Last night brought much-needed rain and grateful for that!  From driving today, also saw some crop damage due to flooding, hail, and greensnap.  So sorry for those of you most affected by greensnap and hail!

Last month I focused on counting my blessings-which are many!  One has been the wonderful rains we’ve received at critical times of being so dry.  The crops overall are beautiful right now regarding overall color and especially soybean weed control!  Another blessing has been the opportunity to serve people in several counties the past 2+ years.  I’m grateful for the extra time to serve my former area while also getting to know people in my new one!  Grateful that relationships can be maintained and built regardless of where a person works or lives!  I’m also grateful that we’ve been able to hire an individual who I believe to be a good fit for the Clay County Crops/Water Educator position with accountability region of Nuckolls, Thayer, and Fillmore counties.  Michael Sindelar begins this new role on July 2.  Michael conducted graduate research at South Central Ag Lab (SCAL) near Clay Center, so he is familiar with the area and with SCAL.  His major advisor was Dr. Humberto Blanco, UNL Soil Scientist, and one of their projects was looking at soil impacts on corn residue removal and any impacts of adding cover crops into that system.  I asked Michael to provide a brief background so I could introduce him to you.

“Hi, I am Michael Sindelar, the new cropping and water systems educator based out of Clay Center, Nebraska. I was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska. However, I was exposed to agriculture at a young age as my father would take me to the family farm located near Richland, Nebraska in Colfax county to “help” with the farm work. I joined the Navy in 2005 and served until 2010. I was a cryptologist collective (CTR) and worked in military intelligence. I was stationed out of Hawaii for my enlistment. I had the opportunity to see parts of the pacific and spent one year deployed in Afghanistan where I collected intelligence and conducted combat operations. After having fun for a couple of years I got my act together and earned a bachelor’s degree in Agronomy from the University of Nebraska. This spring I completed my master’s degree in Agronomy with a specialization in soil and water science from the University of Nebraska. I spent most of my master’s degree studying how changes in soil management affect soil water storage, recharge, and heat as storage and transfer through the soil. I look forward to starting my new position on Monday. I sign most of my emails using V/R which is a carryover from the military meaning very respectfully.”

There will still be a transition time of various projects currently underway with July 4 this week and Clay County Fair the next.  Please be sure to introduce yourself to Michael when you see him!

When I transitioned to York/Seward a few years ago, I wrote a column entitled “Blessed”.  I’ve been blessed to serve the people of Clay/Nuckolls/Thayer/Fillmore Counties a few extra years.  And, I will always be grateful for relationships built and the opportunity you gave me entrusting me to help you with diagnosis and farming decisions!  I hope you will also give Michael that same opportunity as he begins in this new role!

Tree Branches:  Many of us had tree branches down again after the winds.  After the last event, a few farmers mentioned to me that it’s frustrating when town people dump their branches in their farm ditches leaving the farmers to pick them up.  So, while it’s only common sense and respectful to not do this, I said I’d mention to please not do this (although I’m uncertain if they would be reading my column)!

Glyphosate Resistant Palmer Amaranth Field Day:  View field demonstrations and hear from experts at the Glyphosate-Resistant Palmer Amaranth Management Field Day Wednesday, July 11 at Carleton. The event is free and will be held from 8:30 a.m. (Registration) with program from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Keynote speaker will be Aaron Hager, associate professor and Extension weed scientist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He will speak on the biology of Palmer amaranth and current research on its control in corn and soybean, including in new technologies such as Xtend and Enlist soybeans. Populations of Palmer amaranth in Nebraska have been found resistant to glyphosate, atrazine, HPPD, and/or ALS herbicides, said Amit Jhala, field day coordinator and Nebraska Extension weed specialist.  Demonstrations include:

• How row spacing and herbicide programs can affect glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth control in Roundup Ready 2 Xtend Soybean;
• Management of Palmer amaranth in: Balance GT/Liberty Link Soybean (resistant to isoxaflutole and glufosinate) and Enlist E3 Soybean (resistant to 2,4-D choline, glyphosate, and glufosinate;
• Critical period of Palmer amaranth removal affected by residual herbicides in Roundup Ready 2 Xtend Soybean.

These in-field demonstrations and research projects were funded by a grant from the Nebraska Soybean Board.  Register online at http://agronomy.unl.edu/palmer to ensure appropriate meals and tour rides. Three Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) credits will be available for attending. If there are questions about registering, please call 402-472-5656. Directions: From Geneva go south on Hwy 81 for 14.6 miles. Turn west onto Hwy 4 and go 5.3 miles. The field day will be on the south side of Hwy 4 between C Street and Renwick Street in Carleton. (GPS: 40°18’24.7”N 97°40’29.0”W).  Partial funding for this field day was provided by the Nebraska Soybean Checkoff and Nebraska Extension.