Curriculum and Instruction Commons^™

G86-772 Using Options To Follow A Rising Market, Lynn H. Lutgen

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This is number five in a series of six NebGuides on Agricultural Options. It discusses how to use the options market effectively to protect us from our own emotions.

An interesting aspect of marketing is psychological. Many people make a mental decision to market grain when a specific price is reached. However, when the market begins to trend upward and hits that imaginary price level, the farmer previously facing low prices is 1) optimistic for even higher prices, and 2) wants to obtain the highest possible price to offset losses incurred during low prices. What generally happens is 1) no …

G86-771 Evaluating Options Vs. Futures Contracts, Lynn H. Lutgen

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This is number four in a series of six NebGuides on agricultural options. It explains how to evaluate options vs futures contracts.

Options and futures contracts are similar. Both represent actions that occur in the future. Futures markets are contracts to either accept or deliver the actual physical commodity, while an option contract is a contract on the underlying futures contract. Options contracts give the farmer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an underlying commodity. This underlying commodity is a futures contract. Due to these similarities and the fact that options are based on a futures …

G86-796 Growing Degree Day Requirements And Freeze Risk As A Guide To Selecting And Planting Corn Hybrids, Ralph E. Neild

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide discusses the growing degree day requirements for Nebraska's four corn-growing regions, and how using these requirements can aid in planting date decisions.

Variations between locations, between seasons at a particular location, between planting times at a particular location and season, and between the requirements of different hybrids result in differences in the number of days it takes for corn to mature. These variations in days are all closely related to differences in temperatures when the corn is being grown.

G86-782 Distribution Of Crop Residue A Requirement For Conservation Tillage, John A. Smith

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide describes problems associated with inadequate distribution of crop residue behind the combine, and identifies techniques to obtain proper distribution.

Uniform distribution of crop residue during harvest is essential to the successful use of conservation tillage systems. Crop residue on the soil surface reduces soil erosion and conserves soil moisture. However, the residue must be properly managed to achieve these benefits. Uniform distribution behind the combine is an important part of this management. Large capacity combines equipped with 24- to 30-foot grain platforms and 8- to 12-row corn headers complicate residue distribution. When crop material is collected from a …

G86-803 Assessing Hail Damage To Corn, J.J. Vorst

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This publication examines how hail damages the corn plant, how the degree of damage can be determined and how the extent of yield loss is estimated.

In the U.S., approximately half of all hailstorms occur between March and May. These early storms are responsible for only minor corn yield losses, however, because the corn either has not yet been planted or is too small to be damaged significantly. Even when fields are severely damaged early in the growing season, they can often be replanted.

On the other hand, about a third of all hailstorms occur between June and September. These …

G86-811 High Quality Seed Wheat, Lenis Alton Nelson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide discusses high quality winter wheat, the options farmers have in obtaining high quality seed, seed size, year-old seed, seed treatment, and replanting the same seed year after year. Winter wheat uniquely allows the least time between the harvest of one crop and the planting of the next of any annual crop. This short time period may necessitate making a hurried decision about the seed to be planted. In the end, the farmer must be responsible for planting good, high quality seed. The phrase "high quality seed wheat" means different things to different people. High quality wheat seed is …

G86-812 Sorghum Yield Loss Due To Hail Damage, Charles A. Shapiro, T. A. Peterson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide discusses the methods used by the hail insurance industry to assess yield loss due to hail damage in grain sorghum. A hailstorm can cause yield losses in sorghum ranging from slight to total. Research has been conducted to accurately predict the effects of hail damage on sorghum yields. Results from these studies are used by hail insurance companies to assess yield losses and determine adjustments paid to clients. Information in this NebGuide will acquaint producers with procedures used to assess sorghum hail damage. These procedures may also be useful in estimating crop yields wherever stand loss or defoliation …

G86-819 At What Weight Should Holstein Heifers Freshen?, Jeffrey F. Keown

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This guide offers research findings on the appro-priate weights for Holstein heifer freshening and sug-gests producers be aware of economic considerations involved in heifer freshening.

Most producers realize that the weight of a heifer at freshening affects the amount of milk produced during the first lactation. Heifers not fed balanced nutritional diets before freshening will not produce at an optimum level since they do not have the body reserves to maintain peak produc-tion. Likewise, a heifer that freshens very heavy will not pro-duce as much as she should because she is too heavy. There must be a break-even point at …

G86-820 How To Maximize Income By Managing Days Dry, Jeffrey F. Keown

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This guide discusses the benefits of maintaining the optimum calving interval and offers suggestions for accomplishing this reproductive management technique.

Most dairy producers are aware that an optimum calving interval is 365 days. This is a normal lactation length of 305 days with a dry period of 60 days. This interval is often looked at as a goal to strive toward rather than a goal that must be reached to maximize income from the sale of milk.

G85-768 Basic Terminology For Understanding Grain Options, Lynn H. Lutgen

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This publication, the first of six NebGuides on agricultural grain options, defines many of the terms commonly used in futures trading.

In order to properly understand examples and literature on options trading, it is imperative the reader understand the terminology used in trading grain options. The following list also includes terms commonly used in futures trading. These terms are included because the option is traded on an underlying futures contract position. It is an option on the futures market, not on the physical commodity itself. Therefore, a producer also needs a basic understanding of the futures market.

G85-758 Protective Clothing And Equipment For Pesticide Appliactors (Revised September 2002), Larry D. Schulze, Clyde Ogg

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Pesticides are valuable pest management tools, and like any tool, they must be used carefully and responsibly. Minimizing exposure is an important first step toward reducing your risk of pesticide poisoning. The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) provides benefits to the applicator and is a visual expression of appropriate and legal pesticide use.\

Use all pesticides safely. Read the pesticide product label and comply with all directions. Failure to do so may not only subject you to state and/or federal penalties, but it also may place you, your family, and the environment at a greater risk of pesticide exposure.

G85-769 Options Contract Specifications On Grain Futures Contracts, Lynn H. Lutgen, Lynne A. Todd

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This publication, the second of six NebGuides on agricultural grain options, explains specifications and uses of futures contracts for corn and soybean trading.

Before using options on agricultural futures contracts, it is essential to understand what constitutes an options contract.

This publication outlines contract specifications of corn and soybean options on corresponding futures contracts presently traded at the Chicago Board of Trade (CBT).

All contract specifications are discussed including: price quotations, maximum and minimum price fluctuation figures, and last trading day for an option. How strike prices and premium values are determined in relation to futures contract prices also will …

G85-742 Dollar Spot Disease Of Turfgrass, John E. Watkins, Terrance P. Riordan

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide describes the symptoms and disease cycle of dollar spot, and provides recommendations for controlling this turfgrass disease.

Dollar spot of turfgrass is one of the most persistent diseases on golf courses in North America. All commonly grown turfgrasses in Nebraska may be attacked, but differences in susceptibility exist within cultivars of the various turf species. Presence of dollar spot in a well-managed lawn affects its aesthetic appearance and value, but usually does not threaten its survival. Lawns recover from dollar spot injury when conditions are favorable for vigorous, healthy growth.

G85-741 Estrous Synchronization For Beef Cattle, Gene H. Deutscher

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide discusses the potential benefits of estrous synchronization, how the products and programs work, and the results and costs involved. Estrous (heat) synchronization can help beef producers improve production efficiency and economic returns. Controlling estrus and ovulation in cycling females means breeding is completed in a short period of time. Instead of females being bred over a 21-day period, synchronization can shorten the breeding period to less than 5 days, depending on the program selected. The use of synchronization has great potential for improving beef production, but it requires good management for success. Producers should understand the advantages, as …

G85-752 Strawberry Cultivars For Nebraska, William A. Gustafson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

The purpose of this NebGuide is to help you make the proper strawberry cultivar* (variety) selection for your area of the state and individual needs.

Proper strawberry cultivar selection is important for successful and satisfying results. Cultivar selection should be based on the family's intended use of the strawberry fruit (i.e. dessert use, freezing or preserves); on labor available to harvest the strawberries; and on available growing space.

G85-753 Irrigation Scheduling Using Crop Water Use Data, C. Dean Yonts, Norman L. Klocke

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide describes using the "checkbook" method to schedule irrigations based on crop water use data.

Irrigation scheduling determines when and how much water to apply to meet crop demand. Soil water status and current crop water use are key factors for scheduling irrigations. Field observations and crop growth stage are important, but scheduled irrigations result in better rainfall use while avoiding crop water stress or excessive irrigation.

G85-761 Feed Additives For Beef Cattle, Rick Stock, Terry L. Mader

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide discusses feed additives, including how they work, feeding restrictions and feeding recommendations.

One of the best methods to reduce feed costs is through the use of feed additives. Their primary effects are to improve feed efficiency and/or daily gain. Some feed additives have secondary benefits which include reducing the incidence of acidosis, coccidiosis, and grain bloat, while others suppress estrus, reduce liver abscesses, or control foot rot problems.

Feed additives can be divided into five general categories: 1) ionophores; 2) antibiotics; 3) estrus suppressants; 4) buffers; and 5) others. Each feed additive has its own characteristics and feeding …

Heg85-204 'Til Death Do Us Part...From The Minute After, Kathleen Prochaska-Cue

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide tells what to do after the death of a loved one, and how to plan to make your death easier for your survivors.

Death is a subject most people are uncomfortable discussing. But discussion and planning in advance of the death of someone close to you can save anguish -- and dollars.

This publication provides a checklist of what needs to be done immediately after a death, including a list of who needs to be notified, guidelines for decision-making immediately and sometime after death, sources of help for the survivors and suggestions on how to make your death …

Heg85-202 Cash Flow Planning Form: For Household Expenses, Kathleen Prochaska-Cue

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide provides detailed step-by-step instructions for filling out a cash flow plan for household living expenses.

What Is Cash Flow Planning?

A cash flow plan shows the sources, amounts and timing of income and expenses. It shows when major expenses will come, when you will need credit and when you can plan for other major expenses. A cash flow plan is usually for one year, but it can be for any time period you choose.

G85-751 Thatch Prevention And Control (Revised July 1992), Roch E. Gaussoin, Terrance P. Riordan

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide describes how thatch accumulation damages turfgrass sites, and gives methods for removing accumulations and preventing their reoccurrence.

Thatch is a problem on many turfgrass sites. It consists of a tightly intermingled layer of dead and decaying turfgrass tissues derived from stems, roots and leaves.

G85-750 Terrace Systems For Nebraska, Elbert C. Dickey, Tom Hamer, Delynn Hay, Paul J. Jasa

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide describes how different terrace shapes and systems can be used to reduce soil erosion losses on sloping fields. Loss of valuable topsoil to erosion prompted Nebraska farmers to build terraces as early as the 1920's. Current estimates indicate that water erodes as much as 140 million tons of soil annually from Nebraska's fields.

Ec85-107 Nebraska Proso Variety Tests, 1985, Lenis Alton Nelson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This circular is a progress report of variety trials conducted by personnel of the Panhandle Research and Extension Center and the High Plains and Northwest Agriculture Laboratories. Conduct of experiments and publication of results is a joint effort of the Agriculture Research Division and Cooperative Extension Service.

Ec85-414 Family Stress: Dealing With Blame, Virginia Molgaard

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

It's natural to look for someone or something to blame when things are not going well or when we are hurt or threatened. For example, persons threatened with the loss of the family farm may find their anguish eased a bit if they can find a place to put the blame.

This publication looks at how and why people blame each other, with emphasis on the current farm financial crisis. We will discover how to avoid blame that hurts us and the people we are blaming, and how to handle self-blame and being blamed by others.

G85-748 Prevention And Control Of Swine Dysentery, Gerald E. Duhamel, Alex Hogg, Barbara E. Straw

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide describes the causes and symptoms of swine dysentery and offers management recommendations and treatment procedures for its prevention and control.

Swine dysentery is a highly contagious disease of growing and finishing pigs. First described in Indiana in 1921, it has been called black scours, bloody scours, and vibrionic dysentery.

Swine dysentery causes important financial losses because of reduced feed efficiency and lower weight gain, costs of medication and additional animal care, and death. Substantial costs may result from loss of sales of breeding stock, or depopulation when necessary. Serpula (Treponema) hyodysenteriae, a spiral bacterium, is the cause …

G85-747 Enteric Diseases (Scours) Of Swine, Alex Hogg, Alfonso Torres

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide describes four major enteric diseases of swine, and discusses the cause, clinical signs, differential diagnosis, treatment, and control of each.

Four of the most important infectious enteric diseases of swine are reviewed in this publication. These include colibacillosis, transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE), rotavirus, and enterotoxemia (clostridial enteritis). A fifth disease, swine dysentery, is discussed in NebGuide G85-748.

G85-759 Prominent Congenital Defects In Nebraska Beef Cattle, J. L. Johnson, H. W. Leipold, Donald B. Hudson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide describes congenital defects that affect the economic value of beef cattle, and provides recommendations on how to minimize them in breeding programs.

Congenital defects are abnormalities of structure or function present at birth. They may be caused by genetic or environmental factors, or a combination of both. The causes of many defects remain unknown.

Developmental defects may be lethal, semi-lethal, or compatible with life, causing very little effect or only aesthetic effect.

With the increasing use of artificial insemination (AI) in cattle, defects are no longer rare occurrences and are important collectively to the cattle industry. Congenital defects …

G85-760 Natural Air Corn Drying, Richard O. Pierce, Thomas L. Thompson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide discusses factors affecting natural air corn drying system performance, and gives recommendations for bins filled over a one- to two-day period.

Natural air drying is an energy efficient drying method that is particularly well suited to Nebraska weather conditions. A high quality dried product, with little of the stress cracking or heat damage associated with high temperature drying, is an added attraction. However, good management practices must be followed to achieve satisfactory drying results.

A major concern with this method is overloading the bin with corn too wet to be dried without spoilage or deterioration, especially when the …

G85-770 An Introduction To Grain Options On Futures Contracts, Lynn H. Lutgen, Lynne A. Todd

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This publication, the third of six NebGuides on agricultural grain options, explains how to use futures options as a marketing tool.

A new agricultural marketing tool is available to farmers. A futures agricultural option is much like an insurance policy. It is a marketing alternative that gives farmers insurance against unfavorable price moves, but allows producers to take advantage of favorable price moves. To better understand terms used in this paper, please see NebGuide G85-768, Basic Terminology For Understanding Grain Options.

G85-762 Soybean Yield Loss Due To Hail Damage, Charles A. Shapiro, T.A. Peterson, A.D. Flowerday

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide discusses the methods used by the hail insurance industry to assess yield loss due to hail damage in soybeans. A hailstorm can cause yield losses in soybeans ranging from slight to total destruction of the crop. Extensive research has been conducted to accurately predict the effects of hail damage on soybean yields. Results from these studies are used by hail insurance companies to assess yield losses and consequent adjustment made to clients. The information in this NebGuide should be valuable to producers facing replant decisions, and may also be useful in cases of insect damage. Yield loss predictions …

G85-766 Retaining Ownership Of Calves Or Yearlings, Paul Q. Guyer

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide discusses the advantages and disadvantages of retaining ownership of calves or yearlings until slaughter rather than selling them to a feeder.

Retaining ownership of weanlings or yearlings through to slaughter is a management and/or marketing option that can add to the profits of the calf producer or cattle grower. It is a way of expanding and diversifying the cattle enterprise. has the potential for greater profits for the rancher or grower than for the feeder who might buy them.

The cattle feeding industry exists because it has been a profitable business over the years. These profits have been …