Dave Welsch of West Blue Farm will talk about growing organic crops and direct marketing chicken and beef while Rex Nelson, Extension Educator discusses Enterprise Budgeting at Farm Beginnings® this Saturday in Douglas County.

If you are interested in learning about developing cash flows and budgets for your farming enterprises, come to the Farm Beginnings® class at the Douglas County Extension Office at 8015 West Center Road at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 24th. Dave and Deb Welsch have raised several hundred broiler chickens each summer for several years and have direct marketed them to people in southeast Nebraska. Dave and Deb have also direct marketed beef from their farm for several years. Dave will discuss the financial records he keeps with these operations.

Broilers growing in Dave and Deb Welsch’s chicken house on West Blue Farm near Milford, NE

Deb Welsch moves the cowherd into another pasture on their farm.

These calves are being fattened up and will be direct marketed when they have finished well. 

Rex Nelson will also discuss Enterprises Budgets from different enterprises, such as growing and selling meat goats. 

If you are interested in attending the class this week, you can just show up at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 24th at the Douglas County Extension at 8015 West Center Road in Omaha.  Cost for this program is $25 per person payable at the door with a check or cash. The class will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., lunch included.  If you have questions contact John Porter at (402) 444-7804.

“A Visit to Slow Food Nation”

A webinar is scheduled for Friday, March 16^th at 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. as part of the Nebraska SARE Webinar Series.  The webinar title is, “A Visit to Slow Foods Nation, Denver 2017”. This past summer Jerry and Renee Cornett of Prairie Plate Restaurant near Waverly, NE received a SARE Travel Scholarship to participate in this event. This event focuses on a number of food issues and there are several opportunities to participate in different discussions and programs. More than 10,000 chefs, policymakers, farmers and food lovers from all over the world will be talking about food justice, sustainability and management.  There was discussion over agricultural issues and all kinds of food were there as well.  Jerry and Renee will talk about their experience at this event during the webinar.  The link to the webinar is:  https://unl.zoom.us/j/193166489 .  This webinar will be recorded if you are unable to participate at this time.  If you have questions, contact me at (402) 274-4755.

 

Jerry and Renee Cornett grow vegetables organically and serve them in their restaurant “Prairie Plate” .

 

Jerry and Renee open their farm and restaurant up to visitors and tours explaining their philosophy about food.

 

Jerry Cornett explains their farm to Extension Educators from Nebraska Extension in the summer of 2017. Watch the webinar today as Jerry and Renee explain their visit to Slow Food Nation at   https://unl.zoom.us/j/193166489.

John Porter discusses Urban Ag & Gary Lesoing talks about Farming on an acreage & SARE at Farm Beginnings®

At the Farm Beginnings^®  class tomorrow, March 10th at the Douglas County Extension office at 8015 West Center Rd. John Porter, Extension Educator in Douglas/Sarpy County will discuss urban farming, where space is limiting.  Gary Lesoing, Extension Educator in Nemaha County and Nebraska State SARE Coordinator will explain the SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) program and some of the resources they have and he will also talk about farming on an acreage and show some of the Nebraska farmers that are farming on small areas of land and growing food locally, contributing to the local food system.

If you are interested in coming to the Farm Beginnings program tomorrow, it will be held held from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Cost of the program is $25 per person and this includes lunch.  For more information contact John at 402-444-7804 or Gary at 402-274-4755.

 

A lot in the middle of Omaha is being cleared to start growing vegetables.

In Omaha these lots have been cleared and the Big Garden is growing all types of vegetables on this site. 

 

Cover Crops are growing in the fall of the year on these raised beds on a lot at Big Muddy Urban Farm in Omaha

John Porter will discuss how vegetables can be grown in areas with very limited space and how you can make your area as productive as possible.

 

Al-Be Farm in Julian, NE south of Nebraska City raise different breeds of chickens up as pullets and sell to people for egg production.

Beth Kernes-Krause from Al-Be -Farm utilizes an old trailer as housing for chickens on their small acreage on the edge of Julian. 

Jill Heng from Olive Creek Farm and her family have a diversified farming operation on their land in southeast Lancaster County.  Here is their flock of Rhode Island Reds on pasture.  They sell eggs from this flock to customers. 

Olive Creek Farm also raises pastured broilers.  They raise and process about 1000 broiler each summer on their farm.  

Olive Creek has two high tunnels.  They have peppers and tomatoes growing in it during the summer.  They sell at the Haymarket Farmers Market in Lincoln and also sell off the farm.   

Jerry and Renee Cornett have Prairie Plate Restaurant and Lakeside Farm near Waverly, NE. They grow the vegetables they serve in the restaurant organically on their farm. Here is one of their fields growing in late August of last year. 

The Cornett’s also utilize a high tunnel. We visited their farm on a tour last summer. Cover crops are sometimes planted in the high tunnel in the fall. 

Gary Lesoing will talk about these and other farmers in Nebraska and how they are contributing to the local food system here in Nebraska. If you are interested in coming to the Farm Beginnings program tomorrow, it will be held from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Spray Clinic Scheduled for March 6th in Syracuse

If applying pesticides, it is important to do the best job as possible and reduce the potential for spray drift, especially on sensitive crops in the area where you will be spaying pesticides.  Nebraska Extension is conducting a spray clinic at the Kimmel Ag Expo Building at 198 Plum St. in Syracuse on March 6^th. The program will start at 11:30 a.m., with lunch being provided by area sponsors. By attending this spray clinic, you will be a better prepared spray applicator according to Greg Kruger, Weed Science and Pesticide Application Technology Specialist from North Platte, NE, who will be conducting this clinic. Greg runs the Pesticide Application Technology Laboratory at the University of Nebraska West Central Research and Extension Center where pesticides and spray adjuvants are tested and evaluated for drift in a wind tunnel. The mobile pesticide application laboratory will be set up in Syracuse for use at the clinic.

Participants at the clinic will:

• Learn about enhanced stewardship needed

with Dicamba and 2,4‐D.

• New spray nozzles recommendations and

better control of Marestail, Waterhemp and

Palmer Amaranth.

• Hands‐on demonstrations with a miniature

wind tunnel, a spray table equipped with

lighting, pulse width modulation and other

current technologies (depending on group

size).

• Gain a better understanding of the importance of wind speed, wind direction, boom

height, droplet size, and distance to sensitive areas with a particular nozzle selection.

• Learn simple things that can be done to mitigate drift incidences.
• How to manage tank mixtures and spray adjuvants that can change droplet size.

A clinic was held last year in Crete, NE in Saline County and participants were so impressed with the clinic that they are having a more advanced clinic this year.

Please register by Friday, March 2, 2018 by contacting

Nebraska Extension in Nemaha County, phone (402) 274‐4755.

Cost of the clinic is $20/person.

Make checks payable to: University of Nebraska‐Lincoln

Mail to: Nemaha County Extension, 1824 N St, Ste 102, Auburn NE 68305

Financial Management Scheduled for Farm Beginnings on March 3rd.

On March 3rd the Farm Beginnings class will focus on Financial Management.  The session will be held at the Douglas County Extension office at 8015 West Center Road in Omaha, NE. The session will be taught by Ralph Tate, Certified Holistic Management Instructor.  The class will be held from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.  This class is open to the public for people interested in financial management from  a holistic management perspective.  Learn about managing your agricultural enterprises sustainably.  If you are interested in attending this class, come to the Douglas County Extension Office at 9:00 a.m. The cost of the class will be $20 a person.  This includes lunch and handouts.  If you have questions, contact John Porter,  Extension Educator in Douglas County at 402-444-7804 or me, Gary Lesoing, Extension Educator at (402) 274-4755.

 

 

March 3, 2018 – 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. – Financial Management  Ralph Tate