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1. Spend Wisely On Pets During Tough Times
By Lisa Karr-Lilienthal, Ph.D., UNL Companion Animal Specialist
On average, dog owners spend $1,000-$2,000 per year on their pet while cat owners spend $750-$1,000 per year on theirs. These costs include food, veterinary visits, vaccinations, toys, supplies, dog boarding or training. To save some dough, spend money wisely on pets.
Check the price point for pet foods. It’s beneficial to buy food in the middle expense bracket rather than a higher-end price. However, remember that more expensive food is often more economical than the cheapest food because animals eat less of it to get their nutrients. Allowing pet food owners to purchase less food and has the bonus of resulting in less stool to clean up.
Other costs that can be cut include the number of treats bought. Dogs could use more exercise, so instead of treats, take them to a dog park as a reward. Owners can also use kibbles of the dog’s food as a treat rather than purchasing special treats. Feeding the right amount to animals is important because lots of dogs are overweight. Watching the amount fed to them could decrease their obesity risk, improve their health and save money.
Preventative care can be an important cost saver. It’s important to have animals spayed and neutered. Having a litter will well exceed those costs. It also decreases the risk of other expensive health concerns like mammary cancer or testicular diseases and decreases behavioral problems like aggression and roaming. Getting vaccinations for a pet will also save money if a dog or cat gets sick and has to go the veterinarian for an illness that could’ve been prevented. Potentially hundreds of dollars could be saved. Preventing flea and tick problems with a flea and tick preventative available through your veterinary office is reasonably priced compared with having a flea infestation as well.
If an owner can no longer afford a pet, they should find it a new home or someone that will take it. An animal shelter or the Humane Society is an excellent option as well. Don’t release a pet to survive on its own, because often they don’t survive because they lack outdoor survival skills.
Depending on the animal shelter, pet owners may have to pay a relinquishment fee, which goes toward taking care of an animal. For non-profit shelters, those fees and adoption fees pay for food and medical care. Providing the health records of an animal to shelters helps them keep track of what they need to take care of the animal and may increase its changes of being adopted.
Due to the economic downturn, animal shelters could become overburdened this year. About half of the animals given to them have to be euthanized and that number may go up. Pet owners need to be responsible to make sure pets live a happy life.
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2. Starting Spring Chicks
By Sheila Scheideler, UNL Poultry Specialist
This time of year, many households are brooding a new batch of chicks. It is very important to get these chicks off to a good start before they are introduced to the “old flock” environment. If you already have a mature flock of chickens, it is best to start the new hatch in a separate barn area that can be sanitized and clean without contact with the older flock for at least one month. Once that new brood has a good start, they can be introduced to the older flock environment. It takes time for the young flock to build immunity to diseases and challenges that the older flock has already built their resistance to. The following management tips are suggested to help you start a healthy crop of chicks for 2009.
- Provide a clean, sanitized, dry and warm environment for the new batch of chicks that is preferably in a separate space from your mature flock of chickens. Provide a brooding space that can be properly heated but still allow adequate space for movement of the little chicks around feeders and waterers.
- Provide adequate fresh bedding for the new flock of chicks. This may be a 3-4 inch base of fresh wood shavings or a 2-3 inch base of wheat straw. It is important to stir wet spots from drinker spills or manure buildup to avoid excessive moisture in the brooding area. Replacement of wet litter will need to be attended to by about 3-4 weeks of age.
- Provide a light source for a minimum of 12 hrs per day. It is hard to get adequate feed intake and growth without supplemental light.
- Provide fresh and clean water and feed daily. When using bell type drinkers, place the drinker above the litter on a board to keep the chicks from kicking litter into the drinker. If litter is kicked into the drinker, wash it out and re-fill with clean water. Keep feed pans clean of manure and litter on a daily basis too.
- Move the feeders and waterers around the pen regularly to avoid a build-up of manure and moisture. Aerate the litter with a rake or stick when you move equipment to help keep the litter in good condition.
- At about 3-4 wks of age, provide more space for your chicks. At this time they are growing very fast and they will need less heat but more space to exercise and MOVE! At this time, it may be safe to introduce the chicks to a separate pen in a mature flock space. But keep the chickens separated until about 8-10 wks of age.
- Once your new chicks are about 8-10 wks of age, introduce them to their adult environment. If you plan to have layers, introduce them to their nest boxes at this early age for acclimation to potential laying sites.
- Fresh air/ventilation of your brooding and adult facilities is important to the long term health of your flock. One of the most common health issues in poultry is respiratory disease. Adult farm flocks need constant fresh air to avoid a buildup of noxious ammonia gases and dust. An open inlet and fan in an enclosed pen/barn will help facilitate a good air environment.
- Clean your adult pen approximately once a month of wet spots. Wet litter breeds bacteria and disease along with ammonia fumes. Good litter management is important to both your bird’s health and your comfort while working in the chicken coop.
Raising poultry is a great family adventure. Young children learn how to care for an animal and parents interact with their children in a learning and nurturing environment. The family eventually benefits from fresh eggs and/or meat. If raising poultry is also a 4-H project, many other benefits can be realized from this experience.
For more Poultry Management Tips, visit our UNL Animal Science Website – Poultry Extension.
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3. Black Spot of Roses
By Stephen N. Wegulo, Extension Plant Pathologist
The rose is the national flower of the United States. Roses are one of the most versatile ornamentals for landscaping, with cultivars adapted for any garden site and landscape purpose. They offer many positive attributes to a landscape, including flower color, form, texture, winter color and interest. Growing roses can be more challenging than growing other ornamentals because roses often require more intensive management. As with any group of plants, some cultivars are easy to care for and others are quite problematic. One of the greatest challenges to successfully growing garden roses is disease management.
Learn more . . .
Also visit, Reduce Defoliation From Rose Black Spot; Plant Tolerant Cultivars
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4. Reduce Defoliation From Rose Black Spot; Plant Tolerant Cultivars
By Gail Ruhn. Purdue University Senior Plant Disease Diagnostician
Black spot resistant hybrid tea roses:
Alec’s Red, Auguste Renoir, Bride’s Dream, Canadian White Star, Carla, Cary Grant, Cayenne, Charlotte Armstrong, Chrysler Imperial, Dainty Bess, Duet, Electron*, Elina, Elizabeth Taylor, First Prize, Forty Niner, Frederic Mistral, Granada, Great Scott, Helmut Schmidt*, Just Joey*, Keepsake*, Lady, Lady Rose, Lady X, Las Vegas*, Love and Peace, Marilyn Monroe, Marijke Koopman, Mikado, Mirandy, Miss All-American Beauty, Mister Lincoln, Nantucket, New Day*, Olympiad, Otto Miller, Pascale, Peggy Rockefeller, Peter Frankenfeld*, Peter Mayle, Pink Peace, Polarstern*, Portrait, Precious Platinum*, Princess of Monaco, Pristine, Proud Land, Sheer Bliss, Silver Jubilee*, Smooth Lady, Sunbright, Sutters Gold, Tansinnroh, The McCartney Rose, Tiffany, Uncle Joe, and Voodoo*.
Black spot resistant floribunda and grandiflora roses:
Angel Face, Betty Prior, Bill Warriner, Bonica*, Brass Band, Candelabra, Carousel, Cathedral, Charlotte Ann, City of London, Class Act, Escapade, Europeana*, Fashion, First Edition, First Kiss, French Lace, Gene Boerner, Goldilocks, Gruss an Aachen, Hot Cocoa, Iceberg*, Impatient*, Ivory Fashion, Koricole, Lavaglut, Livin’Easy, Love*, Matangi*, Montezuma, Nearly Wild, New Year*, Orangeade, Pink Parfait, Playboy*, Playgirl*, Pretty Lady, Prima Donna, Prominent, Queen Elizabeth, Razzle Dazzle, Red Gold*, Regensburg*, Rose, Parade, Sarabande*, Sexy Rexy*, Showbix*, Simplicity, Sonia, Sun Flare, Sunsprite, Tournament of Roses*, Trumpeter*, and Viva*.
Black spot resistant shrub roses:
Shrub roses are normally pretty resistant to black spot disease. There are many more black spot resistant cultivars than those listed here. Alba Meidiland, All That Jazz, Baby Love, Belinda’s Dream, Caldwell Pink, Carefree Beauty, Carefree Delight, Carefree Sunshine, Carefree Wonder, Distant Drums, Else Poulsen, George Vancouver, Harrison’s Yellow, Katy Road Pink, Knock Out, Mrs. R. M. Fincn, Prairie Harvest, Prairie Sunrise, Robusta, Sea Foam, Simon Fraser, Simplicity, Sir Thomas Lipton, The Fairy, Wanderin’ Wind, and Winter Sunset
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Black spot resistant climbing roses:
Dortmund*, Dublin Bay*, Eden, John Davis, New Dawn, Pinkie, Prosperity, Rambling Red, Red Climber, Royal Sunset*, and William Baffin.
Black spot resistant miniature roses:
Always a Lady, Angel Darling, Anytime, Apricot Twist, Baby Betsy McCall, Beauty Secret, Black Jade, Centerpiece, Cinderella, Cuddles, Deep Velvet, Green Ice, Gourmet Popcorn, Jennifer, Linville, Little Artist, Loving Touch, Magic Carrousel, Minnie Pearl, Old Glory, Pacesetter, Queen City, Rainbow’s End, Red Cascade, Red Flush, Rose Gilardi, Simplex, Singles Better, Sweet Pickins, Watercolor and Work of Art.
Black spot resistant Rugosa hybrid roses:
Rugosa roses are normally resistant to black spot disease. These and other cultivars should do well. Blanc double de Coubert, F. J. Grookendorst, Frau Dagmar Hartopp, Linda Campbell, Polyantha, Rugosa Alba, Rugosa Magnifica, Rugosa Rubra, Rosecraie de l’Hay, The Fairy, and Therese Bugnet.
*Also resistant to powdery mildew and rust diseases.
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5. Wildflowers for the Home Landscape
By Dale Lindgren, Extension Horticulturalist
Wildflowers and native plants can be a unique and interesting addition to the home landscape. The terms wildflower and native plant are often used synonymously; however, in many cases they are not the same. Wildflowers are described as flowering herbaceous plants (forbs) that grow with little or no human assistance. They can be native or introduced. Native plants in the Great Plains are generally described as those found growing in a defined area prior to the arrival of European settlers. Native plants may be grasses, forbs, shrubs or trees. Wildflowers and native plants also may be classified as annuals, biennials or perennials.
Wildflowers can be used as landscape plants, as fresh cut flowers, in dried floral arrangements, to attract butterflies and for planting in mini-meadows or prairies. They also may be used in low maintenance areas and in sites requiring drought tolerant plants. However, some native species may be less drought tolerant than non-native species.
Learn more . . .
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6. Hosta – The Acreage Perennial
By Don Janssen, UNL Extension Educator
Hosta, or plantain lily, is a mainstay of the shaded perennial garden. It thrives in shade, has few pest problems and is reliably hardy in cold climates. Gardeners looking for perennial solutions to shady spots are flocking to plant hostas. It doesn’t hurt the plant’s popularity that it offers a wide range of plant sizes and foliage colors, as well as delicate flowers.
Spring is the best time to plant hostas, though container-grown plants can be put into the garden about any time the ground isn’t frozen. Spring is best because it gives plants plenty of time to get will established before either summer’s heat or winter’s cold.
Though hostas will tolerate full shade, the best site for them is partially or lightly shaded. Some will tolerate full sun if they’re mulched heavily and watered regularly, but hostas grown in full sun usually will have bleached, dry foliage and look generally sickly. Hostas are ideal for flower beds on the north side of a building or fence or in other areas where they’ll receive bright, indirect light or light shade but no direct sun. They don’t do well under trees and shrubs that have extensive, shallow root systems, however.
A deep, organic soil with good drainage is ideal for hostas. Because hostas need a constant supply of moisture, summer mulching is recommended to conserve water and reduce weed competition.
Hostas grow in clumps of oval to blade-shaped leaves on individual stems. Foliage colors range from dark glossy green to blue to variegations with white and cream. Flowers are produced on upright stems above the foliage. Flowers range from white through lavender to blue, and some are highly fragrant. Some varieties start blooming in early summer; others in mid- to late summer through frost.
Hundreds of varieties offer a range of plant sizes. Small ones can be planted close together for a low-growing ground cover; large ones can be used in foundation plantings, as specimen plants or in perennial beds to provide a contrast to vertical plants such as delphinium or iris.
Hostas are easy-care perennials. Pest problems are few and may include slugs in wet years.
Hostas are propagated by dividing plants in early spring. Either dig up older plants and cut them into sections with a sharp knife, or use a sharp spade to remove offsets while leaving the mother plant in place. Make sure each division has at least two or three buds and plenty of roots and plant it with the buds just below soil level.
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7. Tree Placement on Home Grounds
By Christopher J. Starbuck, Department of Horticulture, University of Missouri
Trees properly selected and placed can add more in livability and value to the home than any other single landscape feature. They grow continually and are ever-changing. You will never tire of looking at them.
Trees around homes provide beauty, but their more practical function is to fulfill needs and solve problems in the home landscape.
Trees solve landscape problems by providing framing and background. Trees also improve the appearances of our homes. They can help to absorb noise, freshen the atmosphere, serve as windbreaks, provide privacy, protect, shade, shelter and divide grounds into several use areas.
Continued . . .
For more information, visit
Trees in the Home Landscape
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8. Fertilizing Landscape Trees and Shrubs
By Scott J. DeWald, District/Extension Forester
Most Nebraska soils are fertile enough to support tree and shrub growth without applying fertilizer. However, when woody plants exhibit poor growth or reduced vigor, yet have had adequate moisture and are not experiencing pest problems or other environmental limitations, the proper application of fertilizer may be necessary.
Learn more . . .
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9. Tomatoes in the Home Garden
By John Fech, UNL Extension Educator
Tomatoes are the most popular vegetable in the home garden. Tomatoes are available in a wide variety of colors, sizes, and shapes. While most tomatoes are red, there are also yellow, orange, and pink varieties. Sizes vary from the bite- size cherry tomatoes to the giant beefsteak varieties. Tomatoes may be round, oblate (fruit are flattened at the top and bottom), or pear-shaped.
Tomatoes also vary in growth habit. According to Richard Jauron, horticulturist with Iowa State University, tomato varieties are classified as determinate or indeterminate. Determinate tomatoes are small, compact plants. They grow to a certain height, stop, then flower and set all their fruit within a short period of time. The harvest period for determinate tomatoes is generally short, making them good choices for canning. Indeterminate tomatoes continue to grow, flower, and set fruit until killed by the first frost in the fall. Accordingly, the harvest from indeterminate varieties often extends over a 2 or 3 month period. Yields are generally heavier than determinate types, but are usually later to mature. Indeterminate tomatoes are tall, sprawling plants which often perform best when supported by stakes or a tall wire cage.
Transplant tomatoes into the garden after the danger of frost is past. In eastern Nebraska, May 10 is the suggested planting date. Gardeners in southeastern Nebraska can plant one week earlier, while those in northern areas should wait an extra week. The last practical date for planting tomatoes is approximately June 20.
When purchasing tomato plants at your local garden center, select stocky, dark green plants. Avoid plants with fruits. The fruits will stunt plant growth and reduce total yield. Harden or acclimate the plants to outdoor conditions before transplanting into the garden. Initially place the plants in a shady location, then gradually expose them to longer periods of sunlight. After several days of hardening, the tomatoes should be ready to be planted into the garden.
Plant tomatoes in full sun for best yields. If the plants are in peat pots, tear off the top edge or make sure the top edge is well below the soil surface once planted. If the top edge of the peat pot is exposed to the air, it will act like a wick and draw water from the soil around the plant. If the tomatoes are in plastic pots or cell-paks, carefully tap out the plants. Use a sharp knife to cut around plants growing in small flats.
Set plants into the soil up to their first true leaves. Pinch off the bottom leaves of tall, spindly transplants and lay them sideways in a trench. Carefully bend the stem upward so that the upper few inches of stem are above the soil surface. Roots will develop all along the buried stem.
Spacing of the plants depends on the growth habit of the variety and training system employed. Indeterminate varieties that are staked can be planted 1 1/2 to 2 feet apart in the row. Allow a 2- to 3-foot-spacing for indeterminate plants grown in wire cages, while tomatoes allowed to sprawl over the ground should be spaced 3 to 4 feet apart. Determinate, ground-grown tomatoes can be planted 1 1/2 to 2 feet apart. Rows should be spaced about 4 feet apart.
After transplanting, fertilize the tomato plants with a starter fertilizer solution. A starter fertilizer solution can be prepared by dissolving 1 or 2 tablespoons of a 5-10-5 or 6-10-4 in a gallon of water. Apply 1/2 pint of the starter solution to each plant.
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10. Spring Garden Pests
By Don Janssen, UNL Extension Educator
Insect pests aren’t as plentiful during the early growing season as they are in midsummer, but that doesn’t mean your garden crops are pest free. Slugs, cutworms, grubs, maggots and flea beetles are among the pests that can plague the early garden.
Slugs, those slimy, soft-bodied snails-without-shells, hide in cool, moist places during the day and come out on warm evenings to feed on plant leaves. Mulching around plants may increase slug problems by creating a handy hiding place. If you mulch and have a chronic slug problem it is recommended to mulch and water conservatively and place boards, cardboard or newspapers on the soil between the rows. The slugs will seek out these hiding places. During the day, lift the shelter materials and “harvest” slugs by scraping them into a container of soapy water. The old saucer of stale beer trick will also work, but board traps are easier.
Cutworms are plump, hairless caterpillars that emerge from the soil at night to feed on newly emerged seedlings and newly set transplants. Though they seem to have a special preference for pepper plants, they will attack most garden crops. They are called “cutworms” because they frequently snip plants off at or just below the soil surface.
An effective non-chemical control is cutworm collars, rings of light cardboard placed around small plants. The larger sized juice concentrate cans with the metal ends removed can be sliced crosswise to make two or three cutworm collars.
White grubs are plump, whitish and C-shaped beetle larvae. They attack plant roots, especially in areas recently converted to garden from lawn or fallow field. If tilling turns up large numbers of this pest, treating the soil with an insecticide or working it for a year before planting may be necessary to avoid extensive crop damage.
Cabbage-family crops, sweet corn and onions are all susceptible to damage by maggots. These are the larvae of several species of flies that lay their eggs on these crops. The larvae’s feeding on the roots kills the plant or damages the roots so severely that plant growth is stunted. Cabbage maggots attack all the cole crops, including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and radishes. Seed corn maggots attack the germinating seeds of sweet corn, cucumbers, melons and squash. Onion maggots feed on members of the onion family.
Flies are especially attracted to plants growing in soil with high quantities of manure and other organic matter.
Flea beetles are very small, usually black beetles that chew tiny round holes in the leaves of tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants and in new potato sprouts and snap bean, radish and turnip foliage. The larvae feed on plant roots. Feeding by large numbers of beetles gives leaves a shot-hole appearance and slows plant growth.
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11. Quick Facts About Wind Energy
By John Hay, UNL Extension Educator
http://bioenergy.unl.edu
Small wind energy refers to wind turbines under 100 kilowatt (Kw) in size. 101-999 kw are considered medium size. Large wind turbines are greater than 1000 kw in size. The wind turbines north of Lincoln are 660 Kw each. The new ones built at Bloomfield Nebraska are 3000 Kw (3 Megawatt (MW)) each and stand ~500 feet tall. (the state capitol is only 419 feet tall).
At home we measure electricity in kilowatt hours (kwh) a 100 watt light bulb running 10 hours would use 1000 watt hours or 1 kilowatt hour of electricity.
Buying a small wind turbine
- Assess your electricity consumption, cost, and your utility tariff
- Be more energy efficient reduce your consumption
- Estimate or measure wind resource
- Select turbine size (model) and tower height
- Investigate incentives & economics
- Get zoning approval
- Complete a utility interconnection agreement
- Obtain building & electrical permits
- Order turbine and tower
- Install the turbine
- Commission the turbine
- Perform periodic inspections & maintenance
Source: Tony Jimenez- National Renewable Energy Lab
Estimating How Much a Wind Turbine Produces Annually
- Wind turbine Size in Kw = X
- Number of hours in a year = 24*365=8760
- Annual Capacity Factor = 0.05-0.25 (0.25 is for very good sites with high towers, 0.15 would be closer to realistic for most sites, 0.05-0.01 is for pour sites, short towers with building and trees)
- (X * 8760)*CF = Estimated Kwh per year produced by the small wind turbine
For example
2.4 kw * 8760 * 0.15 = 3153 kwh per year
3153 kwh * (electricity rate per kwh) = $ amount of electricity produced per year
3153 * 0.08 = $252
So $252 dollars is the value of electricity produced. Remember this is assuming you can get retail rate for all electricity and does not include cost for maintenance.
Also consider if your goal is to produce your electricity renewably you may add some value to the electricity produced and your desire for a wind turbine will go beyond simple payback.
Alternate estimating method: Take your wind speed at turbine height and compare it to manufacturers energy chart to determine kwh per month.
Incentive and economics
This website has a list of federal and state incentives- Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency.
Incentives as of today in Nebraska
- 30% Federal income tax credit
- Net metering in selected utilities, (statewide net metering is being proposed)
- Low interest loans through the State Energy Office currently wind, solar will not qualify.
Examples of wind turbine equipment prices
- 1 kw Bergey turbine $2700 add 80Õ tower $2200 total (this one for battery charging), ~ $4900
- 2.5 kw Proven turbine with 80' SSV tower and grid interconnection inverter, ~ $28,600
- 2.4 kw Skystream turbine with 45Õ tower and grid interconnection inverter, ~ $12,500
- 6 kw Proven turbine with 80Õ SSV tower and grid interconnection inverter, ~ $40,850
- 10 kw Bergey turbine with 100Õ tower and grid interconnection inverter, ~ $40,550
- Prices will vary depending on many factors and these are not meant to be exact prices
- Towers a large part of the cost and self supporting (SSV) and monopole towers are more expensive than lattice towers with guy wires.
- Maintenance is done every 6 mo to a year. Lightning strikes are possible, so have included in homeowners insurance. Estimate for maintenance is approximately $0.01 - $0.02 per kwh produced.
- Some very small turbines can cost < $5000, These are usually charging batteries or for a specific load., A similar calculation can be done to estimate kwh production per year.
Some Examples Built around Lincoln
- South of Lincoln on Hwy 77 just 2 miles south of the Crete corner there is a 10 KW wind turbine on a 120 foot tower at the school.
- A 2.4 kw turbine is on a somewhat short monopole tower at the Rogers Memorial Farm, this is a research project for an electrical engineering student.
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12. Quick Facts About Solar Energy
By John Hay, UNL Extension Educator
http://bioenergy.unl.edu
There are two types of solar energy, solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar heat.
Solar Photovoltaic (PV)
Solar PV is solar electricity, like a solar powered calculator. Like wind, one challenge is estimating how much electricity will it produce per month or per year.
Example: 1000 watts of solar panels will provide ~ 110 kwh of electricity per month (1000/110=0.091)
Watts * 0.091 * 12 months = kwh per year
A 1000 watt panel
1000 * 0.091 * 12 = 1092 kwh per year
1092 * $0.08 = $87
Alternate production method: Sun hrs * panel rating * system efficiency = kwh.
System efficiency takes in all components. Grid tie will be from 95%-70% based mostly on panel temperature. Lower panel temp higher efficiency. Battery systems may be as low as 60%.
Solar Panel Kit Prices - Includes mounting materials and inverter for connection with electrical grid.
- 2280w = $16,480
- 6840w = $46,430
- 11,400w = $77,680
Very little maintenance with a solar system. Need a south facing roof or open area. One example around Lincoln Hyde Observatory 2.2kw PV, www.hydeobservatory.info
Solar Heat
Solar heat can be in the design of the home maximizing south facing exposure to gain heat in winter. A good house design also avoids solar gain with roof overhangs to shade windows. Quality windows and window glazing can prevent solar heat in summer.
Solar Hot Water
Other than home heating hot water may be your greatest energy use in a home. And you use it all year round.
Solar hot water uses the suns heat to preheat water which goes into your hot water heater. This process saves a great deal of energy. It can be set up to just run in the warmer months or to be used all year round.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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13. Inventors, Investors and Entrepreneurs Club, May 12
Featuring Mark Patterson presenting “You May Be Using RFID Now” of Store Kraft Manufacturing
The Southeast Nebraska Inventors, Investors and Entrepreneurs Club (I2E Club), will meet Tuesday, May 12 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Kimmel Education & Research Center in Nebraska City. The meeting will begin with a networking social at 5:30 PM featuring food from an I2E member, Hickory Road BBQ and Catering Company in located in Auburn, Nebraska. The networking social, sponsored by UNL Kimmel Education and Research Center, will also include other Nebraska products.
Mr. Mark Patterson, Vice- President of 5Stat (one of four divisions under Store Kraft Manufacturing of Beatrice, Nebraska), will speak following the networking social. Mr. Patterson will share his entrepreneurial insights during his presentation, “ You May Be Using RFID ” (Radio Frequency Identification) Now. Mark started as a consultant for Store Kraft and soon became a member of management in July, 2004. He has over 20 years of experience in the woodworking industry with a strong background in manufacturing operations. Mark has proven accomplishments in improving profitability and manufacturing operation efficiencies and most recently in effectively building the 5stat subsidiary corporation with top talent and global market position.
Immediately following, Bill Hawkins (aka “Farmer Bill”), a wild crafter and entrepreneur will present information about the effectiveness of using images and technology to market businesses. Each business has a unique story to tell, and Farmer Bill will present information on how he markets his enterprise. Farmer Bill will also provide some inspiration and motivation for the evening.
This small group setting stimulates open and supportive networking amongst individuals while encouraging and inspiring creative thinking.
Anyone interested in exploring the idea of developing a product, starting their own business or expanding on current business skills, is invited to attend.
Contact: Connie Reimers-Hild
UNL Kimmel Education & Research Center
Phone: 402.873.3166
E-Mail: creimers2@unl.edu
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14. From Recipe to Reality Seminar, May 15
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. Registration deadline: December 19.
Additional program dates for 2009 in Lincoln, NE - May 15, May 16 (presented in Spanish), August 15, October 3.
Other locations-
February 28 in Storm Lake, Iowa; March 17 in Spearfish, South Dakota; May 2 in Shreveport, Louisiana; and May 20 in Chicago, Illinois.
Contact Jill Gifford at (402) 472-2819 or jgifford1@unl.edu for an information packet. For more information and to register for the program, visit the UNL Food Processing's Food Entrepreneur web site.
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15. South Central Nebraska 4-H Working Ranch Horse Clinic, May 16
This clinic provides an opportunity for participants to learn and
receive recognition for horsemanship skills developed when
working with cattle. The class requires the participant to guide
one cow through a prescribed course of obstacles. The entry is
judged on horsemanship ability of rider, athletic ability and
cow sense of the horse, and difficulty of the animal to be
handled.
Limited to 20 riders, first come-first served basis 4-H’ers receive priority until May 9, after
which adults can enter. The Working Ranch Horse Clinic will start at 10 a.m., and be conducted by Monte Stauffer,
University of Nebraska Extension Educator. The clinics will also include a discussion on rules,
class procedures and judging criteria. All mounted participants will be able to work the cattle
through the course while being critiqued and instructed.
- $25 registration fee for Working Ranch Horse Clinic, lunch included. Make registration fee
payable to “Webster County Extension”
- Unlimited number of spectators (with no fee)
- Lunch is available on the grounds
- In case of rain, the clinic will be rescheduled
Date: May 16
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Location: Rocking G Arena-Guide Rock (1 mile south of Hwy. 136 & 78 Juction)
Send registrations and fees to:
Webster County Extension Office
621 N. Cedar
Red Cloud, NE 68970-2397
For more information contact:
Monte Stauffer, (402) 444-7804
Megan Anderson, (308) 379-1467
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16. Being “Green” For Good Conference, May 21
The Kimmel Education and Research Center will be hosting “Being GREEN For Good” Conference, Thursday, May 21 at the UNL Kimmel Education and Research Center in Nebraska City. The conference is designed to help Small Business Owner, Community Leaders, and Entrepreneurs grow profitability through sustainability by learning more about how environmental and social responsibility impact their bottom line.
The Conference will begin at 9:30 AM with a Welcome and Overview of Objectives; Profitability through Sustainability: “The Triple Bottom Line” by Dr. Connie Reimers-Hild.
Dr. Robin DiPietro will be Defining Green: “What is it and how does it impact Businesses?” explaining “Green Business practices, Customer Perception of Green Practices and Greenwashing”.
At 10:40 AM Dr. Shirley Niemeyer shares her insight on “Energy/Water Efficiency at Work.” Following Dr. Niemeyer presentation a panel and round table discussion with local businesses and leaders implementing their green practices will begin. This will be a great opportunity for participants to ask questions and network.
The attendees will enjoy a “free” light lunch at 12:30 PM featuring Nebraska products, during lunch participants will have the opportunity to record video interviews focused on gathering information regarding their “best practices” and future goals of implementing additional green practices into their businesses.
RSVP is requested by May 18, 2009. Please RSVP to the Kimmel Education Research Center at 402.873.3166 or by Email to Deb Heidzig at Dheidzig5@unl.edu.
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