Plan to come to a Hands-On Canning Class featuring tomatoes on Wednesday, September 1 at the Haskell Ag. Lab. You will learn current safe methods including steam canning. Class size is limited and pre-registration is required. There is a $5 fee to cover the cost of supplies. Call 402-584-3828 to register.
We are Hiring -
Agricultural Education Lecturer - Haskell Ag Lab
The job description and all of the details can be found at. Applications are due August 23, 2021. Please pass this along to anyone you feel would be a good candidate for this position. https://employment.unl.edu/postings/73988
Fall Fest
Mark your calendars and make plans to attend the Haskell Ag Lab Fall Fest on Saturday, September 25th from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. The event will be held at the Haskell Ag Lab Headquarters Building and the Northeast Arboretum located at 57905 866 Road, Concord NE. This will be a free event and open to the public. Look for flyers and more information in the near future.
We are making plans to have demonstrations of our Pollinator Garden, bees and honey at the lab, kids activities of various kinds, food demonstrations, walks through the Arboretum and other activities and events.
Meet the Director - Doug Zalesky
Doug Zalesky serves as the Director of the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center (ENREEC), which includes administrative oversight for Haskell Agricultural Laboratory(HAL). HAL is an important resource that serves the needs of northeastern Nebraska stakeholders in the three missions of the land-grant missions of research, extension, and education.
Please plan to join us at the Haskell Ag Lab for Coffee and Conversations the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 9 AM. We will have coffee and snacks ready. The next Coffee and Conversations will take place on Tuesday, September 14th. Please bring your questions and ideas for programs. We look forward to seeing you!
Current Entomology Projects at HAL
The HAL Entomology Team includes Tom Hunt (Professor & Extension Entomology Specialist); Nicole Luhr (Technologist); graduate students, Extension educators, undergraduate employees, and international visiting scholars.
Their goal is to develop and provide comprehensive insect management recommendations that are specific to the unique environmental combinations of environmental conditions, past complexes, and cropping systems of northeast Nebraska. The approach is based on the principles of integrated pest management. The research falls in the categories of appled ecology, economic threshold development, resistance management, and insect biology and behavior.
Their current projects include: Soybean gall midge studies; corn and soybean caterpillar pest larval movement studies; corn rootworm insecticide efficacy trials; stink bugs in corn and soybean; soybean insect pest insecticide efficacy trials; and cover crops.
For more information on any of these projects contact Tom Hunt at 402-584-3863 or email: thunt2@unl.edu
Determining the Last Irrigation for Corn, Soybeans and Sorghum
Too Early Can Reduce Yields; Too Late Can Increase Costs
With silage harvest coming up quickly, manure application will soon follow. Because silage is often the first crop to come off the field, it allows for earlier manure application and thus an earlier cleanout of pens before winter. As that manure application plan develops, include best stewardship practices for optimum rates and preferred application methods for final decisions. But, wait, what do those things mean?
Agronomic rates
Agronomic rates consider what future crops will need. They are generally based on one nutrient. That may mean some of the other nutrients will be in excess of crop needs and others will leave the crop deficient if not supplemented with additional fertilizer.
Nitrogen based rates
A nitrogen-based (n-based) rate considers how much nitrogen will be needed for the next season’s crop. For example, if a field is to be planted to corn, the n-based rate would utilize available manure nitrogen to meet all the needs of the corn to be grown next year. For most manures, a n-based rate is the heaviest rate than can be applied to a field. In many cases, a n-based rate will far exceed nutrient needs for nutrients other than nitrogen.
Phosphorus based rates
Occasionally a farmer may choose to use a phosphorus-based (p-based) rate. A p-based rate requires more land to utilize the same amount of manure as an n-based rate. This is especially true with beef manure and when distillers grains are fed because the ratio of phosphorus to nitrogen in the manure is much higher. Because phosphorus is not likely to be leached into the soil or groundwater, a p-based rate usually accounts for multiple (4-5) years of phosphorus need. For example, if you were applying to a field with a corn and soybean rotation, you might apply based on the P needs for the next 4 years of crops (2 years of corn and 2 years of soybean).
Other rates
In many cases, farmers will choose a rate somewhere between n-based and p-based. It will often meet phosphorus needs for a couple of years, but not enough to meet nitrogen needs. It allows for nitrogen to be applied later in the season, closer to when the crop needs it. This method capitalizes on the complementary benefits of manure and commercial fertilizer and minimizes loss of nitrogen from leaching. Additionally, it allows for manure to be applied on more acres, thus gaining the benefits of manure other than nutrient value on more fields.
Knowing how much is being applied
The only way to know the actual application rate is to calibrate the manure spreader. Many people believe that’s a complicated process, but it doesn’t have to be. In many cases, calculations can be minimized and occasionally, with the proper tools, they can be completely eliminated. If you need help with your manure spreader calibration, contact myself or anyone on the manure team.
Incorporating Manure
When manure is applied on the surface of the soil, it remains exposed to the elements. This exposure can lead to nutrient losses from the manure. Nitrogen in the form of ammonia can be lost to the atmosphere, and phosphorus can be lost in runoff. To manage these two losses, a farmer may choose to incorporate the manure, essentially tilling it in. The sooner the farmer incorporates manure, the less the risk of loss. After 7 days though, especially if the weather is warm, ammonia nitrogen is already gone so there’s no nitrogen benefit for incorporation.
Before a farmer decides whether to incorporate manure or not, they need to weigh the pros and cons of that incorporation. And weight of these pros and cons are different for each farm or application.
Reasons why a farmer might choose to incorporate:
They are using manure with a large proportion of manure N in the form of ammonium N (risk of loss is high).
There’s a rainfall event predicted the next day that would likely cause runoff (higher risk of loss of P).
They’re also seeding a cover crop and are preparing the seed bed prior to planting or after broadcasting that seed.
Reasons why a farmer might choose to NOT incorporate:
They are using manure with already low ammonium N content (loss would be minimal).
They’re applying to relatively flat land where risk of runoff is low (loss of P would be minimal).
They’re applying when there is little to no risk of rain for several days (loss from P from runoff is minimal).
The field where they’re applying has few or no neighbors nearby to be bothered by the odor.
They have no equipment or not enough time/labor to get it done in a timely fashion.
They have steep hills and they’re not allowed to till the land without immediately following with a cover crop (high risk of erosion).
So, as you see manure application taking place this late summer and early fall, remember that the farmer isn’t doing it just to get rid of their manure. They most likely have a carefully orchestrated plan and they’ve probably thought about all of the risks and benefits of that manure application for that particular field.
Wheat Harvest
Wheat harvest was recently completed on plots by Osmond, NE. Jeremy Milander and Mitiku Mamo, Crop & Water Extension Educators, conducted the harvest and research.
Suggestions/Requests
Do you have a suggestion or a request for a program at the Haskell Ag Lab? We want to hear from you.
Click this link and complete this form and submit. We will look at all suggestions and requests. The form is available at: https://go.unl.edu/halsuggest
