We are excited to introduce a new Spring program this year. The Haskell Ag Lab will be holding their Roots to Leaves - Earth Day Celebration 2022 on Saturday, April 30th from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. We have demonstrations, presentations, and activities for kids planned. Public is invited and welcome to attend this free event.
Winter Nature Camp
Winter Nature Camp held at HAL on Saturday, February 5th was a huge success with 15 children ages 2-7 attending. They participated in various learning activities: story time, a hibernation animal sort, snowball fight, suet feeder making, made nature headbands, and enjoyed campfire snacks. The event was organized and conducted by Sarah Roberts, our Early Childhood Extension Educator.
Employee Spotlight
Mitiku Mamo is an Extension Educator for Crops and Water. He manages one of three cover crop research projects at HAL and is part of a team working to improve ground water quality in the Bazile Groundwater Management Area. Mitiku is also involved in the Bow Creek Watershed Project working to improve water quality of the Bow Creek. He provides private pesticide applicator training to producers in four northeast Nebraska counties and responds to producers calls.
Science with Sarah by Sarah Roberts
In anticipation of the upcoming release of the 2022 STEM Imagination Guides, we will be focusing on oceans! The theme of the STEM Imagination Guides this year are all about oceans, water conservation, and ocean animals. New guides will be available on March 1 at www.go.unl.edu/imagination. Check out the following activity and stay tuned for these great early childhood resources!
Nature Turtles:
Trace or draw a sea turtle shape onto cardboard or heavy cardstock.
Take children on a nature walk to gather a variety of nature items such as flowers, leaves, small rocks, twigs, etc.
Glue or tape nature items onto the turtle’s shell.
Draw, use googly eyes, or nature items to make eyes and/or cover the remaining parts of the turtle.
Questions to Ask:
What other ocean animals can you create with nature items?
What nature items can you find in the winter versus the spring/summer?
What is different about sea turtles and turtles that live in Nebraska?
For questions or more activity ideas, email me at sarah.roberts@unl.edu and check out child.unl.edu for additional resources. Don’t forget to THINK OUTSIDE!
Private Applicator Training Dates and Locations
Date
City
Location
Time
February 24
Concord
HAL Auditorium
1:00 and 6:00 PM
March 14
Creighton
Walter Larsen Senior Center
1:00 PM
March 18
Hartington
City Auditorium
1:00 PM
March 24
Wayne
Wayne Firehall
1:00 and 6:00 PM
March 31
Concord
HAL Auditorium
1:30 PM
For more information, call 402-584-3819.
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, March 8th. Special guest at the March 8th Coffee & Conversations will be Sarah Lorenzen with Lorenzen Family Produce. Please invite friends and neighbors to attend with you to share ideas for programs.
The EPA renews Enlist One and Enlist Duo Registrations with amended labels
Mitiku Mamo is a Water and Integrated Cropping Systems Extension Educator serving Cedar, Dixon, Knox, and Wayne Counties.
Enlist One and Enlist Duo are post emergence herbicides that are used to control broadleaf weeds in corn, soybean, and cotton crops, including those weeds that are resistant to other herbicides. Enlist One (2,4-D Choline) and Enlist Duo (2,4-D Choline + Glyphosate) first registered in 2017 and 2014, respectively. Enlist One provides control of broadleaf weeds while Enlist Duo provides control of grass and other broadleaf weeds. Both products are being used, mainly to control glyphosate resistant broadleaf weeds such us waterhemp, marestail, and palmer amaranth.
Registration for the two herbicides was renewed, with amended labels, in January 2022 for seven years, with geographic restrictions. The registration for the products will automatically expire on January 11, 2029. The label prohibits use of Enlist Duo in 217 counties in 21 states and Enlist One in 169 counties in 14 states for the 2022 growing season. Nebraska, with 32 counties is one of the States most affected by the restrictions. The prohibitions are based on EPA’s identified risks to listed species that use corn, cotton, or soybean fields for diet and/or habitat.
For counties in Nebraska, where the herbicides can still be used, the new label prohibits application of the two enlist products if runoff producing irrigation and/or rainfall events are expected within 48 hours of application to mitigate potential risk to non-target species outside the target area. Enlist herbicides may be applied when weeds are no taller than 6 inches and any time after soybean emergence through the R1 growth stage, when soybean crops are in bloom, to mitigate potential risk to insect pollinators. There is also a required 30 ft downwind field buffer to protect sensitive areas. Corteva is also required to provide mandatory training.
The counties affected by the restriction account for only about 3% of corn and 2% of soybean production in the country. Nebraska counties that are affected by the restriction include Antelope, Blaine, Boone, Boyd, Brown, Cherry, Custer, Dawson, Frontier, Furnas, Garfield, Gosper, Greeley, Hayes, Holt, Hooker, Howard, Keya Paha, Knox, Lincoln, Logan, Loup, McPherson, Merrick, Nance, Phelps, Red Willow, Rock, Sherman, Thomas, Valley and Wheeler.
Thursday, February 24
1:00 – 4:00 P.M.
Private Pesticide Applicator Training
Mitiku Mamo is hosting. Call 402-584-3819 for more information.
Thursday, February 24
6:00 – 9:00 P.M.
Private Pesticide Applicator Training
Mitiku Mamo is hosting
Tuesday, March 8
9:00 A.M.
Coffee & Conversations
Open for anyone. Special guest: Sarah Lorenzen with Lorenzen Family Produce will be here to talk about geothermal greenhouse design in Nebraska.
Thursday, March 10
9:00 A.M. – 3:30 P.M.
Applying manure management concepts on-farm
Leslie Johnson is hosting. Email leslie.johnson@unl.edu or call 402-584-3818 for more information.
Saturday, March 12
Time: TBA
Child Development Associate Course
Sarah Roberts is teaching a hybrid course and it will meet in-person this day. Email sarah.roberts@unl.edu or call 402-584-3830 for more information.
Thursday, March 31
1:30 – 4:30 P.M.
Private Pesticide Applicator Training
Mitiku Mamo is hosting. Call 402-584-3819 for more information.
HAL Science & Ag Family Field Day
The Haskell Ag Lab is planning their HAL Field Day for Wednesday, August 3rd from 9 AM to 3 PM. The committee is busy making plans for the day. Please Save the Date and plan to attend on August 3rd! More details will be forthcoming in future newsletters.
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
You can also reach us by phone at 402-584-2261 with your suggestions/requests for programs.
ation of the upcoming release of the 2022 STEM Imagination Guides, we will be focusing on oceans! The theme of the STEM Imagination Guides this year are all about oceans, water conservation, and ocean animals. New guides will be available on March 1 at 
