when negotiating your farmland lease.
- Landlord/Tenant Lease Workshops at 26 Nebraska Sites this Fall. As crop budgets are expected to tighten next year, it is more important than ever to learn the latest information about leasing options and issues.
Conservation Practices
- UNL Research Offers Clues to Successful Tree Establishment in Western Nebraska. Establishing tree and shrub plantings can be time and labor intensive and particularly challenging in western Nebraska where water is often limited. Consider these tips if you're planning to replant weakened or dying windbreaks due to the drought.
Weather
- Soil Moisture Levels Recovering and With Normal Snows, Likely to Reach Field Capacity by Spring. After floods, snows, and above normal October rains, see what the state's weather group sees ahead for the state's ag water, as well as the forecast for the next week.
Alfalfa & Forage Production
- Recommendations for Growing Forage Sorghum, a good option to use in rotation to break insect and disease cycles that can develop in continuous corn. Topics include herbicide choices, seeding rate, nitrogen use, seeding timing, fall cover crop, and silage tips.
Crop Reports
- USDA Report: 80% of Soybeans, 32% of Corn Harvested. Irrigated corn conditions rated 84% good or excellent; dryland corn condition rated 46% good or excellent. Soybean conditions rated 3% very poor, 7% poor, 21% fair, 52% good, and 17% excellent.
Extension Programs
- 2013-14 Farmers & Ranchers College Programs. Land leases, water updates, partnering with beef producers, and how to position your ag business for the next decade — all topics on tap for this year's meeting series in south central Nebraska.
Ag Research & AgNews
- UNL Partners with African Scientists on Fertilizer Research. The research and extension effort can both help raise subsistence farmers' income and help feed a growing global population.
- China's Changing Diet: A Mixed Blessing? UNL's Cornhusker Economics examines potential impacts on U.S. grain and livestock production as the food needs of the world's second largest economy (to the U.S.) shift. (UNL link external to CW)
- Gifts Create Modern Agricultural Commodities Trading Room at UNL where students can get real-time, hands-on commodity training experience.