Agriculture

Edgar Fire and Rescue was paged out on Dec. 22,2019, to Aurora Coop Sedan location for a grain bin full of corn on fire.

This was one of 10 pages Edgar received to go out and extinguish hot spots while Aurora Coop employees, along with a hired outfit from Iowa, worked on emptying out the bin.

Edgar responded through January 2020 trying to extinguish the hot spots. Some guys even went out Christmas Eve and Christmas day.

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Statistics from those impacted by a farm-related injury or death are sobering. Many know someone who was impacted by a farm accident that in many cases could have been prevented. This is why I feel so passionately about conducting the Annual Progressive Safety Day each year.

The Progressive Agriculture Foundation provides safety and health information to rural communities that need it, which is why I’ve teamed up with them. The mission of Progressive Agriculture Days is simple—to provide education, training, and resources to make farm and ranch life safer and healthier for children and their communities.

The vision is that “no child become ill, injured or die from farm, ranch and rural activities.”

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From Auburn to Alliance, Nebraska’s beginner-friendly lakes stretch from border to border.

These lakes have been designated by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission as family-friendly because they are safe, comfortable and have great fish-catching potential. They include a combination of barrier-free fishing access, fishing trails, groomed parks, concessions, playgrounds, picnic areas, and maintained fish populations.

The following are 10 of the best examples of lakes for beginners and families to enjoy for a day of fishing. Most will have bass, bluegill and catfish, with rainbow trout seasonally stocked. Go for the fishing, stay for the other local activities.

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Do you know what it means when the calendar approaches April Fool’s Day? No, it is not time to prank your fishing buddy. It is time for the walleyes to spawn.

Many things can cue spawning in freshwater fish: weather, water temperature, moon phase, etc. One of the most important cues is the amount of daylight. For that reason, spawning tends to occur about the same time every year. So, the walleyes will be spawning April 1.

Not all fish in a population spawn at the same time. Some spawn early and some late. The result is the spawn period will last a period of weeks. Typically, males are the first to anticipate spawning; they “come early and stay late.” Male walleyes will be present on spawning habitats for days, even weeks, before and after peak spawning activity. Females stage near the spawning habitat, then move up when they are ripe and ready to spawn. Normally, females will deposit all of their eggs in one night of spawning activity.

The next session of “Know Your Numbers, Know Your Options,” Nebraska Extension’s four-part record-keeping course, will be held virtually on Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to noon CT April 1, 8, 15, and 22.

Participants should plan on attending each of the four workshop dates. The course requires participants to have an internet connection.

This course is designed to help farmers and ranchers understand their current financial position and how big decisions like large purchases, new leases or changes in production will affect their bottom line.

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Free legal and financial clinics are being offered for farmers and ranchers across the state in April 2021.

The clinics are one-on-one meetings with an agricultural law attorney and an agricultural financial counselor. These are not group sessions, and they are confidential.

The attorney and financial advisor specialize in legal and financial issues related to farming and ranching, including:

• Financial and business planning

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Every beef producer wants a successful calving season.

The catch is that accomplishing this goal means backtracking on production management strategies at least nine months, and this required long-range, delayed realization can make it a challenge for producers to commit to change—despite the promise of benefit.

“The number-one reason producers don’t use artificial insemination or estrus synchronization is time and labor,” said Dr. Kacie McCarthy, Extension cow-calf specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, who presented at Nebraska Extension’s annual Cow/Calf College held this year on Jan. 28 at the Clay County Fairgrounds in Clay Center.

The Nebraska Farm Bureau Foundation awarded 18 teachers with funds in support of agricultural education and FFA programs in Nebraska.

Of those 18 was Sandy Creek’s Jacob Goldfuss.

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With the cool temperatures, pests start seeking shelter for warm places like your house, so this week I’m sharing information on keeping these pests out of your house.

Some of the more common nuisance pests include occasional invaders like boxelder bugs, multicolored Asian Lady Beetles, millipedes, and crickets.

These pests don’t do any harm once inside the home; they are just looking for a cozy place to spend the winter. Proper identification of the insect will assure the proper control method. Boxelder bugs are black and orange true ‘bugs’ that can be found in large numbers around foundations sunning themselves or trying to find their way inside. Multicolored Asian Lady Beetles are the orange ‘lady bugs’ with black spots. Their distinct smell and ability to bite makes them even more of a nuisance once inside the home.