Farm & Ranch - November 2020 edition brought to you by The North Platte Telegraph.
NOVEMBER 2020
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FARM & RANCH
THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH
NOVEMBER 2020
New mantra for battling eastern red cedar
Expert urges state’s farmers, ranchers to be more proactive
collapse” from a man- agement and utility standpoint. Current recommen- dations call for a more proactive approach. Twidwell is a University of Nebraska-Lincoln as- sociate professor in rangeland and fire ecology and was a pre- senter in a Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition Traveling Road Show, with stops from Bloomfield in northeast Nebraska, Taylor and Thedford in the central Sandhills and Imperial in the southwest corner of the state. The coalition is made up of ranch- ers and landowners, and the road show was also sponsored by UNL Extension, Nebraska Cattlemen and Sandhills Task Force. Shelly Kelly, a ranch- er near Broken Bow, is the executive direc- tor of Sandhills Task Force, a non-profit or- ganization with vested interest in preserving and enhancing the vi- tality of the Sandhills and ranching profit- ability. “We were the first organization (sev- en to eight years ago) that was working with landowners on low infestations lev- els” of cedar trees in Nebraska, and “Dirac’s research really backs up our approach,” Kelly said. When tree numbers and seed production are at low levels, “we can clear cedars and it only costs $10 to $40 per acre,” and “you don’t have nearly the regrowth.” However, “heavier infestations
eastern red cedar in- festation — light in some areas, more seri- ous in others. The “core” is any area of grazing land that is not infested with the broad, dense evergreens that can grow over 40-feet tall and form impenetrable thickets. “Ranchers are busy and the old guid- ance used to be that we would wait ‘til (ce- dars were) a serious problem. That doesn’t work well long-term,” Twidwell said. Let it go long enough, “large- scale rangelands
By GEORGE HAWS For The North Platte Telegraph
The sun was high in the sky on Nov. 11 as Dirac Twidwell drove through the Sandhills on his way to Thedford. It was one of several stops that week, on a “road show” across the state, ral- lying the ranching community with what he called a new man- tra: “Protect the core, defend the core and grow the core.” As he drove the two-lane highway, Twidwell paid close at- tention to the level of
Diane Wetzel / The North Platte Telegraph Volunteers monitor a prescribed hillside fire on April 8, 2014, as part of a controlled burn at Box Elder Canyon south of North Platte. The Loess Canyon Rangeland Alliance worked with property owner Rich Bringelson to burn 220 acres to clear the grazing land of eastern red cedar trees.
NEBRASKA
AUCTIONEERS ASSOCIATION
Please see CEDAR, Page F3
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FARM & RANCH
THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH
NOVEMBER 2020
Nebraska Farmers Union Convention goes virtual
Group will elect two board members via Zoom on Dec. 4
demic, people everywhere including rural Nebraska have learned how to use Zoom or some sort of plat- form to conduct business,” Jantzen said. “As peo- ple get more comfortable with this technology, it makes it easier for rural Nebraskans to partici- pate when long distances are not a factor. This pan- demic has shown the light on the need to improve the accessibility and capaci- ty of high speed internet broadband. This could be a positive that comes out of this pandemic.” NeFU President John Hansen concluded, “The good news is that since our virtual convention will be practicing extreme social distancing, we won’t need to wear our masks to be safe.”
meal or registration costs,” he said. For more information or to register, go to nebraskaf- armersunion.org. “We are still doing the organization business in- cluding elections, but we have condensed the usual two full day schedule down to one short day,” Hansen said. “In addition to hear- ing from NFU President Rob Larew Friday after lunch, the convention will feature the always pop- ular State Senator panel with Sens. Brandt, DeBoer, Quick and Walz. We start late and end early to allow time to do morning and af- ternoon chores.” NeFU Vice President Vern Jantzen of Plymouth said that safety is a priori- ty for this session. “Thanks to the pan-
Freeport, according to a press release from the or- ganization. The final district caucuses to field potential additional can- didates and all elections will be between 11 a.m. and noon. In addition to electing of- ficers, three delegates and alternates to the National Farmers Union Convention will be elected. The 2019-20 NeFU policy will be ex- tended for one year. Urgent time sensitive policy issues can be sent to the NeFU Board of Directors for con- sideration. Hansen said he hopes NeFU members will take advantage of this new vir- tual opportunity to attend their state convention. “Since it is virtual, there will be no transporta- tion time or costs, lodging,
Telegraph staff reports LINCOLN — “107 Years of Service” is the theme for the 107th annual Nebraska Farmers Union state con- vention, which for the first time will be a virtual con- ference on Dec. 4. “For the past 107 years, the focus of our gener- al farm organization has been to serve the needs of family farmers, ranchers and rural communities,” first time ever, in order to conduct the necessary elec- tions and business of the organization, and keep our members safe, we will be NeFU President John Hansen said, “For the
doing our convention vir- tually via Zoom. Instead of holding our convention in Kearney as scheduled, our convention will be held in farm homes across the state.” NeFU delegates and members will elect Board of Directors from Districts 1 and 5. Incumbent Al Davis is running for re- election for District 1, and Camdyn Kavan is running for District 5 to replace retiring Director Ben Gotschall, who announced he is moving to Maine to serve as the Dairy Manager at Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment in
CEDAR from Page F2
encroachment of ce- dar trees onto grazing lands would be lim- ited by our relatively low precipitation lev- els. However, it doesn’t take as much moisture as previously thought, to give seeds spread by wildlife into the open range, a good start. “Most initial en- croachment occurs within two football fields of a seed source,” Twidwell said. Then “those areas become the seed source” for further encroachment. Cedar infestation can affect stream f lows and result in lost wild- life habitat along with reduced range produc- tivity, land values and school funding. “It’s really hard to get those things back,” he said. Woody encroach- ment can also increase the risk of wildfires, Twidwell said. The
current situation is critical enough that The University of Nebraska Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources called it “one of the greatest threats to hu- man well-being and to the unique f lora and fauna of the Great Plains” in its recent “UNL Eastern Red ce- dar Science Literacy Project.” Ranchers are step- ping up the fight, employing lopping shears for seedlings, larger machinery to cut and grind trees, various chemical ap- proaches and, like their predecessors on the plains, fire. “Prescribed burning is a great tool,” Kelly said, “when done with proper planning and help.” A lot of ranchers in the Sandhills are still leery of burning, but it
is gaining acceptance. It only takes a glance at the cedar infesta- tions in places like the banks of the Dismal River to remind ranch- ers not to let their guard down, she said. The Loess Canyons Rangeland Alliance, southeast of North Platte, is the best ex- ample of success in managing a serious infestation, Twidwell said. For the last 18 years, ranchers have banded together with partnering organi- zations to carry out prescribed burns to reclaim nearly 60,000 acres of cedar-infested rangeland. They have been able to stabilize encroachments, but it’s expensive and a lot of work. In the Imperial area, rangeland cedar infes- tation levels so far are low. Twidwell said he would like ranchers
in that area to learn from the experiences of their counterparts in other parts of the state. “If (they) get after this now it’s (going to be) much easier,” he said. He added that he is encouraged by the proactive, “change of mindset” that ranch- ers and ranching
organizations have ad- opted. We don’t want to lose what we have here, and we want to try to reclaim what has already been lost. Kelly agreed, calling the Nebraska prai- ries, particularly the Sandhills, “one of the last remaining intact grass resources in the world.” It really is “a worldwide treasure.”
can cost $150 or much more,” to control, per acre, she said. The stage for woody plant encroachment on the prairies was set in the late 1800s and early 1900s, said Twidwell. Before that time, “Native Americans used fire” to rejuve- nate bison grazing lands. Then settlers “eliminated fires and introduced seed sourc- es by tree planting.” Since then, cedars have formed the back- bone of windbreaks in Nebraska, but they produce a lot of seeds. “We have to look (closer) at the risks as- sociated with planting them,” Twidwell said, and manage those risks from the begin- ning. People used to think
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FARM & RANCH
THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH
NOVEMBER 2020
Extension hosting landlord-tenant workshops
Telegraph staff reports LINCOLN— Nebraska Extension’s
Farm and Ranch Management team has scheduled a series of landlord-tenant cash
rent workshops across the state during the fall and winter months. The series, geared toward current and future land- lords and tenants, will cover current trends in cash rental rates and land values, lease provi- sions, crop and grazing land considerations and current university crop budget information. The workshops, “Ag Land Leasing, Budgeting and Management for 2021,” will be led by Extension land specialists Allan Jansen, who conduct re- search and outreach in land management, crop budgets, farm and ranch succession, communi- cation and negotiations. They will address common agricultural landlord and tenant top- ics, including equitable rental rates, managing and adjusting farmland leases, landlord-tenant communication, pasture leasing and other land management consider- ations. “Landlords and ten- Vyhnalek, Austin Duerfeldt, Glennis McClure and Jim ants often face land management ques- tions and decisions,” Vyhnalek said. “Both are concerned with eq- uitable treatment of the other party and it can be difficult to keep up with the current trends. These workshops will provide participants with up-to-date informa- tion and discuss current issues to assist with de- cision-making.” The workshops are free to attend. Due to COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings, pre-reg- istration is required with the local county Extension office by one day prior to each meet- ing. Many locations will
have attendance limits to ensure social dis- tancing requirements are met and meetings are subject to change or cancellation if local guidelines change. Information on the landlord-tenant work- shops and registration details will be available at farm.unl.edu. Additional workshop on UNL crop budgets and new ag budget cal- culator to be held at five locations Following the morn- ing landlord-tenant cash rent workshops at se- lect locations, landlords and producers are invit- ed to attend a 90-minute workshop, starting at 1:30 p.m. at the same meeting site, to learn more about calculating the cost of production for crop enterprises. The additional workshop session will introduce participants to the new web-based Ag Budget Calculator program, developed in the uni- versity’s Department of Agricultural Economics. This workshop will be at locations in Saunders County (Nov. 24), Lincoln (Dec. 14), Grand Island (Jan. 12), Beatrice (Jan. 15) and Wilber (Jan. 18). This session will dem- onstrate to attendees the new online cost-of- production calculator. Participants can follow along with examples of financial entries nec- essary to determine production costs per acre or unit, total ex- penses and projected net returns on a per- acre and unit basis. Attendees may bring their laptop computer to the session and uti- lize the program to gain hands-on experience. The ABC programwill
be available for attend- ees to continue using after the session and provide feedback on the tool. This workshop is free to attend, but pre-reg- istration is required. Please register when signing up for the land- lord-tenant cash rent workshop through the local county extension office hosting the meet- ing. Information on the budgeting workshop is available at farm.unl. edu. Questions may be directed to Glennis McClure, extension edu- cator, at 402-472-0661 or gmcclure3@unl.edu. Full schedule: » Nov. 23, 9 a.m. — Auburn (Nemaha County Fairgrounds 4-H Building, 816 I St.) Registration: 402-274- 4755. » Nov. 24, 9 a.m. — Saunders County (Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center, 1071 County Road G, Ithaca) (Crop Budgeting workshop to be held at 1:30 p.m.) Registration: 402-624- 8030. » Dec. 3, 1 p.m. — O’Neill (Holt County Extension Office, 128 N. 6th St., Suite 100) Registration: 402-336- 2760. » Dec. 4, 9 a.m. — Ainsworth (Zion Lutheran Church, 318 E. 4th St.) Registration: 402-387- 2213. » Dec. 7, 1 p.m. — St. Paul (Community Library, 1301 Howard Ave.) Registration: 308-754- 5423. » Dec. 14, 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. — Lincoln (Lancaster County Extension Office, 444 Cherrycreek Road) (Crop Budgeting workshop to be held at 1:30 p.m.) Registration: 402-441- 7180. » Dec. 16, 9 a.m. — North Platte (West Central Research and
Extension Center, 402 W. State Farm Road) Registration: 308-532- 2683. » Dec. 17, 9 a.m. — Bridgeport (Prairie Winds Community Center, 428 N. Main St.) Registration: 308-632-1230. » Dec. 17, 1:30 p.m. — Chadron (Chadron State College Student Center, 400 E. 12th St.) Registration: 308-632- 1230 » Jan. 7, 1 p.m. — Wayne (Fire Hall, 510 Tomar Drive) Registration: 402-375- 3310. » Jan. 8, 9 a.m. — Norfolk (Madison County Extension Office, 1305 S. 13th St.) Registration: 402-370-4040. » Jan. 11, 1 p.m. — Ord (Valley County Extension Office, 801 S St.) Registration: 308- 728-5071. » Jan. 12, 9 a.m. — Grand Island (Hall County Extension Office, 3180 W. Highway 34) (Crop Budgeting work- shop to be held at 1:30 p.m.) Registration: 308- 385-5088.. » Jan. 13, 9 a.m. — Lexington (Dawson County Extension Office, 1002 Plum Creek Parkway) Registration: 308-324-5501. » Jan. 15, 9 a.m. — Beatrice (Gage County Extension Office, 1115 W. Scott St.) (Crop Budgeting workshop to be held at 1:30 p.m.) Registration: 402-223- 1384. » Jan. 19, 9 a.m. — Wilber (Saline County Extension Office, 306 W. Third St.) (Crop Budgeting workshop to be held at 1:30 p.m.) Registration: 402-821- 2151. » Jan. 20, 9 a.m. — Wilber (Saline County Extension Office, 306 W. Third St.) Registration: 402-821-2151. » Feb. 17, 9 a.m. — Hastings (Adams County Fairgrounds, 947 S. Baltimore Ave.) Registration: 402-461- 7209.
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The program has evolved over the years, pro- viding many conservation and economic benefits. The programmarks its 35-year anniversary this December. Program successes include: » Preventing more than 9 billion tons of soil from erod- ing, which is enough soil to fill 600 million dump trucks. » Reducing nitrogen and phosphorous runoff relative to annually tilled cropland by 95% and 85%, respective- ly. » Sequestering an annual average of 49 million tons of greenhouse gases, equal to taking 9 million cars off the road. » Creating more than 3 million acres of restored wetlands while protecting more than 175,000 stream Johner, Nebraska Farm Service Agency state execu- tive director. “As one of our nation’s largest conservation endeavors, CRP has proven to protect our nation’s valu- able resources. Next year’s signup gives our farmers and ranchers an opportunity to enroll in CRP for the first time or continue their par- ticipation for another term.” Enrollment options » CRP general signup: Through CRP, farmers and ranchers establish long-term, resource-conserving plant species, such as approved grasses or trees, to control soil erosion, improve water quality and enhance wildlife habitat on cropland. Farmers and ranchers who participate in CRP help provide numer- ous benefits to the nation’s environment and economy. CRP general signup is held annually. The competitive general signup includes in- creased opportunities for enrollment of wildlife habitat through the State Acres For Wildlife Enhancement ini- tiative. » Grasslands sign- up: CRP Grasslands helps landowners and operators protect grassland, including rangeland, and pasture- land and certain other lands while maintaining the areas as grazing lands. Protecting grasslands contributes pos- itively to the economy of many regions, provides bio- diversity of plant and animal populations and improves environmental quality. A separate CRP Grasslands signup is offered each year following general signup. Signed into law in 1985, CRP is one of the largest pri- vate-lands conservation programs in the United States. It was originally in- Grasslands offers will be in early 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a press release. General signup for CRP will be open from Jan. 4, 2021, to Feb. 12, 2021; sign- up for CRP Grasslands runs fromMarch 15, 2021, to April 23, 2021. Both programs are competitive and provide an- nual rental payments for land devoted to conservation pur- poses, the press release said. “The Conservation Reserve Program and the many focused programs that come under it, like CRP Grasslands, are some of our most critical tools we have to help producers bet- ter manage their operations while conserving natu- ral resources,” said Nancy other pollinators and in- creasing populations of ducks, pheasants, turkey, bobwhite quail, prairie chickens, grasshopper spar- rows, and many other birds. The successes of CRP con- tribute to USDA’s Agriculture Innovation Agenda and its goal of reducing the envi- ronmental footprint of U.S. agriculture by half by 2050. Earlier this year, USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue an- nounced the department-wide initiative to align resources, programs, and research to po- sition American agriculture to better meet future global demands. For more information on CRP, visit fsa.usda.gov or contact your local FSA coun- ty office. F6 FARM & RANCH THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH NOVEMBER 2020 Monitor large animals for signs of cancer exists and, if so, if it is ma- lignant. This may include blood tests, imaging and a taking a biopsy of the tumor. “For large animals, the first step to any cancer treatment is a definitive di- agnosis of the tumor type,” she said. “This is usually done by sending the tumor tissue to a lab for analysis under the microscope.” Once the tumor is iden- tified, a veterinarian will likely “debulk” the tumor, or surgically remove as much of the mass as possible. The small amount of remaining tumor can be treated with a variety of adjunctive ther- apies, or therapies used in conjunction with a primary treatment. A veterinarian may rec- ommend chemotherapy, cryotherapy (freezing the mass), photodynamic dye Pet Talk Cancer is a unique ailment in that it can be found in nearly every species, no mat- ter how small or how large. Luckily, our fight against cancer is as widespread as the disease itself and veter- inarians are able to provide treatment to many animals, from cats and dogs to cows and horses. Dr. Leslie Easterwood, a clinical assistant professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, works with horse and livestock owners at the Large Animal Hospital to manage cancer- ous growths in our larger furry friends. Easterwood says that there are many different symptoms of cancer in large animals, dependent on the location and impact of the mass, but that the most com- mon signs noticed by owners are external (visible) tumors and unexplained weight loss. Owners of white-skinned horses may wish to pay extra attention to the well-being of their animal, as they are particularly prone to tumors around their eyes, nose, and genitalia; therefore, these animals should be screened regularly. “Have masses looked at as soon as possible,” Easterwood said. “It is far easier to resolve a tumor when it is small, and it is much more likely to have a good outcome.” When having an animal screened, a veterinarian will likely perform a phys- ical exam and conduct the appropriate diagnostic tests to determine whether a mass Pet Talk Visible tumors and lump, along with noticeable weight loss, are signs of cancer in large animals. motherapy drugs) and/or hyperthermia (killing can- cer cells with heat). Easterwood notes that therapy (a light-activated targeted drug therapy), elec- trochemotherapy (which uses electric pulses to improve absorption of che- Please see SIGNS, Page F7 RANCHERS AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS THIS BUNK’S FOR YOU! 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Delivery Available Hutt Enterprises 76155 Hwy 61• 1 mile north of Grant Grant, NE 69140 308-352-4888 F7 FARM & RANCH THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH NOVEMBER 2020 NCTA adds feeding space, student opportunities students to complete the classes in March. Then, there will still be plenty of spring ranch work to do: Branding, castrating and vac- cinating calves, then managing the breed- ing of heifers and cows, either by bulls or artifi- cial insemination. The college is part of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln sys- tem andmust receive approval from the UNL Board of Regents before implementing the chang- es. Taylor is optimistic about that happening. With a small percent- age of the population directly involved in ag- riculture nowadays, Taylor said a lot of NCTA’s students do not come from an agricul- tural background. Even those who did grow up on a farm or ranch ben- efit from opportunities to work with cattle or crops at the college, from driving combines to ultrasounding preg- nant heifers, inserting IVs into sick cattle, giv- ing shots, etc. The college is also placing increased em- phasis on preparing students to work in feedlot management, which is an important reason for their own feedlot upgrade. By GEORGE HAWS For The North Platte Telegraph Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture recently upgraded their feedlot pens. The work included replacement of feed bunks and addition of feeding space, along with repairs of the 20 year old structures. It’s all part of an em- phasis on hands-on learning at the two- year college, said Alan Taylor, the experiential learning coordinator at NCTA. Students care for cattle at the facility, and they are the ones who did the majority of the renovation work. Branching out from the college at Curtis, about 40 miles south- east of North Platte, students further their education through internships on com- mercial operations. If all goes according to plan, the beef cattle internships will be ex- panded, beginning in the 2021-22 school year. In the past, students have been unable to do internships during the busy spring calving season, a critical time on area ranches, Taylor said. Plans call for changing some of the 16-week class schedules to 8 weeks, allowing Photos courtesy of Alan Taylor / NCTA Before, left, and after pictures of the feedlot reno- vation at Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture at Curtis. forms and poured ce- ment for pads, welded pipes and repaired fences, etc. Bunks in each of the four pens were extended from 32 to 40 feet long, increas- ing feed capacity from a total of 90, to 120 head of cattle. “There’s a demand out there in the world, especially in Nebraska, for students who under- stand management of feedlots,” Taylor said. The new feed bunks were premade and delivered to the col- lege, but students built SIGNS from Page F6 “Beyond the need for repeat- ed visits, there are not many additional treatment factors for large vs. small animals,” Easterwood said. “Just as can- cers may be similar across many different species, so are their treatments. Described most simply, cancer is the un- controlled growth of abnormal cells, so the goal in all cancer treatments is to halt the growth of and remove these abnormal cancer cells.” Though a cancer diagnosis is certainly never a welcome event, owners who take prompt action can provide their animal with the best chance of full re- mission to live as happy and as healthy a life as possible follow- ing diagnosis. Pet Talk is a service of the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. Stories can be viewed on the web at vetmed.tamu.edu/ news/pet-talk. Suggestions for future topics may be directed to editor@cvm.tamu.edu. while small animals and hu- mans are usually treated with systemic chemotherapy agents, large animals are usually inject- ed with a localized treatment or treated with topically ad- ministered drugs. There are also additional medication reg- ulations to be considered for animals intended for human consumption. F8 FARM & RANCH THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH NOVEMBER 2020 Fertilizing pasture and hay ground By BEN BECKMAN Nebraska Extension Any farmer worth their sider are weed control and available moisture dur- ing the growing season. areas of the state with san- dy, low organic soils, sulfur should also be included. in the year it is applied. However, other nutrients can remain for a few years between applications, so a two or three year testing ro- tation is often enough. Soil fertility can be key to maintaining alfalfa yields salt knows the importance of fertilizing a crop for optimal production. Often, this com- mon knowledge stops at row crops or high value hay like alfalfa. Could a look at your fertility improve pasture and grass hay production next year? Soil sampling now, be- fore the ground freezes can help with planning this win- ter and give time to develop a fertility plan if our soil tests show fertilizer is need- ed. Hay ground should be the first location to consid- er testing, as plant material is constantly harvested and moved to another location, slowly depleting of the major nutrients needed for plant growth. Two other factors to con- Pastures that are weedy may benefit more by addressing grazing practices and con- trolling weeds rather than fertility. In these situations, additional nutrients are used by the weeds and can make matters worse. When it comes to produc- tion, especially for native grass hay and pastures, moisture is the most lim- iting factor, not fertility. You can apply all the fer- tilizer in the world, but doing so in a drought won’t help plants grow. Fertilizer applications on dry land ar- eas, especially for nitrogen, should be based on expect- ed moisture. In Nebraska, the main fertility focus should look at the primarily at phos- phorus and potassium. In Finally, keep an eye on soil pH. Differences in soil pH play a big role in nutrient availability. In pastures, ni- trogen is nearly always used there are a few ways you can decide to pull the cores: by soil type, grid, or representa- tive samples for every 40 acres. For alfalfa fields by soil type or representative sam- ples for every 40 acres would be the most cost-effective choic- es. You will need to pull 10 to 15 random soil cores across your soil type or 40 acre area to be represented. Those soil cores need to be mixed togeth- To collect soil sam- ples this fall, you will need to collect soil cores to 8 inches, or if the field was previous- ly sampled to 6 inches stay with the historic depth for comparison. It is very important to be at an accurate depth, because values change the deeper or shallower we go in the profile. You can use a file or a sharpie mark- er to measure 8 inches on your soil probe to make it easier, when pulling cores. When sampling to maintaining yield and alfalfa fields should ideally be sam- pled each year to check soil pH, potassi- um and phosphorous levels across all soil textures. Note, if your field is sandy, eroded or highly weathered, you may want to test for sulfur as well. It is important to remem- ber that compared to row crop ground or grass hay, nitrate-ni- trogen is not a concern since alfalfa can fix atmospheric nitro- gen. However, digging a few plants up and checking nodulation will provide some in- sight to plant/soil health as well. Well fall is the perfect time to pull soil sam- ples and see what’s going on underground. Soil fertility is key By MEGAN TAYLOR Nebraska Extension Did your alfalfa not yield what you were expecting this year? Please see SOIL, Page F11 Prairie Dog Control We are using Rozol ® for the BEST RESULTS! CALL FOR PRICES 308 692-3693 OR 308 350-3120 CELL DONNIE SUGHROUE, BARTLEY, NE “Treat now, have more grass next spring!” F9 FARM & RANCH THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH NOVEMBER 2020 GIVE THE GIFT OF PEACE OF MIND Now, there are so many options, plans are much more comprehensive covering home health, hospice, respite care, adult daycare, assisted living, as well as nursing home expenses. Most will even cover home modification expenses if you want to stay in your own home. With the passage of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 came Long Term Care Partnership programs. It’s an initiative between state and private insurance companies to encourage Americans to plan for their long-term care needs. When buying a policy, be sure to ask for one that is Partnership Qualified. It doesn’t cost anymore but it protects some of your assets from the Medicaid spend down requirement. In addition, there are now several hybrid plans out there that combine long-term care and life insurance or an annuity. If you don’t need the long-term care, you’ll be able to pass the death benefit to your beneficiaries. So, plan ahead and visit with your friendly insurance agent. It will keep you in control of what’s important to you, thus keeping your independence and your dignity. Give the gift of peace of mind both to yourself and your family. If you have questions or want to visit about this topic, call Rebecca Nordquist at Phares Financial Services at 308-532- 3180 or email at RebNordquist@msn. com. Many Americans believe that Medicare or Medicaid will automatically pick up the tab. Generally, Medicare doesn’t pay for long-term care and it doesn’t cover non- skilled or custodial care. Medicaid eligibility is based on income and personal resources. They will force you to spend down your assets before they’ll pay. Consequently, it leaves very little for the other spouse. Some families think that they’ll sidestep the Medicaid eligibility guidelines and move assets to family members but the states have figured that one out. Now they’ll look at the past 5 years to ensure that didn’t occur. In addition, many states want the money back if Medicaid does pay so families are discovering that homes or farms left to the kids have a lien slapped on the property that has to be paid before the title can pass onto the next generation. According to information from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, people should consider long- term care insurance if they own assets of at least $75,000 (excluding their home or car); have an annual retirement income of at least $35,000 for an individual or $50,000 for a couple; and are able to pay premiums without financial difficulty. The younger you are when you purchase the policy, the less you pay for premiums. In addition, if you wait until you are ill to apply, your application may get declined. Long-Term Care Insurance has changed dramatically over the years. Twenty years ago, a policy would just cover assisted living or nursing home expenses. the average cost of custodial care, having someone come into the home to help get someone out of bed, showered, dressed, with a little meal prep and housekeeping is $20 per hour. If you need 4-5 hours/ day you are looking at around $25,000 per year. Assisted Living is $42,000 per year, and $84,000 per year in a Nursing Home. The average need for long term care is 2 years and 8 months. As you can see, those expenses will eat through your retirement savings quickly. You maintain homeowners insurance in the unlikely chance that your house burns down or blows away because it’s a major asset that could be devastating if you don’t protect it. Long Term Care expenses can be devastating too. Many people don’t think about long-term care until the need is upon them. I frequently hear folks say that they plan to have their spouse take care of them as they become frail. Think about it. If he is over 200 lbs, do you think the 150 lb wife that is in her 80’s is going to be able to lift him out of bed and help him to the shower? Some assume that their kids will take care of them. Do you have kids spread out across the country? Do you expect them to move back or to give up their jobs to take care of you? Do they have small kids of their own? Life is hectic and I frequently hear people say that they are afraid of the expense. There is some degree of denial to this but the statistics are frightening. Spend it now, or spend a lot more later. By Rebecca Nordquist, RD, MHA, CLTC A few weeks ago, I received a call from a friend of mine. She said that she and her husband were having a difficult discussion. “What will happen when we get old?” She said that they “didn’t want their kids to have to take care of them so they wanted to know about Long Term Care Insurance”. The couple had experience with their parents, watched them age, one had parents that had it and are using it in the nursing home and are so thankful that their parents had the foresight to buy it. This couple, in their fifties, have the right idea. Plan ahead, it’s less expensive and you are probably healthier. The month of November is Long Term Care Awareness Month so what a great time to consider it. Think about these statistics, 70% of seniors over the age of 65 will need some type of long term care. Over 42% of those will need nursing home care and the costs are staggering. In Nebraska, ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE NOVEMBER 2020 F10 FARM & RANCH THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH Design calving barns for specific operations Telegraph staff reports Regardless of when a cattle owner decides to calve— spring or fall — it’s one of the most stressful times of the year. With so many chal- lenges related to animal welfare, disease manage- ment and safety while pulling a calf, a well-de- signed calving barn is a smart investment in a cow-calf operation. And to design the best calv- ing barn, it’s important to define the goals for the facility. “Cow-calf operators have to consider how that facility will address specific challenges and what the facility will need to help you reach the goals you have for your operation,” says Jeff Vap, founder of Vap Construction, which produces post frame and steel frame build- ings. “Most people think about needing a calving barn when they’re fight- ing the elements and it’s already too late to save the calf they’re working with. But with advance planning, a custom calv- ing barn can prevent so many unnecessary head- aches and improve your herd’s health.” There are many fac- tors to consider when designing calving facili- ties, and the first has to do with the operation’s location. The calving site should be in a well- drained location and protected, if possible, from the winter winds. Using topography or veg- etation is a smart idea. Once a site is selected, note any limitations for access or size of the fa- cility and take those into consideration. When the barn is situated in a protected location, the design can incorpo- rate ventilation while maintaining a safe tem- perature and humidity for calving. “A commonmistake made in the initial stag- es of designing a calving facility is to limit ven- tilation to keep out cold air, but doing so creates a warmmoist ammonia- rich environment, which increases the risk of re- spiratory problems,” Vap said. The next thing to con- sider depends on the environment and your calving season. For example, aWyoming op- eration that calves in Februarymight need enough shelter for all the calves expected in a given week, a Kansas operation that calves in the fall might only need a simple shelter with a head gate for difficult calving. Depending on the expected tempera- tures of your calving season, it may be ad- vantageous to insulate the entire facility, or to just insulate a dedicated warm room. While tem- perature is definitely a concern, the wind can be just as risky. “Everyone usually re- members to think about temperature, but cold north winds can kill a calf,” Vap said. “It’s im- portant to think about the direction your facil- ity faces to best prevent wind exposure for your younger animals.” The last thing to con- sider is keeping your facility user-friendly. For heifer barns that are one- man operations, it’s nice to have the right size of stalls compared to the al- leyway,” Vap said. “So if the stalls and gates are on 12-foot centers, you can swing a gate to get a cow in the stall by your- self.” For larger operations withmultiple people on a calving crew, your barnmight need to in- clude an area for a warm break or a place to keep notes about your herd so that information is shared between shifts. Good lighting and ade- quate storage space for equipment should also be considered to en- sure a safe, clutter-free workspace. And finally, depending on the snow load in your area, it’s im- portant to design doors in a way that they will not require clearing to provide emergency assis- tance to an animal. By designing your calving barn for ranch- specific needs and protocols, you’re mak- ing a smart investment in your herd’s health and safety, while ensuring your ability to provide care during calving sea- son regardless of the weather. To make sure this investment provides returns for many calv- ing seasons to come, it’s always recommended to invest in high-quality construction, especially in high-wind environ- ments. “Vap Construction’s barns use up to 25% more lumber thanmany of our competitors to ensure strength and durability of the build- ing,” Vap said. “Make sure you’re asking a lot of questions, and that you’re comparing apples to apples when bidding with different compa- nies.” Photo courtesy of Vap Construction Designing a calving barn can be different for each operation, based on varying factors including location, topography and the time of year that the op- eration calves. TIME TOOL AND EQUIPMENT RENTAL 908 Rodeo Road 308-534-9370 Call today to set your marketing plan in motion! 532-6000 S PRAYS THE O RIGINAL 1920 W 9th St. 308-532-4411 877-532-4411 Sprayed-on Truck Bed Liners NOVEMBER 2020 F11 FARM & RANCH THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH Stockpiled grass can help cut winter feed costs By JERRY VOLESKY Nebraska Extension Grass remaining for win- ter grazing can help cut feed higher quality forage in a pasture. Stockpiled cool-season grazing will allow the cows to effectively utilize that to feeding hay. On native range, there is little risk of damage to the grasses be- cause they are dormant and winter stocking rates can be somewhat higher compared to the summer. Often times, you will notice that pastures only grazed during the win- ter are the most vigorous and productive. It is important though, that you closely monitor body condition of the cows during the winter graz- ing period. Crude protein is generally the most limit- ing nutrient during winter grazing. The crude pro- tein content of dormant warm-season grasses will be around 5 to 7%, and will slowly decline through the winter months from weathering and as the cat- tle selectively grazing the winter forage and maintain the desired body condition. A possible grazing man- agement strategy that can be used is to do simple rotation- al grazing where cattle are periodically moved to a new winter pasture. This will al- low for a more consistent diet quality when winter grazing. grass pastures are those that have been only lightly or not grazed during the growing season. These pastures may have slightly higher crude protein levels, but that qual- ity will also decline as the winter progresses. Feeding the right amount of protein supplement while winter costs for stock cows. Your management can greatly in- fluence how effectively this works for you. Grazing winter range or pastures has several benefits. It can save as much as a dol- lar a day per cow compared FARM & R ANCH E XCHANGE Service Directory Nebraska leads intelligent image analysis for plant phenotyping IANR News LINCOLN— Image-based plant phenotyping analysis is an emerg- ing research field that aims to link intricate plant phenotypes to genetic expression for global food security under dwindling natural resources and climate variability. It is an interdisciplinary research field that lies at the intersection of computer vision, plant science, genomics, statistics and artificial intelligence. A book titled “Intelligent Image Analysis for Plant Phenotyping,” the first of its kind in this re- search sector, has been recently published by Ashok Samal, a professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and Sruti Das Choudhury, research assistant professor in the School of Natural Resources. The book reviews information on time-saving techniques for identifying plant traits through image-based plant phenotyping, a process that until recently was strenuous and time-consuming. lished extensively in these areas. More recently, he has focused on plant phenotyping and co-leads the Plant Vision Initiative re- search group at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Das Choudhury was previ- ously a postdoctoral research associate in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and an Early Career Research Fellow in the Institute of Advanced Study of the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. She received her undergraduate degree from theWest Bengal University of Technology, her master’s from the University of Calcutta, India, and her doctorate in computer science engineering from the University of Warwick. Her research focus is on biometrics, data science, and, most recently, image-based plant phenotyping analysis. She co- leads UNL’s Plant Vision Initiative research group. Additional publications can be found at plantvision.unl.edu/pub- lications. Newmethodologies using comput- er vision and imaging technology provide automated, non-invasive and scalable mechanisms to de- fine and collect plant phenotypes. The book features: » Methodologies for image pro- cessing, including data-driven and machine-learning techniques for plant phenotyping. » Information on advanced tech- niques for extracting phenotypes through images and image se- quences captured in a variety of modalities. » Real-world scientific problems, including predicting yield bymod- eling interactions between plant data and environmental informa- tion. » Discussion of the challenge of translating images into biolog- ically informative quantitative phenotypes. Samal received his under- graduate degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, India, and his doctorate from the University of Utah. His research interests include computer vision and data mining, and he has pub- AUTOMOTIVE CARROL’S REPAIR & TOWING Call today to set your marketing plan in motion! 532-6000 We have a rollback for all your special towing needs. 24 HOUR SERVICE Days: 532-7901 Eve: 534-2203 Approved Emergency Service Amoco Motor Club Custom & Dealership Towing SOIL from Page F8 and place in a labelled bag to be analyzed. Repeat this pro- cess across the field for every 40 acres or by the soil types in your field and then package for submission. Once you have your results reach out to your extension educator, fertilizer dealer or agronomist for more informa- tion to help build a profitable alfalfa program. er in a plastic bucket. From there, take about a pint of soil NOVEMBER 2020 F12 FARM & RANCH THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH Ref is a middle aged kitty, 6-8 years old. He is thin and tall, like Gronk. He came in as a stray and I named him REF because of his corresponding black and white coloring. Ref didn't feel too great when he came in, so we called a timeout and Fur the Love of PAWS Rescue helped pay for him to see a vet. He's doing much better now and back on the field, but missing one thing - a forever home! Ref is social, outgoing and loves everyone. He hopes the person reading this will consider him and contact the North Platte Animal Shelter at 308-535-6780 to schedule an appointment and make the game winning play by adopting him! PROUD SPONSORS OF THE NORTH PLATTE ANIMAL SHELTER Fur the Love of PAWS HELP SAVE A LIFE! Your Ad Could Be Here! Call today 308.535.4722 or 800.753.7092 Cans for Critters Westfield Small Animal Clinic 308-534-4480 308-532-5474 Recycling Program passionately dedicated to saving animals in need at the North Platte Animal Shelter as well as animals in the community facebook.com/FurtheLoveof PAWSRescue NORTH PLATTE 308-534-7636 800-303-7636 MAYWOOD 308-362-4228 800-233-4551 Proceeds support Fur the Love of PAWS Rescue in their efforts. See drop off locations on their Facebook page. facebook.com/NPCansforCritters 308-539-0277 (308) 532-4880 220 W. Fremont Dr • North Platte
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