Ben Beckman - Extension Educator

Ben Beckman

faculty
Work
PO Box 368 101 E Centre Hartington NE 68739-0368
US
Hay

Pasture and Forage Minute: Monitoring Hay Quality and Pests, Early Cornstalk Harvest

September 21, 2022
Extension educators cover the variables involved in testing hay quality and what pests may sneak in with your imported hay — plus, why harvesting some corn a little early might be a good strategy for grazing this year.

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Cattle grazing cornstalks
Safely grazing drought-stressed cornstalks can be accomplished with an appropriate grazing plan and fencing precautions.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Grazing High Nitrate Cornstalks, Late Summer Weed Control

September 14, 2022
Extension Educator Todd Whitney reveals techniques to safely graze drought-stressed cornstalks — plus, more on late summer weed control and planting small grains for spring forage.

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Droughty soybeans
Grazing and ensiling may be the easiest ways for growers to handle drought-stressed soybeans this year.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Salvaging Drought-stressed Soybeans as Forages, Grasshopper Control

August 30, 2022
Nebraska Extension educators review forage considerations for growers faced with droughty soybeans, tips on measuring stands and assessing alfalfa field health, and thresholds where grasshopper control may be warranted.

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Orchardgrass
With its rapid regrowth rates, orchardgrass is an excellent option to add to a cool-season grass mixture for late summer forage planting.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Valuing Drought Forage, Late Summer Planting, Managing High Nitrates

August 24, 2022
Insights on how forage prices should be adjusted this year for droughty crops, the optimal grasses for late summer forage planting and how to manage high nitrates in forages.

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Corn silage

Pasture and Forage Minute: Storage Considerations for Corn Silage and Hay

August 17, 2022
Nebraska Extension educators share recommendations on harvesting and storing drought-stressed corn for silage, and the most efficient ways to minimize hay bale weather loss.

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Corn silage
For high quality silage, inoculants alongside proper harvesting and storage can reduce the risk of spoilage and maintain its condition.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Considerations for Inoculants, Thinning and Heat-stressed Alfalfa

August 11, 2022
Extension recommendations on using inoculants to preserve corn silage quality, the best grasses to interseed in alfalfa and timing for cutting alfalfa hay in heat-stressed conditions.

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Grasshopper in pasture
With grasshopper populations flourishing in dry conditions statewide, the reduced agent/area treatment can be an effective control technique for pastures and rangeland.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Harvesting Drought-stressed Corn and Milo, Controlling Grasshoppers

August 2, 2022
Considerations for harvesting drought-stressed corn or milo, grasshopper control in pastures and rangeland, and taking inventory of fall/winter feed and hay.

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Grasshopper
With conditions remaining dry this summer, if the grasshopper population in an established field is higher than five hoppers per square yard throughout the field or 15 hoppers per square yard in field margins, insecticides should be considered.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Grasshopper Control, Safe Grazing Guidelines And Blue-green Algae Poisoning

July 13, 2022
Tips for effective control of grasshoppers in alfalfa, prussic acid poisoning from summer annual forages and blue-green algae in livestock water.

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