Platte County Extension can help guide through many aspects of Nebraska life whether weeds in your lawn, nutrition, testing your private well or what to charge for pasture rent! Call our office and we can connect you with personalized answers.

By Kelly Feehan

With traveling on the rise, so is the risk of bringing bed bugs home. In the last few years, the number of bed bugs brought into the Extension office for identification has risen.

Bat bugs are also brought in for identification. It is easy to confuse these two insects, making it important to positively identify which insect it is prior to selecting control options.

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4-H Clubs: Building Skills, Friendships, and Futures

When you think of Nebraska 4-H, one of the first things that comes to mind is the vibrant network of 4-H clubs. These clubs form the very heart of the 4-H program, offering young people a dynamic space to learn, grow, and connect with others in their communities. Whether focusing on agriculture, science, art, or countless other topics, 4-H clubs provide an unmatched experience for youth development.

Youth-Led, Adult-Guided
One of the unique aspects of 4-H clubs is their youth-led structure. Members are encouraged to take charge, making decisions about their projects, activities, and community service initiatives. Adult volunteers, often parents, educators, or community members, provide support and guidance, helping youth navigate challenges and reach their goals. This partnership ensures that members build critical leadership skills while having the confidence to make decisions and take ownership of their learning.

Learning by Doing
At the core of every 4-H club is the principle of “learning by doing.” Whether they are building a robot, training an animal, or perfecting a painting, 4-H members gain hands-on experience in their chosen project areas. These projects often lead to participation in county fairs, workshops, and community showcases, where members can share their work and gain valuable feedback.

With project areas as diverse as animal science, horticulture, food science, robotics, photography, and the performing arts, there’s truly something for everyone in a 4-H club. Members are encouraged to pursue their passions and discover new ones, all while gaining practical skills that can serve them well throughout their lives.

Building Lifelong Skills
The skills developed through 4-H clubs go far beyond the projects themselves. Members learn to organize meetings, prepare and deliver presentations, and work collaboratively with their peers. These experiences help youth develop strong public speaking, problem-solving, and teamwork abilities that will benefit them in school, careers, and community involvement.

A Community of Friendship and Fun
Beyond the skill-building, 4-H clubs provide a supportive environment where members can make lasting friendships and create cherished memories. Clubs often host fun activities, from holiday parties to field trips, in addition to their regular meetings and project work. For many youth, 4-H becomes a second family, offering encouragement, laughter, and a sense of belonging.

Join a 4-H Club Today
4-H clubs are open to all youth, providing opportunities to explore interests, develop skills, and make a difference in their communities. Whether you’re interested in agriculture, science, the arts, or leadership, there’s a place for you in 4-H.

To learn more about joining or starting a 4-H club in Platte County, please contact the Nebraska Extension Office at 402-563-4901. We look forward to welcoming you to the 4-H family and seeing what you’ll accomplish!

Being part of a 4-H club isn’t just about projects and ribbons—it’s about preparing for the future, one meeting, one project, and one friendship at a time. Come see what makes 4-H clubs the heart of Nebraska 4-H.

By Bruno Patias Lena

Deciding how much irrigation water to apply and when is a complex task influenced by many factors, such as soil type, rainfall, crop water use, and irrigation pumping capacity among others.

In 2024, an initiative was launched in Platte County to introduce a few growers to irrigation scheduling tools and technologies. The goal was to enhance their knowledge of irrigation best management practices and maximize water use efficiency.

Before the irrigation season began, a focus group meeting was held at the Platte County Extension Office to discuss how to use soil moisture sensor data installed in their fields. The growers agreed to rely on this data to decide when to start irrigating and how much water to apply. The Extension Educator supported this effort by publishing a weekly irrigation newsletter on the CropWatch website (https://cropwatch.unl.edu). This allowed other stakeholders across Nebraska to track the irrigation decisions made during the 2024 growing season.

The high rainfall received in spring 2024 significantly impacted irrigation decisions compared to the previous two years. Despite the elevated soil moisture levels caused by early-season rainfall, all three growers found the soil moisture sensor data valuable in guiding their irrigation choices.

One grower remarked, "This technology allowed me to skip a couple of irrigation events during the growing season when I would typically have irrigation." Another stated, "Yes, I see the benefit of using this technology, and I am confident I will adopt it in 2025." A third grower shared, "My NRD called and said that, among all my neighbors, I was the one who applied the least irrigation water, and my yield was not affected."

This initiative will continue and expand in 2025, incorporating a new group of growers. The long-term goal is to expose more farmers to these technologies, encouraging widespread adoption of irrigation scheduling tools as they recognize the benefits.

The workshop will cover topics related to Nebraska's land industry for farms and ranches. Those include evaluating current trends in land values and cash rents, lease provisions and legal considerations, proper communication strategies and considerations for successful land transitions. Workshop participants will also be able to find answers to common farmland leasing and land ownership questions.

Refreshments will be provided by Farmers National Company.

The program is free to attend. Registration is required by Dec. 4, by calling Nebraska Extension in Madison County at 402-370-4040.

The Nebraska Extension Master Gardeners Volunteer (NE-EMGV) program has dedicated volunteers, some of whom have devoted more than half of their lives to Extension, actively contributing to disseminating science-based resources and knowledge within communities. (Click the Master Gardener logo for more!)

The Confronting Cropping Challenges (CCC) is a Nebraska Extension program focused on the current and emerging cropping issues that impacted the northeastern area of the state during the 2024 growing season. This program is also intended to help producers make decisions for 2025. After the CCC, producers have the option to recertify their Private Pesticide Applicator License for those licenses expiring in 2025. This is the eighth year for the program, and responses from previous years have been very positive.

This year, the program will be offered in four locations across northeast Nebraska in December. The CCC is a 2.5-hour program starting at 1 p.m. central time. To receive Private Pesticide Applicator Recertification Training, attendees will need to participate from 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. central time as we

Locations and Dates:

• Tuesday, Dec. 3 at the Eastern Nebraska Research Extension and Education Center near Mead
• Wednesday, Dec. 4 in Leigh at the Colfax County Fairgrounds — 4-H Building
• Wednesday, Dec. 10 in Randolph at the City Auditorium
• Thursday, Dec. 12 in Neligh at the Antelope County Fair Grounds — Event Center

If you need to renew your private pesticide applicator license in 2025, please attend the whole program. Even though this training is being offered in 2024, you will not lose a year of certification on your license. Please note that this training will only offer recertification of private pesticide licenses. Those needing initial training will need to attend one of the other training courses offered in early 2025.

The cost for the program is $10 if you are only attending the CCC program. If you are being recertified for your Private Pesticide Applicator License, the cost will be $70. The additional $60 is the same as you would pay to be recertified at a traditional private pesticide applicator training.

For those attending either in Randolph or Neligh, in addition to the CCC program, there will be an opportunity to attend a workshop to learn how to better utilize manure nutrients to “$ave Money and Resist Stress”. This workshop will discuss how much manure to use as well as ways that manure can build your soil to help resist drought and excessive precipitation. The manure workshop will cost $25 and includes a meal. In Randolph, the manure workshop will follow the CCC program, and in Neligh, the morning will start with the manure program and be followed by CCC. Due to the meal, pre-registration is required for the manure workshop.

Now you have quick access to NebGuides/Extension Circulars written for Nebraska. Numerous topics from gardening, lawn and tree care, nutrition, animal agriculture, food safety and much more.

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1st graders at North Park Elementary School is coloring a picture after participating in the Fight Bac! School enrichment program where they learned the importance of proper handwashing!

4-H Assistant Blake Wert shares with Lost Creek Elementary students where popcorn comes from and what makes it pop!!!