Sustainable Ranching Workshop November 23 at Kimball, NE

A sustainable ranching workshop set for November 23 at Kimball is designed for ranchers and will focus on production, profit, and healthy family working relationships, the keys to long-term sustainability.

This workshop was developed from the key components of the High Plains Ranch Practicum School that has been occurring since 2007 in Southeast Wyoming and Western Nebraska.

The workshop will be on Monday, Nov. 23, from 10:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. in the Kimball Event Center. Cost of attending is $15. Anyone who plans to attend is asked to contact UNL Extension Educator Aaron Berger by Nov. 16 at 308-235-3122 or at aberger2@unl.edu to ensure that adequate materials can be made available. 

Key concepts to be covered at the workshop include:
· Ranch Financials – calculate your unit cost of production and compare against regional benchmarks
· Integrating Nutrition, Body Condition Scoring and Reproductive Performance
· Grazing Systems – Developing a grazing system and methods for monitoring rangeland systems
· Strategic Planning – Working on the ranch business and with the people involved in it

Instructors will be the developers for the High Plains Ranch Practicum School: UNL’s Berger and Dallas Mount, University of Wyoming Extension Educator. Inorder to most effectiely utilize the limited amount of time together, participants are asked to prepare beforehand by reviewing some material.  Participants can either read the pre-reading material or watch the video presentations available on the web site at http://HPRanchPracticum.com.  Or hard copies and DVDs are available from Berger at the Extension office in Kimball. At the workshop this material will not be reviewed. Instructors will begin discussing and applying the concepts presented.
Ranchers who participated in the full ranch practicum course reported significant improvements in ranch profitability and knowledge gained from the course. For more information visit: http://HPRanchPracticum.com. 

Organic Wheat & Sustainable Ag Crops and Livestock Conference - December 11 and 12 

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is hosting its 2nd Organic Wheat Conference and 3rd Annual Western Sustainable Ag Crops and Livestock Conference on Dec. 11 and 12, 2009 at the Grey Goose Lodge in Ogallala, Nebraska. Attendees will learn:

• How organic wheat production can be a marketing opportunity for producers
• Which varieties are sought after and avoided by grain buyers, millers, bakers and cereal companies
• Nutritional values, including antioxidant levels and dietary fiber, in Organic State Wheat Variety Trial samples
• How to produce and market wheat from the farmer’s perspective
• New ways to develop a sustainable system of managing crops and livestock
• How to monitor the range for sustainability
• What research and resources are available for farmers who farm organically or are transitioning to organic production
• What information is available on cover crop water usage and the effect on yield in no-till dryland cropping systems
• Latest USDA-ARS Research on dryland Grasspea and Admiral Pea as forage alternatives in the Great Plains
• How high tunnels can be used as sustainable, low-cost technology for adding value to your operation and family’s income

Registration for the Organic Wheat Conference will be at 9 a.m. The program runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 11. The Sustainable Ag Crops and Livestock Conference registration begins at 8:45 a.m. on Dec. 12. Presentations will begin at 9:30 a.m. and conclude at 3:00 p.m.

For more information, contact Karen DeBoer, UNL Extension Educator, by phone (308) 254-4455 or (866) 865-1703 or e-mail kdeboer1@unl.edu. Additional information can be found at http://ckb.unl.edu/home.

Leave a Legacy, Not a Headache- Estate Planning Made Easier

Have you thought about the legacy you want to leave behind? Does your legacy include leaving behind struggles and headaches for your family? If you do not have a will or an estate plan, that may be what you will leave behind.

While estate planning may seem complicated, the best step to take is the first one. UNL Extension, through a grant from the North Central Risk Management Education Center, is hosting a series of estate planning workshops across the Panhandle to help ranchers and farmers START and FINISH their estate plans.
The “Estate Planning Education Program” is broken into five steps to make planning your estate easier. Step 1 is an “Estate Planning Workshop” that will overview what options are available. Step 2 is completing a workbook that guides you to define goals, gather vital information, and talk with family members. Step 3 is an individualized work session with UNL Extension Transition Specialist, Dave Goeller. Dave will help you refine your goals, review documents to be assembled, and get you organized to make the most of your time with the estate planning attorneys. You can even receive facilitation assistance for a family meeting if needed. In Step 4, you will meet with an estate-planning attorney for a one-hour meeting. Step 5 is finishing your plan.

Sign up today! This program walks you step-by-step through the confusing process of estate planning free of charge. The first workshops will be held in December at four locations in and around the Panhandle. Dates include: December 15 at the 4-H Building in the Cheyenne County Fairgrounds in Sidney, December 16 at the Panhandle R&E Center in Scottsbluff, December 17 at the Alliance Country Club in Alliance, and December 18 at Stubs Restaurant in Thedford. The workshop will run from 10:30 am to 4 pm local time. Meetings with Dave Goeller will be in January and/or February. Limited time is available with the estate planning attorneys. Don’t miss your chance at this great opportunity- call the local Extension Office today: Cheyenne Co Extension at 308.254.4455, Scotts Bluff County Extension at 308.632.1480, Box Butte County Extension at 308.762.5616, and Central Sandhills Area Extension at 308.645.2267 or 1.800.657.2113. Pre-registration is required two weeks prior to the meeting for a meal count. Registrations will be taken until full.
 

Crop Clinic on Limited Irrigation Systems

Colorado State University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are jointly hosting this year’s Crop Clinic on Limited Irrigation Systems Dec. 2-3 at Sterling, Colo. The clinic’s goals are to educate farmers and their advisors on how to: 
* Understand crop growth stages and when water stress is and is not acceptable
* Optimize limited irrigation water for crops and crop rotation systems
* Recognize weed, insect and disease pest shifts under crop drought stress
* Appreciate the benefits of leaving old crop residues for soil moisture and organic matter retention
* Develop a cost-efficient crop and crop system fertilizer plan

Location
The clinic will be held at the Ramada Inn in Sterling, Colo., at 22140 E. Hwy. 6 (south of the I-76 and E Hwy 6 exit). Sessions will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (MT) on Dec. 2 and from 7:50 a.m. to 4 p.m. (MT) on Dec. 3.

To Register
Registrations for this clinic are limited and will be taken until the program is filled. For further information or to register, contact Bruce Bosley at Colorado State University at 970-522-3200, extension 285 or bruce.bosley@colostate.edu. Registration forms also are available at the front desk of the UNL Panhandle Research and Extension Center at Scottsbluff. 

CEUs
The clinic planning committee has requested one continuing education credit (CEU) for licensed pesticide applicators for Agricultural Weeds, and hopes to offer CEUs for certified crop advisors as follows: Soil & Water, 6, Nutrient Management, 3, Crop Management 3, and Pest Management, 2. Please see the Crop Clinic Brochure for more details.(2 pages, 5477 kb); Crop Clinic Schedule (2 pages, 11 kb)

Cheyenne County 4-H Achievement

On Sunday, October 25th, the annual Cheyenne County 4-H Achievement Banquet was held. Please visit this news release for all the details.  (PDF File, 5 pages, 127 kb)  

Kimball-Banner County 4-H Achievement

On Sunday, November 1st, the annual Kimball-Banner County 4-H Achievement was held. Please visit this news release for all the details.  (PDF File, 2 pages, 11 kb)  *PDF Format requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.