Monthly Archives: March 2025
Garden Tips
Garden Tips: This past week we got onions in the ground. Something new I tried, after hearing Kelly Feehan, Extension horticultural educator and Gary Zoubek, Extension educator emeritus recommend it, was to start onions from transplants instead of sets. It’s a tip for growing large onions that store well. Onions are biennials. In year one, they grow leaves and bulb and then set seed in year two. Sets grown for sale removes one season from the growth, so when we plant sets in our gardens, they want to go to seed, so you may see blooming in mid-summer, which limits the onion bulb size. If you do grow onions from sets, look for dime size or smaller sets as they would be less likely to bloom. This year, I’m looking forward to seeing what the transplants do.
Kelly Feehan shares, “Late March through April is typically the time to plant cool season vegetables. These vegetables germinate and grow in cooler soils and can tolerate light frosts. They include onions, potatoes, radish, lettuce, carrots, beets, peas, broccoli, and cabbage.
Potatoes are planted in April, sometimes late March or early May. A tip for increasing potato yields is hilling potatoes after they begin to grow. Once they are 12 to 20 inches tall, carefully scrape soil up around the plant to create a hill. Potato tubers grow on stolons, underground stems, above the roots. Hilling provides more space for tubers to grow and maintains cooler soil temperatures, especially if hills are mulched. As a cool season crop, cooler soil will increase tuber production.
If potato hills are spaced closer together, tubers grow smaller. If hills are spaced farther apart, tubers grow larger. The recommended spacing is 12 inches between hills and 3 feet between rows. The 12-inch spacing will result in smaller tubers. An 18 to 24 inch spacing will result in larger tubers.”
Soil Temperatures can be found at: https://cropwatch.unl.edu/soiltemperature. This is helpful for knowing when to plant vegetables, when to plant crops, and what the soil temp is when applying fertilizer to fields. It’s also helpful for homeowners to wait to apply crabgrass preventer for lawns until soil temps are at least 50-55F for 5-7 days straight. In spite of the warmer temps, it’s too early for crabgrass preventers (normally we wait for last week of April to early May)!
Lawn Seedings: For those who didn’t seed or overseed turf grass last August-September due to the dry conditions, aim to seed or overseed as soon as possible.
Household Hazardous Waste Collection will occur on April 12, 2025 from 8 a.m.-Noon at the City of Seward Storage Lot (880 S. Columbia Ave. in Seward) and 1:30-4:30 p.m. at the Butler Co. Fairgrounds in David City (62 L Street, North Entrance). Items accepted include: acids, cyanide, fluorescent bulbs, lead acid batteries, pain/stain/varnish, poisons, banned pesticides, antifreeze, flammables, Gas/oil, mercury, pesticides, and yard fertilizers. Farm chemicals will be allowed in quantities less than 150 lbs/55 gal. Please have your items in boxes (paint in one box and other materials in a separate box). The event in Seward is also taking additional items including electronics, etc. so please check out https://www.cultivatesewardcounty.com/news/seward-annual-clean-up-day/ for info. on that clean up location. For general questions, please contact the Four Corners Health Dept. at (402) 362-2622.
Reflections
This past week’s blizzard event is one that will forever be etched in our memories. We truly have so much for which to be thankful! Grateful for the way neighbors and others checked in on each other and helped in the midst of power outages. Grateful for all the linemen, city and county road crews, and first responders! Many shared with me stories from 1976 and there will no doubt be many stories shared for decades to come from this storm too. Continuing in prayer for those without power and for all the linemen continuing to restore power.
Last week I shared a column on Celebrating Ag Week. Strong agriculture and a strong ag economy are incredibly important as a backbone to any nation.
As an Extension Educator, my role has been to serve Nebraskans to the best of my ability in answering questions and sharing research-based information. I’ve also shared my observations, particularly when it comes to what I’m seeing in the field and when research doesn’t yet exist.
Throughout my nearly 21-year career, plenty of controversial issues have been faced with the people I serve. I’ve sought to listen to all sides of issues, serve as a moderator at meetings, and share what I hear from both sides and share the research, when it was available. For the past six months, I’ve been asked to bring in groups and moderate discussions on industrial scale solar, but I have refused these requests.
There is a meeting on Monday, March 31st from 7-8 p.m. at the Holthus Convention Center in York. You can also RSVP for a zoom link at this website: https://neconserve.org/news-events/event-calendar.html/event/2025/03/31/the-changing-landscape-of-renewable-energy-in-nebraska/519078. It’s being hosted by Conservation Nebraska and is titled, “The Changing Landscape of Renewable Energy in Nebraska”. My colleague John Hay, Extension Educator specializing in energy, renewable energy and biofuels will be the main speaker. John is a great colleague and friend of mine. He does a great job of knowing the research and answering questions. I also wish to be very clear that locally, as a Nebraska Extension Educator, I’m not involved with this meeting, nor am I partnering on it. I plan to attend.
As your local Extension Educator, I’ve listened to the stories of why people chose to sign leases and chose not to, listened to research and debate…and I’ve shared both perspectives and other information in news columns. I can appreciate the “why’s” on both sides and I have friends and acquaintances on both sides. Ultimately, I serve you all. But since last summer, I’ve been quiet on this issue. In addition to my career as an Extension Educator, I’m also human.
I am against utility scale solar farms removing agricultural ground from production. Solar can have a variety of uses, including in ag, but I’m against replacing farm ground with thousands of acres of solar panels for industrial scale solar. It has eaten at me to serve as your agricultural Extension Educator and not feel I could take a stand, but I can’t consciously do that any longer. I think about the potential impacts this could have on all of York/Fillmore County ag and surrounding counties in the future…the precedent set. I agree with the York County Zoning Committee’s setbacks that have been proposed. I also believe landowners have the right to choose what they do with their land. It’s difficult when it involves removing farm ground from production at this scale in a very strong Ag County such as York County. What tears me up the most are the damaged relationships as a result of this issue. Praying for wisdom for those making decisions, for the outcome, and that ultimately, relationships can one day be restored.
Ag Week 2025
Happy National Ag Week and National Ag Day (March 18)! What happens in ag impacts all Nebraskans as 1 in 4 Nebraska jobs are connected to ag. A strong ag economy (Nebraska ranks #1 in farm cash receipts of all commodities/capita) helps Nebraska’s overall economy. In 2023, Nebraska agriculture generated $31.6 billion in sales, with livestock accounting for 58% and crops for 42%. In 2024, Nebraska had 44,300 farms and ranches, the average size of which was 993 acres. The following are from the 2025 Ag Facts card: https://nda.nebraska.gov/facts.pdf and brochure: https://nda.nebraska.gov/publications/ne_ag_facts_brochure.pdf.
#1: Nebraska’s largest ag sector is beef production with Nebraska leading the nation in beef and veal exports and commercial cattle slaughter. We are #2 in all cattle/calves, commercial red meat production, and all cattle on feed. “Calves born on one of Nebraska’s 17,000 cow/calf ranches typically spend the majority of their lives on grass before being sent to a feedlot for finishing.”
#1: Nebraska regained the top production in popcorn, is 1st in Great Northern bean production, and has the most irrigated acres in the nation at 7.86 million. We are 2nd for pinto bean production and 4th in the nation for all dry edible bean, dry edible peas, and light red kidney bean production.
#2: Nebraska is #2 in ethanol production capacity. Nebraska produces around 2.3 billion gallons of ethanol annually from 24 ethanol plants. Nebraska is also #2 in bison production, no-till cropland acres, proso millet and alfalfa hay production.
#3: Nebraska is #3 in corn production and exports, cash receipts of all farm commodities, and jumped up to #3 in all hay production.
#4-7: Nebraska is ranked #4 land in farms and ranches, in sorghum and sunflower production, and for cover crop acres. We rank 5th in soybean exports and production. One bushel of soybeans can make 1.5 gallons of biodiesel. We also rank 6th for production of sugar beets. Nebraska is 6th for all hogs and pigs on farms and in commercial hog slaughter. “Six of the most common cuts of pork have, on average, 16 percent less fat and 27 percent less saturated fat than 20 years ago.” Nebraska ranks 7th in pastureland acres.
Nebraska is the 11th largest winter wheat producing state. “The average bushel of wheat weighs 60 pounds and can make 64 loaves of bread.” We are also ranked 11th in potato production with 1/3 of the state’s potatoes being made into potato chips. We are ranked 12th for organic cropland acres.
Nebraska ranks 14th nationally in egg production with more than 9.1 million birds in commercial egg laying facilities producing more than 2.6 billion eggs a year. We rank 25th in total milk production. There are around 78,000 sheep and lambs raised in Nebraska and also more than 24,000 meat goats and around 3,500 dairy goats.
Nebraska has more than 30 wineries and tasting rooms located across the state. There are more than 575 produce growers in Nebraska and we have “approximately 100 farmers markets, 167 roadside stands and 33 u-pick operations.” There are also approximately 39,000 bee colonies in Nebraska. There’s so much to be proud of regarding agriculture in Nebraska! May we seek to celebrate and support ag now and in the future! Happy National Ag Week! Reminder of the Seward County Ag Banquet on Monday evening, March 24th at the Fairgrounds in Seward (5:30 p.m. social hour, 6:30 p.m. meal and program) to celebrate ag locally!
Farm Bill 2025
Farm Bill: Have received a number of calls the past few weeks on the farm bill election decisions. Normally I write this column in February, but the deadline this year is April 15, 2025 to make a determination on farm bill programs.
The greatest change for this year is the increase in the effective reference price again for all crops, which may impact on how decisions play out.
The following are PLC reference prices for commonly grown commodity crops in the area: Corn $4.26; Grain Sorghum: $4.51; Soybeans $9.66; Wheat $5.56.
The following are ARC-Co Effective Prices at Benchmark Yields for grown commodity crops in the area: Corn $4.32; Grain Sorghum $4.56; Soybeans $10.46; What $5.78.
For those who are more visual like me, the easiest way for me to look at these decisions is via the K-State Ag Manager Spreadsheet tool found at: https://www.agmanager.info/ag-policy/2018-farm-bill/tradeoff-between-20252026-arc-and-plc. I added some photos of these decisions at jenreesources.com.
Please look at this for yourself for your specific state and county. When I look at it, because of the higher ARC-Co effective prices compared to PLC for all crops, ARC-Co is triggering before PLC, regardless of irrigation or not, for the counties in this area of the State. And, the payments increase rapidly hitting the cap with any potential for lower prices and/or county average yields. ARC-Co also triggers sooner if prices don’t tank but in the event of lower county-average yields due to drought, hail, etc.
So, this year, beyond considering crop insurance, the decision appears somewhat clearer in spite of not knowing for sure what will happen with market year average prices. Again, I would still recommend you try running the spreadsheet for yourself.
If you are concerned about spreading risk with your farm bill decision and you’re concerned about prices tanking, you could put your highest proven PLC yielding fields for different crops into PLC and the rest into ARC-Co. This is also a consideration if you’re concerned about hitting payment caps with ARC-Co.
As you make crop insurance decisions, the following webinar may be of help if you’re considering Supplemental Coverage Option (SCO) or Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO). SCO can only be used with PLC elections. https://www.agmanager.info/ag-policy/2018-farm-bill/making-farm-program-and-crop-insurance-decisions-2025-webinar-slides-and.
Pruning Fruit and Shade Trees
Pruning Fruit and Shade Trees: Sarah Browning, Extension Horticulture Educator, shared great information at the spring gardening program last Saturday! February-March is a good time to prune most trees. It’s best to not remove more than 12-15% of a tree at one time, no more than 20% if it’s pruned heavier.
She shared a study where they found that wood rot enters trees more through improper pruning cuts vs. other damage to the tree. I have a diagram sharing how to properly prune using the 3-cut method at jenreesources.com. Sarah shared the following below in an article she wrote:
“Many gardeners have questions at this time of year about spring pruning…it’s important to understand woody plant leaf and flower buds were formed last fall. They are already present on branch twigs, so you should be able to find dormant buds when doing a close examination of your plant now. The presence of buds now is normal and does not mean plants are actively growing yet. Does pruning cause early leaf and flower bud development? No, pruning actually has a slight delaying effect on bud growth.
After pruning, a plant has to adjust and begin sending growth hormones to new buds, since the preferred buds at the tips of branches removed are now gone. This process could take about 10 days, so bud development is slowed down a little. Note: it’s risky for growers to use pruning to slow down and “protect” flower buds.
Best time to prune fruit trees: Less winter-hardy fruit trees like peach, apricot, and sweet cherry, should always be pruned late, usually mid-March to early April, no matter how much warm mid-winter weather we experience. Pruning is done just before new growth starts. This is also the best practice for the more cold-hardy fruits, like pear, apple, plum, and tart cherry, as well as shade trees. Pruning at this time has two big benefits. First, there is less chance of cold damage at the pruning sites. Second, plants heal pruning wounds much faster if the cuts are made just before new growth begins.
There’s still plenty of time for cold late winter temperatures and freezes, which will slow bud development down. Early pruning leaves plants susceptible to cold temperature injury at the pruning sites.
Best time to prune shade trees: For homeowners who can choose the ideal time to prune, shade trees should also be pruned just before growth begins in spring. If you need to hire an arborist to prune a large tree, anytime before early May would be a great time to do it. When seeking a tree company, ask if they have someone on staff that is certified with the Nebraska Arborist Association or International Society of Arborists. It’s best if the company is not only a member of one of these associations but also has a certified arborist on staff.
Additional resources with diagrams on which limbs to prune can be found at: Pruning Fruit Trees (https://go.unl.edu/z75s) and https://byf.unl.edu/pruning-trees-shrubs/.
Seward County Ag Banquet will be held Monday, March 24, 2025 at the Fairgrounds in Seward. Tickets for the prime rib dinner are $35 and can be purchased by contacting Nick Bauer (402-429-6119) or Shelly Hansen (402-643-3636). Come out and enjoy an evening celebrating agriculture and the Kiwanis Farm Family, SDDP Agribusiness, and youth scholarship award winners!
ridge and angles down and slightly away from the stem, avoiding injury to the branch collar. Do not make flush cuts that remove the branch collar.”
JenResources 