It’s incredible how quickly January flew by! The following are programs occurring next week. Reminder of the Friday February Conversations (10-Noon 4-H Bldg. York). The February 2^nd conversation is around crop rotations, specifically diving into pest management issues with soybeans and seed corn and discussing ideas to help. It’s going to take farmers and ag industry working together on these discussions, so please invite/encourage those who have input/ideas to attend!

Nebraska Corn Production Clinic Feb. 5 at the Commercial Building, Fairgrounds in Aurora, starting at 9 a.m. with breakfast and time to visit with the vendors at the display booths. Presentations will start at 9:30 a.m. with Corn Growers and USDA updates, and conclude about 3:45 p.m. with door prizes. The event has a great lineup of excellent speakers focusing on all things corn, plus several ag display booths.

Topics include: Corn Planter Setup and Adjustments; Advanced Agronomy Cultural Practices; Management of Insect Damage in Corn; Management of Plant Diseases in Corn Including Tar Spot; IPM for Successful Weed Management in Corn; Year-round Soil Water Management; Year-round Soil Nitrogen Management and Nitrogen Sources and Stabilizers for Corn; and Setting Up and Operating Fertilizer Application Equipment. CCA credits are available.

The ag day event is consistently ranked by the farmers who attend as one of the best educational ag events. The day is free of charge to the participants thanks to sponsors and exhibitors. The noon meal sponsor is Grosshans in Aurora. More information is available https://merrick.unl.edu or by calling Steve Melvin at (308) 946-3843.

Farm Bill (ARC/PLC) program workshop for ag producers will be in York on Feb. 6 from 9 a.m.-Noon at the Cornerstone Ag & Event Center at the Fairgrounds in York. Nebraska USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) is reminding producers now is the time to make elections and enroll in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2024 crop year. The signup period is open through March 15, 2024, and producers are encouraged to begin working with their USDA county Farm Service Agency (FSA) office to complete the process. Although election changes for 2024 are optional, enrollment (signed contract) is required for each year of the program. If a producer has a multi-year contract on the farm, it will be necessary to sign a new contract for the farm by the March 15th deadline if a 2024 election change is desired. If an election is not submitted by the deadline of March 15, 2024, the election defaults to the current election for crops on the farm from the prior crop year. 

Producers can learn about the ARC and PLC options for 2024 during a series of workshops hosted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Center for Agricultural Profitability (CAP) and Nebraska FSA that will be held across the state in February. Area workshops include:

• Feb. 6, 9 a.m.-Noon, Fairgrounds in York
• Feb. 7, 1-4 p.m., Community Building in Columbus
• Feb. 9, 9 a.m.-Noon, ENREEC near Mead
• Feb. 9, 1-4 p.m., Extension Office in Beatrice
• Feb. 14, 1-4 p.m., Extension Office in Hastings

The meetings have no charge and are open to the public. More information and a full schedule are available on the Center for Agricultural Profitability’s website, https://cap.unl.edu/farmbill.  

Feb. 6-7 Nebraska Soils School: There’s also an incredible opportunity for learning and CCA credits through this soils school in partnership with the Nebraska AgriBusiness Association. More details here: https://cropwatch.unl.edu/2023-CW-News/2024-Soils-School-Agenda.pdf.

Feb. 7 Part 107 course training to help you pass the test for flying drones will be held at ENREEC near Mead. More info: 402-460-0742.