Beef Update
September 2024
Greetings!
In this Beef Update newsletter, you will find:
New Nebraska Mesonet Website
Free Well Water Testing
Determining What's Fair in Cow Leasing Webinar
Nebraska Youth Beef Leadership Symposium
Upcoming BQA/BQAT Trainings
Knowing, Growing, and Grazing Grass Webinar Series
Do you drink private well water? Let us test it for FREE. During the month of September, Southwest Nebraska Public Health Department (SWNPHD) is partnering with University of Nebraska Lincoln researcher Shannon Bartlet-Hunt as part of a community water project to provide free testing to private well owners in southwest Nebraska. The tests will look at nitrate, nitrite, and phosphate levels.
Knowing, Growing, and Grazing Grass Webinar Series
Participants in this six-session webinar will interact with other producers and with presenters to learn from the latest research in range and pasture management. The series will be on Monday and Thursday evenings Oct. 14 through 31 from 7:30 - 8:45 p.m. (CDT).
Starting with plant identification, participants can send in photos of plants they would like to identify and learn what key grass species are desirable in their pastures. They will also learn about maximizing forage production and calculating stocking rates to use the available forage to its optimum potential without damaging the resources. The webinar will include how to use the USDA Web Soil Survey to estimate the range of production, and how to adjust a grazing plan during low precipitation years. A grazing plan, key dates for grazing management, and understanding drought risk insurance (Pasture Range and Forage- PRF) will round out the series.
The cost is $100 per person for the six webinars, and includes a copy of "Grassland Plants of South Dakota and the Northern Great Plains" and a resource notebook with Nebraska Extension’s NebGuides and circulars. The webinars will be recorded and available to registered participants after each session.
The course will be limited to 30 participants. To register, go to https://go.unl.edu/Knowing_Grass. Registration by Oct. 1 will ensure participants receive mailed resources before the series begins. A computer and internet connection will be needed to participate in the webinar series.