Annual ryegrass planted in mid-October for spring forage/hay near Rising City. A small area of the field was planted in replicated research plots to compare response this fall from applications of fertilizer and a growth hormone and other cropping interactions. (Photo by Michael Rethwisch)

December 2012

Drought

• Herbicide Carryover Concerns — Challenges from the Drought Will Keep on Coming.  Is herbicide carryover a concern for fall 2012 and spring 2013 crops?  Yes.  Are there great remedies and advice to alleviate carryover concerns?  Few, and some are arguable.  See this University of Wisconsin article for the factors involved and what to take into account.
• See UNL's DroughtResources.unl.edu for information on responding to the drought.

Farm Management

• Watch for Ag Census Form by Mail in Late December. "It's a critical tool that gives farmers a voice to influence decisions shaping the future of their community, industry, and operation," said Dean Groskurth, director of USDA NASS, Nebraska Field Office
• Market Journal Looks at How Economic Tensions Could Flex the Grain Markets as well as estate planning, the Dec. 14 Soybean Expo in Wahoo, win and solar power and the hog markets.
• Updated Cash Lease Considerations. Jenny Rees' blog features tips for landlords and tenants negotiating new lease rates.
• Cornhusker Economics:  Farm Bill Options, Impacts, and Outlooks.  How would proposed farm program options affect Nebraska farmers? UNL's Cornhusker Economics looks at eight scenarios.

Irrigation

• Crop Water App for Nebraska Soils Now Available. Assessing those irrigation energy bills from last summer? Download and get familiar with this app to help improve irrigation efficiency next summer.

Wheat Production

• USDA Scientists and Cooperators Sequence the Wheat Genome in Breakthrough for Global Food Security.  The development is expected to increase wheat yields and speed up the development of wheat varieties with enhanced nutritional value.

Alfalfa & Forage Production

• Don't Wait to See What Happens. Plan Now for Forage Production in a Drought
• With and Without Rain — January NET Shows Look at Producer Options for Forage and Grazing This Summer

AgNews

• Nebraska Cattle on Feed Up Slightly; National Number Down. Nebraska feedlots with capacities for 1,000 head or more had 2.48 million cattle on feed November 1, the largest inventory since the data series began in 1994.
• USDA Plant Geneticist and Researcher Ken Vogel of Lincoln Inducted into ARS Science Hall of Fame (ARS story). Vogel's breeding and evaluation research has resulted in the release of widely used cultivars of switchgrass, intermediate wheatgrass, big bluestem, indiangrass, prairie sand reedgrass, Canada wildrye and forage triticale and the development of switchgrass as a bioenergy crop. (Read more in an ARS story.)

Extension Programs & Resources

• Deficit Irrigation Management Topic of Dec. 7 Workshop at Gothenburg.
• Dec. 10 Speaker:  Agriculture — What's Around the Corner and Down the Road? 
• Dec. 11 Northeast Nebraska Ag Progress Show to Focus on Current Farm Topics,
• Dec. 14 Nebraska Soybean Day Offers 2013 Growing Season Information
• Marketing Recommendations Among Topics at Jan. 10 Corn Expo
• Crop Production Clinics to Cover Research and Product Updates, Resistance Management. Extension specialists and educators will present the latest information on crop production and pest management for Nebraska, highlighting adjustments for drought conditions. Clinics will be held at 9 sites across the state in January so plan to attend.
• Master Conservationist Program Seeks Nominations