UNL Extension-Webster County
February Newsletter 2021
Nebraska Extension in Webster County Newsletter
Happy February!
Welcome to the Webster County Extension Newsletter! This newsletter contains information regarding upcoming programming in all areas of Nebraska Extension. This will be separate from the Webster County 4-H Newsletter to provide information to clientele interested in extension programming outside of 4-H. We hope this is convenient way to keep everyone in the loop on upcoming opportunities in Nebraska Extension. We hope you enjoy this newsletter!
Sincerely,
Upcoming Events
Important Dates to Remember:
- February 4th: Pesticide Training in Blue Hill
- February 11th: Nebraska Cover Crop and Soil Health Conference
- February 15th: Webster County Extension Office & Courthouse CLOSED in observance of President's Day
- February 18th: Pesticide Training in Bladen
- February 18th-19th: Women in Agriculture Virtual Conference
Best Wishes to Sydney!
Our Beef Educator, Sydney O’Daniel, has accepted a different position outside of Nebraska Extension. Her last day was January 15th. We will miss Sydney and we wish her the best on her new adventure!
Beef Educators Brent Plugge and Brad Schick will be available to answer any questions and provide programming down the road until the Webster County position is filled. Brent will assist producers in Kearney, Franklin, Webster, and Adams Counties and can be reached at 308-236-1235. Brad will assist producers in Clay, Fillmore, Thayer, and Nuckolls Counties and can be reached at 308-536-2691.
UNL South Central Beef Facebook Page
Beef & Brad Newsletter
Check out the February Edition of the Beef & Brad Newsletter here: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/webster/beef-newsletters/
Also, you may subscribe to his newsletter that you will receive every two weeks. Check it out here:
https://mailchi.mp/33b7c9e22edd/beef-and-brad-662601?e=61a6afa008
Local Private Applicator Pesticide Training
If you are needing to renew your private applicator's license for 2021, you should have received a letter from your local extension office. To register, you MUST call the extension office at 402-746-3417 before you attend. If you are unable to attend the dates below, you may attend another training in a different county or take the course online. For more questions, you may contact Ron Seymour at the Adams County Extension Office at 402-461-7209. Training rooms will be set up for physical distancing and you may be required to wear a mask either when not physically distanced or during the entire training.
- Online Training: http://pested.unl.edu
Cover Crop and Soil Health Conference
Nebraska Extension will be presenting a Cover Crop and Soil Health Conference that we thought you might have an interest in attending.
The program will be available for local virtual participation at the Adams County Fairgrounds in Hastings.
Nebraska Cover Crop and Soil Health Conference Set for Hastings on Feb. 11
The conference will take place on Thursday, Feb. 11 from 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. CST with in-person check in at 12:30 p.m.
Registrants can take part online or attend at the Adams County Fairgrounds, 947 S Baltimore Ave, in Hastings.
Topics and presenters include:
- Soil Sensing and Soil Health - Kristen Veum, Research Soil Scientist, University of Missouri;
- Optimizing Your Cover Crop ROI - Rebecca Clay, Agronomy Coordinator, Practical Farmers of Iowa;
- Using Aerial Imagery to Determine Cover Crop Impacts on Cash Crop Growth and Development - Dr. Andrea Basche, Professor of Agronomy & Horticulture University of Nebraska-Lincoln;
- Experiences and Economics Using Cereal Rye as a Cover Crop - Chad Bell, Farmer;
- Pathway toward a Healthy and Resilient Soil to Achieve Optimum Productivity and Environmental Quality: Cover Crops are Key! - Jerry Hatfield, Retired Director, National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment;
- On-farm Research of Incorporating Cover Crop into a 3 Crop Dryland Rotation, Ken Herz, Herz Land and Cattle,
- Cover Crop Panel - discussion with growers, landowners, and consultants.
Registration and details available at: https://enrec.unl.edu/nebraska-cover-crop-conference/.
There is no fee to attend, but pre-registration is required. Day-of, walk-in registration will not be permitted. Facial coverings will be required for on-site attendees. CCA credits are applied for and pending. Sponsored by Nebraska Extension and the Nebraska Soybean Board.
For more information contact: melissa.bartels@unl.edu or 1-402-367-7410
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Source: Melissa Bartels, Extension Educator, Nebraska Extension, 402-367-7410
Landlord-Tenant Cash Rent and Estate Planning workshops to be held.
Nebraska Extension’s Farm and Ranch Management team will host its annual landlord-tenant cash rent workshop in Hastings on February 17th 9—11:30 a.m., at the Adams County Fairgrounds, 947 S. Baltimore Ave.
Geared toward current and future landlords and tenants, the workshop presenters will address common agricultural landlord and tenant topics, including equitable rental rates, managing and adjusting farmland leases, landlord-tenant communication, pasture leasing, crop budgets, and other land management considerations.
An estate planning workshop will follow, from 1:30 to 4 p.m., with Vyhnalek, a Nebraska Extension educator for farm and ranch transition and succession, and Brandon Dirkschneider, a certified financial planner and farm succession coordinator. The workshop is designed to help anyone who is thinking about how they should proceed with plans to retire, exit or transfer the farm or ranch business.
Both workshops are free to attend in person or online, via Zoom. Pre-registration is required by February 16th by calling Nebraska Extension in Adams County at 402-461-7209. Please indicate at that time if you would like to attend in person or online. The meeting may be subject to postponement or cancellation if local guidelines change.
Additional information about the workshops is available at http://farm.unl.edu .
Nebraska Women in Ag Conference 2021
The Nebraska Women in Agriculture Conference will be going virtual for 2021. The conference will be held on Feb. 18-19, 2021 from Noon to 2:15 p.m. CT each day via Zoom.
“Even though we are unable to be in-person due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are grateful for the opportunity to continue supporting women in agriculture.” said Jessica Groskopf, director of Nebraska Women in Agriculture. “Through this virtual event, we hope to provide women with the tools, skills and networking opportunities they need.”
The two-day conference will be a hybrid event, offering both live-stream and on-demand learning opportunities for attendees. These presentations and workshops will offer attendees tools and information on how to better manage risk, improve their farms and ranches and become more successful operators and business partners.
Elaine Froese, a lifelong farmer from Manitoba Canada, will be the live keynote speaker on Thursday Feb. 18. Elaine has been working for years with hundreds of families on farm succession planning. She uses her background in conflict resolution and communication to help fellow farmers and ranchers face make-or-break issues head on, so they can focus on the business of farming.
On Friday Feb. 19 participants will hear a live keynote address form Brandi Buzzard Frobose, a Kansas rancher, who has been writing and speaking about the rural lifestyle and helping others share their story for more than a decade. Brandi was named one of the Top 10 Industry Leaders Under 40 by Cattle Business Weekly in 2019 and also selected as the NCBA Masters of Beef Advocacy Advocate of the Year in 2019.
“We are excited to have two great keynote speakers join us this year,” said Groskopf. “We will also be hosting four live workshops, and several on-demand workshops that will offer attendees an abundance of information that they can take back to their own operations.”
Registration for the two-day event is now open on the Nebraska Women in Agriculture website, wia.unl.edu. The cost to attend is $25 for participants who register on or before Feb. 7. Registration increases to $30 on Feb. 8. Fifty scholarships are available for students and ten scholarships are available for beginning farmers/ranchers. More information can be found on the website.
Hippology
This short, online, course is designed for youth, adults, leaders, and extension personnel to gain knowledge and practice on horse hippology content. Or, if you’re a horse person and just want to learn more!
Content includes practice tests, slides, and digital stations in six areas in addition to twice weekly lectures. New lessons will be available starting on Monday for each of the 6 weeks. Once available, all content will be accessible 24/7 for the duration of your subscription!
The content will first become live on February 8 and be available for 6 months from that time (August 8) if you are in the Bronze level; and for 9 months from that time (November 8), if you are in the Silver level.
We are starting our Hippology Academy 2021 on February 8!
Topics covered will be:
Equipment and Riding Styles
Stallion Reproductive Anatomy
External Parasites
Pasture Management
Donkeys
Equine Breeds
This course is targeted for older youth and adults.
Subscription levels:
Bronze Level = $50. Access to content until August 8.
Silver Level = $100. Includes 6-week access to instructors to ask questions, and access to content until November 8.
If you are a Silver level subscriber, each week, the Professor of the Week who provided the material will be available to answer questions on their topic. We encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity to 'pick the brains' of these national experts. You can upgrade from Bronze to Silver at any time.
Registration here: https://campus.extension.org/course/search.php?search=hippology
The Great Plains Growers Conference is a great regional educational conference for Nebraska commercial fruit and vegetable growers. This year's conference will be offered virtually, February 12-13. You can find more information, including the full conference agenda, at https://greatplainsgrowersconference.org.
Hay Probes
Webster County 4-H Newsletter
ADAMS/WEBSTER COUNTY FARM BUREAU TO HOLD PANCAKE FEEDS FOR 4-H AND FFA
Please mark your calendars for a chance to join in with the Adams and Webster County Farm Bureau to help the young people in the 4-H Clubs and FFA Chapters in Adams and Webster Counties. Because of the Coronavirus their activities to gather funds to attend conferences, conventions, contests and conduct numerous activities has been hampered or stopped. It is not the fault of these young people and the organizations they belong to. That is why the local Farm Bureau is stepping up, along with area businesses and individuals, to conduct a Pancake Feed in both counties to help these young people with their activities.
The first feed will occur on Sunday, February 21at the Adams County Fairgrounds in Hastings from 5:00-7:00 pm. It is a free will offering and curbside delivery will be available. Pancakes, sausage and drink will be on the menu. This feed will honor the Kenesaw FFA and Adams Central FFA Chapters and the Adams County 4-H youth. Some of the youth will be working alongside the Adams/Webster County Farm Bureau board members to serve the public who are willing to come and support them. All funds will be channeled through the Adams County 4-H Council and each local FFA Chapter. Please note that Covid protection procedures are highly recommended and will be in place.
The second feed will occur on Sunday, February 28 at the Webster County Fairgrounds 4-H and FFA Exhibit Hall in Bladen from 5:00-7:00 pm. It is a free will offering and curbside delivery will be available. Pancakes, sausage and drink will be on the menu. This feed will honor the Red Cloud FFA, Blue Hill FFA and Silver Lake FFA Chapters and the Webster County 4-H youth. Some of the youth will be working alongside the Adams/Webster County Farm Bureau board members to serve the public who are willing to come and support them. All funds will be channeled through the Webster County Youth Foundation. Please note that Covid protection procedures are highly recommended and will be in place.
Please join us at one or both of these events and fill yourself with good food; fill the coffers with funds for these deserving young people who represent our families and counties; and join in fellowship with other individuals and families that provide these young people for our future and the future of agriculture in this area, this state and this Nation. This may be one of the best investments you can make in 2021!
The Adams/Webster County Farm Bureau works every day to make a difference in the lives of our member and all who live and work in Adams and Webster Counties. We serve our communities through volunteering and leadership. We provide meaningful opportunities to learn how food is raised and offer money saving discounts and service for our members. We are pleased to join hands with the Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation partners to engage more than 30,000 students with hands-on, interactive agriculture lessons; distribute $70,000 in scholarships to Nebraska students and teachers; and equip nearly 400 volunteers to promote a positive public perception of agriculture. Nebraska Agriculture in the Classroom and the NEFB Promotion and Education Committee provides classroom teaching, college workshops, print and online educational resources, the Ag Pen Pall Program, Connecting Chapters with FFA and help with community events and tragedies. You can find more info at www.nefbfoundation.org
Here is a list of our regional experts. Please use these available resources!
The Webster County Extension Office and courthouse will be closed Monday, February 15th, in observance of President's Day.
MEET OUR TEAM
Alexa Pedersen
Email: alexa.pedersen@unl.edu
Website: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/webster/
Location: 621 North Cedar Street, Red Cloud, NE, USA
Phone: 402-746-3417
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WebsterCoExtNE
Katie Bolte
Email: katie.bolte@unl.edu
Website: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/webster/
Location: 621 North Cedar Street, Red Cloud, NE, USA
Phone: 402-746-3417
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WebsterCoExtNE
Beth Janning
4-H Youth Development Educator
Adams/Webster CountiesEmail: elizabeth.janning@unl.edu
Website: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/webster/
Location: 621 North Cedar Street, Red Cloud, NE, USA
Phone: 402-746-3417
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WebsterCoExtNE