Samantha Daniel - Extension Educator

Samantha Daniel

student, faculty
Graduate Student
Post-Baccalaureate
Office of Graduate Studies
Work
76025 Road 329 Grant NE 69140-3257
US
Work 308-352-4340
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Alfalfa exiting machinery during harvest
Properly timing the final alfalfa harvest using growing degree days (GDD) helps ensure winterization and prevent winterkill, allowing stands to thrive in the next growing season.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Timing Last Alfalfa Harvest with GDD, Sampling Hay

September 17, 2024
Insights on using growing degree days for alfalfa harvest to ensure winterization before dormancy, managing nitrate levels in annuals for foraging livestock, and sampling hay for a comprehensive quality test.

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Grasshopper on plant leaf
Monitoring grasshopper populations using the square-foot method can help prevent damage to late summer alfalfa and forage crops, with insecticide treatments considered if thresholds are exceeded.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Alfalfa Irrigation and Last Cutting, Grasshopper Management

September 12, 2024
Extension insights on fall alfalfa irrigation for improving yields, strategies for timing the last cutting to ensure winter survival, and grasshopper management to protect late summer forage from pest damage.

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Hereford cow in pasture
Featured speaker of the 2024 Nebraska Grazing Conference is Dr. Ray Ward, founder of Ward Laboratories, who will speak on his career in soils and plant quality analysis.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Nebraska Grazing Conference Aug. 6-7

July 16, 2024
Details on the upcoming 2024 Nebraska Grazing Conference, and considerations for mid-season forage evaluations and stable fly management in pastures.

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Cattle drinking from pond
Nitrates and blue-green algae are two main concerns of water quality for livestock in Nebraska, and while not as common, salinity can also be an issue.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Forage, Insect and Water Quality Issues for Grazing Livestock

July 9, 2024
Extension educators review common issues for producers to bear in mind as livestock graze throughout the summer, including prussic acid, horn flies and face flies, and water contamination.

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Photo collage of insect on plant leaf and hand holding bisected plant stem
Figure 1. Adult soybean stem borer, Dectes texanus texanus (left) and larval tunneling in soybean petioles (right) at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center in June 2024.

Dectes Stem Borer in Soybean

July 10, 2024
A difficult insect to manage, soybean stem borer has expanded its reach in Nebraska. This extension article reviews considerations for scouting and control options, plus resources for producers to learn more on this crop pest.

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Alfalfa windrow being collected by harvester
To minimize nutrient loss from rain events during alfalfa harvest, spread windrows as wide as possible and condition at harvest, which can reduce dry down from two days to half a day.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Considerations for Alfalfa Disease, Harvesting During Wet Summers and Weevil Feeding on Regrowth

June 25, 2024
Recommendations for alfalfa producers on managing windrow disease, navigating rain issues during harvest, and estimating alfalfa weevil thresholds when regrowth feeding has been observed.

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Grasshopper on plant leaf
While grasshoppers are considered damaging to rangeland and crops, only a handful of Nebraska’s species have been known to cause damage. Correct identification of these species’ nymphal developmental stage will improve results from insecticide applications. See the Grasshopper Pest Management page for identification resources.

Pasture and Forage Minute: Management Considerations for Grasshopper, Poison Hemlock and Yucca

June 20, 2024
Economic thresholds of grasshoppers have been observed in some Nebraska pastures — review the square foot method and insecticide options to begin scouting and control measures. 

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Insects in a line on flat surface
Figure 1. Wheat stem sawfly adult (left) and the two species of Bracon parasitoids (middle and right) that are commonly found parasitizing wheat stem sawfly larvae in Nebraska. (Photo by Jeff Bradshaw)

Wheat Stem Sawfly Flights Peaked, New Reports of Range Expansion

June 12, 2024
In addition to confirming the presence of wheat stem sawfly in new Nebraska counties this year, Nebraska Extension anticipates fairly high pressure from the crop pest this growing season.

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