Gage County Extension

November 2024

Announcements

Are you getting ready to host Thanksgiving Dinner this year?

Check out Nebraska Extension's Thanksgiving Central web page. We've created a one stop shop for all things Thanksgiving. Find tips on preparing a turkey, fun Thanksgiving Recipes, food safety and more!

For more info check out:

go.unl.edu/Thanksgiving

food.unl.edu

Horticulture- Nicole Stoner

Winter Preparations for Roses

Roses are one of my favorite plants in my landscape and you can find so many different types that you can have many color combinations and growth habits. However, some of these roses may need extra care in the winter for the best survival. Continue Reading...

Fall and Winter Watering

All of Nebraska is in a drought, with most of southeast Nebraska in Severe drought. See the current map at: droughtmonitor.unl.edu This makes fall and winter watering extremely important, plants still need irrigation while they are dormant. If plants are ignored through drought conditions, it may seem that they are fine for a while but the dieback from drought stress can show up three to five years later. All plants will benefit from fall watering but make newly planted trees and shrubs and evergreens the priority. Use a soaker hose or sprinkler to ensure that the soil is wet down to 8-12 inches deep surrounding these plants and at least out to the dripline. Make sure you irrigate on a warm day when temperatures exceed 45 degrees. Also, don’t forget to unhook your hoses from the spigot when finished watering, before nightfall.

Clean Garden Tools for Winter Storage

With winter coming right around the corner, it is time to put garden tools away for the season. Clean out all sprayers used during the growing season, triple rinse for safety, and put all herbicides in a storage cabinet where they will not freeze, be sure to store them with their original labels. Most herbicides can be stored and used for multiple years as long as they don’t freeze and thaw. Also, after mowing has been completed for the year, clean lawn mowers for winter storage. Change the oil, sharpen or replace blades, clean it including removing all grass debris from under the deck, and check and change spark plugs as necessary. Finally, clean all garden tools such as shovels, rakes and hoes. Remove debris, sharpen, remove rust with sandpaper or steel wool, and oil them to prevent rust from building up.

Dormant Seeding

The best time to seed cool season turfgrass is mid-August into mid-September, but dormant seeding can also be very successful. Dormant seeding can be done as early as Thanksgiving or as late as March in most locations. The key is to seed after the soil is cold enough that germination will not occur until after soils warm in spring. The benefit of dormant seeding is as soil heaves and cracks during winter, crevices are created for seed to fall into, providing ideal germination conditions in spring. Dormant seeding may be easier to schedule than spring seeding, because spring rains can make it difficult to seed after March. As with any seeding, soil preparation needs to be done prior to seeding. For dormant seeding, this would be now, or in fall before the soil freezes. If using dormant seeding, monitor the area in mid spring for the need to do additional over-seeding.

Fall Garden Activities

It is already October, which is hard to believe. October is a great month for many things outdoors, and some slightly less fun things to encounter while outdoors. Continue Reading...

4-H & Youth Development- Jacie Milius

Event Information

4-H Achievement Celebration

When?

Sunday, Nov 17, 2024, 02:00 PM

Where?

4-H Building

Livestock Systems

Nebraska Sheep & Goat Meeting at Clay Center November 9

Nebraska Sheep & Goat Producers Association Annual Meeting and Education Program 11/9/24

The Nebraska Sheep and Goat Producers Association Annual Meeting and Education Program will be held at the Meat Animal Research Center, located at 120 West Fairfield St., Clay Center Nebraska.

The program will start with a tour of the facilities at 9:00 am followed by the following seminars and speakers:

• Improving Out of Season Lambing by Tom Murphy, USDA ARS Meat Animal Research Center, Research Geneticist

• Improving Performance in Pasture Lambing by Brad Freking, USDA ARS Meat Animal Research Center, Research Geneticist

• Economic Impacts of Mastitis and ways to reduce its occurrence by Tom Murphy

• Goat Production and Management in Nebraska, John Wallace, Olive Branch Goats Palmyra Nebraska

• Balancing Data and Phenotype during Ram Selection by Issac Brunkow, Shepherd USMARC

To register go to https://nebraskasheepandgoat.org/education/ or call Melissa Nicholson at or by phone 308-386-8378.

Agricultural Profitability- Anastasia Meyer

Nebraska Cash Rental Rates & Land Values

Are you interested in learning more about current Nebraska cash rental rates and land values, best practices for agricultural leases, and other contract considerations? This workshop will also include financial considerations for farm succession and transition and offer an opportunity for those in attendance to have their leasing questions answered.

The workshop will be Thursday, December 12th from 1:00p.m.-4:00p.m. at the Saline County Extension Office. Register for the workshop by calling Nebraska Extension in Saline County at 402-821-2151

Agricultural economists Anastasia Meyer and Jim Jansen will lead the presentation. Both of them are with the Center for Agricultural Profitability. If you would like more information about the workshop reach out to Anastasia at 402-230-7975.