Jerry Volesky - Nebraska Extension Range and Forage Specialist

Prescribed burn image
A prescribed burn continues to be the most economical approach to controlling Eastern red cedar trees. (Photo by Troy Walz)

Pasture and Forage Minute: Preparing Alfalfa for Snow, Controlling Eastern Red Cedar Trees

December 13, 2021
Extension educators discuss the importance of snow cover to alfalfa and how to prepare your fields for Mother Nature's insulation, and using prescribed burning to control Eastern red cedar trees in Nebraska.

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Cattle eating hay

Pasture and Forage Minute: Hay Feeding Concerns

December 6, 2021
Jerry Volsky explains what happens to cattle when they ingest net wrap and twine from hay bales, and Ben Beckman reviews protein and energy values on hay tests and how to use these values when deciding your hay feed strategy.

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Cattle on cornstalks

Pasture and Forage Minute: Calculating Feed Costs, Safe Alfalfa Grazing

November 16, 2021
Calculating the cost of grazing cornstalks with the UNL Cornstalk Grazing Cow-Q-Lator and preventing bloat in cattle grazing fall alfalfa.

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Soil sample probe

Pasture and Forage Minute: Grazing Stockpiled Grass, Alfalfa Soil Sampling

November 8, 2021
After drought, fall armyworms and rising fertilizer prices, it's especially important to conduct soil samples in alfalfa fields this year for a better yield next year.

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Cornstalks

Pasture and Forage Minute: Cornstalk Quality for Grazing

November 2, 2021
This week, extension educators review the signs of deteriorating cornstalk feed quality and how to determine a timeline for grazing corn residue based on bushels produced.

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 Nightshade plant
Large populations of black nightshade in corn stalks can be deadly to livestock, so careful observation during grazing is recommended.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Nightshade Poisoning, Planning Forage During Shortages and Inflation

October 18, 2021
This week, extension educators address concerns about cattle grazing black nightshade in corn fields and preparing a forage plan for 2022 to mitigate rising costs of inputs.

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Yucca plants
Herbicides are most effective against yucca infestations when applied in spring or summer on individual plants or small patches.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Managing Prussic Acid, Yucca and Fall Irrigation

October 12, 2021
In this week's article, educators review concerns on prussic acid development in sorghum plants, herbicide control for soapweeds in grazing lands and irrigating alfalfa this fall to help with stand stress.

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baled corn

Pasture and Forage Minute: Overgraze Pastures Now to Prep for Interseeding Legumes Next Spring

September 22, 2021
This week, Extension Educator Ben Beckman explains how to produce nitrogen in a pasture by interseeding legumes — plus, a review on testing hay for its quality and baling corn stalks for forage.

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