Education Commons^™

Nf05-632 Protecting Your Watershed, Thomas G. Franti, Steven R. Tonn

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Everyone lives in a watershed. A watershed is the land area that contributes water to a location, usually a stream, pond, lake or river. Everything we do on the suface of our watershed impacts the water quality of our streams, wetlands, ponds, lakes and rivers. Like organs in a body, every part of the watershed is essential. What happens in one part affects other downstream parts. This NebFacts discusses the threat of pollutions in our watersheds, common runoff pollutants, and best management practices for protecting the watershed.

Ec04-704 Precision Agriculture: Listening To The Story Told By Yield Maps, Viacheslav I. Adamchuk, Achim Dobermann, Jianli Ping

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

When discussing current issues in precision agriculture, the terms “yield mapping” or “yield monitoring” often are used to refer to one of the most crucial components of the entire system for site-specific crop management. In fact, yield monitoring equipment was introduced in the early 1990s and is increasingly considered a conventional practice in modern agriculture. The pioneers of precision agriculture already have generated several years of yield history and have examined different ways of interpreting and processing these data. The goal of this publication is to review several common methods of yield data analysis and to discuss potential applications for …

Ec03-702 Precision Agriculture: Applications Of Remote Sensing In Site-Specific Management, Viacheslav I. Adamchuk, Richard L. Perk, James S. Schepers

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Precision farming is an emerging agricultural technology that involves managing each crop input on a site-specific basis to reduce waste, increase profits, and maintain the quality of the environment. Remote sensing is a technology that can be used to obtain various spatial layers of information about soil and crop conditions. It allows detection and/or characterization of an object, series of objects, or landscape without having the sensor in physical contact.

G03-1504 Lime Use For Soil Acidity Management, Martha Mamo, Charles S. Wortmann, Charles A. Shapiro

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Soil acidity can reduce crop production by directly affecting roots and changing the availability of essential nutrients and toxic elements. Liming can neutralize soil acidity, but several factors can affect the economic benefits of liming. With continuous cropping, soil pH can decrease (i.e., increase in acidity) because of various factors, including crop removal and leaching of basic cations, application of ammoniabased nitrogen fertilizers, and organic matter decomposition. Adding lime or other materials can raise soil pH to the ideal range for crop production, create an environment for a healthy function of microbes, and increase the levels of calcium or magnesium …

G03-1520 Current Issues Affecting Youth Swine Shows, Rosie Nold

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

The original purpose of youth livestock shows was two-fold: 1) to provide an educational experience where young people could learn animal management practices, as well as personal/character development; and 2) to recognize the best animals in the industry.

This NebGuide addresses practices which have developed to enhance the appearance of a pig that is to be exhibited, but which may be detrimental to the commercial pork industry.

Ec02-178 Precision Agriculture: On-The-Go Vehicle-Based Soil Sensors, Viacheslav I. Adamchuk, Paul J. Jasa

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Imagine that you are entering an unknown field and would like to estimate the productivity of the unfamiliar soil. You may pick up a handful of soil to evaluate its color and texture. You also can feel how difficult it is to break a clod apart, roll it into a ball or press out a ribbon. After repeating this procedure at different field locations, soil depths and times, you get a feeling of both spatial and temporal soil variability. Some of this variability can explain the non-uniformity of crop yield. If you collect soil samples and send them to a …

Nf02-503 Atrazine And Non-Atrazine Herbicide Comparisons In Conventional Till Corn, Fred Roeth, Alex Martin

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Atrazine herbicide has been in an EPA special review since 1994 because of surface and groundwater contamination concerns. Beginning in 1997, we evaluated atrazine and non-atrazine herbicides in conventional tillage corn and no-till corn on university research farms at Clay Center and Lincoln, Nebraska. The objective was to compare some common atrazine and non-atrazine herbicides for weed control and crop response. Thirteen herbicides were selected to represent commonly used herbicide classes and treatment timings. This NebFact reports the conventional till results.

Ec02-153 Selecting Alfalfa Varieties For Nebraska 2002, Bruce Anderson, Michael Trammell, Charles A. Shapiro, Patrick E. Reece

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Yield potential, pest resistance and seed price should be considered when selecting alfalfa varieties in Nebraska. The most important variety decision on many farms and ranches is the selection of alfalfa. The choice of alfalfa variety affects production for three to 10 or more years, whereas varieties of annual crops can be changed every year. Many alfalfa varieties are available from private and public plant breeders. Over the years, yield trials conducted at widely distributed Nebraska locations have tested most varieties sold in the state.

Ec01-2507 Safe Transport, Storage And Disposal Of Pesticides, Larry D. Schulze, Shripat T. Kamble, Clyde Ogg, Edward F. Vitzthum

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Most accidental pesticide poisonings occur when pesticides are mishandled. Young children area often the victims.

Pesticide accidents can be prevented by careful planning, using a secure storage location, adopting safe handling methods during transport and following proper disposal guidelines for both product and containers.

Ec01-798 Residential On-Site Wastewater Treatment: An Overview, Janet R. Hygnstrom, Wayne Woldt, Sharon Skipton

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This publication will answer many questions that homeowners or potential homeowners, realtors and lenders may have about residential on-site wastewater treatment systems. Information is based on Title 124: Rules and Regulations for the Design, Operation and Maintenance of On-site WastewaterTreatment Systems of the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ), which requires that a dwelling or establishment that generates wastewater have an on-site wastewater treatment system in accordance with those regulations, or be connected to a public wastewater treatment system. An establishment is a house, building, structure, or place that generates more than 1,000 gallons of wastewater per day, generates non-domestic …

Ec01-872 Nebraska Crop Budgets 2001, Roger Selley, Tina N. Barrett, Richard T. Clark, Robert N. Klein, Steve Melvin

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

The 2001 Crop Budgets contains a list of representative field operations and materials that provides a reminder of items typically invovled in producing the crop. The budgets are presented in a worksheet format with a "Your Estimate" column for recording modifications in costs.

This publication covers the following crops: Forages -- alfalfa, annual hay, corn silage, grass, grass hay, and pasture. Grain -- corn, dry beans, grain sorghum, proso millet, oats, soybeans, sugar beets, sunflower, wheat.

Ec01-1881 2002 Guide For Home Garden, Landscape And Lawn Fungicides, John E. Watkins

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

The 2002 Guide for Home Garden, Landscape and Lawn Fungicides is a publication listing the different fungicides that can be used on your garden vegetables and fruits, landscape ornamentals, trees, and shrubs. It also lists some of the home garden and landscape fungicide brand names.

Ec01-157 Precision Agriculture: Untangling The Gps Data String, Viacheslav I. Adamchuk

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Most people associate precision farming or site-specific management with the global positioning system (GPS). It is used to locate the antenna of aGPS receiver on Earth. GPS provides the opportunity to record a set of geographic coordinates that specify a particular field location. Therefore, field data collected using GPS technology is georeferenced. Processing of these data is complicated, and software packages designed for precision farming applications have built-in capabilities to interpret the GPS receiver output. However, some simple operations can be performed using standard office software. In this case, it is necessary to know the basics behind GPS data. The …

Cc01-371 Estimated Irrigation Costs, 2001, Roger Selley

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This extension circular consists of a series of tables to help the operator estimate irrigation costs for the year 2001. Costs were calculated at four well depths for a gravity system which has an output of 1,000 gpm and irrigates 100 acres.

Irrigation costs were estimated with the aid of the Irrigation System Cost Analysis computer program. Energy prices used in the cost computations are those which were expected to occur in 2001. Irrigation equipment and well drilling costs were collected by a telephone survey from selected dealers. These costs do not include sales tax, personal property tax, insurnace, or …

Ec00-1879 Sorghum Ergot In The Northern Great Plains, Jim Stack

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Sorghum is grown throughout Nebraska on approximately 0.6 million acres of land. It is grown as a forage crop as well as a grain crop. There is no significant commercial seed production in Nebraska. Grain sorghum is used domestically as livestock feed, in ethanol production, and to a limited extent as a food crop.

Grain sorghum is also exported to several countries. All sorghum hybrids (grain and forage) are susceptible to ergot disease. Ergot is a disease that impacts sorghum production directly by infecting unfertilized flowers and preventing seed development. Ergot also impacts sorghum production indirectly. Affected fields with honeydew-covered …

Ec00-899 Sorghum Basis Patterns From Selected Sites In Nebraska, Lynn Lutgen

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

The following publication contains the sorghum basis patterns for several towns in Nebraska. Price information was collected through surveys, newspapers, electronic media, etc. The listing includes towns representative of different geographic locations in Nebraska. The amount of data varies among locations. This publication will be updated each year by adding a year's data to each location. This allows the user to observe the changing of basis patterns over time.

Ec00-898 Wheat Basis Patterns From Selected Sites In Nebraska, Lynn Lutgen

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

The following publication contains wheat basis patterns for several towns in Nebraska. The basic price information was collected through surveys, newspaper, electronic media, etc. The listing includes towns that are representative of different geographic locations in Nebraska. This publication will be updated each year by adding a year's data to each location which will allow the user to observe the changes in the basis patterns over time.

Ec00-154 Precision Agriculture: Soil Sampling For Precision Agriculture, Richard B. Ferguson, Gary W. Hergert

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

As various aspects of precision agriculture are implemented in Nebraska, some of the most frequent questions asked by producers, fertilizer dealers and crop consultants relate to soil sampling. Should I soil sample this field on a grid? What grid spacing should I use? How often should I sample? Can I use a yield map to tell where to soil sample? All of these are good questions, but often we do not have definitive answers. Site-specific management research conducted in recent years in Nebraska, however, provides some direction on how to implement a soil sampling program for precision agriculture.

G00-1419 Community Supported Agriculture, Paul Swanson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide explains what community supported agriculture is, how it works and what producers will need to do to participate.

Most Nebraskans have not heard of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) but the concept is about three decades old in Japan and Europe and about 10-15 years old on the east coast of the United States.

Nf99-404 Income Generation Using Alternative Crops, Roger D. Uhlinger, Laurie Hodges

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebFact examines considerations for utilizing alternative crops for income generation.

Nf99-401 Nebraska Competitive Livestock Markets Act, J. David Aiken

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebFact offers the text of the Nebraska Competitive Livestock Markets Act.

Nf99-367 Adult Western Corn Rootworm Insecticide Resistance In Nebraska, Robert Wright, Lance Meinke, Blair Siegfried

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebFact discusses insecticide resistance by adult western corn rootworms in Nebraska.

Ec98-746 Farm*A*Syst Nebraska's System For Assessing Water Contamination Risk: Introduction, Robert Grisso, Delynn Hay, Paul J. Jasa, Richard K. Koelsch, Sharon Skipton, Wayne Woldt

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Groundwater provides nearly all the water for domestic use in rural Nebraska. It’s essential that the quality of our groundwater, along with that of our surface water resources, be protected. It is especially important to protect the drinking water supply on any homesites where a private domestic well is used. The risk to water quality of various activities at homesites and on surrounding lands varies. Identifying high-risk activities can help determine where to use limited financial and management resources. By increasing knowledge and using careful management, you can greatly reduce the risk of water contamination, often with little or no …

Nf98-377 Kentucky Bluegrass Seed Production Management In Western Nebraska And Eastern Wyoming, Rebecca L. Harms, David D. Baltensperger, Robert C. Shearman, Dan Laursen, Roger Hammons, Tony Merrigan, Jim Krall, C. Dean Yonts

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebFact discusses management practicies related to Kentucky Bluegrass seed production.

Ec98-753 Farm*A*Syst Nebraska’S System For Assessing Water Contamination Risk Fact Sheet 7: Improving Hazardous Materials And Waste Management, Robert Grisso, Delynn Hay, Paul J. Jasa, Richard K. Koelsch, Sharon Skipton, Wayne Woldt

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Waste is inevitable. Things which have been outgrown, broken, replaced, or are just no longer needed add to the waste produced at homes, acreages and around farms. Most of the waste accumulated around the farm, acreage and home is solid waste. Solid waste includes all discarded materials — newspapers, empty paint cans, liquids, gases, pickle jars, orange peelings, leftover food, worn out shoes, junk mail — this list is endless. Some of these solid wastes contain potentially hazardous materials.

Ec98-771 Farm*A*Syst Nebraska’S System For Assessing Water Contamination Fact Sheet 8: Improving Household Wastewater Treatment, Robert Grisso, Delynn Hay, Paul J. Jasa, Richard K. Koelsch, Sharon Skipton, Wayne Woldt

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

A properly installed and maintained system for treating and disposing of household wastewater will minimize the impact of that system on groundwater and surfacewater. State and local codes specify how wastewater systems must be designed, installed, and maintained. For example, Title 124 regulates the design, operation, and maintenance of septic tank systems in Nebraska. In addition, federal and state regulations guide the stabilization and land application of wastewater septage.

Ec98-792 Farm*A*Syst Nebraska’S System For Assessing Water Contamination Fact Sheet 16: Improving Crop Pesticide Application Management, Robert Grisso, Delynn Hay, Paul J. Jasa, Richard K. Koelsch, Sharon Skipton, Wayne Woldt

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Though pesticides are especially harmful to the target pest, they are also potentially harmful to most living and breathing creatures and non-target plant life. Proper handling and application management of pesticides are important to protect you and to protect surface and groundwater from contamination. Pesticides were first found in groundwater in the 1970s. Prior to that, the general belief was that pesticides did not leach into the groundwater with normal use.

G98-1356 Polyacrylamide – A Method To Reduce Soil Erosion, C. Dean Yonts, Brian Benham

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide describes polyacrylamide, what it is, how it can be used to reduce soil erosion due to, irrigation and what water management changes must be considered.

Topsoil loss can mean a long-term reduction in soil productivity, crop yield and the life expectancy of downstream storage reservoirs. In the short term, producers are faced with reuse pits to clean or a buildup of soil at the lower ends of fields which must be redistributed. Measures must be taken to reduce or eliminate soil erosion and sustain Nebraska's soil resource.

Ec98-750 Farm*A*Syst Nebraska’S System For Assessing Water Contamination Risk Worksheet 12: Silage Storage, Robert Grisso, Delynn Hay, Paul J. Jasa, Richard K. Koelsch, Sharon Skipton, Wayne Woldt

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Why should I be concerned? Silage is an important feed for livestock-based agriculture. When properly harvested and stored, silage poses little or no pollution threat, but improper handling can lead to a significant flow of silage juices (or leachate) from the silo. Leachate is an organic liquid that results from pressure in the silo or from extra water entering the silo. It is usually a problem only when silage is fresh, or just after storage. This loss of leachate represents a loss of nutrient value from the silage.

Ec98-748 Farm*A*Syst Nebraska’S System For Assessing Water Contamination Risk Worksheet 2: Site Evaluation, Robert Grisso, Delynn Hay, Paul J. Jasa, Richard K. Koelsch, Sharon Skipton, Wayne Woldt

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Why is the site evaluation important? The effect of farm, ranch or homesite practices on groundwater depends in part on the physical characteristics of your site: soil type, subsurface characteristics and depth to groundwater. That’s why evaluating the soils and geologic characteristics of your site is such an important step in protecting the groundwater you drink. This evaluation focuses primarily on the farmstead or homesite and risk to groundwater, but, to a limited extent, also addresses surface water. The worksheet can be applied to land beyond the farmstead or homesite, but the variation in soils and geologic materials would have …