Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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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...
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...
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...
Nebraska is a land of pioneers. Our state was settled by hardy homesteaders who ventured across windswept prairies in search of opportunity. While we often celebrate the grit and determination of these early Nebraskans, they deserve equal credit for their ingenuity. Their inventiveness helped transform the Great Plains into some of the most productive agricultural land in the world. This spirit of innovation remains a driving force behind our state's global leadership in agriculture. Nebraskans...
For two years, processors and producers across rural Nebraska have fought hard to get a program to improve and expand Nebraska's meat processing capabilities approved and established. Their work, along with that of the Nebraska Legislature and staff at Nebraska Department of Agriculture, has paid off as grant applications for the Independent Processor Assistance Program are now being accepted. This development is not only good news to processors who've spent the last two years doing everything...
With the passage of the bipartisan infrastructure law last November—a $1.3 trillion investment in our nation’s infrastructure—major funding is now available to rural communities. These funds can be used to rebuild roads and bridges, invest in high-speed internet access and clean drinking water, and upgrade electric power infrastructure. However, just because these funds are available does not necessarily mean they are accessible. Rural communities often find it difficult to navigate fundi...
More than 200 high school juniors and seniors, sharing an interest in agriculture, will gather in Lincoln this July to develop leadership skills, explore career opportunities and learn more about the state’s number one industry. Lizett Marino, of Orchard, and Madison Melcher and Tucker Stagemeyer, of Page, have been selected as participants. In its 51st year, the Nebraska Agricultural Youth Institute is the longest-running program of its kind in the nation. Sponsored in part by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, NAYI will be held July 1...
While traveling the Third District in recent weeks, I have been encouraged by the expertise and creativity our communities possess and sobered by the challenges we face. We have much to be thankful for, but there is also no shortage to the adversity we must overcome. After closely monitoring the recent severe wildfires across southern Nebraska, I joined Governor Ricketts, Nebraska National Guard Adjutant General Daryl Bohac and other local officials earlier this week to survey the devastation...
Since its inception in 1972, Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts have been planting conservation trees and shrubs for windbreaks, erosion control, wildlife habitat and other conservation purposes. This spring, the NRD Conservation Tree Program plants its 100 millionth tree – that’s approximately 50 trees for each Nebraskan. “Nebraska has a proud history of planting trees, and putting the 100 millionth tree in the ground reflects Nebraskans’ willingness to invest in the future,” said Dr. Orval Gigstad, Nebraska Association of Resources D...
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture announced Friday, an order cancelling all poultry events across Nebraska, due to highly pathogenic avian influenza. The order prohibits birds of any type at events including, but not limited to, fairs, expositions, swap meets, exotic sales and live bird auctions. The order is effective immediately and will be in effect until May 1, at which time the order will be reevaluated. “The decision to cancel poultry events was not taken lightly but is a necessary s...
Editor’s note: In last week’s edition of SAM, the jump for this story was not included. We are running the article in its entirety and regret the error. After hearing public comment on a proposed moratorium, March 7, Holt County Planning and Zoning Commission members voted 6-2 to recommend an 18-month moratorium on all industrial pipeline, wind and solar power development to Holt County Supervisors. Commission member Mary Kaczor told an audience of more than 35 individuals, that the cou...
A decision on a perpetual easement for the Graham Crowe Ranch, LLC, in northeastern Holt County, will be revisited at 10:30 a.m., during a March 16 meeting of the Holt County supervisors. Supervisor Don Butterfield, of Atkinson, made a motion to table a decision, Feb. 28, following a public hearing which lasted more than 90 minutes. "I need to have a little time to mull this over," Butterfield said. Chairman Bill Tielke said it's unfair to make a quick decision. "Don, I'll agree with you. This...
The Nebraska Department of Agriculture is urging poultry owners to monitor flocks for signs of the avian influenza. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed HPAI in commercial and/or backyard flocks in Iowa, Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New York and Virginia. As of Friday, the virus has not been found in Nebraska. “While we have not seen HPAI in Nebraska since 2015, protecting the health of pountry in the state is a top priority,” said state veterinarian Dr. Roger Dudley. The virus can cause sudden death in birds,...
After hearing public comment on a proposed moratorium Monday evening, Holt County planning and zoning commission members voted 6-2 to recommend an 18-month moratorium on all industrial pipeline, wind and solar power development to Holt County Supervisors. Commission member Mary Kaczor told an audience of more than 35 individuals, that the county’s current comprehensive plan was written in 1980. “It’s totally out of date,” she said. The commission has hired Marvin Planning Associates, of David Ci...
After a three-month break, the Legislature convened Wednesday, Jan. 5, to begin the 107th legislative session, second session. Senators were called into special session in September to complete the redistricting process, based on new census data. Legislative District #40 no longer contains Boyd or Rock counties. Rock and Boyd counties are now part of Legislative District #43, represented by Sen. Tom Brewer. Legislative District #40 also lost the southern portion of Dixon County, which will be...
A large number of America's military veterans have returned home to civilian careers and often want to continue the service mission they committed to in the armed forces. Many veterans from rural areas have found that mission through farming and ranching. These farmer-veterans provide food, protect natural resources, and contribute to the vitality of their local communities while running their own businesses. With the average age of a U.S. farmer at nearly 60 years, and millions of acres...
Farmers and ranchers struggle to recover financially from recent panhandle wildfires that damaged their crops and infrastructure along with forcing a relocation of cows and calves. Two wildfires burned more than 8,200 acres of pasture and cropland in Scottsbluff and Gering. The Panhandle of Nebraska is an open, dryland where fires easily start in canyons from wind and brush. More than 11,000 acres burned from wildfires this past year due to severe drought and heavy winds that caused brush to ignite. Wildfires often result in financial peril...
Small business development is important in rural areas of our nation, where access to employment opportunities are limited and where jobs pay less. Microbusinesses (businesses with 10 or fewer employees) provide all or most of the income for many rural households. In our home state of Nebraska, self-employment provides up to 90% of all jobs in most rural counties. For others, it is part of a patching strategy to make ends meet. However, access to capital is a challenge for many rural business...
