Apple tree. Photo courtesy ext100.wsu.edu

You know the saying; the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Even though apple and other fall fruit harvest is nearing its end, that doesn’t mean that the work is over. Fall sanitation is a key part of fruit management. A little extra work now could ensure a successful growing season next year.

Make sure your fruit trees are ready for the winter to come. Start by making sure that your tree goes into winter with an adequate amount of moisture. The recommendation for trees is to have about 1” of supplemental water per week. This is about enough water to get the top 8” of the soil moist. Fruit trees do not require much fertilization, especially in the fall. As long as the fruit tree is planted in a healthy soil, it will not require fertilization. In the fall we want trees to…

The Farmers & Ranchers College was formed in January, 2000 with the purpose of providing high quality, dynamic, up to date educational workshops for area agricultural producers in south central Nebraska through a collaborative effort between business, industry and higher education leaders. Furthermore, the Farmers & Ranchers College will provide the tools necessary so that agricultural producers will be able to respond positively to these changes using a profitable decision making process.

The Farmers and Ranchers College is a unique opportunity to educate agricultural producers in south central Nebraska. Approximately three hundred producers from fourteen counties and three states participated in the 2013-2014 Farmers & Ranchers College programs. Producers attending these workshops managed over 184,000 acres. Participants (21%) surveyed indicated an average of $11.00/acre of knowledge gained from participating for a potential impact of $2 million.

The thirteenth annual Partners in Progress- Beef Seminar featured a variety of industry…

During this time of year I receive calls about worm-like, dark brown to black creatures that are invading people’s houses or garages. Most likely these are millipedes. Millipedes are not harmful in the yard, but can be a nuisance with the first spell of cool temperatures in fall. Millipedes will invade houses (sometimes in large numbers) to find warmth on concrete in and around garages and houses. At times, millipedes can become so abundant; they may constitute a “millipede invasion” entering homes and other buildings. Once they reach indoors, millipedes will die – no sprays are necessary.

Millipedes (sometimes called “wireworms” which are the larval stage of a beetle that feeds on plants in farm fields) have two pairs of legs per body segment. They are usually brown to black in color with an elongated body that is round. Millipedes have no poison claws or legs. Once disturbed, they usually…