Nebraska Farmer Logo

The Natural Resources Hub offers native seed, water testing and answers to conservation questions.

Mindy Ward, Editor, Missouri Ruralist

August 16, 2022

2 Min Read
young tress offered for free at HHD in the Natural resources tent
PLANT ONE: The Natural Resources Hub offers free trees to Husker Harvest Days visitors.Mindy Ward

Husker Harvest Days offers visitors a chance to take home free trees and seeds — and some advice.

Here are three things you won’t want to miss while lingering in the Natural Resources District building:

1. Free trees and seeds. Husker Harvest Days visitors can pick up a free native prairie grass seed packet at the Natural Resources Hub. Prairie seed goes quickly, so make the NRD Hub your first stop.

The NRD Conservation Tree Program helps landowners plant hundreds of thousands of trees each year, benefiting both people and animals. Colorado blue spruce tree seedlings are also free to visitors in the Natural Resources District building.

All 23 Nebraska NRDs administer tree planting programs to provide trees and shrubs for local landowners. Each district varies, but possible services include:

  • planting

  • weed barrier installation 

  • weed control

  • drip irrigation

2. Water testing. The Water Well Standards Program with the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy will also be on-site to provide free water testing and screen for nitrates in minutes. Private well owners should bring a cup-size sample of water in a clean container.

3. Cost-share conservation. Along with the NRDs, agriculture producers can meet various conservation agencies that offer conservation assistance, cost-share opportunities and agricultural programs, all in the Natural Resources Hub.

A few of the organizations include Nebraska Forest Service, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA Farm Service Agency, Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, Platte River Recovery Implementation Program, Rainwater Basin Joint Venture, and Central Platte NRD’s Native Prairie and Pollination Awareness Program.

Add the Natural Resources Hub to your list of exhibitors to visit during Husker Harvest Days.

Stage welcomes NRD Hall of Fame winners

Join Natural Resources Districts staff as they introduce the 2022 NRD Hall of Fame inductees. The event will be at the Nebraska Farmer Hospitality Tent’s stage at 2 p.m. Sept. 14.

Annually, the Natural Resources Districts announce three outstanding individuals to induct into the NRD Hall of Fame. These individuals have made major contributions to protect the state’s natural resources. Current NRD managers and directors vote for nominated candidates. Hall of Fame categories are:

  • Natural Resources District Director

  • Natural Resources District Employee

  • Natural Resources District Supporter

The agency works with individual districts to protect lives, property and the future of Nebraska’s natural resources. NRDs are unique to Nebraska, and act as local government entities with broad responsibilities to protect Nebraska’s natural resources.

Major Nebraska river basins form the boundaries of the 23 NRDs, enabling districts to respond to local conservation and resource management needs.

Learn more at nrdnet.org.

About the Author(s)

Mindy Ward

Editor, Missouri Ruralist

Mindy resides on a small farm just outside of Holstein, Mo, about 80 miles southwest of St. Louis.

After graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural journalism, she worked briefly at a public relations firm in Kansas City. Her husband’s career led the couple north to Minnesota.

There, she reported on large-scale production of corn, soybeans, sugar beets, and dairy, as well as, biofuels for The Land. After 10 years, the couple returned to Missouri and she began covering agriculture in the Show-Me State.

“In all my 15 years of writing about agriculture, I have found some of the most progressive thinkers are farmers,” she says. “They are constantly searching for ways to do more with less, improve their land and leave their legacy to the next generation.”

Mindy and her husband, Stacy, together with their daughters, Elisa and Cassidy, operate Showtime Farms in southern Warren County. The family spends a great deal of time caring for and showing Dorset, Oxford and crossbred sheep.

Subscribe to receive top agriculture news
Be informed daily with these free e-newsletters

You May Also Like