Nebraska Extension - Gage County

Announcements

• Office Closed for Arbor Day
• Commercial Pesticide Training
• Private Pesticide Training
• Local Agronomy Resources
• Grow-a-Row
• Nourishing the Good Life
• Southeast Nebraska Food Partners

Upcoming Events

• Yard and Garden Live
• Yard and Garden with Nicole- Podcast
• GROBigRed
• Vegetable Gardening Seminar- The Petal Patch
• Vegetable Garden Class- Tall Tree Tasting

Horticulture - Nicole Stoner

• Spring Fever
• Starting a Garden
• Gray Snow Mold

Food, Nutrition & Health - Tara Dunker

• Food in the field: Online nutrition program for farmers
• The myth of Popeye's spinach strength

4-H & Youth Development - Jacie Milius

• 2021 4-H Enrollment Now Open!
• 2021 Anytime Learning
• Livestock ID & YQCA

Is your commercial pesticide license expiring in 2021? Go to pested.unl.edu/ to complete the online training and avoid re-testing.

Private Pesticide Training is being offered online at https://pested.unl.edu/certification-and-training. This option takes about 3-4 hours with a test out option at the beginning. Please email all questions about the online self study training to pested@unl.edu. After completing the online self study, a 2021 weed guide can be picked up at the Gage County Extension Office. Please call ahead so we can have it ready for you.

Want to learn more about Soybean cyst nematodes (SCN)? Check out this article for more information.

Looking for food raised locally? Check out the Southeast Nebraska Food Partners new website at www.southeastnebraskafoodpartners.org

Don't miss another episode of Yard and Garden! You can now listen to it anywhere- on the website, Spotify, Apple Podcast, and Google Podcast. Just search Yard and Garden with Nicole!

Ready to veg out? Whether you're a beginner or expert vegetable gardener, our "Vegetable Garden Basics" will have some great info to take your garden to the next level. Join us for some great presentations by our extension experts (and some of your favorite BYF panelists) AND get all of your veggie garden questions answered. Register for these free events at go.unl.edu/veggiebasics

April 10

10 am Container Vegetable Gardening

11 am Raised Beds

Join Nicole Stoner for a Vegetable Gardening Seminar! This is a fun, informative event that you don't want to miss. Whether you are an avid gardener or just a beginner bring your questions along for a great evening.

Wednesday, April 28 6:30 pm | The Petal Patch - Hardy, NE

Want to learn more about vegetable gardening AND take home gardening plants of your own?! Visit Tall Tree Tastings and guest Nicole Stoner, May 20 at 6 pm, in Beatrice for a fun evening learning all about gardening. You won't want to miss it!

Spring is finally here and the temperatures have been warmer and our plants are really greening up. All of this really gets us in the mood to get outside and work in our lawns and gardens, but don’t get too excited. I just read an article by my colleague John Fech from Douglas-Sarpy Extension and he said we are about a month early for many lawncare activities, “So the word is Wait.”

This winter has been long! It is nice to look forward to spring weather and gardening. We can’t get out there quite yet, but we can begin to plan and start transplants indoors.

After this long winter, we are all ready for spring. However, the large amounts of snow that lasted for weeks has wreaked havoc on our lawns. Snow mold is being found in many yards across Nebraska.

Farming families know planting and harvest seasons can be stressful, as you work against the clock and Mother Nature. Eating healthy during these seasons is a challenge for many reasons, including lack of time, the issue of dining in a field and stress leading to less healthy eating patterns. This year has proven even more challenging, as planting season starts while we’re still managing a worldwide pandemic. Fueling your body properly is a great line of defense for managing the stress of it all.

Shiver me timbers! As I was sitting down to write a boring article about the benefits of spinach in honor of Friday being National Spinach Day, I came across something much more fun. Anyone who’s seen the legendary cartoon knows its title character draws superhuman strength from canned spinach, of all things.To quote the man himself, “I’m strong to the finich, cause I eat me spinach, I’m Popeye the Sailor Man!”

Enrollment is open for 2021 Gage County 4-H. All 4-H youth (ages 8-18), Clover Kids (ages 5-7), and leaders/volunteers are required to enroll online every year. Enrollment deadline is June 15. We encourage all members to enroll using a computer and not your mobile device. This site is not mobile-friendly and can cause some issues when it comes time to pay your dues online. Enrollment instructions for new members can be found at the Extension Office or online at gage.unl.edu. Call Jacie at 402-223-1384 with any enrollment questions.

$12 dues must be paid online at the conclusion of the enrollment process. **No enrollment fee for Clover Kids.

Projects will continue to be cleared from 4HOnline annually. Project history per member can be found under Member Reports in your family account. Call the Extension Office if you have questions.

4-H learning happens year-round at your home, club meeting, 4-H workshops and County Fair. We are excited to present spring and summer workshops, projects, and exhibits for 4-H youth to learn skills, work together, and have fun. 2021 Anytime Learning listing is included in this newsletter and youth will register online through Eventbrite by May 1 (unless otherwise noted) or the project's limited enrollment is full. Note project enrollment fees when applicable AND project indicated for the youth to enroll in on 4HOnline. Those registered will receive complete project/workshop information. Don't miss out... register early, have fun, and learn new skills!

In 2021, exhibitors and families are responsible for collecting DNA, tagging, and identifying their livestock for all species (including swine). Gage County 4-H Council has paid for the tags in 2021, no fee will be collected. We will not be hosting a Swine Tagging Day in 2021. Livestock ID sheets and registration papers (for registered livestock) are due to the Extension Office by June 15 and can be found at: https://go.unl.edu/rore

4-H (ages 8-18) and FFA (under age 19) exhibitors as of Jan. 1st of the current year who exhibit beef, dairy, goats, sheep, swine, rabbit & poultry are REQUIRED to complete YQCA training by June 15, 2021, to be eligible to participate at the Gage County Fair and Nebraska State Fair. (Clover Kids are not required to complete YQCA training). **Note: you must be enrolled on 4hOnline for the current year prior to registering for a training.

YQCA Face to Face Training Schedule

• Friday, April 2 | 10:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m. | Wilber Legion Building
• Sunday, April 25 | 2:00 p.m. | Gage County Extension Meeting Room

Face-to-Face training participants are REQUIRED TO PRE-REGISTER ONLINE and pay a $3.00 fee. Once you have completed the training you will log back into your YQCA account and retrieve your certificate to turn into the Extension Office by June 15.

Email: Gage-County@unl.edu
Website: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/gage/
Location: 1115 West Scott Street, Beatrice, NE, USA
Phone: 402-223-1384
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UNLExtensionGageCo/
Twitter: @GageCoExtension