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Nebraska Notebook: Drought mitigation center enters agreement; sorghum symposium set.

December 3, 2021

3 Min Read
Farmland covered in snow
LAND MANAGEMENT: A series of workshops across Nebraska this winter will cover farm and ranch resiliency and land management, looking at cash rental rates, land values, leasing, landlord-tenant relations and farm succession planning. Curt Arens

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Center for Agricultural Profitability has scheduled a series of land management workshops to address the financial resiliency necessary for agricultural operations to sustain risk while remaining profitable. 

“Building Farm and Ranch Resiliency in the Age of Financial Uncertainty” will be presented at numerous locations across Nebraska between December and February. The workshops will cover cash rental rates, land values, leasing strategies, landlord-tenant communication, farm and ranch succession planning, and an overview of farm programs for landowners.  

The workshops will be presented by Nebraska Extension educators, who will help operators and landowners to understand financial trends to minimize shocks, develop strategies to facilitate transition, mitigate legal risks and use effective management practices to reduce uncertainty.  

Each meeting is free to attend and expected to last about three hours. Virtual options will be announced for some locations. Registration is required with the local county Extension office by one day before each workshop. More information is available on the Center for Agricultural Profitability’s website at cap.unl.edu

Here is the workshop schedule, with registration phone numbers (all times local):  

West Point. 1 to 4 p.m. Dec. 14, (Nielsen Center, 200 Anna Stalp Ave.), 402-372-6006 

Wayne. 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 15 (Wayne Fire Hall, 510 Tomar Drive), 402-375-3310

Bloomfield. 1 to 4 p.m. Dec. 15 (Community Center, 101 S. Broadway St.), 402-254-6821

Syracuse. 1 to 4 p.m. Dec. 20 (Fair Center, 135 Plum St.), 402-269-2301 

Beatrice. 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 21 (Gage County Extension Office, 1115 W. Scott St.), 402-223-1384 

Kimball. 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Jan. 10 (Kimball County Fairgrounds, High School St. & 6th St.), 308-235-3122

Sidney. 9 a.m. to noon Jan. 11 (Security First Bank, 1205 Jackson St.), 308-254-4455

Alliance. 1 to 4 p.m. Jan. 11 (Alliance City Library, 1750 Sweetwater Ave., No. 101), 308-762-5616

Scottsbluff. 9 a.m. to noon Jan. 12 (Panhandle Research, Extension and Education Center, 4502 Ave. I), 308-632-1230

Burwell. 9 a.m. to noon Jan. 18 (Senior Citizens Center, 411 Grand Ave.), 308-346-4200

O’Neill. 1 to 4 p.m. Jan. 18 (Holt County Extension Office, 402-336-2760), 402-336-2760 

Ashland. 1 to 4 p.m. Jan. 31 (Round the Bend, 30801 E. Park Highway), 402-267-2205

Broken Bow. 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 1, (Custer County Fairgrounds, 4-H Building, 44100 Memorial Drive), 308-872-6831 

Kearney. 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 2 (Buffalo County Extension Office, 1400 E. 34th St.), 308-236-1235

McCook. 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 2, (Red Willow County Fairgrounds, 4-H Building, W. 5th St.), 308-268-3105

Grant. 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 3 (Perkins County Extension Office, 6025 Road 329), 308-352-4340

Fullerton: 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 7 (Nance County Fairgrounds, 406 N. Ida), 308-536-2691 

Geneva: 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 8 (Fillmore County Fairgrounds, Ag Hall), 402-759-3712 

Drought center partners with USDA

Since the National Drought Mitigation Center's founding in 1995, USDA has been one of the center's main supporters and collaborators. At the end of 2020, the center and USDA launched a three-year, $2.4 million cooperative agreement.

The agreement will support NDMC as it continues to help produce and enhance the U.S. Drought Monitor, the weekly snapshot of drought that NDMC, USDA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists work together to create.

This fall, NDMC agreed to an additional one-year, $1.275 million cooperative agreement with the USDA's Office of the Chief Economist (OCE) that will address drought monitoring and much more through a series of projects.

NDMC director Mark Svoboda lauded the effort between the center and OCE as a means of continuing to grow NDMC's support and services to not only OCE, but also many other agencies within USDA as well. 

NDMC climatologist Brian Fuchs said that the agreements include projects proposed by NDMC staff that not only address key issues in the realm of physical sciences, but also examine social and economic facets of drought as well. Several of the projects also focus on making drought science more accessible to underserved populations, Fuchs said. 

Sorghum symposium set

The Nebraska Sorghum Producers Association recently announced its in-person 2022 Nebraska Sorghum Symposium, set for Jan. 27 at the Buffalo County Fairgrounds at 1400 E. 34th St. in Kearney.

The event, which will run from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., will include speakers covering topics such as agronomy, marketing, technology, research and processing. Learn more at nebraskasorghum.org.

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