HARLAN COUNTY
EXTENSION NEWSLETTER
http://extenson.unl.edu/statewide/harlan
February 2017
Applications now Available for
Nebraska Pioneer and Heritage Farm Awards
AKSARBEN Foundation is currently accepting applications for the annual Nebraska
Pioneer and Heritage Farm Awards. Sponsored by AKSARBEN Foundation and Nebraska Farm Bureau, the program honors farm families in Nebraska whose land has been
owned by members of the same family for 100 years (Pioneer) and 150 years (Heritage).
Each farm honoree receives one engraved plaque and one gatepost marker as permanent
recognition of their milestone. Application details must be verified by the county fair board
in which the land is located prior to submission to AKSARBEN Foundation. The 2017
Nebraska Farm Award applications are due to county fair boards no later than April 21,
2017. Application forms can be obtained Online at: http://www.aksarben.org/p/
coreinitiatives/agriculture/264 or by Phone: 402-554-9600, ext. 107
AKSARBEN Foundation is currently
Nominations for the Good Neighbor Award.
accepting nominations for the annual
Good Neighbor Award. Sponsored by
AKSARBEN Foundation and Omaha World Herald, the program recognizes individuals or groups nominated by
friends or neighbors for performing unselfish acts of kindness without the expectation of compensation or personal gain
of any kind. In the last five years more than 150 individuals or groups have received this recognition. Commemorative
certificates and lapel pins are awarded at the honorees’ summer county fair. Completed nominations are accepted from
organizations or individuals throughout Nebraska and western Iowa and are due to AKSARBEN Foundation by June 1,
2017. Nomination forms can be obtained Online at: http://www.aksarben.org/p/coreinitiatives/community/
goodneighboraward, Email: [email protected] or Mail: 6910 Pacific St, Ste 102, Omaha, NE 68106
Livestock Quality Assurance (LQA)
Are you enrolled in a livestock project this year?
Remember to get your LQA done and off your
plate BEFORE MARCH! Complete three (3) modules online now by visiting, http://4h.unl.edu/
quality-assurance for complete instructions. After
March 1st the online fee will increase from $5 to
$12, so be sure to get yours done Today! Harlan County Speech Contest
Are you ready to give your Speech and/or PSA this year? Keep in
mind the contest will be this coming Spring. For categories and
rules please contact the Harlan County Extension Office or visit
http://extension.unl.edu/statewide/harlan/4h/.
Official contest date coming next newsletter!
Pick up the
2017 Project Resource Guide
and get a jump on picking the
projects that interest you for the
2017 fair. Contact our office for
your copy today!

SAVE THE DATE
Homemakers Scholarship
Luncheon
March 6th
@ 12:30am
Orleans Ag Center
2017 Homemaker
Membership
Honorees:
(Pictured left to
right)
Nancy Tarkington,
Rita Skiles &
Susanne Peterson
Find us on Facebook!
at https://www.facebook.com/harlancountyext/
Stay up to date on events, view photos, learn interesting facts
and anything else we happen to post.
Royal Icing Recipe
Ingredients:
2 tbsp meringue powder (Egg white substitute)
1/4 cup water (plus more for thinning)
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions:
1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together meringue powder and water until
a slight foam forms. Add in powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until icing
becomes light and airy, about 2 minutes. If the mixture is too thick and not mixing well, add more
water, 1 tbsp at a time.
2. If using right away, separate into bowls and add coloring. Thin the icing using a spray bottle
until it has reached the desired consistency.
Notes:
Store unused icing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Makes enough to frost
about 2 dozen cookies.
PRIVATE
PESTICIDE TRAINING
FEBRUARY 16 @ 1:30PM
Harlan County Courthouse
Meeting Room - Alma, NE
RSVP to Harlan County Extension at
308-928-2119
one week prior to the class.
Now Available:
NEBRASKA FARM AND RANCH
BUSINESS RECORD BOOK
For Income Tax and Analysis
Stop by the Extension Office to procure one for $6.
BUFFALO COUNTY FAIRFROUNDS
KEARNEY, NE
FEBRUARY 18—FEBRUARY 26, 2017
QUILTS OF
VALOR
FOUNDATION
The mission of Quilts of
Valor Foundation is to
cover service members
and veteran touched by
war with comforting and
healing Quilts of Valor.
Quilts of Valor Founda on began in 2003 by Catherine Roberts, whose son was deployed in Iraq. The Nebraska 4‐H Quilts of Valor joined Q of V efforts in 2011, since then, 4‐H youth and volunteers have created and donat‐
ed an es mated 500 quilts. Again, Nebraska 4‐H youth, families and volunteers are invited to par cipate in this important community service effort and are invited to work independently or as a group/club to make a quilt. Club workdays are fun mes! Find a skill level appropriate pa ern that all can help with. Quilts may be entered in a county fair and the Nebraska State Fair in the Ci zenship, Quilt Quest, or De‐
sign Decisions projects. How about featuring your Quilts of Valor prior to the fair, at the County 4‐H Fashion Show. Basic Requirements sheet can be found at: h p://www.qovf.org/quilters‐ques ons/basic‐
requirements/ Livestock Judging
Team
Interested in participating in
Livestock Judging?
Contact the Harlan County
Extension office at
(308) 928-2119 to ensure your spot
on the team. Practices will be
held Thursday evenings
beginning in March and running
every other week until the first
competition at the end of May.
More details to come, but
participants MUST RSVP to our
office.
2 0 1 7
HA RL A N COUNT Y
C A T T L E ME N’ S B A NQUE T
MARCH 18, AT 6:30 PM
THE HARLAN COUNTY AG CENTER - ORLEANS.
To secure your tickets contact a
Harlan Cattlemen’s Association Member.
Tickets will be available at the door that night—$25
HARLAN COUNTY CATTLEMEN’S SCHOLARSHIP
Applica ons are Due Feb. 17, 2017
Upcoming UNL Extension Horse Events
at the UNL Animal Science Complex,
Lincoln, NE!
Saturday March 4th – Come Ride With Me Clinic.
Youth and Adults are invited. Bring your own horse.
Space is limited to eight riders per session, so register EARLY
online at: http://go.unl.edu/pe8y
Archery, BB Gun & Air Rifle
February 12 & February 16
Time: 3:00pm at
Harlan
County Fair
Sheep Barn
The Harlan County Regulators, are
shown to be
right on target, while
practicing
their
BB gun and
Air Rifle
shooting
disciplines.
Find them on Facebook!
Harlan-County-4-H-Shooting-Sports
First annual “Come Ride With
Me” clinic featuring Casie Maxwell, Former coach of the Kansas
State University, NCEA Equestrian Team (see below). This is a 2
part clinic on Horsemanship, with
the morning session focusing on
Body Work 9-12:00. After lunch
we will finish the day with pattern
work from 1:00-3:30pm. The cost
is $50 per session or $90 for both.
There will be stalls available for
rent at a rate of $20 per night.
Space is limited to 8 riders per
session and is open to youth and
adults. You must pay in full to reserve your spot! If you do not have
a horse or cannot bring your own
you may come audit the clinic for
$10 a person. Please bring your
own food and drinks, there are no
concessions available on site.
Casie Maxwell served as Head Coach for the K-State Equestrian
Team from 2009-2016. The 2016 Big 12 Coach of the year and 2015
Co-Big Coach of the Year. Maxwell guided the program to a national
runner-up finish at the 2010, 2011, and 2013 National Championships. Prior to coaching, Maxwell served as a student coach at the
Texas A&M University. As a four-year member of the Aggie Equestrian Team, she was the Reserve High Point Regional Rider of the
year in 2005 and have two top-four finishes at the Varsity Equestrian
National Championships as a senior.
Saturday April 22nd – Horse Judging School.
Join us for our Horse Judging School at the UNL Animal science
complex from 9:30am-3:30pm. This school is for horse show judges,
aspiring judges, judging team coaches, and youth! We will have classroom demonstrations as well as live classes to judge. The main classes
we will go over are horsemanship, reining trail, ranch riding, and how
to conduct oral reasons the colligate way. For more information, please
contact Kathy Anderson at 402-472-6414 or at [email protected].
UNL BeefWatch
Trees & Shrubs
Winter Watering of trees and shrubs will be beneficial if
warm winter temperatures and a lack of precipitation occur. The priority for watering is young plants first - those
planted in the last year and especially those planted this
past fall, and then evergreens, especially those growing in
exposed locations and near the south sides of buildings.
When watering, the soil should not be frozen and air temperatures need to be above 40 degrees. Irrigation should
take place early enough in the day for moisture to soak
into the soil to avoid ice forming over or around plants
overnight. Water just enough to moisten the soil six to
eight inches deep. One or two irrigations during winter
should suffice. If conditions become warm and dry in winter and into spring, it will be critical to begin irrigation as
soon as soils thaw this spring.
Landscape Ornamentals
Frost heaving occurs in winter when temperatures
swing, causing garden soil to alternately freeze and thaw
resulting in damage to a plant's dormant crown and root
system. Plants at greatest risk are fall planted perennials.
Once the crown and root system are exposed to winter
air, desiccation can occur resulting in root or plant death.
Frost heaving is reduced in plantings where an application
of winter mulch is made. If mulch has not yet been applied
to fall planted perennials, it is not too late to apply it now.
Spread a loose layer of mulch approximately two inches
deep. The mulch should remain in place until late March
to early April. Suitable mulches include wood chips, pine
straw, evergreen boughs, straw, clean hay or any loose
mulch that will not compact heavily. Examine fall planted
perennials periodically looking for signs of cracks around
the plant's root system or evidence of the plant being
pushed up out of the ground. If cracks exist fill them with
topsoil and reapply mulch to maintain a two-inch layer. If
winter conditions are dry, water fall planted perennials
during warm periods when the soil is not frozen. Watering
will not cause new growth to start, but is essential to prevent root death from dry conditions.
Lawns
Vary snow placement when shoveling - Large
piles of slow to melt snow can lead to issues with snow
mold disease or turfgrass suffocation if other conditions
are also conducive. Where de-icing products are used,
piling snow with deicer in it may lead to soil issues.
Spreading piles around disperses snow weight and deicing quantity to help reduces potential issues.
Cattle Lice
University of Nebraska and
other studies indicate heavy lice
populations may reduce weight
gains by as much as 0.21 lb/day.
By Dave Boxler,
Nebraska Extension
Educator
With winter conditions cattle lice numbers will increase. Cattle lice are a cold
season insect that thrives in very cold conditions. Populations
are most noticeable during December, January, February, and
decline during March when temperatures warm.
Cattle with hair loss, an unthrifty appearance, and leaving
hair on fences and other objects from rubbing may be a sign
of lice infestation. However, other factors can mimic lice infestations such as natural shedding, poor nutrition, mite infestations, mineral deficiency, photosensitivity, and other diseases. To determine if lice is the problem, the suspect animal
should be examined closely.
In Nebraska, we can encounter four different cattle lice
species. The biting or chewing louse, the Little Red Bovis typically feeds on hair, skin, skin exudates and debris near the
skin surface. The other three species are sucking lice, the
short-nose cattle louse, the long-nose cattle louse and the little blue cattle louse feed on blood, and can cause irritation,
anemia, impact weight gain, and even death in extreme cases.
Successful louse control depends on application timing.
Many livestock producers will administer an endectocide
treatment at weaning time, usually late September or October
with intentions of controlling internal parasites, cattle grubs
and cattle lice. These fall applications may help reduce lice
populations, but may not remove the infestation. Livestock
producers who use this management strategy should monitor
their cattle for signs of lice especially during the months of
December, January, and February. If replacement animals
are brought into a herd during the winter months, they
should be examined for lice. If present, the animals should be
isolated and treated before introduction into the existing
herd.
Salmonella Heidelberg Infection
The CDC, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service are investigating a multidrug-resistant Salmonella Heidelberg infection in humans. It is
important that as producers we take preventative steps to prevent human illness in our families and ourselves. We can follow these steps to prevent illness when working with any livestock:
(Children, adults over age 65, and people with compromised
immune systems should limit their contact with sick animals.)
* Always wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after
touching livestock, equipment, or anything in the area
where animals live and roam.
o Especially before preparing or consuming food or drink
for yourself or others.
o Use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
* Use dedicated shoes, work gloves, and clothing that you
only use when working with livestock. Keep these items outside of your home.
o Wash hands after removing any clothes and shoes
you wore while working with livestock
* Work with your veterinarian to keep your livestock
healthy.
HARLAN COUNTY
EXTENSION NEWSLETTER
Calendar of Events

FEBRUARY & MARCH - Crochet Class (Every Thursday 4pm—6pm)

FEBRUARY 12 - Shooting Sports 3:00pm - 5:00pm

FEBRUARY 13 - Homemakers Scholarship Noon Deadline

FEBRUARY 16 - PESTICIDE CLASS @ & 1:30PM - Alma

FEBRUARY 16 - Shooting Sports 3:00pm - 5:00pm

FEBRUARY 17 - Cattlemen’s Scholarship Due

FEBRUARY 18 - 26 - NEBRASKA CATTLEMEN’S CLASSIC - Kearney

FEBRUARY 20 - 4H Council Meeting 6:30pm - Ag Center - Orleans

MARCH 4 - “Come Ride With Me” Clinic - Lincoln

MARCH 6 - Homemakers Scholarship Luncheon


In This Issue

Quilts of Valor

UNL Extension Horse
Events

Livestock Judging
Team

Harlan County
Cattlemen’s Banquet

Homemakers Events
MARCH 18 - Harlan Cattlemen’s Banquet @ 6:30pm - Orleans

LQA Annoucement
APRIL 21 - AKSARBEN NE Pioneer &
Heritage Award Deadline

AKSARBEN Awards

MORE!
PO Box 258
706 Second Street
Alma, NE 68920
Harlan County Extension