Continuing the New Year, new management theme!
It’s time to use those free calendars for good, planning can set up great hay crops for the next year! Dr. Bruce Anderson of UNL, provides hay and forage minutes bi-weekly. In particular he wrote a minute detailing calendar planning, I wanted to share and expand on the idea of planning and the importance in forage production. Also check out a scholarship opportunity for your daughter, granddaughter, niece, or any young woman hoping to learn more about becoming a leader in agriculture.
A wise person once told me the best hay takes planning. Just like anything, a good plan can provide structure, balance, and realistic expectations. In the same breath this person also said a calendar is a farmer’s best friend. As snow storm after snow storm sets in around eastern Nebraska, this is the perfect time to reflect on what worked and didn’t with you hay and pastures. With any farming venture Mother Nature is a big driver of success, but we can attempt to plan ahead. I’m sure everyone has at least one free calendar from the bank, insurance agent, or a neighbor! Put those calendars to use and pencil in a few of these dates; let’s look at hay production month by month!
January and February, these are key times to order seed for the upcoming year. Take time to pick, price, and shop around for the right seed. Planting pastures is a commitment, so make sure you are happy with the product you purchase. This is also a good time to think about the maturity and overall stand health of some of our stands. Do you have a pasture that is getting up there in years and thin in some areas? It may be time to order some seed to fill in those holes and renovate.
March and April, as our soils thaw this a great time to pull any missing soil cores or fields that haven’t been soil tested in awhile. It’s also a great time to fertilize your wheat and plant oats for cover/grazing. Liming and fertilization on other pastures or alfalfa stands needs to be completed before planting, so remember to try to get your pastures fertilized before planting new forages or row crops. The middle to late portion of April is the key time to fertilize cool season pastures, this will help these crops in the early part of spring and help them start strong.
May, should be official thistle awareness month! You heard it heard it here first, May is un-officially thistle awareness month in my counties! It is time to spray and get rid of any thistles, the thistles can be managed before getting out-of-hand and causing heartache/heartburn later. May is also a key time for alfalfa first cutting, remember first cutting just as buds are forming is high quality/good price!
Late May to early June brings warm weather and hopefully adequate rain. This is the key time to fertilize any warm season pastures and plant your summer annuals.
July to early August is the key time to prepare and plant turnips or oats for late fall, early winter grazing. November and December, it’s important to take some time and recharge after harvest, but finish your year strong by sampling and testing all your harvested forages so you can plan and feed animals during winter to meet their nutritional needs at the most affordable cost.
Time is a precious commodity but with planning we can utilize our time and raise some of the best forages we can!
Also there is a scholarship opportunity for any young women interested in attending the Nebraska Women in Agriculture Conference in Kearney. The annual Nebraska Women in Agriculture conference will be held Feb. 21 – 22, 2019 at the Holiday Inn Convention Center, 110 S. 2nd Ave., Kearney, Neb.
The Women in Agriculture Conference allows women to build relationships with each other, attend workshops and gain valuable knowledge that will help them support their farms and ranches. The theme for this year’s conference is, “Take Charge of Change.”
Over 30 concurrent workshops will be hosted over the two-day event that focus on production risk, market risk, financial risk, human risk and legal risk. In addition to workshops, participants will have the opportunity to hear from Marji Guyler-Alaniz, founder of FarmHer. Marji will discuss the inspiration for and evolution of FarmHer and image of women in agriculture. Other general session speakers include Tim Hammerich of Ag Grad, Joan Ruskamp the Chair of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Board, Jim Robb of the Livestock Marketing Information Center, and Giannella Alvarez of Beanitos.
Five $125 scholarships (full registration fee) available to University of Nebraska Lincoln College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) students.
Ten $62.50 scholarships (half registration fee) are available to Nebraska FFA, 4-H or Community College students. Students receiving a ½ scholarship are expected to pay the remainder of the registration cost during the registration period, or find a local sponsor.
Applicants will need to prepare a 3,000 character essay on “Why do you want to attend the Nebraska Women in Agriculture Conference?” and “How will you use the information in your future studies/career?”
TO APPLY CLICK HERE: https://wia.unl.edu/scholarships
Hotel rooms and additional travel expenses are not covered by student scholarships. The application is now open. Applications must be submitted online by midnight February 1, 2019. Scholarship recipients will be notified no later than February 8, 2019.
Have a great week everyone!
Crop Talk Megan 