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NewsWhat's going on in the Panhandle DistrictComplete Calender of Events
Water-friendly landscaping workshop set for May 6 Landscaping methods that use less water are the topic of a workshop scheduled for Tuesday, May 6 at the University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center. “Water Friendly Landscaping” will run from 7 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. that evening in the auditorium at the Panhandle Center. It is free and open to the public. Extension Educator Karen DeBoer will speak about water-friendly landscape plants. “Buffalograss: The New Color of Green” is the title of a talk by Extension Educator Jim Schild. Also on the program will be an explanation of buffalograss rebate programs offered by the City of Gering and North Platte Natural Resources Districts. There will be time for discussion and questions. According to Schild, the workshop is intended to give homeowners some ideas about how they can reduce the amount of water they use for their lawns and gardens – typically the largest single category of household water use. Anybody with questions can call the Scotts Bluff County Extension Office at 632-1480.
Rehabilitating disabled farmers, ranchers a priority Occupational and physical therapists are invited to Rehabilitating Nebraska Farmers and Ranchers with Disabilities, a day-long seminar planned for Wednesday, May 14. The seminar is scheduled to run from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis. It is sponsored by the Nebraska AgrAbility Project -- Easter Seals Nebraska and UNL Extension. Continuing educational units will be awarded for the seminar, which uses an AOTA-approved curriculum. Most do not realize it, but when a farmer or ranchers is discharged from care following an injury or serious illness, he or she is not only returning home, but is also returning to an industrial work site, according to UNL Extension Educator Bill Booker. He said occupational therapists, physical therapists, OT assistants and PT assistants can play an important role in preparing farmers and ranchers to return to their homes. When home includes the workplace, special considerations are needed to ensure a safe transition. Rehabilitating Nebraska Farmers and Ranchers with Disabilities is designed to help health care providers become more competent in their care to the agricultural population they see on a regular basis. Lead instructor for the seminar is Carla Wilhite, OTR/L, a member of the Colorado AgrAbility Project. She was instrumental in developing and piloting the curriculum used in the seminar. Members of Nebraska AgrAbility and University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension faculty will also teach portions of the seminar. Pre-registration for the seminar is required by May 7th. For a complete agenda or registration materials, contact Bill Booker, UNL Extension Educator, (308) 762-5616, or wbooker2@unl.edu.
UNL appoints feedlot nutrition and management specialist Vasconcelos will be responsible for conducting extension and research programs focused on efficiency, profitability, food safety and environmental aspects of feedlot cattle production in the central High Plains. He also will be faculty supervisor for the newly expanded Panhandle Research Feedlot at Scottsbluff, responsible for developing, funding and conducting research trials. Vasconcelos, a Brazil native, received a degree in veterinary medicine in 1998 and spent several years working for an American nutrition company based in Brazil. Industry connections steered him to Texas, where he received a master’s degree from West Texas A&M in 2004 and a doctorate from Texas A&M University in 2006. Both advanced degrees were in beef cattle nutrition with an emphasis in feedlot nutrition. Vasconcelos completed his coursework at Texas A&M, but conducted research hundreds of miles to the northwest at Amarillo, in the Panhandle, the center of the state’s cattle feeding industry. His post-doctorate research has been performed under the supervision of Mike Galyean, considered the leading feedlot nutritionist in the nation. Vasconcelos said his Texas experience has left him with a number of published articles, good experience, and extensive contacts in the cattle feeding industry. One of his projects was conducting a survey in which he interviewed most of the nation’s private feedlot consulting nutritionists about their nutritional recommendations. Results were published in the Journal of Animal Science and will be featured this spring in Beef Magazine. At the Panhandle Center, Vasconcelos says his immediate goals are to network with consulting nutritionists to learn about research needs, then to align those needs to the capacities at the Panhandle Research Feedlot. He is interested in applied research – that can be used in the real world. He said he is eager to visit with cattle feeders in the area, who can contact him at his office phone, 308-632-1397. Among the projects planned will be trials on distillers grains, one of the products of ethanol plants. The research feedlot plans to use by-products from the ethanol plant under construction at Bridgeport. Vasconcelos said he plans to cooperate extensively with faculty at UNL, which he said has the best feedlot nutrition program in the nation. He also expects to work with other universities in the High Plains region, and feedlots in the region. The Panhandle Research Feedlot, bolstered by a $1 million expansion project dedicated in 2007, provides excellent capacities for research, Vasconcelos said. The number of pens, and the capacity of each pen, gives it the ability to conduct research that few other feedlots are able. And the ability to measure the water delivered to individual pens will be useful. One of his goals is to test the use of state-of-the art software to control everyday feed bunk management. Vasconcelos said he has been interested in cattle production since visiting Brazilian ranches as a youth with friends. He comes from a part of Brazil with more cattle than anywhere else in the country. His home state is Mato Grosso do Sul, translated as “thick grass from the south.” He said the Brazilian cattle industry is based on grass-fed animals. The most critical issue facing U.S. cattle feeders is ethanol, he said. Ethanol’s demand for corn has increased corn prices, and the industry’s by-products have become widely used in feedlots.
Scholarships available for High Plains Ranch Practicum The High Plains Ranch Practicum will offer $400 scholarships that offset most of the cost to participants, thanks to a Risk Management Education grant. Dallas Mount, University of Wyoming Extension Educator, recently received notification from the Washington State University Western Center for Risk Management Education and the USDA Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service (CSREES) that they will provide funding for the 2008 High Plains Ranch Practicum. “We are excited about the opportunity this grant will provide for ranchers and industry personnel to attend the High Plains Ranch Practicum,” Mount said. Tuition for the Practicum is normally $600. However, this year grant funding will cover $400 of the $600 tuition for those who complete the course, according to Aaron Berger, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Educator. The High Plains Ranch Practicum is an eight-day, five sessions, hands-on educational program designed to give participants the skills and application of management tools needed in today’s complex ranching industry. Classes are held at the University of Wyoming Sustainable Agricultural Research and Extension Center (SAREC) near Lingle, Wyo., and at the UNL Panhandle Research and Extension Center at Scottsbluff, Neb. Application deadline for the High Plains Ranch Practicum is Friday, May 9. Applications are available on the web at www.hpranchpracticum.com or by contacting Aaron Berger at (308) 235-3122 or Dallas Mount at (307) 322-3667.
UNL Panhandle staffers honored by western states organization A technician and a faculty member at the University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center were recognized recently by a regional weed science society for their work in weed science. Lori Howlett, a research technician working under the supervision of Dr. Robert Wilson, weed specialist at the Panhandle Center, received the Outstanding Professional Staff award from the Western Society of Weed Science at the society’s recent meetings in Anaheim, Calif. At the same meeting, the WSWS also named Wilson its Outstanding Public Weed Scientist. Howlett, who has worked at the Panhandle Center for about 20 years, was honored for her eagerness to expand her knowledge on the job. In several instances, she has learned to use new technologies, equipment and methods in order to carry out specific research projects. Also cited were her willingness to work cooperatively with other technicians, students, producers and researchers, and to share her skills and knowledge. She helps design printed materials, helps organize events such as plot tours and workshops, has developed a library of digital images, and helps provide direct teaching at crop injury workshops and field days. She also has worked for many years with the IR-4 program for pesticide registration on minor crops, acting as a quality assurance specialist for projects conducted in western Nebraska. According to Wilson, her efforts have enabled companies to market and growers to utilize new chemicals in the production of food and fiber in the Western and North Central regions of the United States. Howlett received an associates degree from Nebraska Western College (now Western Nebraska Community College) in 1989. Prior to coming to work at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center, she worked for Western Sugar Corp. in several sugar processing campaign positions. She also worked in income tax preparation from 1975-88. The Western Society of Weed Science is made up of weed scientists from Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma and the states to the west of them.
2008 Pine Ridge Teachers’ Institute is June 9-13 The 2008 Pine Ridge Teachers’ Institute is an opportunity for educators to spend a week together in a historic and natural setting, learning to teach about healthy forests, streams, range habitat and cultures. The institute immerses its participants in the agriculture, history, culture, and natural resources of one of Nebraska’s most historic and scenic areas for five days this June. The institute is scheduled for June 9-13 at Fort Robinson State Park near Crawford. Registration forms are due by May 5 with a $50 deposit. The course fee is $225, which includes materials, four nights lodging at Fort Robinson, four lunches, breaks, and one night’s barbecue supper. Transportation to and from the site, breakfasts, most suppers, and extra recreation are the participants’ responsibility. Participants have an opportunity to complete graduate credits at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. For more information, call the Dawes County Extension Office in Chadron at 308-432-3373, or email UNL Extension Educator Scott Cotton at scotton2@unl.edu. Brochures with more information and registration forms also have been sent to educational service units and natural resources districts. Some natural resources districts may have scholarships available to teachers needing assistance. Applicants may contact NRDs to find out. Primary sponsors include UNL Extension; Running Water Ranch Coalition; USDA Panhandle Resource Conservation and Development; the Upper Niobrara-White Natural Resources District; Nebraska Forest Service; Nebraska Beef Council; Nebraska Game and Parks; Dawes County Extension; Northwest Nebraska High Country; and the Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition. The Pine Ridge Teachers’ Institute is a week-long immersion into ranching, military history, regional ecology, conservation practices, and the culture of both Native Americans and settlers in the Pine Ridge region of the Nebraska Panhandle, Cotton said. Educators will live in the historic barracks used by the U.S. Cavalry. Morning lectures will be conducted in the Buffalo Soldier Dining Hall, and afternoons will consist of hands-on field trips at various locations near Fort Robinson. Cotton said the teachers’ institute was started by a collaboration of private and public natural resource management groups to put teachers directly in touch with landscape realities. The week’s schedule includes working directly with landscape managers and learning the realities they face. The scheduled topics include healthy forests on Monday, June 9; healthy streams on Tuesday, June 10; healthy habitat on Wednesday June 11; a hands-on day with ranchers on Thursday, June 12; and healthy cultures on Friday, June 13.
Drought continues to impact rangeland in the Panhandle Livestock producers whose rangeland is affected by drought should consider developing a plan to avoid further damage to their pastures, according to UNL Extension Educator Aaron Berger. According to Berger, drought conditions continue to plague the Nebraska Panhandle. Year-to-date precipitation as of mid-April was still below average in many areas of the Panhandle, despite recent rain and snow. Berger said season-long grass production on native range in the Panhandle is highly correlated with the depth of available soil moisture and total precipitation in the March-through-May time period. He said producers need to be paying attention to precipitation over the next 45 days, and preparing a plan to reduce stocking rates to avoid further damage to already severely stressed rangeland if dry conditions continue. Several years of extended drought have taken their toll on native range and pasture conditions, reducing plant vigor. Even if abundant precipitation is received in late April and May, Berger recommended that producers consider delaying turn-out of cattle onto pasture two to three weeks this year to allow for new leaves, as well as root and shoot development in plants that have been stressed by years of dry conditions. Delaying turn-out can result in a 10 to 20 percent increase in season long forage production, he said.
Heavy army cutworm infestations found in some panhandle fields The first reports of significant army cutworm infestations in alfalfa and wheat have begun coming in, according to Gary L. Hein, Extension Entomologist at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center. Some people may believe that insect problems this year will be minimal because of the extended cold, snowy weather this past winter, but Hein points out that the winter of 2007-08 was not much different than “normal” conditions. Many regional insect pests are adapted to survive these conditions. Heavy infestations of army cutworms can prevent green-up in both wheat and alfalfa in the spring. Hein said army cutworm moths lay their eggs in the fall and the eggs hatch soon after. The small cutworms will feed in the fall and winter when it is warm enough, and will be large enough to cause serious damage early in the spring. With the cooler winter, cutworms remain small and do not feed extensively through the winter. However, large numbers of cutworms can keep regrowing wheat or alfalfa plants clipped back. This is made worse under cool temperatures, when the plants grow slowly. Hein advises that it is important to scout fields for cutworms as the field is beginning to green up, so delays in greenup can be avoided if threshold levels of cutworms are found. This is particularly important this year in wheat, with the potential for high prices. Larvae will be found buried in the soil and debris or under clods in wheat fields. Treatment decisions should be based on the numbers of cutworms present, the amount of damage being caused, and on the ability of the plant to outgrow damage that is being caused, according to Hein. If plants are able to green up and continue growing well, the impact of cutworm feeding will be minimized, but if plants are otherwise stressed the impact will increase. In poorly growing wheat or alfalfa, two or more cutworms per square foot may warrant treatment, but in healthy wheat or alfalfa four or more per square foot would be the threshold. However, this year in wheat, Hein said reducing the threshold may be warranted because of the increased crop value. Emergency control of cutworms in wheat and alfalfa is best accomplished by using one of the pyrethroid insecticides labeled for that crop, Hein said. More information on the army cutworm is available in the NebGuide “Management of the army cutworm and pale western cutworm” (G1145) and on the website: http://entomology.unl.edu/fldcrops/index.htm
The University of Nebraska Panhandle Alumni Chapter has presented its 2008 Alumni of the Year Award to Rod Horn of Sidney. The award was presented by David Boeckner of Scottsbluff, the 2007 recipient, during the chapter’s annual Founders’ dinner at the Gering Civic Center on Friday, March 28. Horn graduated from UNL in 1980 with a bachelor of science degree in natural resources with a wildlife management option. He is currently general manager of the South Platte Natural Resources District headquartered in Sidney. He has been with the NRD for 22 years. He is active in his church, has served as president of Rotary, and has helped with 4-H Clubs in Cheyenne County. CAPTION: Rod Horn (right) receives the 2008 Alumni of the Year Award from David Boeckner (left), the 2007 winner, during the University of Nebraska Panhandle Alumni Chapter founder’s dinner.
eXtension.org offers free expert advice Think of it as sort of “next-gen Google,” where curious minds can find a range of information including how to calculate their retirement readiness score, tips to easing credit card debt, how to grow the best tomatoes on the block or ways to set a schedule for a newborn baby. Even better, if the consumer can’t find the information he or she is looking for, real live authorities in their area of interest monitor and answer questions through the Web site. And all of eXtension’s resources are available to knowledge-seekers at no cost. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension is part of the national extension partnership that’s created eXtension. The idea is to pull together the “best of the best” educational resources from the nation’s land-grant universities and make them easily available to the public. The Web site is currently supported by national teams, or Communities of Practice, supporting 16 areas of interest. Information on additional areas of interest will come online as new Communities of Practice complete their work. Consumers can easily navigate the site to find exactly the answers they need. A Community of Practice is typically multi-institutional, multi-state and multi-disciplinary. In addition to providing credible eXtension experts to answer knowledge-seekers’ questions, eXtension.org also allows consumers to interact with each other to grow their knowledge in a particular field. Drawing on the popularity of online social networking, individuals interested in a specific topic or subject matter area can “gather” to form a Community of Interest. As that Community of Interest grows, professional educators with expertise in that topic or subject matter area join together and form a Community of Practice. Not only does eXtension.org bring consumers the best knowledge from the sharpest minds in higher education, it also uses the most innovative and advanced features available on the Web to enhance the learning experience. Users can rate eXtension.org articles based on their usefulness, with the “most useful” articles ranking the highest on searches. If an article does not answer a user’s question, he or she has the option to “Ask an Expert.” Also, articles receive tags showing what users are searching for most often. Users who register with eXtension.org can really personalize their experience by subscribing to RSS feeds that will allow eXtension to automatically send updates on topics of interest.
Alina Surber appointed Nutrition Extension Assistant
The appointment was announced by Dr. Linda Boeckner, Panhandle District Interim Director for the University of Nebraska Extension. Ms. Surber will work with food-stamp-eligible clientele, providing education about basic nutrition, food safety, food preparation and food resource management. She will work with the Nutrition Education Program, which is partially funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Stamp program. NEP offers a six-session course about food and nutrition. Ms. Surber is a Wayne State College December graduate with a family and consumer science degree and an emphasis in nutrition. She and her husband have moved to the Panhandle from northeast Nebraska.
Web site can help people reduce their debt LINCOLN, Neb. -- For people who have financial troubles, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Web site can help users reduce their debt. Kathy Prochaska-Cue, a UNL Extension family economic specialist, proposed the original idea for the Web site, known as Pay Down Debt. The site, located at paydowndebt.unl.edu, contains a simple-step system and worksheets to help users plan to work toward reducing debt and increasing savings. "The ultimate bottom line goal of the plan is to help people start saving for long-term goals," Prochaska-Cue said. "There's some good worksheets on there," said Peggy Jeffries, a project assistant for 4-H, who attended one o the demonstrations. "You can go become more aware of what your debt is or isn't." Other main contributors to the site were Leanne Manning and Sandy Preston, extension educators. Gary Zhu, a software design specialist in UNL's Communications and Information Technology unit, programmed the Web site. Updated
April 29, 2008
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Dr. Judson Vasconcelos has been appointed the feedlot nutrition and management specialist at the University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center, it was announced by Dr. Linda Boeckner, interim director of the Panhandle Center.
Horn named NU Panhandle Alumni of Year
Imagine a Web site that provided free access to thousands of unbiased experts on all sorts of life’s little questions – from parenting, to saving and investing, entrepreneurship and vegetable gardens. That’s what 
Alina Surber has been appointed University of Nebraska Extension Nutrition Educator Assistant for Scotts Bluff and Morrill counties.