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1. Saving Energy at Home
By Donna Donald, ISU Extension Family Life Specialist
Only yesterday we were looking for ways to slash home heating costs. Now summer heat finds us looking to save on air conditioning costs. Luckily many of the energy saving ideas work year round.
- Clean or replace filters once a month and clean registers.
- Keep window coverings on the south and west windows closed during the day to keep out heat. Install white or light colored shades, drapes, or blinds.
- Don’t place lamps or TV sets near air conditioner thermostats. The thermostat senses heat, and may cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary.
- Use ceiling fans or portable fans to help circulate cooled air instead of lowering the thermostat. Change the direction of ceiling fan blades. The blades should turn clockwise in the summer to push air down. Run the blades counter-clockwise in the winter.
- Run heat producing appliances during the cool evening hours.
- Avoid using the oven on hot days. Grill outside, cook in the microwave or serve cold meals.
- Wash full loads of dishes or clothes. Consider hanging clothes outside to dry. After you try the quick ideas to save energy. Consider these longterm changes to reduce energy use in your home.
- Plant shade trees or shrubs to shade air conditioning units but not block the airflow. Air conditioning units operating in the shade use 10% less energy.
- Plant deciduous trees on the south and west sides of the house to shade during the summer, but allow winter sun to warm the house.
- Consider installing a whole house fan that pulls cool air through the house and exhausts warm air from the attic. This works especially well at night when the air is cooler outside the house.
- Install a programmable thermostat that automatically turns the temperature up at night and lowers it during the day. You can save as much as 10% on your heating and cooling a year by turning the thermostat back 10-15% for 8 hours each day.
- Replace single pane windows with double pane energy efficient windows.
- Review the amount of insulation in your attic, walls and around the foundation of your home. Add insulation to save energy and improve the comfort level of your home.
- Request an energy audit from your local utility. Many provide the service at no cost. Then implement their suggestions.
Check out the U.S. Department of Energy web site. It contains a wealth of information to improve energy efficiency.
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2. Wind Energy Production: Legal Issues and Related Concerns for Landowners
By Roger A. McEowen, Professor of Agricultural Law, Iowa State University
Farmers have long used wind energy. Beginning in the 1800s, farmers installed several million windmills across the Midwest and Plains to pump water and generate power for lights and radios. Today, farmers, ranchers, and other rural landowners in suitable areas are utilizing wind energy in a different manner. By leasing out or granting easements over a portion of their land to wind energy developers for the installation of high-tech wind turbines, rural landowners can diversify their income and provide some stability to the variability of farm income.
However, wind farming presents numerous legal issues that landowners must consider carefully before entering into an agreement with a wind development company.
Continued...
http://www.calt.iastate.edu/pubs/WindEnergyProduction.pdf
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3. Conserving Water in the Home Garden
By Charles W. Marr, KSU Extension State Leader, Horticulture
Reducing home water use has become a major concern for many people today. Since outdoor water use often comprises more than half of the water consumed by the average household, it is an area where many significant improvements can be made. Careful planning, proper soil preparation, efficient watering, and use of mulches can all be combined to make the most of every available drop of water.
Learn more . . .
http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/hort2/mf2069.pdf
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4. Household Drinking Water Treatment
By Don Janssen, Extension Educator
Foul taste, smell, or color of your household water may prompt you to investigate water treatment equipment. The publicity about water pollution problems may cause you to question the safety of your water supply. Or mineral scale buildup may cause you to invest in early replacement of plumbing fixtures and water-using appliances.
Before you attempt a quick and possibly costly or ineffective remedy, take a first important step: have your water analyzed. A water analysis will help identify bacteria, minerals, or other pollutants that are present. Interpretation of the test results will help you determine whether the water needs to be treated and, if so, the type of treatment needed. The intended use of the water (whether for drinking, laundry, or all household uses) will also help determine the extent of treatment required.
Keep in mind that no single water treatment device treats all problems, and that all devices have limitations. Common water quality problems and suggested corrective procedures are described in the following NebGuides.
Do not assume that installation of water treatment equipment similar to that of your neighbors will be the answer to improving your household water quality. Different water supply sources, amounts and types of household uses, and many other variables affect the selection of the proper water treatment system.
An Introduction to Drinking Water, G1539
Drinking Water Treatment: An Overview, EC703
Drinking Water: Testing for Quality, G907
Drinking Water: Approved Water Testing Laboratories in Nebraska, G1614
Drinking Water: Hard Water, G1274
Drinking Water: Sulfates and Hydrogen Sulfide, G1275
Drinking Water: Bacteria, G1826
Drinking Water: Iron and Manganese, G1714
Drinking Water: Nitrate-Nitrogen, G1784
Find other water related publications on the University of Nebraska Water Management Publications Page.
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5. Horses & Pastures
By Dale Miller, County Extension Education Director, Marion County, IA
Trying to keep horses on a small acreage is not easy. Most acreage owners wonder how do you keep your pasture area from becoming a grassless, treeless, semi-barren exercise area? First, most people have far less acreage than they really need.
The USDA recommends a minimum of 1½ to 2 acres of pasture per horse in the Midwest. This is called the grazing capacity of the land or “stocking rate.” With the weather extremes we have seen, a few extra acres grazing capacity is usually needed to keep horses in plusher pastures.
So, what if you don’t have enough pasture acres? Here are some suggestions:
- Feed supplemental hay to meet your horse’s forage needs.
- Give horses short but frequent pasture turnouts of 1 hour at a time.
- Fertilizing and interseeding will likely be necessary to maintain your pasture.
- Mowing or clipping your pasture will help control weeds and stimulate growth
- Dragging or harrowing your pasture will distribute manure and reduce parasites. (Horses won’t graze where they leave manure, so part of your pasture will not be grazed)
- Create multiple paddocks (small grazing areas using electric fence) and rotate grazing.
- Rotate grazing time between paddocks. (Grass needs rest to recover and regrow)
Check your pastures closely. If you see more soil than grass, you need help!
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6. Round Bales vs. Square Bales
Source: University of Maine Cooperative Extension
If you usually feed square bales, you may find that this year the conversion to round bales may be necessary. But how many square bales are equivalent to a round bale?
The answer is it depends. It depends on how large the round bales are, how large your square bales were and how the round bales are stored. Round bales stored out doors can have losses varying from 11% to 44% due to weathering.
Each animal unit (1,000-body weight) that you overwinter will need about 600 pounds of hay a month depending on production level. But when trying to feed one 4' diameter round bale each month to one cow can be difficult since the animals will tend to waste a lot of hay. There are special hay saws that can be used to cut up the round bales into smaller chunks, so they can fit
into hay mangers.
The most efficient use of the round bale is when feeding groups of animals that can utilize a
round bale feeder. It can be a challenge trying to move these large bales into the paddock where animals will have access to it without a tractor. One 4' round bale might be expected to feed six 1,000-pound cows for four days depending on weathering losses.
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Number of Square Bales Equivalent to
One Round Bale |
| Size of Round Bale |
40 pound bale |
50 pound bale |
60 pound bale |
| 4' Diameter 600 pounds) |
15 |
12 |
10 |
| 5' Diameter 1000 pounds) |
25 |
20 |
16-2/3 |
| 6' Diameter (1400 pounds) |
35 |
28 |
23-1/3 |
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7. Fall Prairie Seeding Site Preparation
By Steve Lekwa, Conservation Director, Story County, IA
Fall is a wonderful time to plant a new prairie. It's less hurried since seeding can occur right up to freezing. Forbs, flowering prairie plants, do particularly well when seeded in the fall after soil temperatures are cool enough to prevent germination, usually after mid October. Site preparation needs to begin in late summer in order to be ready in time.
The goal in any prairie seeding is to start with a firm, weed-free seedbed. Soybean stubble is a nearly perfect seedbed with little additional work. A light disking or dragging may be desirable if the rows are too rough. Corn stubble is more difficult to prepare, and has a higher probability of damaging chemical carry over.
Conversion of turf grass to prairie requires suppression of the perennial cool season turf prior to seeding prairie. This can be accomplished with a chemical like Roundup applied at labeled rates, and/or by conventional tillage.
Direct seeding into dead sod is possible if a no-till planter is available. If not, the sod must be broken up sufficiently to form the desired firm seed bed. It will likely take multiple passes with conventional farm equipment (plow, disk, drag), but a large rototiller can break it up faster.
Rototilled soil tends to be too fluffy for good prairie seeding, so a firming pass or two with a roller may be needed before and after seeding.
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8. Nebraska Department of Agriculture Adds Phragmites as Noxious Weed
In April, Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) Director Greg Ibach announced the statewide designation of non-native Phragmites australis, common reed, as a noxious weed. The statewide designation, which took effect immediately, is an expansion of a temporary designation issued last year for Phragmites within the Republican River basin.
Ibach said the statewide designation is necessary to help county weed control officials work with landowners to address areas of high infestation and to prevent further spread of this invasive species. Phragmites is primarily found along Nebraska's rivers, streams, floodplains, and lakeshores.
"In order to be good stewards of the land, we need to protect our natural resources from non-native plants that have no value and that will, absent control measures, continue to invade our river systems," Ibach said. "The designation is an important tool for weed control officials who are working on projects to control Phragmites."
Ibach has the authority to issue temporary designations under the Noxious Weed Control Act. The temporary designation will expire in February 2009, and Ibach said he anticipates moving ahead with the formal process to add Phragmites to the permanent noxious weed list before that time.
According to Mitch Coffin, NDA Noxious Weed Program Manager, Phragmites can quickly form a monoculture and displace native riparian plants, grasses and forbs. Once Phragmites matures, it sends out rhizomes searching for water; these rhizomes can stretch as much as 30 feet in search of water. Phragmites can grow to 20 feet tall.
Other officially designated noxious weeds in Nebraska include saltcedar, Canada thistle, leafy spurge, musk thistle, plumeless thistle, purple loosestrife, and spotted and diffuse knapweeds.
Those with questions about the Phragmites designation are encouraged to contact their county weed control superintendent. Questions also may be directed to Mitch Coffin at (402) 471-6844. More information about the noxious weed program and projects funded through the Riparian Vegetation Management Grant program can be found at http://www.agr.ne.gov/index.htm.
Common Reed- Phagmites australis, http://www.agr.ne.gov/division/bpi/nwp/phragmites.pdf
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9. Woodchuck Biology & Control
By Stephen Vantassel, Project Coordinator, CWCP, ACP
Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management
The woodchuck (Marmota monax) is becoming more abundant in the eastern third of Nebraska. Often called a groundhog or whistle-pig, the woodchuck can be found in open pastures, woodlots, cultivated and fallow fields, and along railroad embankments, ditch banks, roadsides, fencerows and levees.
Woodchucks are known for building extensive underground burrow systems. This activity often provides refuge for other game and furbearing animals, such as rabbits, raccoons, skunks and foxes.
However, when woodchucks move from abandoned pastures and woodlots into cropland, gardens and orchards, the burrowing activity and feeding behavior can damage crops, interfere with farm operations and cause damage to equipment as well as pose hazards to livestock.
Learn more about the biology and control of these mammals in the following articles.
Woodchuck
http://www.icwdm.org/wildlife/woodchuck/default.asp
Woodchucks and their Control
http://www.icwdm.org/handbook/rodents/Woodchucks.asp
A Nebraska Guide to Finding Assistance
http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/sendIt/g1828.pdf
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10. Harvesting Vegetables
By Don Janssen, Extension Educator
Knowing when to harvest your vegetables is as important as knowing how to grow them. Each vegetable has a window of opportunity for harvest. While some vegetables are quite forgiving in having a long harvest window, others can go from tender and tasty to tough and bitter overnight.
Counting days to maturity cannot always be relied upon as growth depends on many factors, including precipitation, temperature, and soil fertility, and so can vary from year to year. The best way to determine when a vegetable is ready to harvest is from the characteristics of the plant itself. These signs can often be subtle and it takes practice to familiarize yourself with them.
It should also be noted that harvest for many vegetables is determined by the freezing temperatures of autumn. Some vegetables need to be harvested before any frost occurs, while others need freezing temperatures to complete their ripening.
For more information on harvesting vegetables go to:
Storing Fresh Fruits and Vegetables,
http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/sendIt/g1264.pdf
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11. Pine Wilt Disease --It’s Still Here
By Don Janssen, Extension Educator
Sudden death of Scotch pines (Scots pine) or some other pines may be Pine Wilt Disease caused by the pinewood nematode. Other pine species occasionally killed by pine wilt include Austrian (Pinus nigra), jack (P. banksiana), mugo (P. mugo), and red (P. resinosa) pines, and rarely in white pine (P. strobus).
Pine wilt is caused by a microscopic, worm-like organism called the pinewood nematode. These nematodes live in pines and are carried from tree to tree by insects called pine sawyer beetles. Once inside the tree, the nematode disrupts the flow of sap, causing the tree to turn brown and die.
The symptoms on the trees are minimal but dramatic. The most noticeable symptom appears in mid to late summer when the greatest need for moisture is required. In a matter of four to six weeks the tree becomes a dull green, to yellow, and finally brown.
Another symptom is the reduction of resin production. When branches from a healthy tree are cut, a thick, sticky resin is produced at the site of the wound. On a diseased tree, resin may be absent, so branches and twigs will become dry and break easily.
The pine sawyer beetles are wood borers. They emerge in May or June from infested and non-infested pine trees, and fly to new host trees, where they feed on the bark of young pine shoots. As the nematode carrying beetles feed and deposit eggs within the tree, the nematodes are transferred to the healthy tree and move to the water-conducting tissue of the pine. Their populations increase rapidly, and block the resin canals.
To control the spread of the disease, you must remove dead trees and burn, chip or bury the wood before the beetles emerge. Remove diseased and dead evergreens as soon as possible to reduce breeding sites for the insects that transmit the pine wood nematode. The key here is to stop the reproduction of nematodes and beetles.
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12.
Toxic Algae Volunteer Monitoring Program
By Tadd Barrow, Extension Educator, Lake Water Quality
With the frequent rain events of May and June providing "fresh" water and increasing flushing rates in ponds and lakes, reports of toxic algae and associated statewide health alerts on lakes have been relatively low. However, with the cycle of rain events slowing to a more normalized condition, water quality specialists have experienced an increase in the number of lake and pond concerns in regards to "green water".
Forty-seven Nebraska public waters are tested weekly for blue-green algae levels and the results are posted on the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality web site, click on "Environmental Alerts".
For private waters, UNL has a volunteer monitoring program. A lake sample collection kit, along with instructions and information on sample collection, enables private pond/lake owners to test for toxic algae. The sample is then shipped to the UNL Lake Water Quality lab and examined for the presence of toxic algae. Clients are also provided with valuable nutrient data that can be used to estimate the potential frequency of algae blooms. The test provides valuable information as lake owners establish baseline conditions of their water body from which they can compare with any future tests.
To obtain a private lake testing kit, contact:
Tadd Barrow
(402) 472-7783
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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13. Arboretum and Botanical Garden Tours Scheduled for Eastern Nebraska, Continues August 23
Mark your calendars for the following tours of Nebraska arboretums and botanical gardens scheduled for 2008. The free tours will offer a chance for tree lovers, garden enthusiasts and green industry professionals to see and learn more about many great plants and many great gardens the state has to offer.
The tours will emphasize rare and impressive trees, but will also be a great opportunity to see many other beautiful garden plants and the wide variety of birds, butterflies and insects that visit them. The tours are coordinated and sponsored by the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum in partnership with local affiliated sites.
More information will be available on the NSA web site, or by contacting NSA at (402) 472-2971 or jevertson1@unl.edu. Watch for additional tour locations to be added later.
- Saturday, August 23, 8:30am to 11:00am: NSA Display Gardens and Maxwell Arboretum, UNL East Campus, Lincoln. Plants will be for sale from the NSA green house during the event.
- Thursday, Sept 18, 9:00am to Noon: Lincoln Regional Center Arboretum. A brief NSA curators meeting will be held after the tour.
- Thursday, Oct 23, 3:00pm to 5:30pm: Blair Fall Color Tour including Steyer Park and Black Elk Park.
- Saturday, Oct 25, TBA: UNL City Campus fall color tour and Husker tailgate party prior to game with Baylor.
- Thursday, Nov 6, 3:00pm to dusk: Nebraska City Fall Color Tour including Arbor Lodge State Park, Nebraska City High School and NADF Arbor Day Farm.
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14. From Recipe to Reality Seminar, August 8
The Food Processing Center is offering a one-day seminar for all individuals interested in exploring the idea of starting a food manufacturing business. Pre-registration is required and space is limited.
Program dates for 2008:
October 27 - Lincoln, NE
Contact Jill Gifford at (402) 472-2819 or jgifford1@unl.edu for an information packet. For more information, visit the UNL Food Processing's Food Entrepreneur web site.
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15. Oaks for the Plains- Bur Oak Symposium, September 8-9
This event will take place on September 8 & 9 at the McCook Community College campus in McCook, NE. Mr. Guy Sternberg, renowned oak expert, is included in the list of speakers. Please visit www.buroakcanyon.com for additional details about this symposium.
Sponsors include the Nebraska Forest Service, Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, Mid-Plains Community College, Southwest Nebraska RC&D, Nebraska Arborists Association and corporate sponsor Morgan Mud. NAA and ISA CEU’s will be offered.
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16. Daughter/Mother Camp, October 10-11
A retreat designed for sixth-grade girls and their mothers (or grandmothers or other adult females), “Strengthening Family Treasures: Daughter/Mother Camp,” will be presented Friday, Oct. 10, 5 p.m., to Saturday, Oct. 11, 5 p.m., at the Eastern Nebraska 4-H Center near Gretna.
This camp is two days and one night of fun, educational and confidence building activities. It is an opportunity for mothers with middle school daughters to enhance effective communication, learn more about body image and sexuality, explore techniques to handle peer pressure and discuss the importance of individual family values.
Registration is $125 per pair. Cost includes meals, snacks, lodging and program materials.
A survey of participants at earlier camps indicated 100% of the daughters and mothers gained a better understanding of differing personalities and 90% better understand the types of pressures teenagers experience. Mothers said they were thankful that presenters were not afraid to talk about uncomfortable topics and also indicated they plan to set aside more time to talk to their daughters about “what-if scenarios.”
A past participant said, “I really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere, the outdoors and private time with my daughter. The games and activities helped me see more of my daughter’s view. All was enlightening and jam packed. Lots of quality information in two days!”
Additional information and registration form is available on-line
Or call Maureen Burson, (402) 441-7180
Mary Nelson, (402) 444-7804
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