What do you think about when you hear or read the word weather? In my role as an agronomist or more specifically as the Water and Integrated Cropping Systems Extension Educator for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, I think of complexity and integration. Of the over 500 stakeholder calls I have received this year, weather or […] Continue reading → 
Nebraska Extension in Saline County is seeking Extension Board candidates through an open nomination process to serve a 3-year term from January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2024. The current Extension Board opening is for Saline County residents in either the Wilber, Swan Creek, or DeWitt townships. Please complete our short application if you are […] Continue reading → 
Each year satellite imagery and ground truthing are combined to create a geospatial data layer that reveal which crop was grown on each field throughout the United States. This annual United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA-NASS) analysis and resulting map is called the Cropland Data Layer (CDL). The CDL provides an […] Continue reading → 
Soybean cyst nematodes (SCN) are a plant-parasitic roundworm that attack soybeans in Saline, Jefferson, and Gage counties. The pest is not new or unfamiliar to area farmers and agronomists. However, sometimes we get too comfortable with old issues. As a reminder, SCN is the #1 yield-grabbing pest in U.S. soybean production. Soybean cyst nematodes or […] Continue reading → 
What risks are there for cutting alfalfa in the fall? When and how long is the alfalfa fall resting period or winterizing period? The answers to these questions can help you make an informed decision on whether to take another cutting of alfalfa in 2021. When and how long is the alfalfa fall resting period? […] Continue reading → 
Sulfur deficiency in Southeast Nebraska crops has been more frequently observed over the past two decades. Some of the contributing factors include higher yearly removal of sulfur in harvested grain due to increasing yields, less atmospheric deposition, less sulfur impurities in non-sulfur fertilizers and pesticides, and less potential mineralizable sulfur in eroded and lower organic […] Continue reading → 
Southeast Nebraska farmers can sharpen their management strategies for the third and fourth most grown crops in the region at the inaugural 2021 Southeast Nebraska Alfalfa and Wheat Expo. Hosts and local Water & Integrating Cropping Systems Extension Educators, Nathan Mueller, Gary Lesoing, and Melissa Bartels said more diverse crop rotations are both underutilized and undervalued. […] Continue reading →