John Thomas - Crops Extension Educator

John Thomas

faculty
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415 Black Hills Ave Alliance NE 69301-3243
US

Crops Extension Educator for the northern Nebraska Panhandle

wheat stem sawfly adult

Wheat Stem Sawfly Infestations Continue to Impact Harvest in the Nebraska Panhandle

July 23, 2020
WSS damage in winter wheat was first noted in Nebraska in the early to mid-1990s in Banner County near the Wyoming border. It has continued to increase ever since and now is a very significant issue.

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flowers forming on soybean

Extension Crop and Pest Reports (June 22-26)

June 22, 2020
Extension educators report on what they are seeing in the fields this week in the northern panhandle, Saline, Jefferson, Gage, Colfax, Dawson Buffalo and Hall counties.

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Goshen Irrigation District Tunnel No. 2

Update on 2019 Tunnel Collapse and Canal Washout – Water Flowing for 2020 Growing Season

June 18, 2020
Temporary repairs to the tunnels have been made resulting in restoring flow, but at reduced levels. The Gering/ Ft. Laramie Irrigation District is planning for their irrigators to receive only 75 percent of their normal allotment.

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alfalfa weevil feeding on trifoliates

Extension Crop and Pest Reports (May 25-29)

May 28, 2020
Extension educators report on what they are seeing in the fields this week in the panhandle, Nemaha, Furnas, Gosper, Harlan, Phelps, Platte, Boone, and Nance counties.

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A screen capture from a time-lapse video of dry edible beans without irigation

Some Fields Doing Better Than Expected Without Irrigation, Some Not

August 23, 2019
Time-lapse videos and photos capture the status of crops affected by the loss of irrigation water to growers in the North Platte River Valley in eastern Wyoming and western Nebraska.

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Tweet from Justin McMechan on scouting for soybean gall midge

Extension Crop and Pest Reports (July 29 - Aug. 2)

August 1, 2019
Crop reports from Extension Educators and specialists from across the state, including videos and Tweets.

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Wheat flowering
Figure 1. Wheat flowering in Clay County

Wheat Update

May 24, 2019
Wheat growth is running 7-10 days behind normal across much of the state, which may push the grain-fill period into some of the hottest days of the wheat season. Delayed development likely helped most wheat escape injury from snow and low temperatures early this week.

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Dry bean harvest in Scotts Bluff County Sept. 12, 2018 (Photo by Gary Stone)
Dry bean harvest underway in Scotts Bluff County Sept. 12, 2018. (Photo by Gary Stone)

Dry Edible Bean Harvest Underway in the Panhandle

September 13, 2018
With limited precipitation and warm temperatures this week, dry beans turned quickly and harvest has started. Conditions should provide for good data collection from on-farm research of using direct harvesting methods.

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