Water & Integrated Cropping Systems-Nathan Mueller

Local Chemigation Training in Southeast Nebraska

2023 Private Pesticide Applicator Training Options in Southeast Nebraska

Horticulture-Nicole Stoner

Planting for Pollinators

Roses

Food, Nutrition & Health-Tara Dunker

Talking about the Ticker

Fun Family Walks in 4 Easy Steps

4-H & Youth Development-Jacie Milius

Scholarship Updates

Chemigation is the process of applying chemicals to land/crops with water from an irrigation system. Chemical is broadly defined as any fertilizer, herbicide, fungicide, or pesticides mixed with the irrigation water during application. In southeast Nebraska, the most common chemigation process is applying liquid nitrogen fertilizer through a center pivot. Applying nitrogen fertilizer through pivots during the growing season can match corn hybrid nitrogen uptake demand and can improve nitrogen use efficiency. The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) requires certified chemigation applicators. An applicator (sometimes called a chemigator) is the person actively engaged in the application of chemicals via chemigation. This may or may not be the owner of the land who is legally responsible for the use of chemigation on the land, called the chemigation permit holder, with the Natural Resources District (NRD).

Applicators are required to take a training and past an exam every 4 years. Those applicators whose certification expired on Jan. 1, 2023, have already received a letter from Nebraska Extension. Nebraska Extension is contracted by NDEE to deliver chemigation applicator trainings. Requirements for initial and recertification are the same, come to a face-to-face meeting to become certified or opt for the online version of the training and testing program. The online training program along with directions can be accessed at water.unl.edu/cropswater/chemigation.

If you wish to attend an in-person chemigation training, you must pre-register online at croptechcafe.org/training or over the phone by calling the Saline County Extension office at 402-821-2151.

This is the time of year where we are really excited for spring. February 7th was Rose Day, according to the website of all fun, sometimes made-up holidays. It is a great time to talk about roses, though, as we plan our gardens for spring.

Types of Roses

There are a lot of different types of roses that you can find at your local garden center, making the decision very difficult.

Lub, dub. Lub, dub. Lub, dub—the reliable sound of your heart pumping away as you read the newspaper.

My friend, Brittany Spieker, Extension Educator in northeast Nebraska, wrote a nice article for American Heart Month she said I could share with my southeast Nebraska friends. So, I owe my thanks to Brittany for the wealth of information she shares about the organ we so often take for granted.

You likely already know how to keep your heart healthy—eat a balanced diet, move your body, quit smoking, schedule regular wellness checks, drink plenty of water, get adequate sleep, and manage your stress. Setting all that aside, let’s take a look at what makes your heart such a wonder in the first place.

From the time it started, until it beats its last, your heart will likely beat more than 2.5 billion times over the course of your life. It pushes blood through 60,000 miles of vessels all day, every day. To say your heart works harder than any other muscle in your body is an understatement.