Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Don and Rachel Linquist invite people to be curious about their cattle company. The couple own and operate DH Longhorn, a Page-based business that provides pasture-raised Texas Longhorn beef from their ranch to people’s tables. “The ranch-to-table process is just that – right from our ranch/pasture to our customers’ tables,” Rachel said. The beef is dry aged for three weeks at Wausa Lockers and inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. “Our beef goes into the locker right from our pa...
People who want to enjoy an agricultural field day that will feature a variety of topics will soon will have the chance. A demonstration field day will be held 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Sept. 9, at the Bazile Groundwater Management Area’s soil health site near Creighton. To find the soil health site, people will need to travel two miles south of Creighton on Nebraska Highway 13, turn east onto 870 Road and travel three-fourths of a mile. The outdoor event, during which social distancing will be...
A couple of weeks ago, a lifelong friend and I took a road trip through Western and North Central Nebraska. We checked out Chimney Rock, the Scotts Bluff National Monument, Toadstool Geologic Park near Crawford and the Niobrara River near Valentine. Social distancing was not a problem. The first night of that five-day trip we spent in Oshkosh, where I grew up and where my travel companion and I met on her third birthday. Her family was new to the neighborhood, her mom was looking for enough...
The Trump administration announced Monday that the United States Department of Agriculture is investing $462 million to modernize critical drinking water and wastewater infrastructure across rural America. According to the USDA, 161 projects will benefit 467,000 individuals across the U.S., including Clearwater and Page residents. "Upgrading the infrastructure that delivers safe drinking water and modern wastewater management facilities will improve public health and drive economic development...
The 2020 Holt County Fair, in Chambers, will have a different look this year. All livestock shows will be show and go, with youth bringing and taking home livestock the days of the shows. "The public is welcome to attend any of the youth events but are asked to follow the current health guidelines established by the North Central Health Department," board members posted on the fair's website. Activities begin Tuesday, Aug. 4, with the 4-H horse show. Check-in begins at 7:30 a.m. At 8 a.m.,...
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture reported Tuesday Nebraska citizens have received unsolicited packages of seeds in the mail in recent days. "Our team has, and will continue to, work with USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service on any reports received in Nebraska," department personnel reported on its social media accounts. Individuals who receive one of these packages should not open it. The seeds should not be planted, either. Anyone receiving a sealed seed packet should keep packets...
CENTER FOR RURAL AFFAIRS On June 26, U.S. Reps. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican, and Abigail Spanberger, Democrat from Virginia, members of the House Agriculture Committee, introduced a companion bill to the Growing Climate Solutions Act, H.R. 7393. The Senate bill, S. 3894, was introduced by Sens. Mike Braun, Republican from Indiana, and Rhode Island Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse in early June. The bill would standardize the agricultural carbon market and was referred to the House Committee on Agriculture. “These bills come at a critical t...
Kayla Bergman Policy associate Center for Rural Affairs A recently introduced piece of legislation into the U.S. Senate is a positive step forward in addressing climate change in rural areas. The Growing Climate Solutions Act, intended to establish a certification program for private parties who work with producers to receive payments for carbon sequestration, comes at a critical time for the agriculture industry and the environment. Introduced by Sens. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I) in early June, the bill also further...
KATIE ANDERSON Nebraska News Service Property tax relief is on the agenda for the 17-day legislative session later this month, but opponents argue that the proposed property tax relief plan will hinder school district spending and taxing authority. State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, chairwoman of the revenue committee, is leading the charge to get a property tax relief package passed when the Legislature resumes on July 20. “We have a property tax crisis more severe now in agriculture but moving toward suburbia,” Linehan said. “If you b...
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture recently announced student delegates selected to attend this year’s Nebraska Agricultural Youth Institute. Alyssa Moser, of Clearwater, has been tabbed as one of the delegates. In its 49th year, NAYI challenges its delegates to learn more about the agricultural industry and careers available to them in their future. To slow the spread of COVID-19, this year’s Institute will be held virtually. NAYI is coordinated by NDA and the members of the Nebraska Agricultural Youth Council. “NAYI is the longest runni...
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture and Legal Aid of Nebraska are hosting free farm finance clinics in June. The clinics are one-on-one, not group sessions, and are confidential. The legal and financial clinic gives farmers a chance to meet with an experienced ag law attorney and farm financial counselor. Clinic staff specialize in legal and economic issues related to farming and ranching, including business planning, estate and transition planning, farm loan programs, debtor/creditor law and other relevant matters. It is an opportunity to o...
ANNA JOHNSON Policy Manager, Center for Rural Affairs In approving a $9.5 billion agriculture relief package in March, Congress asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to use the funds to support producers, including livestock, specialty crops and local food producers. However, USDA’s new Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) includes multiple provisions designed to allow the largest producers to side-step normal payment limitations and provides almost no support for small producers selling to local markets. First, CFAP allows o...
CENTER FOR RURAL AFFAIRS As lawmakers consider legislation to address the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, a group of 64 small business lenders across 32 states are calling on Congress to treat rural and urban businesses equally when it comes to providing relief. While the recently-passed Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act created a program that provides immediate relief to small businesses with loans from the Small Business Administration, there was no such provision for those who have loans from the U.S. Department...
Chinese philosopher Confucius is credited with the saying, "Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life." What happens when someone veers from a chosen career path? How do decisions made during high school affect future career skills? Approximately 115 area students, including Clearwater and Orchard underclassmen, discovered answers to those questions during an interactive career exploration simulation called Connecting the Dots, Tuesday, at the Antelope County...
Last year, I introduced and prioritized LB 243, which created the Healthy Soils Task Force. Since the bill’s passage last April, the governor has appointed 14 members to the task force, representing production agriculture, agribusiness, natural resource districts, environmental organizations and academic experts in the fields of agriculture and natural resources. In addition, the director of the department of agriculture serves on the task force, along with representatives of the Agriculture C...
After a successful 2019, educating over 700 farmers at five hemp farmers forums in Clatonia, David City, Pilger, York and Syracuse, Midwest Hemp Forum announces the first event of 2020, the upcoming Feb. 21 Neligh Hemp Farmers Forum, hosted by the Neligh Office of Economic Development and Antelope County Ag Society. Learn from farmers currently growing hemp, local harvesting equipment experts, professors, processors and other hemp experts. The Neligh Hemp Farmers Forum will be taking place from...
ANNA JOHNSON Policy Manager Center for Rural Affairs Farmers face risk from a variety of sources—weather, disease, markets, financial systems. While crop insurance offers a valuable option for many farmers to manage some of that risk, some crops, such as many organic, small grain, fruit and vegetable crops, as well as livestock, can’t be covered by traditional crop insurance in most Midwest counties. For farmers seeking to diversify their incomes, trying to incorporate these crops into their rotations and operations might seem appealing. But, w...
The United States Department of Agriculture gave the okay to Nebraska Department of Agriculture's hemp plan, Tuesday. Applications for licenses for the 2020 growing season will begin Monday, Feb. 3. "Now that NDA has an approved state hemp plan in place, we can begin issuing licenses for the commercial cultivation processing, handling and brokering of industrial hemp in Nebraska," said NDA Director Steve Wellman. According to the plan, officials will issue 270 licenses to hemp growers, 30 to...
Ag producers interested in diversifying their farm operations may want to attend a meeting sponsored by Midwest Hemp Forum, scheduled for Feb. 21, at the Antelope County Fairgrounds in Neligh. The forum will begin at 11 a.m. and continue until 2 p.m. Lunch will be served. The event, co-sponsored by local entities including Neligh Economic Development, Blackburn Manufacturing, Farm Bureau Financial Services and Broberg Organics, will feature guest speakers and experts in growing hemp as a cash...
It's official. Thursday morning, the state committee for the reorganization of school districts approved dissolution of Clearwater, Ewing and Orchard Public School districts and the formation of the Summerland school district, effective June 6, during a 29-minute public hearing at the Nebraska Department of Education in Lincoln. The reorganization plan passed 4-0. Committee member Gerry Osborn was absent. Nebraska Unified School District #1 Superintendent Dale Martin told the committee... Full story
A recent New York Times article, "Farm Country Feeds America. But Just Try Buying Groceries There," by Jack Healy, nailed what happens when a community loses its grocery store. The article shares the story of Winchester, Illinois, whose only grocery store shuttered. After fundraising efforts, similar to a grassroots movement we experienced in Clearwater, a community-owned grocery store opened; however, members were unable to land a produce supplier. Now, the store sells produce and baked goods...
Four days after tabling a proposal to purchase land for a new sewage lagoon, the Clearwater Village Board of Trustees met in special session, Sept. 30, and approved an agreement to purchase 116 acres for $3,879.31 per acre from Midwest Personnel Management, Inc. Regina Krebs, of Clearwater, serves as president of the corporation selling the property. During a special meeting on Sept. 26, Village Chairman Steve Hankla said grant monies from the United States Department of Agriculture will be...
The atmosphere in the supervisors’ room at the Antelope County courthouse in Neligh became a bit explosive for a while last Thursday morning. A special Aug. 22 meeting of the county commissioners had been set, exclusively, for budget discussion. However, an item for setting the date of a special recall election was added to the agenda by Lisa Payne, county clerk. As the meeting began, Tom Borer, commission chairman, asked for a motion to remove the item from the agenda. Dean Smith complied, offering the motion. “I think we should wait for the c...
Agriculture is integral to Nebraska’s history. The Homestead Act of 1863 allowed U.S. citizens to earn ownership of lands in the west, including Nebraska, provided they improve and farm the land for five years. Four years after the Homestead Act, in 1867, Nebraska earned its statehood with help from these new farmers and ranchers. This dedication to agriculture never diminished, and to this day, one out of four jobs in Nebraska is related to agriculture. This is especially true for Nebraska’s Third District, which has once again been named the...
