Harvesting Downed Corn Growers harvesting fields of downed corn are reporting as much as 100  bu/ac corn on the ground. Recommendations for salvaging this yield vary depending on operation, soil type, etc., and none are without their drawbacks. See story and photos from this week.
Stalk Rots Slow Harvest While most of the state's corn has been harvested, work is slow going in fields where the crop has lodged due to stalk rots and drought stress. See how to test for stalk damage and prioritize harvest of affected fields before the next windstorm. MORE

October 26 – November 2, 2012

Wheat Production

• Recommendations for Seeding Winter Wheat Late and Thickening Stands. Dry conditions have led to some disappointing early stands of winter wheat.  Learn how to improve your odds with late replanting.

Corn Production

• Stalk Rot Diseases Creating Harvest Problems in Corn. How to check your corn for  stalk rot and prioritize which fields should be harvested before they go down in the next windstorm.
   
• Assessing and Harvesting Downed Corn. Growers and UNL experts are looking at how best to recover downed corn from hundreds of acres of cropland in north central and western Nebraska.
   
• See photo story by Western Nebraska Extension Crops Specialist Bob Klein on harvesting downed corn.

Alfalfa Production & Pasture Management

• Irrigating Alfalfa in Late Fall May be Warranted This Year. Providing more water at deeper levels can help train alfalfa roots to go deeper and access moisture from more of the soil profile.
   
• Pasture Rangeland Forage (PRF) Insurance is a Risk Management Tool for 2013. Beginning in 2013 the PRF for Nebraska will be based on a rainfall index, comparing current season rain with the long-term average for a specified area and time frame. Learn more about this coverage before the Nov. 15 application deadline. (Includes link to a webinar.)
   
• Options Available Through New Pasture, Range, and Forage Insurance provides highlights and a full  fact sheet describing the new program for Nebraska and providing examples of various coverage levels and indemnities.

Soil Management

• Fall Fertilizer Resources links to recent resources and information on how to develop an on-farm research trial to assess your fertilizer program.
• Factors to Consider with Fall Fertilization in a Dry Year. While boredom or economics may be pushing you to apply your N this fall, fight the urge and consider all the agronomic factors affecting efficient nitrogen application.

Weather

• New Weather Systems Likely to Bring Moisture — Just Not Enough. Extension Climatologist Al Dutcher share his forecast for November and December and sees potential for some rain or snow in the next couple of weeks.

Drought

• See DroughtResources.unl.edu for information for the farm, ranch and home on responding to this drought

Crop Reports

• Harvests Winding Down Ahead of Normal; Winter Wheat Lags

Farm Management

• Farm Beginnings Helps Farmers with Sustainable, Value-Added Enterprises
• Farm Finance Clinics Scheduled for November
• UNL Updates Historical Crop Price Report for Panhandle Crops
• Is Retirement on Your Horizon? Consider These Points. There are income, expense, and tax factors to consider, as well as whether to keep or sale ag land or help a beginning farmer get a start.

Crop Research

• Youth and Producer SARE Grant Proposals Due in November
• USDA ARS Explores How Beneficial Mold May Help Battle Aflatoxin

Related News

• Nebraska Cattle on Feed Highest Oct. 1 Record Since 1994
• Risk Management Education Center Continues Grant Program

IANR & Extension Programs

• Ag Entrepreneur to Speak on Lessons Learned and New Opportunities November 8 on UNL's East Campus at the first Engler Lecture.
• Market Journal Looks at Grain Market Scenarios, Beef Rally, and Land Prices, including a discussion with feedlot manager Mike Briggs of Seward on why even the recent rally in the cattle markets can't erase this year's losses. November 2)
• UNL Extension Releases New Crop Publications. These publications and downloadable spreadsheets cover the economics of grazing or baling cornstalks as well as how to improve your use and management of pesticides.
• Market Journal:  UNL Ag Economist Looks at Long-term Impacts on Corn Prices (and more). UNL Ag Economist Dennis Conley looks at how various scenarios could create a new normal for corn prices in the next decade. How likely is $6-$8 corn? How will different ethanol blends and distillers grains affect grain markets? Hear how margins for ethanol production have dropped in the last year, but plant margins have been buoyed by profitable DDGS sales. (Oct. 27)
• Farmers and Ranchers College to Address Current Ag Issues
• Training Offered for Members of Ag Co-op Boards of Directors
• World Food Prize Laureate to Speak at UNL Nov. 15
• Pesticide Drift Seminar for Grape Growers Nov. 3