Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Sorted by date Results 80 - 104 of 178
The year 2023 marks a milestone at Northeast Community College. On Fri., May 12, the college will hold its 50th commencement ceremony to celebrate the success of its graduates. Three commencement ceremonies will be held in the Cox Activities Center on the Norfolk campus at 9 a.m., 12 p.m., and 3 p.m. At 9 a.m., nursing graduates will receive their nurse pins and participate in commencement. The ceremony at 12 p.m., will award credentials to graduates in applied technology and health and public...
Concerns about sewer rates and the cost of the Clearwater lagoon project were expressed during the April 10 village meeting held at the Clearwater fire hall. Trustees tabled the purchase of geographic information system equipment to use for locating water and sewer lines. According to former village trustee Jay Snider, the hand-held equipment, currently requested by village maintenance man Troy Behnke, was to have been included in grant funding the village received. “It was part of when we l...
Antelope and Holt counties are two of the 55 Nebraska counties designated as primary natural disaster areas, due to a recent drought. United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack notified Gov. Jim Pillen of the designation, March 31. Based on the U.S. Drought Monitor data, counties included in the designation either suffered from a drought intensity value during the growing season for eight or more consecutive weeks or fell into extreme or exceptional drought categories....
As you plan your Easter gatherings, don't forget to include everyone's favorite holiday dish: the ham centerpiece. According to the National Pork Board, around 70% of Americans serve ham for Easter each year. But there is much more to know about it than "half or whole?" or "bone-in or boneless?" Here are answers to some frequently asked questions: Do I need a whole or a half ham? And how much ham will I need? A whole ham typically weighs more than 10 pounds. That's a large chunk to deal with in...
Nebraska USDA Farm Service Agency, along with several partners in conservation, will be conducting informational meetings for agricultural producers and private landowners interested in the Conservation Reserve Program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture opened a CRP General signup in February and it runs through April 7. CRP is a cornerstone voluntary conservation program offered by USDA. General CRP helps producers and landowners establish long-term, resource-conserving plan species, such as approved grasses or trees, to control soil...
This week saw the Legislature resume floor debate and consider several gubernatorial appointments and reappointments. The following people were confirmed this week: Jim Macy as director of the department of environment and energy, John Bolduc as the superintendent of the state patrol, John Hilgert as director of the department of veterans affairs, Jason Jackson as director of the department of administrative services and Sherry Vinton as director of the department of agriculture. Additionally, I...
A survey of participants in the Midwest shows the Conservation Stewardship Program is making strides in providing financial and technical assistance for producers to maintain agricultural production on their land and simultaneously address resource concerns with conservation practices. Results of the survey, conducted in spring 2022, are part of a new report, recently released by the Center for Rural Affairs. “Producing a Sustainable Future: Producers’ Feedback on the Nation’s Leading Conservation Program,” authored by Kelsey Willardson, policy...
From the food they eat, to the clothes they wear, agriculture impacts everyone. To highlight and celebrate agriculture’s many contributions, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture is sponsoring a student poster contest. NDA’s annual poster contest is in its 20th year and is open to all Nebraska students in first through sixth grades. This year’s theme is “Celebrating Nebraska Agriculture.” “NDA’s poster contest highlights Nebraska’s number one industry and reminds all Nebraskans that agriculture is a big part of all of our lives,” said NDA dire...
From the food they eat, to the clothes they wear, agriculture impacts everyone. To highlight and celebrate agriculture’s many contributions, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture is sponsoring a student poster contest. NDA’s annual poster contest is in its 20th year and is open to all Nebraska students in first through sixth grades. This year’s theme is “Celebrating Nebraska Agriculture.” “NDA’s poster contest highlights Nebraska’s number one industry and reminds all Nebraskans that agriculture is a big part of all of our lives,” said NDA dire...
As Justin Taubenheim combined soybeans in a Buffalo County field on an October afternoon, he thought about why he does it. "I'm not farming to get rich,” he said. “I'm farming to maintain a legacy, a way of life. Faith, family and farming, in that order. The farm is kinda like the icing on the cake." Taubenheim, 31, sports fewer gray hairs than your normal Nebraska farmer. The average age of a principal Nebraska farm or ranch operator: 56.4 years old, according to census figures. The rising worry: There won’t be a next generation to carry...
Under the warm lights of the Casa Bovina dining room, a round of Certified Piedmontese rib cap glows red, like a rare jewel. A selection of house-cured charcuterie made from Nebraska-raised Mangalitsa pork is served artfully arranged on a slab of reclaimed wood. Beef Wellington - a dish chef Zach Midgett, who came to Lincoln from Napa Valley's famed French Laundry, says he's still perfecting - arrives beautifully plated, with a piece of fork-tender Piedmontese meat at its center, surrounded by...
I know I've mentioned this in previous columns, but popcorn is one of my favorite snack foods. I bet it's one of yours as well. And our love of popcorn is just one of the reasons there is a lot to celebrate in the New Year including National Popcorn Day (Jan. 19) and the Chinese New Year (Jan, 22). It's hard to believe a snack food that tastes so good can actually be good for you, but it's true. Popcorn is a whole grain that is 100% unprocessed with no additional additives, hidden ingredients... Full story
U.S. Department of Agriculture Nebraska Farm Service Agency Executive Director John Berge is reminding the state's producers who suffered livestock losses due to the recent adverse weather, they may be eligible for the Livestock Indemnity Program. "The Livestock Indemnity Program provides producers with a safety net to help them with the financial impact of livestock losses due to extreme or abnormal weather," said Berge. "December has been marked by blizzards and extreme cold and high winds,...
Pretend for a moment that Nebraska somehow halted all use of nitrogen fertilizer – not a single speck more on our lawns, golf courses and corn fields. What would happen? Nothing fast. That's because, experts say, generations of corn growing, feedlot runoff and oft-unwitting nitrogen overuse has left a legacy of nitrate, creeping slowly downward toward our water supply. "It's there, it's moving towards the groundwater, and there's not a thing we can do about it," said Don Batie, a farmer near L...
A study released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates between 2018 and 2020, close to 120,000 households in Nebraska faced food insecurity, which the agency defines as a lack of consistent access to enough food for every person in a household to live an active and healthy life. Leaders in some states, including Nebraska, have taken note. In 2021, the Nebraska Legislature expanded the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to hundreds of additional families by increasing the gross...
This week, Governor Pete Ricketts is leading a trade mission to Japan to promote Nebraska's quality ag products and to pitch Nebraska as a top destination for international investment. The governor and trade delegation will meet with government officials, promote Nebraska beef, pork, ethanol and other ag products and encourage Japanese businesses to invest in Nebraska. Delegates on the mission include representatives from ag businesses, state commodity organizations, Nebraska Farm Bureau, the De...
ausing to reflect on the heroic service of the servicemembers in our nation’s history is an important American tradition. Extending recognition for the immeasurable impact our veterans have made through selfless devotion and love for the United States is why we pause each Veterans Day. We can never fully repay those who have put their lives on the line for freedom in America and around the world, but we can work to ensure those who have served and sacrificed have access to the care and b...
Transitioning from military to civilian life can be challenging for veterans. As they contemplate what's next on their career path, the answer may lie in a rural community. Returning veterans are a perfect fit for the next generation of rural small business owners, farmers or ranchers. Some, however, face challenges, including difficulty accessing capital and acquiring training. But with the help of programs offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, veterans can access financial and educati...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture launched a new online tool to help farmers and ranchers better navigate the farm loan application process. This uniform application process will help to ensure all farm loan applicants receive equal support and have a consistent customer experience with USDA's Farm Service Agency, regardless of their individual circumstances. "USDA recognizes more must be done to ensure all customers have equal access to our programs and services," said FSA Administrator Zach...
Given this year’s spike in corn and soybean prices, commodity crop producers may be tempted to break ground on land not previously used for cash crop production. Before doing so, however, producers need to make sure they are following conservation compliance regulations to ensure important federal benefits are not at risk. The 1985 farm bill set forth provisions to protect highly erodible lands. Commonly referred to as sodbuster provisions, these rules require producers to have an HEL d...
The Nebraska Rural Response Hotline, together with the Nebraska Department of Agriculture Beginning Farm Tax Credit and Negotiations Program, the Farm & Ranch Project of Legal Aid of Nebraska and the Nebraska Farmers Union Foundaiton are sponsoring a free three- to four-hour workshop for farm and ranch families. The workshop will cover basic estate planning, the use of business entities in farm- and ranch-succession financial and management issues in succession planning and transfer and death taxes, including recent changes for the Nebraska...
The deadline for Nebraska producers to submit initial paperwork for the Conservation Stewardship Program and Environmental Quality Incentives Program is Nov. 18. CSP and EQIP are working lands programs that allow farmers and ranchers to address natural resource priorities while maintaining agricultural production. They are administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and provide financial and technical assistance for producers interested in implementing conservation practices. “In contrast to a o...
As producers work to harvest their cash crops this fall, some will also be turning their attention to another. Cover crops, which can be a grass, legume, or brassica, are seeded for both on-farm and natural resources benefits. Those benefits include reduced soil erosion, improved soil health, improved weed control and nutrient availability for the next cash crop, water quality protection, and improved bottom line for the operation. Seeding of cover crops is done in multiple ways, depending on...
As the demand for local foods grows, small- and mid-sized meat and poultry processors are looking to make investments to expand their capacity, create new markets for their product and train the next generation of workers. These efforts, which come as many in the industry work to regain their footing after a tumultuous two years, are not going unnoticed and continue to receive support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service. Through its Meat and Poultry I...
Fifty years ago, women’s volleyball wasn’t even a varsity sport at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Fast forward a half century and Nebraska volleyball is must-see entertainment. Matches at the Devaney Center are standing room only. The Huskers again led the nation in home attendance last year with crowds averaging over 8,200 per match. And their national championship match against Wisconsin in December broke collegiate volleyball records for both in-person attendance (18,755) and TV vie...
