DECEMBER 2021
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powersports.honda.com PIONEER IS ONLY FOR DRIVERS 18 YEARS AND OLDER MULTI-PURPOSE UTILITY VEHICLES (SIDE-BY-SIDES) CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO OPERATE. FOR YOUR SAFETY, DRIVE RESPONSIBLY. ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET, EYE PROTECTION AND APPROPRIATE CLOTHING ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT, AND KEEP THE SIDE NETS AND DOORS CLOSED. AVOID EXCESSIVE SPEEDS AND BE CAREFUL ON DIFFICULT TERRAIN. ALL MUV DRIVERS SHOULD WATCH THE SAFETY VIDEO “MULTIPURPOSE UTILITY VEHICLES: A GUIDE TO SAFE OPERATION” AND READ THE OWNER’S MANUAL BEFORE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, NEVER DRIVE AFTER CONSUMING DRUGS OR ALCOHOL OR ON PUBLIC ROADS. DRIVER AND PASSENGERS MUST BE TALL ENOUGH FOR SEAT BELT TO FIT PROPERLY AND TO BRACE THEMSELVES WITH BOTH FEET FIRMLY ON THE FLOOR. PASSENGER MUST BE ABLE TO GRASP THE HAND HOLD WITH THE SEAT BELT ON AND BOTH FEET ON THE FLOOR. RESPECT THE ENVIRONMENT WHEN DRIVING. Pioneers ® is a registered trademark of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. ©2020 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. [12/20)
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FARM & RANCH
THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH
DECEMBER 2021
Sale a tribute to Sandhills ranching legend
Auction Market.
Merriman. Disposition was also an important trait, and that was evi- dent in the sale ring. “It was hard to see the cattle go, but it was a right business decision,” Brock Moreland said. The cattle were sold because of a down-sizing due to dry conditions and the cost of feed. During the afternoon auction, the entire adult family was present. The cows had “lots of honest integrity,” said Greg Arendt, the man- ager of the sale barn. There was an opportu- nity to “add to your herd and do it in the right way.” When the first lot of pregnant black Angus cows of the 341 available were within the sale ring, the chant of the auctioneer began with bids quickly given and always increasing. A buyer fromKit Carson, Colorado, had an in- tent and with the simple
By JAMES E. DUCEY For The North Platte Telegraph Distinctive cat- tle raised by an iconic rancher of the Sandhills were recently dispersed at a liquidation sale. The Steve Moreland Estate sold cows and bred heifers Dec. 9 at the Valentine Livestock
“Dad was an astute cattleman and knew how to pick them,” and had built the herd since 1986, Brock Moreland said. “They represent his legacy.” The Angus were known for their consis- tency and uniformity, as raised at the Spearhead Ranch northeast of
FARM & R ANCH E XCHANGE Service Directory
Photos courtesy of James E. Ducey Cattle are driven down an alley before a sale at the Valentine Livestock Auction Market on Dec. 9
Ainsworth and Valentine areas. The cost of purchase did reach more than $2,400 for another lot. There were also some white- faced cattle that were sold. The auctioneer while the cows were sold was Mike Baxter. “There were excep- tional cattle” based upon a “lifetime of building a herd,” he said once his chant ended. “I have sold Moreland cattle for more than 30 years. Steve Moreland was a wonderful sup- porter of the Sandhills cattle industry. The prices paid were the highest and topped the days’ cow sales.” Later in the after- noon, several lots of 136 available bred year- ling heifers walked into the sale ring. Any bid to be paid for this class of cattle is sometimes less than that for cows, as the young moms do not have the same ex- perience of birthing a healthy calf. “Today was an honor- able time to show dad’s
flick of a buyer card bought one lot. This hap- pened again, as several times a premium price of over $2,000 per head was paid for dozens of cows. Other notable buy- ers were from the
efforts,” Will Moreland said. “These were the kind of cattle he worked hard to achieve.” The sandhills “were his heart and passion. He loved the sandhills and knew it as the best place on earth for cattle.” Steve Moreland was known for more than raising quality cattle. Most recently he post- ed daily on his blog and posted his Sandhills Soliloquy column in local newspapers. Previously he was well known as Soapweed. There was always a small digital camera in his pocket to capture scenes of hills’ places and events. Apparently, a compilation of writ- ings will be issued as a book. Steve Moreland passed in September 2021. Steve’s widow, Carol, nowmanages the Spearhead Ranch, along with Brock and Chelsie Moreland and Will and Desiree Moreland fam- ilies, with children representing the sixth generation as traditions continue.
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FARM & RANCH
THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH
DECEMBER 2021
Aggie field trip views irrigation system
you realize that there is a lot more to the whole system than Lake Mac.” Allison Wilkens of Gibbon is a sophomore agronomy major who is in the irrigation man- agement course, on the NCTA crop judging team, and a member of Farm Bureau. “I was not famil- iar with the canal system before this tour,” Wilkens said. “I thought out at Lake McConaughy was cool because they built the dam many years ago, and it is still intact to- day.” “Big Mac” is the pri- mary storage reservoir for CNPPID, which de- livers water to more than 109,000 acres of crops along the south side of the Platte River, between the towns of North Platte and Minden. CNPPID also provides water to irri- gation projects serving an additional 100,000 acres along the North Platte and Platte Rivers, which converge east of North Platte. “Being able to go see the huge generator and how they produce pow- er was interesting,” added Wilkens. “I also thought it was cool when we went down to the Gothenburg con- trol center and see how they controlled almost everything from that location.” The educational trip started at 7 a.m. and ended back at campus at 5 p.m. “Dr. Ramsdale has been taking NCTA students on tours of Central’s hydro-irriga- tion project for several years to learn about wa- ter, power and other natural resources,” said
By MARY CRAWFORD NCTA News CURTIS —Nebraska water issues and irri- gation management are some of the leading top- ics in Brad Ramsdale’s college classroom. After all, many crops need consistent water supply for top yields. Nearly 8.6 million acres of Nebraska’s cropland are irrigated by surface gravity flow or pressur- ized irrigation systems. Ramsdale is the agronomy professor who teaches an irrigation management course, coaches the Aggie crop judging team, and is also faculty sponsor for Collegiate Farm Bureau at the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis. In mid-November, 11 NCTA students saw first-hand the hydro- power, storage and delivery system oper- ated by Central Public Power and Irrigation District. “We started at Kingsley Dam between Lake McConaughy and Lake Ogallala and went down into the Kingsley Hydroplant. That was pretty neat to see that operation immediate- ly below the dam,” said Cooper Mazza, Farm Bureau club president, and a diversified ag- riculture major from Potter. “Then we traveled to Paxton and looked at the big siphon under- neath (Interstate 80). It’s over a mile long. And, then east of North Platte to where they pull water at the diver- sion and saw a control center at Gothenburg which is part of Central’s water convey- ance system. It makes
Photo courtesy of Brad Ramsdale / NCTA Aggie students from the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture gather at Lake McConaughy, atop Kingsley Dam and Hydroplant for their irrigation tour.
Central’s Government and Public Relations Manager Jeff Buettner. “We are grateful for the opportunity to help educate the students about the importance of water resources and pub- lic power to agriculture in the Platte Valley, as well as to describe the di- verse benefits provided throughout the region.” Although he lives and ranches with his family near Sutherland, agrono- mymajor James Lee said he is familiar with the concept of the canal sys- tembut has no personal experience with canal ir- rigation. “One of the take-aways that I found very inter-
esting from this trip was howwhen Kingsley Dam and the canal sys- temwas built. Engineers back then had the fore- sight to see the potential for all the hydropow- er opportunities along the system,” said Lee, who is vice president of the FarmBureau Club, as well as a leader of the Business Club and NCTA Student Senate. The group learned that the canal sys- tem’s uses prioritize irrigation, hydropower, wildlife habitat and rec- reation which includes BigMac, Lake Ogallala, many small interstate lakes and Johnson Lake south of Lexington.
LAND FOR SALE DEVIL’S DEN DRYLAND 389 acres, 3.5 miles north of Arnold, in Custer County, Nebraska. Nice combination of dry cropland and rangeland, with submersible well and 2 livestock water tanks. Great location in a progressive farming and ranching community with excellent access off Dunning Road, highway frontage. Brad Atkins - 308.530.9012 Bonnie Downing - 308.530.0083 WILD HORSE VALLEY PIVOTS - PR I C E REDUC ED - 548 acres north of Brady in Lincoln County, Nebraska. Property consists of 298 ac. pivot irrigated cropland, 170 ac. of grass, 54 ac. of dry cropland, has 3 center pivot irrigation systems with 308.23 certified irrigated acres in the Twin Platte NRD. Bruce Dodson - 308.539.4455 agriaffiliates.com 308.534.9240 FIND IT in the newspaper
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FARM & RANCH
THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH
DECEMBER 2021
SALE SCHEDULE
NEWS AT A GLANCE
Telegraph staff reports Cattlemen organize to help Kentucky tornado victims After three tornadoes touched down in Kentucky last week, one covering over 200 miles, lands and towns are un- recognizable, and that includes Kentucky’s agriculture lands. The Nebraska Cattlemen’s Association is calling on members to help Kentucky pro- ducers by collecting monetary and material donations. Donations to the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Foundation will be used to help their local producers in need of farm sup- plies. These donations can be made by calling 859-278-0899, through Paypal at paypal. com/donate/?hosted_button_ id56JBAJJYC3RDQ or by mail at KY Cattlemen’s Foundation,
Anyone wishing to donate materials is asked to coordi- nate with the Hardin County Extension Office. Supplies needed include: » Barbed wire. » 48 inch woven wire. » 6 foot T-posts. » 8-foot by 8-inch wood posts. » Metal electric fence posts. » Quarter mile electric fence wire. » Electric fence insulators for round metal posts. » Electric fence insulators for T-posts. » Solar fence chargers. » Ground rods for fence char- gers. » Barbed wire fence stretchers. » 10- by 20-foot tarps. » 1-foot bungee cords. » 2-foot bungee cords. » Rope. » Hi-mag mineral. » Cattle mineral feeders. » Bagged cattle feed. » Large leather work gloves. » Extra large leather work gloves. » Woven wire stretchers. » 2-inch fence staples.
Dec. 21 — Creighton Livestock, Feeder Calves, Creighton. Dec. 21 — North Platte Stockyards, Calf Special, North Platte. Dec. 21 — Pender Livestock, Special Cattle Sale, Pender. Dec. 21 — Tipton Ranch, Retirement Dispersion, Ogallala. Dec. 22 — Huss Livestock, Special Calf & Feeder Auction, Kearney. Dec. 23 — Broken Bow Livestock, Special Weigh Up Auction, Broken Bow. Dec. 23 — Columbus Sales Pavilion, Special Feeder Sale, Columbus. Dec. 28 — Lexington Livestock Market, LLC, Special Bred Cow/Heifer Auction, Lexington. Dec. 28-29 — Burwell Livestock, Annual Holiday Cow Classic “America’s Premier Bred Female Sale, Burwell. January Jan. 5 — Sheridan Livestock, Special Feeder
Cattle Sale, Rushville. Jan. 6 — Ogallala Livestock, Special Stocker & Feeder Sale, Ogallala. Jan. 8 — Carl Dethlefs & Sons Angus, Sale, Rockville. Jan. 10 — Ogallala Livestock, Special Stockcow, 1st Calf Heifer & Cow/Calf Pair Sale, Ogallala. Jan. 13 — Cattle Country Video, Winter Classic, Ord. Jan. 13 — Ogallala Livestock, Stock Show Sale Series Week 1, Ogallala. Jan. 17 — Van Newkirk Herefords, Annual Sale, Oshkosh. Jan. 18 — Lexington Livestock Market, LLC, Special Bred Cow/Heifer Auction, Lexington. Jan. 27 — Marcy Cattle Co. & Marcy Livestock, 61st Annual Bull Sale, Gordon. February Feb. 5 — Graff Cattle & Tumbling T Angus, Annual Sale, Ogallala. Feb. 17 — Krebs Ranch, Annual Bull Sale, Gordon.
December Dec. 18 — Ericson-
Spalding Livestock, Special Bred Cow & Heifer Auction, Ericson. Dec. 18 — Humeston Livestock Exchange, Special Breeding Stock Sale, Humeston, Iowa. Dec. 18 — North Platte Stockyards, Bred Cow Sale, North Platte. Dec. 18 — Rifle Creek, 4th Annual Bull Sale, Anselmo. Dec. 20 — Fullerton Livestock, Special Bred Cow & Heifer Sale, Fullerton. Dec. 20 — Huss Livestock, Special Bred Heifer & Cow Auction, Kearney. Dec. 20 — West Point Livestock, Sale, West Point. Dec. 21 — Atkinson Livestock, Holiday Breeding Cattle, Atkinson. Dec. 21 — Big Iron Auctions, Nebraska Sandhills Female Sale Dec. 21 — Columbus Sales Pavilion, Special Bred Cow & Heifer Sale, Columbus.
Attn: Tornado Relief, 176 Pasadena Drive, Suite 4, Lexington, KY 40503.
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FARM & RANCH
THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH
DECEMBER 2021
Husker team developing nitrogen-efficient crops
build on the project’s early- stage research conducted in controlled environments such as the Greenhouse Innovation Center at Nebraska Innovation Campus. Recent increases in the price of nitrogen fertilizer, a critical input for farmers growing crops in Nebraska and around the world, un- derscore the need for new crop varieties that can pro- duce more grain from less fertilizer. Soaring ener- gy prices, elevated freight costs, increased tariffs and extreme weather events are driving the costs of nitro- gen fertilizer production and distribution to new heights. Simultaneously, concerns are growing about the effects of nitrogen fertilizer runoff on rural drinking water qual- ity and ecosystem services. The situation highlights the challenges faced by Nebraska
By TIFFANY LEE UNL Office of Research and Economic Development
LINCOLN—As nitrogen fertilizer prices rise across the country, a research team that includes University of Nebraska-Lincoln scientists has gained new resources and partners as they work to de- crease the amount of nitrogen that crops such as sorghum and corn require to reach their maximum yield poten- tial. The National Science Foundation recently awarded supplemental funding to the project, which received $3.9 million in 2018 for a four-year collaborative project between Nebraska and the Alabama- based HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. The two- year supplement will fund expansion of the partnership to include Alabama A&M University and support field trials and testing, which will
Photo courtesy of UNL Sorghum grows under two nitrogen conditions at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Havelock Farm in summer 2021. The photo was taken using an unmanned aerial vehicle, which is employed for high-throughput phenotyping.
Please see CROPS, Page F7
Agriculture represents the backbone of our society and we strongly value those who produce it. Thank you to our ag producers who have been working overtime to ensure that we have all the resources that we need. You’ve been working hard for us, so let us work hard for you. Take advantage of our low interest rates with loan decisions made locally. Let’s Focus on your fi nancial well being. Call us today at 308-534-4488 to help with your fi nancial needs. We look forward to helping you grow.
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FARM & RANCH
THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH
DECEMBER 2021
WHAT SHOULD I DO, “TAX-DEFERRED”
investments are backed by the insurance company and guarantee your deposit with a guaranteed interest rate for the length of the contract. But unlike CD’s, some annuities allow you to make additional contributions during a specific time period and allows interest to be compounded and is tax- deferred until it’s withdrawn. Unlike CD’s, annuities let you remove funds without penalty in case of disability, nursing home confinement, or death so it’s a little more flexible. It also doesn’t have to go through probate upon death. You can leave it directly to your designated beneficiary. Interest rates on annuities are substantially higher than a CD but just like CD’s they are in for a contracted period of time. For example, you may have a 3 year or 5 year annuity. Some annuities also pay bonuses in the first one or two years. For example, the annuity may pay 3% for the life of the contract with a 1% bonus for the first year meaning it pays 4% the first year and 3% for the remainder of the contract.
Another nice feature with annuities is that they allow you to take out up to 10% or 12% per year (depending on the company) without penalty. You can purchase these with “qualified” money-transfers from an IRA, 401(k), SEP, or with current pre-tax income. You can also purchase it with after-tax dollars such as savings, money from the sale of a home or business, an inheritance, or insurance benefits. Finally, when you’re ready to withdraw money, there are several pay-out options including having the annuity pay out over a fixed number of years or a life income with guaranteed period. For example, if you put in $100,000, you can set it up to pay out “10 year certain with lifetime guaranteed” meaning that you would have the $100,000 pay out in monthly (or annual) installments over 10 years. If you died within the 10 years, your beneficiaries would receive the remaining payments over the 10 years. If you didn’t die within the 10 years, you would continue to receive payments for the rest of your life.
These are great to ensure you don’t run out of money as you age. Pretty nice! There are lots of varieties of annuitieswithseveral companies. If you like more risk, you can get a variable annuity that is tied to the market or an indexed annuity that has little risk to your principle but keeps your toes in the stock market. If you don’t like risk, think about a fixed annuity that is safe and secure and with no loss of principle unless you pull it out early. Again, these are insurance products so you’ll need to talk to your insurance agent to look at the options. PS…for those of you still needing health insurance (under age 65), open enrollment continues until Jan. 15, 2022. The Health Insurance Marketplace has eliminated the hard cap on the income so now you can get help paying for your insurance plan if your insurance costs more than 8.5% of your income. If you have questions, call Rebecca Nordquist at Phares Financial at 532-3180 or email at RebNordquist@msn.com.
By Rebecca Nordquist, RD, MHA, CLTC
You just got paid for the corn crop, the bank is paid, or you just had to pull funds out of your IRA due to your Required Minimum Distribution, (RMD) and now you have some funds that you’d like to tuck away. Youwant something safe and secure, maybe a CD at the bank, unfortunately, it’s making less than 1% interest. In addition, a CD will generate a 1099 every year for the interest. Ouch! Not only is the interest rate low and isn’t keeping up with inflation, but every year, you have to pay taxes on the interest that you haven’t withdrawn. Darn it! Have you ever heard of an annuity? Where banks put out a product called a CD, insurance companies have a similar product called an annuity. These
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FARM & RANCH
THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH
DECEMBER 2021
farmers, and producers worldwide, as they work to boost the food supply to meet demand from a population estimated to reach 10 billion by 2050. “Increasing efficiency is one of the very few po- tential win-win-wins in agriculture,” said James Schnable, Charles O. Gardner professor of agronomy. “Crops that use nitrogen more effi- ciently make it possible to sustain or increase crop yields while reduc- ing the environmental footprint of agriculture, and increase farmer profits per acre at the same time. At current prices for anhydrous ammonia, lots of farm- ers in Nebraska will have to spend more than $100 per acre on nitro- CROPS from Page F5
HudsonAlpha contin- gents to share their expertise in digital and precision agriculture, particularly the use of drones and other high- tech instruments, such as robots, cameras and laser scanners, to assess the physical character- istics of plants. They will collaborate with Alabama A&M’s Ernst Cebert and Xianyan Kuang to bolster that in- stitution’s capacity for drone-based automat- ed phenotyping, the adoption of which is a priority for Alabama A&M.
land-grant university, reflects the Nebraska Center for Plant Science Innovation’s priority of strengthening col- laboration between and students. The NSF funding will support Alabama A&M under- graduates to conduct research at Nebraska and HudsonAlpha the university and HBCU researchers during the summer, di- versifying the pipeline of future graduate stu- dents and researchers in the agrisciences. The collabora- tion will also enable the Nebraska and
In my field trials, a cer- tain treatment may have corn looking sickly and yellow, but the un- trained eye wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the sorghum plots with or without fertilizer before the har- vest. While the focus of this project is figuring out how sorghum han- dles adapting to soils with little nitrogen, my hope is that results we generate will serve as a roadmap for making corn more efficient, as well.” The partnership with Alabama A&M, a historically Black,
and the subtropical con- ditions of Alabama. Throughout the season, they will collect data on sorghum traits as- sociated with yield by using manual measure- ments, high-throughput phenotyping measure- ments and drone-based automated phenotyping. Those measurements will be used to identify genes and gene regulato- ry networks associated with how well different sorghum lines can toler- ate or thrive in different situations. “We started working with sorghum back in 2018 for two reasons,” Schnable said. “The first is that it can grow on marginal crop land where crops like corn wouldn’t have enough water to thrive. But sor- ghum is also much more resilient to shortages of nitrogen than corn.
gen fertilizer next year.” He leads the Nebraska team, which also in- cludes Tom Clemente, Eugene W. Price dis- tinguished professor of biotechnology; Yufeng Ge, Harold W. Eberhard distinguished professor of biological systems en- gineering; and Jinliang Yang, assistant profes- sor of agronomy and horticulture. During the next phase of the project, the team will shift its focus from studying the gene reg- ulatory networks of a sorghum line known as Tx430 to conducting field tests using a set of 406 sorghum varieties assembled from around the world. The research- ers will grow the lines under nitrogen-suf- ficient and deficient conditions, planting in both Nebraska’s tem- perate environments
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FARM & RANCH
THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH
DECEMBER 2021
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