Henbit
The weather is finally warming up more and we can get out into our landscapes again. As we get outside more, we will find one plant that is having a great year, Henbit. This purple blooming weed shows its ugly face very early in the spring. This is the weed that will cover fields with large expanses of purple blossoms. It is also quite prevalent in our lawns and gardens. Continue Reading.
Yard & Garden: April 19, 2024
This is the Q&A for the Yard and Garden show for April 19, 2024. Yard and Garden Live is a call-in radio show I do on KUTT 99.5 FM from 10-11:30 am and it will run through July 26 and continue again in September for two fall episodes. It can also be found on kutt995.com for online listening. If you missed a show or just want to read through the questions, I have written them all in my blog and will continue to do so throughout the season. Continue Reading.
Annual and Perennial Plantings
Spring is really here and one of my favorite spring activities is planting and improving my flower beds, obviously. If these flower beds are not planted or cared for correctly, they will not survive. One of the most disappointing things to any gardener is when their plants die! Continued Reading.
Yard & Garden: April 26, 2024
This is the Q&A for the Yard and Garden show for April 26, 2024. Yard and Garden Live is a call-in radio show I do on KUTT 99.5 FM from 10-11:30 am and it will run through July 26 and continue again in September for two fall episodes. It can also be found on kutt995.com for online listening. If you missed a show or just want to read through the questions, I have written them all in my blog and will continue to do so throughout the season. Continue Reading.
4-H Enrollment Now OPEN
Enrollment is open for the 2023-2024 Gage County 4-H year. The enrollment website is v2.4honline.com. 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. Call or email Jacie or Rachel at 402-223-1384 with any enrollment questions.
Please make sure to include or update your child's t-shirt size! This is the sizing guide we use to order the Exmark t-shirts for county fair! It is not a required field so can often be missed.
Updated help guides can be found on our website.
Enrollment fee is $12 for each 4-H youth to be paid online or in the office. There is no fee for Clover Kids or adults. We will not be accepting enrollments until we have received payment.
Gage County 4-H Clover Kids
Clover Kids is a special program for youth ages 5-7 who want to participate in 4-H. The program offers a variety of educational and recreational experiences in non-competitive environments. These opportunities are ideal for developing confidence, creativity, and competence during this stage of youth development.
Clover Kids have special opportunities to participate during the Gage County Fair by exhibiting Clover Kids static exhibits. To be eligible to participate, Clover Kids need to enroll through our 4HOnline system at v2.4honline.com
Wheat disease management considerations
Early season fungal diseases were low. There have only been a few reports of stripe rust in Nebraska up till now (early May), which does include stripe rust being present in Saline County at very low levels (view reports/map at https://cropwatch.unl.edu/2024/wheat-disease-update-may-3-2024). Fusarium head blight (FHB), also called head scab, is a fungal disease that infects wheat during flowering, which typically occurs between the third week and fourth week of May in this area (Gage, Jefferson, and Saline counties). However, given the warm spring, flowering will start in mid-May this year in some fields in this area. Over the past 15 years, widespread FHB epidemics occurred in Nebraska in 2007, 2008, 2015, and 2019. Southeast Nebraska is particularly prone to FHB issues due to our humidity and higher rainfall compared to the rest of the state. The frequent rainfall events in late April and early May in southeast Nebraska may have set the stage for a potential 2024 outbreak. In addition to yield loss as high as 50%, FHB reduces grain quality and the received price at the elevator due to damaged kernels or presence of a mycotoxin. Continue Reading.
Soil Acidity Management, Part 1: Soil pH, natural factors, and crop production
I hope you enjoyed my previous 5-part series on basic cation saturation ratio concept this winter that you can still read online at https://croptechcafe.org. I ended that series with a call to action to focus on soil acidity and its management using soil pH, buffer pH, and lime to increase soil pH. To that end, this will be a 6-part series on soil acidity management including: 1) soil pH, natural factors, and crop production, 2) impacts of soil acidity, 3) buffer pH and lime quality, 4) lime application, stratification, and tillage, 5) site-specific management, and 6) economics and other considerations. Please follow this series as I walk through soil acidity and management in southeast Nebraska crop production. Continue Reading.
Gage County Extension
Gage County Extension
How to contact us
For Horticulture & Entomology questions:
- E-mail Nicole Stoner at nstoner2@unl.edu
For Food & Nutrition questions:
- Call our office at 402-223-1384
For 4-H & Youth Development questions:
- Email Jacie Milius at jacie.milius@unl.edu
For Water & Cropping Systems questions:
- Email Nathan Mueller at nathan.mueller@unl.edu
For Agriculture Profitability questions:
- Email Anastasia Meyer at ameyer71@unl.edu
For Early Childhood questions:
- Email Ingrid Lindal at ingridchavarria@unl.edu
For Livestock Systems questions:
- Email Wayde Pickinpaugh at wayde.pickinpaugh@unl.edu
Email: gage-county@unl.edu
Website: https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/gage/
Location: 1115 West Scott Street, Beatrice, NE, USA
Phone: 402-223-1384