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The NEBLINE, December 2001 The NEBLINE, December 2001

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Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Elbert C. Dickey, Director of Cooperative Extension, University of Nebraska,Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension educational programs abide with the nondiscrimination policies of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the United States Department of Agriculture.

We assure reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act; for assistance contact Lancaster County Extension, 444 Cherrycreek Road, Lincoln, Nebraska 68528-1507, 402-441-7180. TDD capability available.

TheNEBLINEUniversity of Nebraska Cooperative Extension

Lancaster County

N "Helping Nebraskans enhance their lives through research-based education."

December 2001Vol. XIV, No. 11

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Lancaster County ExtensionPROGRAMS & EVENTS HOTLINE

323-1784

Lancaster County ExtensionWEBSITE

lancaster.unl.edu

featuring up-to-the-minute information

featuring extensive online resources

Institute ofAgriculture andNatural Resources

Horticulture —page 2

EnvironmentalFocus

—page 3

Farm Views—page 4

Urban Agriculture—page 5

Food & Fitness—page 6

ANNUAL REPORT—special pull-out section

Family Living —page 7

4-H & Youth —pages 8-9

Community Focus—page 10

In this issue...

Anthrax, smallpox, plagueand foot and mouth disease,many of these are again becom-ing household names due to therecent terrorist attacks on theUnited States.

These attacks have not onlyincreased our awareness ofbioterrorism tactics and agents,but they have also produced alarge amount of quality infor-mation on the biosecuritymeasures we can implement toreduce the risk of a bioterrorismattack on us and our foodsupply.

The University of NebraskaCooperative Extension currentlyhas more than 15 NebGuidesand NebFacts (see sidebarbelow) and three satelliteprograms (available fromSaunders County Extension)that provide up-to-date informa-tion on bioterrorism and thebiosecurity measures that can beimplemented to protect you andyour livestock.

In the following paragraphs,I will highlight some of theinformation presented in thesepublications and satelliteprograms.

AnthraxIn this current round of

bioterrorism attacks, anthrax hasbeen the “weapon” of choice.There is a plethora of informa-tion on anthrax and the bestresource I have found is theUniversity of Nebraska MedicalCenter (UNMC) Web site onbioterrorism which iswww.unmc.edu/bioterrorism/.This site provides a largeamount of information onanthrax and other potentialbioterrorism diseases andtactics.

Dr. Steven Hinrichs is aprofessor and director in chargeof the Nebraska Public HealthLaboratory located at the MedicalCenter in Omaha. He is consid-ered an expert in the bioterrorismfield and on this Web site heoffers some advise for individualsconcerned about anthrax.

Hinrichs states, “Influenzavirus infection kills severalthousand people each year and itis a much more significant threat

to people in Nebraska. Wecurrently do not have a singlecase of anthrax in Nebraska. Eventraffic accidents are a biggerconcern.”

Even though this is true,during the recent satellite pro-gram held at UNMC, one panelistsuggested, “If you ever needed areason to throw away junk mailimmediately, now you have one.”During this satellite, twobiosecurity recommendationswere made for the immediatedisposal of mail.• If there is no return address on

the piece of mail.

• If there is an unrecognizablereturn address, especially ifthe return address and post-mark do not match.

In either case, throw themail away immediately. Finally,if you would happen to open anenvelope with a suspicioussubstance in it, do not take theenvelope to the authorities. Callthe authorities and have themcome get it.

Another thing to consider is

the threat of our livestock to ananthrax attack or outbreak. Ifeel obligated to inform youthere was an anthrax outbreakin a western Nebraska cattleherd in 1994. This was not anact of bioterrorism, but anatural occurrence that hashappened several times inNebraska’s history due to therare presence of anthrax sporesin our soils.

This is not limited toNebraska as it happens through-out the United States, mostrecently occurring this spring inNorth Dakota and this fall in

California. The most recentoutbreak in Nebraska wasisolated to 23 animals on oneoperation.

Similar to humans, theseanimals were given a highamount of antibiotics which wereextremely effective. All animalsthat did perish were buried sothat the anthrax would not spreadto more animals or humans. It isreassuring to know that there is astandard operating procedure inplace here in Nebraska to fightan anthrax outbreak in our state’slivestock.

Small-Pox and PlagueThere was a great deal of

information presented on theUNMC satellite conferenceabout small-pox disease and theplague. It would suggest thateven though they should beconsidered a threat, the likeli-hood of a bioterrorism attackusing small-pox or the plague isvery unlikely for many reasons.

Regardless, there are severalprecautions being taken andplans being developed to mini-mize the impact of an attackusing these diseases. For moredetailed information on thesediseases, please contact yourlocal physician or you can referto the UNMC satellite programon the Web at www.unmc.edu/bioterrorism/minimed.htm oravailable at Saunders CountyExtension.

Bioterrorism andLivestock

(Ag-Terrorism)This spring, thousands of

animals were slaughteredthroughout Great Britain becauseof foot and mouth disease. Eventhough it never reached theUnited States, it did provide awarning for many livestockproducers who were not practic-

Bioterrorism and the Biosecurity MeasuresWe Can Use to Reduce our Risks

Lance Cummins-BrownExtension Educator,

Saunders County

This feedlot is one of many in the region already implementingbiosecurity measures.

Biosecurity Related NebGuides and NebFactsThe following NebGuides and NebFacts are available on the Web at www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/index.htm or through your localCooperative Extension office. In Lancaster County, call 441-7180 or stop by the office at 444 Cherrycreek Road.

• Biosecurity: Protecting Your Health and the Health of Your Animals (NF484)• Protecting Livestock From Terrorism (NF492)• Biosecurity Basics for Cattle Operations and Good Management Practices for Controlling Infectious Diseases (G1411)• Biosecurity Principles for Livestock Producers (G1442)• Guarding Against Contagious Livestock Diseases From Farm Visitors (NF471)• Attending Fairs: Safeguarding Your Health and Nebraska’s Livestock Industry (NF483)• Selection and Use of Disinfectants (G1410)• Biosecurity and Disease Prevention for the Ratite Grower (G1206)• Information About Foot and Mouth Disease for Nebraska Residents (NF454)• Information About Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy for Nebraska Residents (NF455)• “Banned Mammalian Protein” —What Does it Mean? (NF482)• Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (G1286)• Observations From Anthrax Outbreak in Sheridan County Herd (NF128)• Control and Eradication of Pseudorabies in Swine (G848)

see BIOSECURITY on page 11

December 2001 NEBLINEThe Page 2

Horticulture

Horticultureinformation center

NUFACTS

24 hours a day, 7 days a week

1-800-832-5441; or

441-7188 in the Lincoln area

To listen to a NUFACTS information center

message, call the number above on a touch-tone

phone, then enter a three-digit number listed below.

NUFACTS

210 Amaryllis

212 Swedish Ivy

214 Houseplant Insects

217 Boston Fern

218 African Violet Care

222 Winter Houseplant Care

223 Repotting Houseplants

224 Houseplant Artificial Light

Living plants of variouskinds are a popular addition tothe decor of many homes,restaurants and other businessplaces. Green and floweringplants serve as accents and alsohelp soften hard architecturallines and wall surfaces. Theyalso improve quality of living.

Although less harsh in manyrespects, the average indoorenvironment presents someunique problems for normalplant growth. Light intensities inhomes tend to be low, especiallyduring fall and winter. Low lightresults in small leaves, pale color,long spindly stems and flowerfailure. Lowered atmospherehumidity from the heating ofhomes causes rapid loss ofmoisture from plant surfaces, thesoil surface and the outsidesurface of porous clay pots.

There are a number of otherstress inducing factors that maycause problems. Most peopleover water their houseplants bymaintaining the soil constantlywet. This can cause root rots thatimpair ability to replace mois-ture loss. A plant may outgrowthe pot so its top is out ofbalance with the amount of soilin which the plant is growing.Such plants quickly exhaust thesupply of water present in thesoil and must be watered morefrequently. Constant wateringsometimes compacts the soil andreduces air space, which deprivesthe roots of adequate oxygen.This can reduce root develop-ment and plant growth. The soilmay become “channeled” sowater drains too rapidly and failsto thoroughly wet all of the soilin the container.

Determining the cause ofsome houseplant problems maybe difficult and require skilledlaboratory diagnostic procedures.Other problems are relativelysimple to diagnose. Describedbelow are some of the morecommon disorders and diseases,their possible causes andsuggested corrective measures.

Leaf spots are quite variable

Deicing salts can save yourneck this winter but they canspell disaster for landscapeplants. Whether the salt issprayed on the plants frompassing traffic near the road, oris shoveled onto plants near thesidewalk, the salt can causedamage.

Salts can adversely affectplants in several ways. Saltsdeposited on the surface oftwigs, branches, and evergreenleaves can cause excessivedrying of foliage and roots. Theycan be taken up by plants andaccumulate to toxic levels. Saltscan also cause a nutritionalimbalance by changing thechemistry of the soil and candirectly harm soil structure.

The most apparent damagefrom salts is death of buds andtwig tips as a result of salt spray.As the tips of the plants die theplant responds by growing anexcessive number of sidebranches. But accumulation

Looking for an interestingnew houseplant? Beginnersand experts can find manygood choices among the cactiand succulents.

The term succulent refersto a broad, loose category ofplants, including cacti, whichhave developed thick fleshyleaves or stems. These serveas water storage organs toinsure survival under aridconditions. Succulents arefound worldwide. Besidescacti, they include manyfamiliar plants: jade plant(Crassula arborescens),medicine plant (Aloebarbadensis), century plant(Agave americana), floweringKalanchoes (Kalanchoeblossfeldiana) sold as giftplants as well as sedums(Sedum sp.), and hens and

damage is more slowly mani-fested and may not be noticeablefor many months. Sodium saltsare the most common type usedfor deicing while calcium saltsare used to a lesser extent.

Effects usually appear asstunting, poor vigor, dieback ofgrowing tips, leaf burn or leafdrop. Winter and spring rainsand large amounts of snow canhelp prevent accumulation bydiluting the salt and helping towash it out of the root zone.Protect roadside plants byconstructing burlap or durableplastic screens to shield themfrom traffic splash. If screeningfrom traffic is not practical, tryto use salt tolerant plants such asjunipers or Siberian pea shrub.

Avoid throwing sidewalkresidue onto nearby plantsincluding shrubs and groundcover. Use alternatives, such asclean cat litter, sand or sawdust,to help improve traction on ice.(MJF)

Deicing SaltsHarmful to Plants

in appearance,dependingupon thecause. Spotscaused byinjury from directsunlight on shaderequiring plants usuallyare large with regularmargins. Each spot mayinvolve the entire portion of theexposed leaf. The injured areaappears bleached, graduallyturning tan to brown, andeventually collapsing. Leaf spotsresulting from chemical injury orexposure to temperature changedue to droplets of cold waterusually are smaller. Theygenerally are yellowish at firstwith regular margins con-forming with the shape and sizeof the drops of chemical solutionor water that caused the injury.

A number of leaf spotdiseases are caused by fungi andbacteria. Symptoms usually aresmall, water soaked spots,gradually enlarging and turningbrown. There also may beconsiderable yellowing aroundthe margins of the spots. Thesediseases rarely develop under thedry atmospheric conditionsprevalent in most houses. Theyare most common on plantsrecently brought into the statefrom southern propagating areas.

Leaf spots occasionallydevelop in the vicinity of feedinginjury caused by sap suckinginsects, such as aphids, scale andmealybugs. Plant surfaces in thevicinity of these insects often arecovered by a glistening, stickyhoneydew.

To control leaf spot you can:remove and destroy affectedleaves, avoid sprinkling water onthe foliage, provide adequate aircirculation. If insects are in-volved, correctly identify thepest causing the problem.Control sap sucking insects bywashing leaves, petioles andstems with a damp cloth ortreating with a commerciallyprepared pyrethrin spray forhouseplants. Rubbing alcohol

also may be applied to insectssuch as mealybugs with cottonswabs. Systemic insecticidesalso will control sucking insects.

Yellowing leaves is oftencaused by nutrient deficiency,especially nitrogen, but also mayoccur as a result of a suddenreduction of light intensity.Dieffenbachia, dracena andrubber plant are especiallysusceptible, as are larger pot-bound specimens of other plants.Applications of nitrogen fertil-izer may reverse the develop-ment of this condition whenyellowing has just started. Becautious about fertilizing plantsduring the winter months. Plantsgrowing under low light intensi-ties are easily injured by overfertilization. Older leaves areslower to respond, as are leavesin which yellowing is advanced.

Leaves and succulent shootsbecome limp or wilted, usuallyrecovering when water issupplied. This may be evidenceof water shortage or overabundance of water followed bythe development of root rot.Over fertilization also can causewilting. To control wilting,check drainage, look for root rot,check for conditions promotingunusually rapid loss of water andalter watering schedule.

Proper care of yourhouseplants will insure you willbe able to enjoy your plants foryears to come. (MJF)

chicks (Sempervivum sp.) thatare common in the perennialgarden.

Many cacti and succulentsare extremely well adapted toliving in houses where therelative humidity is low, 10 to 30percent. They require onlymodest amounts of water andfertilizer, but do need abundantlight. They should be placed in abright, sunny window.

In nature, most cacti andsucculents are found growing inopen, well-drained sandy soil.These conditions should beduplicated indoors. A mix of onepart potting soil and one partcoarse sand is usually porousenough. A good test is tomoisten the mixture and squeezeit in your hand. On release, thesoil should fall apart. Both potand growing medium should be

sterile. Ideally, these plantsshould be grown in pots withdrainage holes becauseexcess water trapped in thesoil will result in rotting anddecay in a very short time.

During the low-lightwinter months, cacti andsucculents should be wateredonly enough to prevent shrinkingand withering. When watering,do it thoroughly. Water shouldflow through the drain holes, andthe excess should be discardedafter a few minutes. A series ofrepeated shallow sprinklingsoften results in distorted growth.As the amount of light increasesin the spring, so does the plant’sneed for water. The soil, how-ever, should always be allowedto dry out between watering.

Many cacti and succulentsbenefit from spending the

Growing Cacti and Succulents

HouseplantProblems

summer months outdoors. Oncethe weather warms up theyshould be placed in a semi-shaded, protected area of theyard and then gradually movedto a sunnier location. Avoidlocations where they will receivethe hot, intense sunlight from 11a.m. to 3 p.m. Once outdoors,these plants will require morewater and should be checkedregularly.

Cacti and succulents are not

troubled much by pests. Ifthey have mealybugs or scale,the problem can be controlledby wiping them off withcotton swabs dipped inrubbing alcohol. Fungal orbacterial rots can almostalways be prevented bymaintaining adequate culturalconditions, which are brightlight and proper watering.

Cacti and succulents canbe propagated easily by stemcuttings. Many succulents willform new plants from leaveswhich have been broken off.Allow the cutting wound to airdry before sticking the cuttinginto slightly moistened, sterilesand. Water sparingly sincemoisture retention is not aproblem. When the roots haveformed, transplant into theregular sand and potting soilmixture. (MJF)

EnvironmentalFocus

NDecember 2001 NEBLINEThe Page 3

Adult fungus gnats aredelicate, gray, dark-gray, orblack fly-like insects about aneighth-inch long. They areoften seen running over thewet soil surface ofhouseplants. They also areseen as you water when theyswarm up out of the plant.Fungus gnats are attracted tolight and in a severe infesta-tion will swarm over the

University of NebraskaCooperative Extension hasseveral publications availableon feeding birds and onwildlife habitat. Visit yourlocal extension office to pickup a copy or check out theLancaster County Web site atwww.lancaster.unl.edu forthese materials and muchmore related to birds,birdfeeding and habitat.

Backyard Wildlife:Feeding Birds (NebGuideG669 - free) — the essentialsof bird feeding for attractingbirds to your backyard.

Backyard Wildlife:Making it Come Alive(NebGuide G672 - free) —“how-to” ideas for getting themost enjoyment from yourbackyard wildlife.

Backyard Wildlife:Planting for Habitat(NebGuide G671 - free) —information on planning andplanting habitat for wildlife inyour backyard.

Backyard Wildlife: Tipsfor Success (NebGuideG1332 - free) — tips forsuccess in bird feeding, addingwater, birds to expect, dealingwith nuisance wildlife and

Chick-a-dee-dee-dee...thesong of the Black-cappedChickadee. Who hasn’t heard itscheery voice in the cold ofwinter? These feathered acrobatsare among the friendliest birds inthe neighborhood. Our winterlandscape is brightened bycardinals, American Goldfinch,blue jays, juncos, nuthatchesand, of course, chickadees whoare frequent visitors of backyardfeeding stations.

Feeding stations can besimple and inexpensive to make.Scrap lumber, tin cans, plasticsoda bottles, milk jugs andcartons and plastic buckets areeasy to find. All it takes is a littlecreativity and knowledge about

Did you know....• Honey bees must tap two

million flowers to makeone pound of honey?

• Each honey bee visits 50-100 flowers during onecollection trip from thehive?

• From one hive, bees fly55,000 miles to bring youone pound of honey?

• The average worker honeybee makes only 1/12teaspoon of honey in herlifetime?

• A honey bee flies 15 milesper hour?

• It would take one ounce ofhoney to fuel a bee’s flightaround the world?

• North Americannatives calledhoney bees“white man’sflies” becausethey werebrought toNorth Americaby Europeancolonists?

• Bees have been producinghoney from floweringplants for 10-20 millionyears?

• USDA estimates that thereare three million coloniesof bees and 211,600beekeepers in the US?Most (95 percent) of thesebeekeepers are hobbyistbeekeepers who manageless than 25 hives.

Source: National Honey Board.

In Nebraska, approximately700 beekeepers manage about115,000 colonies of honey bees.The annual honey productionranges from five to 11 millionpounds, depending on floraavailability and weather condi-tions. With optimal weatherconditions and flora availability,a properly managed colony canproduce 100 pounds or more ofhoney. A more realistic six-yearaverage for honey production isabout 75 pounds per colony.

Honey bees play an impor-tant role as pollinators of manyfruit, vegetable and seed crops.

If you area seriousgardener,you maywant tokeep beesfor thepollinationbenefits

alone. Some Nebraska cropsrequiring bee pollination are:alfalfa, clover and vetch seed,sunflowers, canola, melons,squash, cucumbers and pump-kins, apples, cherries, pears andraspberries.

Bees also pollinate manyplants important to wildlife andsoil conservation as well aswildflowers that beautify thelandscape.

For the beginner, buyingnew equipment with packagedbees is the best way to start. Anestablished hive can be over-

Insects that live in temperateclimates have evolved survivalmechanisms to avoid death byfreezing. Some find shelter inthe soil, under bark or leaves, or,like the pesky box elder bug,even find shelter in our homes.Many insects produce glycerolor other chemicals which act as anatural antifreeze and keep themfrom freezing. The monarchbutterfly has an unusual strategyfor an insect: it actually migratesto a warmer climate to avoidcold temperatures.

The survival tactics thathoney bees use are differentfrom most other insects becausethey stay active in their hiveseven on the coldest winter daysand nights. How do they do this?

How Do Honey BeesSurvive the Winter?

Looking for a New Hobby?Learn to Manage Bees and

Produce Honey!whelming for the beginner whowon’t know how to handleswarms, re-queening and colonydefensiveness. Buying newequipment will eliminate anypossibility of disease transmis-sion and allow the beekeeper tolearn the individual parts of thehive while putting it together.With packaged bees, you cangain valuable experienceworking with a small colony andgain experience as the colonygrows. Two to four colonies areideal for beginning beekeepers.

You can learn about begin-ning beekeeping in two 3-hourclassroom sessions from 6:30–9:30 pm on March 18 and 19 atthe Lancaster County Confer-ence Center, 444 CherrycreekRoad, Lincoln. On April 6, youwill learn how to install pack-aged bees, handle bees, put hivestogether and learn about extract-ing equipment at a practical labsession at the AgriculturalResearch and DevelopmentCenter, near Mead.

Know somebody who wouldlike to learn about bees or isinterested in beekeeping? Givethem a Christmas gift by pre-registering them for this work-shop by Dec. 20 and you willreceive a gift certificate to put intheir Christmas stocking.

Registration for this work-shop is $20 and will includereference materials. For moreinformation, call 441-7180.(BPO)

Nothing Brightens upa Winter Day Like the

Song of a Birdthe birds you’re trying to attract.

Many birds we enjoy at ourfeeders have specific seedpreferences or prefer suet.Location of feeders and numberof feeders is also very important.The feeders should be protectedfrom strong winds, preferablynear shrubbery or conifers.Recycle your Christmas tree bypropping it up by the feeder togive the birds added shelter.With several feeders in yourbackyard, more birds will havean opportunity to feed at thesame time. (SC)

others.House Finch Eye

Disease (NebFact 355 - free)— Feeding stations causeunnatural concentrations ofbirds and thus increase thepotential for transfer ofdisease from one bird toanother. A watchful eye andgood judgment will oftenprevent disease problemsbefore they occur.

Build a Nest Box(Lancaster County FactSheet 24 - free) — Learnhow to successfully attractbirds by building an inexpen-sive, simple, six-sided box.Everything from house wrensto American Kestrel’s andWoodducks.

Shelves, Houses andFeeders for Birds andMammals (RP338 - $4) —You’ll get plans and informa-tion on constructing bird andmammal houses, shelves, avariety of feeders and aspecial section on buildingfeeders and houses fromrecycled materials. (SC)

First, thetemperature in aproperly managedhive never fallsbelow 63degrees F,even whenthe outsidetemperaturedrops to -20degrees F. Theworker bees form atight cluster andsurround the queenbee. The workers use storedhoney as fuel and shiver togenerate metabolic heat. Thebees on the outside of thecluster, insulate the cluster whilethe innermost bees generateheat. They continually rotate

their position,alternating their

role as a heatproducer and

heat retainer.A

typicalhoney bee

hive needsabout 60-70

pounds ofhoney to sustain

it through thewinter. A well-

managed bee hive in a goodlocation will produce much morehoney than it needs to maintainitself. What the bees don’t needis harvested by the beekeeperand available for us to enjoy.(BPO)

windows.Adult fungus gnats do not

damage plant materials but areobjectionable and a nuisance tothe homeowner. The immaturefungus gnat lives in the soil andare white, translucent larvae withshiny black heads. The larvaefeed on any organic matter andcan attain a length of about aforth-inch.

Female fungus gnats lay up

to 300 eggs on the soil surfacewhich hatch in five to six days.Plants grown in a growing mediacontaining a high percentageorganic matter such as peat willhave more problems with fungusgnats.

Once fungus gnat adults andlarvae are discovered on theplant, a non-chemical controlcan be achieved, but is will takesome patience. For infested

plants, allow the soil to thor-oughly dry between watering.This will kill the larvae throughdesiccation as well as helpprevent future problems.

The best way to prevent newor future infestations of fungusgnats is to follow proper water-ing practices for your plants.Houseplants in the winternormally do not require as muchwater as at other times of the

Extension Resourceson Feeding Birds and

Wildlife Habitat

Fungus Gnats Are Nuisance Often Found in Soil of Houseplantsyear. Fungus gnats are moreof a problem in the winter,most likely due to overzealous watering. Wheneverpossible, allow soil surfacesto dry completely betweenwatering. A wet environmentis an open invitation to fungusgnats as well as a host ofother problems such as rootrot and stem rot. (MJF)

December 2001 NEBLINEThe Page 4

Farm Views

Late fall and early spring isthe time of year when agricul-tural producers look ahead. Theyspend time considering how tomake the best use of the time,labor and equipment at theirdisposal. They develop balancesheets, cash flows, crop budgetsand make arrangements forfinancing. Top managers alsoallocate time to attend educa-tional programs to learn newskills, hone their old ones and tokeep abreast of new develop-ments.

In my opinion, the timespent on these activities is themost valuable time a producerspends all year. One should givethis part of the job a highpriority. It shouldn’t be relegatedto late night hours or only whenweather or other circumstancesmake it impossible to do otherthings.

If one has any doubtwhether quality managementtime is important, they shouldlook at the waylarge corporationsare structured. Atthe very top of thecorporate ladder isthe Chief Execu-tive Officer (CEO).The main job ofthe CEO is toknow where thecompany has acompetitive edge and to researchnew endeavors the companyshould undertake in the future.Sometimes, the CEO mustidentify what isn’t working anddiscontinue the money losers.

Below the CEO in thecorporate structure, one finds alayer of middle managers. It isthe middle managers, not theCEO, that oversee the day to dayoperation of the company. Undermiddle management, are thepeople involved in actualproduction. In all cases, thelaborers, as important as theyare, are at the very end of thechain of command and at thebottom of the pay scale as well.

Every organization muststrike a balance between laborand management. Too manymanagers without an adequatelabor force will topple a com-pany. On the other hand, acompany with a large labor forcebut inadequate management andplanning, is just as doomed tofailure.

Agriculture is somewhatunique in the business world.Instead of dividing the variouslevels of management over manyindividuals, one or a very fewindividuals’ time often must bedivided over the various levels ofmanagement. Someone in thefarm operation must serve asCEO looking for opportunities tocapitalize on any competitiveedge that their human resources,geographical location or capitalassets might provide. Mosttimes, these same people mustsimultaneously serve as middle

management. In this capacity,they do the job of the vicepresidents in charge of: finance,promotion, personnel, produc-tion and marketing. Finally, thefarmer, family members andhired labor must also be highlyskilled and efficient producers ofthe products that ultimatelysupport the farm and provide afamily living.

Farmers are hard workingand industrious people. How-

ever, I havenoticed in my20 plus years inextension thatmany farmerstend to spendfar too muchtime perform-ing the lowpaying produc-tion jobs and

far too little of their time on thehigh paying management jobs.Of course, there are exceptionsto this generalization. I remem-ber a successful and respectedfarmer who was fond of repeat-ing something that his fatherwould tell him when he was ayoung man, “Plan your work.Then work your plan.” Myfriend’s life and success re-flected the fact that he lived bythat credo.

If you recognize that youmay be a little short on timespent in management but can’tthink of any high level jobs totackle, the following year-endlist can get you started:

If you are raising crops,calculate the average cost ofproduction per acre and perbushel. Then analyze the results.Did the average price receivedmore than cover the cost ofproduction and provide profit tocover family living expense? Ifnot, can you identify whichfields are most profitable andwhich were not profitable?

If you are raising livestock,do you know your five-yearaverage death loss percentage,rate of gain and feed conversionratio? Are these in line withsimilar farm operations? What isyour cost of production per heador per pound?

Do you manage risk byforward pricing when there areopportunities to lock in aprofitable price?

Knowing your profit centersis essential. The long termsuccess of any business depends

on being able to expand profit-able ventures and eliminateperpetually unprofitable ones.Can you calculate the profitabil-ity of individual fields that youfarm or livestock enterprises thatyou have? If you have identifiedwhich fields, crops or livestockoperations were not profitablethis year, do you know “whatwent wrong?” Have you identi-fied what you can do to make theunprofitable enterprises moreprofitable in the coming year?

If you can’t answer thequestions raised above, perhapsyou might consider improvingyour record keeping skills.Extension has been offering awell-received computerizedfinancial record keeping work-shop series for a number ofyears. This series will be offeredagain this spring in selectedlocations. Watch THE NEBLINE forthe workshop announcements.Alternatively, (or concurrently)have you considered joining theNebraska Farm BusinessAssociation (NFBA)? TheNFBA can help you keeprecords and will analyze themand show you how your farmcompares to similar operations.Call the extension office formore information.

Lastly, have you set goalsfor your operation? Are youplanning to bring partners orfamily members into the opera-tion in the next few years? Howbig (or small) do you want to bein five years? What enterpriseswould you like to get into orphase out of? Have you antici-pated which pieces of equipmentwill need to be overhauled orreplaced in the next year or two?Have you prioritized the repair/replacement list and factoredthese costs into your cash flowplan?

Looking at a longer timeframe: Do you anticipate thaturban growth will be takingsome of your farm land? How isthat going to affect the way youfarm or even whether you cancontinue to farm? When do youwant to retire and how will youfinance your retirement? The listcould go on indefinitely.

If your operation isn’tpaying you as well as you wouldlike, maybe you should giveyourself a promotion and spendmore time in management.Remember, management alwayspays better than labor.

Management PaysBetter than Labor

I received this call from aLancaster County stockman andhay producer some time back. Ithought it might be a good topicto present in THE NEBLINE butwaited until now so it would bemore timely in terms of planningactions one might take.

After visiting with theproducer, I called ExtensionForage Specialist, Bruce Ander-son. He had this to say aboutaerating pastures and haylands.“Some grasses, especiallybrome, can get root-bound a.k.a.sod-bound which decreases theability of water to penetrate intothe soil. This generally happensunder conditions where thepasture has been heavily pas-tured or continuously mowed forhay and where the soil iscompacted and where thepasture has been under fertil-ized.”

The caller also said that hisneighbor aerated one pasture andfertilized another pasture in thespring of 2000 and felt that hebenefitted more from aerationthan fertilization. Dr. Andersonand I discussed this as well.Remembering that we had a verydry spring in 2000, this mayhave indeed been the case.Basically, water, not fertilitycould have been the limiting

Now that harvest activities are over, are you thinkingabout ways to improve production and cut production costs?You can reduce your out-of-pocket fertilizer costs, improvepoor soil and increase yields by using municipal biosolids.This material is high in organic matter and contains all thenutrients that are needed by crops to grow. Most cooperatorssee a yield benefit for three to four cropping years after anapplication.

To defray the cost of application, the city of Lincoln ispaying up to $.65 per cubic yard for application. If you don’thave spreading equipment, you can rent a spreader from thecity for a very reasonable cost.

Cooperators must have a loader and be able to apply thematerials in a timely way. If cooperators are interested, theyshould sign up for biosolids before Jan. 15, 2002. They will beeligible for biosolids after soil tests are taken in the spring of2002 and their field has been approved for application.

Interested in biosolids, but want to know more? Aneducation program is being planned in February to explainhow biosolids improve fertility and increase yields. ContactBarb Ogg or Dave Smith at 441-7180 for details. (BPO)

Producer Question —Should I Aerate my Pasture?

factor in 2000. According toAnderson, “The improvement inwater penetration in the aeratedpasture may have had a biggerbenefit than fertilization on theother pasture, given the condi-tions that existed in 2000.”

Additionally, if the nitrogensource was urea or if it containedurea (either dry 46-0-0 or 28percent UAN liquid) and if it wasapplied at a time when no rain fellfor a couple of weeks or more,nitrogen volatilization loss fromsurface applied urea may havebeen quite large, further reducingthe benefit of fertilization.

The conclusion ... aerationcan be of benefit on grasspastures (especially brome)under certain conditions.

Dr. Anderson recommendedone use a disk that is set so thatit is cutting but not turning overthe soil. If it is set to cut threeinches deep and leave a slotabout one-half inch wide, a diskwill do a good job of aerating asod while causing the leastamount of damage.

The benefits of aerating asod are increased water and airpenetration into the soil. Thedownside to aeration is theexpense for the disking opera-tion and risk of increased weedgrowth in the disturbed soil. Thebest time to aerate a sod, accord-ing to Anderson, is late March toearly April. (TD)

Tom DornExtension Educator

Tom DornExtension Educator

Photo courtesy of United States Department of Agriculture

“Plan your work. Then work your plan.”

Biosolids Improves Soiland Cuts Production Costs

Extension Technologist Dave Smith takes GPS readings on a fieldparticipating in Lancaster’s Biosolids Management Program.

December 2001 NEBLINEThe Page 5

UrbanAgriculture

There are many traditionsassociated with the holidays.Many involve plants. Ever-green trees, poinsettias, hollyand mistletoe played impor-tant roles in ancient legendsand rituals, but have evolvedinto traditions associated withthe Christmas season.

The Christmas TreeThe Christmas tree is a

tradition which began inGermany in the17th century.There are several legendsconcerning the origin of theChristmas tree. Historiansknow the primitive cultures ofnorthern Europe believed thatevergreen trees possessedgodlike powers. Theevergreen tree alsosymbolized immortal-ity. The Germanicpeople would bringevergreen boughs intotheir homes duringwinter to insure theprotection of the homeand the return of lifeto the snow-coveredforest. As Christianityspread throughoutEurope, eventually theevergreen tree wastransformed into aChristian symbol.

Some believe the Christ-mas tree evolved from theParadise Tree of the MiddleAges. During the 14th and15th centuries, evergreen treesplayed an important role inmiracle and mystery plays.One such play dramatized thefall of Adam and Eve and wasperformed on Dec. 24. Onstage during the play was aParadise Tree (an evergreenwith red apples hung from itsbranches).

Others believe that theChristmas tree began in the16th century with MartinLuther. According to thelegend, Martin Luther wasinspired by the beauty ofevergreens one Christmas Eve.He cut down a tree, brought ithome, and decorated it withcandles.

The first record of aChristmas tree is in Strasburg,Germany in 1604. Germanimmigrants and Hessiansoldiers hired by the British tofight the colonists during theAmerican Revolution broughtthe Christmas tree tradition tothe United States.

Nebraskans will buythousands of Christmas treesthis holiday season. After theholidays, there are severalways to dispose or recycleyour tree. (Before recyclingyour Christmas tree, removeall tinsel and ornaments.)Some suggestions are:

• Place the tree in the yardor garden for use by birds andother wildlife. The branchesprovide shelter from strongwinds and cold. Food can besupplied by hanging fruitslices, seed cakes or suet bagson its branches. You can alsosmear peanut butter and seedsin pine cones and hang themin the tree.

• Prune off the branches

Evergreen foliage is killedduring late winter. The sunthaws the foliage, which thenrefreezes rapidly when the sun isblocked or at sunset and thefoliage temperature rapidlydrops. Thawed foliage may losewater that can’t be replaced byroots in frozen soil, so the plantdries out. The symptoms arebrowned foliage in the spring,especially on the south or

and place the boughs overperennials as a winter mulch.

• Chip the tree and use as amulch around trees, shrubs or inflower beds.

• If you can’t use the treeyourself, take the tree to acollection site where the tree canbe chipped and used bysomeone else.

• Conservationgroups may beanother option.Some hunting andfishing groupscollect trees and usethem to providehabitat for fish andwildlife.

For many,selecting and decorating

Recycling Christmas Trees

PoinsettiasPoinsettias are native to

Mexico. They were cultivated bythe Aztec Indians. The colorfulbracts were used to make areddish purple dye. The Aztecsalso made a fever medicine fromthe poinsettia’s milky sap.

After the Spanish conquestand the introduction of Chris-tianity, poinsettias began to beused in Christian rituals.Franciscan priests used thepoinsettia in their nativityprocessions.

Poinsettias were firstintroduced into the United Statesby Joel Robert Poinsett, the firstU.S. Ambassador to Mexico.

Poinsett had plants sent to hishome in South Carolina. He thendistributed plants to horticulturalfriends and botanical gardens.The Ecke family of Californiahas been instrumental in thedevelopment of today’s poinsettia.

Initially poinsettias lastedonly a few days in the home. Allhad red bracts. Today’s varietiesare more compact, durable andlong-lasting. Red, pink, white,gold, marbled and variegatedvarieties are now available.

MistletoeMistletoe is a semi-parasitic

plant with small, leathery leavesand small, white berries. Mistle-toe plants manufacture their ownfood, but must obtain water andminerals from the host plant.

American mistletoe(Phoradendron serotinum) canbe found growing in deciduoustrees from New Jersey andsouthern Indiana southward toFlorida and Texas. It is the stateflower of Oklahoma. Mostmistletoe is harvested in Okla-homa and Texas.

Traditions involving mistle-toe date back to ancient times.

Druids believed that mistletoecould bestow health and goodluck. Welsh farmers associ-ated mistletoe with fertility. Agood mistletoe crop foretold agood crop the followingseason. Mistletoe was alsothought to influence humanfertility and was prescribed toindividuals who had problemsbearing children. Mistletoehas also been used in medi-cine. It has been used astreatment for pleurisy, gout,epilepsy, rabies and poison-ing. Mistletoe also played arole in a superstition concern-ing marriage. It was believedthat kissing under the mistle-toe increased the possibility

of marriage in theupcoming year.

Althoughmistletoe has beenused in the treatmentof several ailments,the berries arepoisonous. Individu-als using mistletoeduring the holidayseason should keepthe sprigs out of thereach of children.For safety reasons,many companieshave replaced theberries with artifi-

cial, plastic berries.

HollyHolly was considered

sacred by the ancient Ro-mans. Holly was used tohonor Saturn, god of agricul-ture, during their Saturnaliafestival held during the wintersolstice. The Romans gaveone another holly wreaths,carried it in processions anddecked images of Saturn withit. During the early years ofthe Christian religion inRome, many Christianscontinued to deck their homeswith holly to avoid detectionand persecution by Romanauthorities. Gradually, hollybecame a symbol of Christ-mas as Christianity becamethe dominant religion of theempire. (DJ)

The Legends and Traditionsof Holiday Plants

southwest side of a planting orplant.

Prevent the problem byshading susceptible plants. Useburlap screens, discardedChristmas trees or any othersimple shade source. Becauseinjury usually occurs in latewinter, you need not apply theprotection until after Christmas.(DJ)

Winter Burn

One of the challenges ofsurviving a winter is keeping thewater you use from freezing. Alittle bit of science and a healthydose of trial and error haveyielded ideas for avoiding thehassles of unwanted ice. Let’slook at some advice regardingwinter protection for waterpipes, tanks and dishes.

Keeping water thawed issimply a matter of conservationof heat. You need to keep thetemperature of the water abovefreezing. Now, HOW you do thatis a more complicated issue. Thethree most common methodsare: adding heat with a heatingdevice, insulating to conserveheat and adding heat by bringingin warmer water.

Draining Water LinesAny water lines that can be

drained for the winter (sprinklerlines, empty buildings, pasturewater lines, garden hoses, etc.)should be disconnected anddrained. Compressed air can helpremove water from some lowspots, but separating connectionsat the low points is the surestway to make sure water doesn’tget trapped in low spots. Re-member to remove garden hosesfrom hydrants and outsidefaucets on your home. Con-nected hoses can trap water andcause freezing even in faucetsdesigned to be “freeze-proof.”

Water Pipe InsulationHousehold water pipes in

exterior walls can freeze inextreme weather. Check to seethat there is sufficient insulationbetween the outside of the walland the water pipes. Removinginsulation between the warmroom and the pipes can let moreheat get to the pipes. Evenleaving doors ajar on the counterunder the kitchen sink can allowa little extra room heat in to keeppipes warmer. In extreme cases,

letting a trickle of water run allnight will constantly replace thecold water in the pipes withwarmer water from the basementor well.

Water Pipe HeatersWater pipes in exposed

locations will need extra addedheat. In a small enclosed spacelike a well pit or pump house,you might consider a smallelectric heater or heat lamp. For$30 to $50 you can even add athermostatic control to turn aheater or lamp off when it isn’tneeded.

Remember to keep fire andelectrical safety in mind whenselecting and installing heatersor lamps. Adding insulation tothe pump house or well pit covercan help conserve the heat that isalready present. Many peopleuse hay or straw bales to insulateover a well pit. This works, buthay and straw attract rodents andhold moisture. Insulating insidethe pit and covering withmaterials like fiberglass may bea better plan.

In open areas like unheatedbuildings or crawl spaces, youmay need to localize the heatdirectly to the pipes. Long stripsof heating element (heat tape)may be the answer. Heat tapescan be wrapped around the pipeto add heat directly to the pipe.Some heat tapes include built-inthermostats to turn them off inwarmer weather. Be careful tofollow manufacturer’s instruc-tions when installing heat tape.Never apply heat tape over itself(double wrapping) or over orunder pipe insulation unlessspecifically recommended by themanufacturer.

The Consumer ProductSafety Commission (CPSC)estimates 2,000 fires and 10deaths every year related to

Protecting Waterfrom Freezing

the Christmas tree is one ofthe highlights of the holidayseason. After the holidays,recycle the treeand prolong itsusefulness.(DJ)

see WATER on page 11

Photo courtesy of University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

December 2001 NEBLINEThe Page 6

Food &Fitness

Alice Henneman, RD, LMNT, Extension Educator

Pumpkin is a good source of betacarotene, a nutrient thatmay help reduce the risk of developing certain types ofcancer, and offers possible protection against heart disease.

Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie

Makes 8 servings

1 can (15 to 16 oz.) pure pumpkin puree1/4 cup sugar1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, depending on how “spicy” a flavor you enjoy1 quart (4 cups) vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt, softened1 package (9 oz.) 9-inch prepared graham cracker pie crustWhipped topping, if desired

DirectionsNote: Read “Cook’s Tips” at the end BEFORE preparingthis recipe

Mix the pumpkin, sugar and spice until well blended.

Quickly mix pumpkin mixture with the softened icecream.

Pour into crumb crust and freeze, uncovered, untilfirm—a couple of hours.

When pie is frozen, cover with plastic wrap and thencover with freezer-quality foil or place in a freezer bagand squeeze out the air.

Thaw pie slightly before serving. Top with whippedtopping, if desired.

Cook’s Tips

Use nonfat ice cream or frozen yogurt and fat-freewhipped topping for a lighter version.

The Good Housekeeping Web site(www.goodhousekeeping.com) advises “the best wayto soften ice cream is to let it sit out at room tempera-ture for about 15 minutes or in the refrigerator for 30.”They also note “low-fat ice creams and frozen yogurtsmelt faster than full-fat varieties. Avoid repeatedlysoftening and refreezing ice cream as it gets icy.

Be sure the package says it’s a “9-ounce” pie shell.

If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, for each tea-spoon of pumpkin pie spice, you can substitute acombination of• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg• 1/8 teaspoon ground clovesAdditional uses of pumpkin pie spice are as a flavoringfor sweet potatoes, acorn squash and French toast. Or,add it to baked products such as banana bread, zucchinibread and carrot cake—use about a 1/2 teaspoon percup of batter.

“I like the crunchy vegetablewhich reminds me of a potato,”said a NEP participant atTouchstone who sampled ajicama.

The population and racialbackground of Lincoln is ever-changing, as with many places inNebraska. These changes areseen in many aspects of life inLincoln. As just an example,there are over 30 languagesspoken in Lincoln PublicSchools from students who comefrom 50 countries. Besideslanguage, the new cultures alsobring with them different foodsand food practices.

Ethnic foods were recentlyfeatured as the Nutrition Educa-

Monthly Meetings Go Global

tion Program monthly lessonwhich was presented to 10groups throughout the commu-nity. The hands-on educationalexperiences include nutrition,food safety and resource man-agement as related to themonthly topic.

Participants began bysharing their favorite foods thatare ‘typically’ American. TheNEP staff encourage the groupsto explore why they eat thefoods they eat. They alsoexplored why it is important to

new Americans tocontinue food tradi-tions from their homecountries.

In the next stepthey examinedAfrican, Arabic,Asian and Hispaniccultures. They divideinto small groups anddive into a newculture. Each groupreceives a ‘kit’ fortheir culture contain-ing pertinent informa-tion about the culture,

sample foods and pictures. Thereal learning then begins as thepeers teach each other about thenew culture.

Each meeting ends with afood experience which includedethnic fruits and vegetables.Participants said this was thefirst time they had tried fruitsand vegetables such as the Asianpear, mango and jicama and theyliked the new flavors andtextures. They appreciatedexpanding their knowledgeabout foods of the world.

Andrea OhlrichExtension Assistant

for Limited Resource Families

Gathering round the tablefor a special meal with familyand friends can be a source ofjoy and feedboth body andsoul. Cookinglate into thenight beforeyour meal,however, cangreatly diminishthe pleasures ofthe table.Cooking too farahead candecrease thequality andsafety of yourfood.

Here aresome tips to put the focus backon family and friends rather thanfrenzied (and possibly unsafe)food preparation.

Limit SelectionBegin by limiting the

number of foods you serve to afew favorites, so you have less toprepare. For example, do youneed two (or more) desserts?Remember: desserts spelledbackwards is S-T-R-E-S-S-E-D.

The Day BeforeUnless food will be frozen,

it’s safest to start preparing mostperishable foods no more than aday before a meal. For example:

• Assemble a vegetablecasserole a day in advance,refrigerate and then bake the dayof your dinner. Plan 15 to 20minutes additional heating timefor the refrigerated cold casse-role. Heat until it’s hot and

steamy throughout.• Cut washed fruits and

vegetables within a day of yourmeal for salads and relish trays.Note: Wash fruits and vegetablesunder cool running tap water.Store all cut fruits and veg-etables covered, such as instorage containers or one timeuse plastic bags in the refrigera-tor. Store fresh-cut produceabove raw meat, poultry and fishand below cooked items. Avoidleaving cut and/or peeled fruit

andvegetablesat roomtemperaturefor morethan twohours. Thisincludesthe total ofpreparationtime andservingtime.

• Keepcut fruits,such asapples,

pears, bananas and peaches,from turning brown by coatingthem with an acidic juice such aslemon, orange or pineapplejuice. Or use a commercial anti-darkening preparation withfruits, such as Ever-Fresh™ orFruit-Fresh®; Follow themanufactuer’s directions fortiming and method of applica-tion. Cover and refrigerate cutfruit until ready to serve. Note:Bananas don’t keep as long asthe other fruits mentioned—cutclose to serving time.

• Nonperishable foods suchas cakes and cookies can beprepared a few days in advanceand still will taste good. Or, theycan be frozen for longer storage.For more information onfreezing baked goods, such aspies, cookies, cakes, etc. read“Chill Out Over the Holidays:Bake Ahead & Freeze!” at http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/

ftnvdc99.htm

Handling MeatSpecial tips for handling

meat:• As a general rule-of-

thumb, purchase fresh raw meat,poultry or seafood no more than1 to 2 days before your holidaymeal. Freeze for longer storage.These foods taste freshest ifcooked the day of your meal.

• If you have frozen yourmeat, poultry or seafood, plantime for safe thawing in yourrefrigerator. Allow approxi-mately 24 hours for each 5pounds of weight. For turkey,make sure you remove the bagcontaining the neck and gibletsfrom the body cavities.

• To prevent cross-contami-nation, thaw or store a packageof raw meat, poultry or seafoodon a plate on a lower shelf ofyour refrigerator to prevent itsjuices from dripping on otherfoods.

• If you prepare meat,poultry or seafood the daybefore your meal, divide it intosmall portions. Then refrigeratein loosely covered shallowcontainers within 2 hours ofcooking; limit depth of meat, etc.to about 2 inches. You can placeloosely covered foods in therefrigerator while still warm;cover tightly when food iscompletely cooled. On the dayof your meal, reheat thoroughlyto a temperature of 165 degreesF until hot and steamingthroughout.

The Pumpkin PiePreparing pumpkin pie

ahead of time:• Pumpkin pie is especially

popular around the holidays. Apumpkin pie is a form of custardand must be kept in the refrig-erator at 40 degrees F or cooler.Foods which contain eggs, milk,and a high moisture content

FREE Brochure onPreparing Roast BeefFor a free brochure to help you prepare the perfect beef

roast during the holiday season, call the Nebraska BeefCouncil at 1-800-421-5326. “Savor the Season” features beefroast selection and tips plus the four easy steps to a perfectroast. It gives carving and serving steps plus a roastingtimetable. It includes some great beef recipes—appetizers,impromptu entrees, elegant entrees and how to make the mostof leftover roast. (AH)

Cooking Ahead for Holiday MealsAlice Henneman

Extension Educator &Registered Dietitian

andJoyce Jensen

Lincoln-Lancaster CountyHealth Department & RegisteredEnvironmental Health Specialist

ÜÜ

Ü

Ü

+

Ü

+

++

“Ponder well on this

point—the pleasant hours

of our life are all con-

nected by a more or less

tangible link, with some

memory of the table.”

~Charles Pierre Monselet,French author (1825-1888)

see COOKING on page 11

Greetings,University of Nebraska

Cooperative Extension inLancaster County is a rel-evant, responsive and cred-ible educational resource inour community.

In our mission of “Put-ting Knowledge to Work,”we’ve collaborated with morethan 240 agencies, organiza-tions, businesses and schoolsto develop and deliver educa-tional programs that impactindividuals, their families,businesses, farms and localcommunities.

Here are some examples:• Our youth education

programs reached morethan 28,000 youth.

• Lancaster Extension’sWeb site received1,000,000+ hits.

• Lancaster Extensionresponded to nearly30,000 phone calls fromthe public requestinginformation.

• 2,223 volunteers contrib-uted 32,877 hoursthrough LancasterExtension programs.

• The biosolids programsaved the county $425,000by keeping waste out ofthe landfill.

• A Lincoln Public Schools(LPS) partnership todevelop a Head LicePolicy and educationalpackage resulted in a 70%reduction in head licecases in LPS.

• 76% of Nutrition Educa-tion Program (NEP)graduates adopted betternutrition habits andlearned better ways tospend their food dollars.

I am pleased to share thisannual report and hope youwill note the value Coopera-tive Extension brings to thecommunity.

Gary C. Bergman,Extension Educator and

Unit Leader

ANNUALREPORT

University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County

A REPORT TO THE RESIDENTS OF LANCASTER COUNTY

Institute ofAgriculture andNaturalResources

2000–2001

University of Nebraska Cooperative Extensionin Lancaster County fulfills its mission of“Putting Knowledge to Work” through a widevariety of outreach programs and methods.Volunteer Master Gardeners such asCindy Gabelhouse (above right) and SusanFertig (above left) are available by phoneduring the growing season. Residents canbring in insects for identification (at left,Extension Associate Soni Cochran examinesa millipede on a digital microscope).Extension professionals present countlessprograms, workshops and demonstrations,such as Alice Henneman’s “Nutrition andOsteoporosis” presentation.

University of Nebraska Co-operative Extension in LancasterCounty prides itself on being areliable source of research-basedinformation.

How much can this informa-tion be worth? For one LancasterCounty farmer, the answer is$8,000.

Larry Geiger, a part-timefarmer, had been raising llamason a Kentucky 31 tall fescuepasture for two years withoutany successful live births. Aheartbreaking string of stillbornsindicated a serious problem.

Geiger sought advice fromother llama breeders, bothlocally and nationally. He eventore down his old barn and builta new one to eliminate anychance his llamas might be in-gesting lead-based paint.

How Much is ExpertAdvice Worth?

Geiger eventually contactedExtension Educator Tom Dorn, anexpert in agriculture.

After hearing the llamas’symptoms, Dorn suspected theproblem was related to the grassin the pasture. He recommendedimmediately removing the herdfrom the fescue pasture and feed-ing alternative forage. He also sug-gested a sample of fescue from thepasture be sent to a lab to test forfescue endophyte, which can betoxic to livestock. The tests cameback positive.

Geiger killed the old pasturegrass and replanted with a grassmixture that did not include Ken-tucky 31 fescue. Roughly onemonth after removing the herdfrom the fescue, the females be-gan producing offspring. After oneyear, Geiger’s herd has produced

eight young llamas, now almostready for sale.

Geiger told Dorn “I was get-ting so discouraged before youcame out I was considering sell-ing the herd. Now they are pro-ducing babies right and left.These babies will bring $750 to$3,000 each when we sell them.Your advice has made us at least$8,000 in the first year.”

Extension Educator Tom Dorn (right) inspects Larry Gieger’s (left)pasture for fescue, which could contain a fungal endophyte toxicto livestock.

Dorn has done much educa-tion about endophyte infested fes-cue in the past year, includingworking with UNL’s Institue ofAgriculture and Natural Re-sources to develop a news releasethat went to Nebraska media.

This is just one example ofthe impact, economic and other-wise, that Cooperative Extensionhas in our communities.

University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension providesresearch-based information and extends the university’sresources to urban and rural residents for use in everydaylife in the areas of:• Agricultural Profitability and Sustainability• Children, Youth and Families• Food Safety and Quality• Health and Wellness• Strengthening Nebraska Communities• Water Quality and Environment

Cooperative Extension has 83 offices throughout the stateproviding counties with a locally available resource for indi-vidualized information and expert advice.

One recent caller to the University of Nebraska Coop-erative Extension in Lancaster County commented thatextension was helpful to him in many areas of his life and hecould call about everything from “bugs to bananas!”

Cooperative Extension has extensive diagnostics capa-bilities. Residents are able to bring in plant or insect samplesfor identification and receive specific informa-tion for care, treatment or control methods.

Community groups and organizationsoften ask extension staff to present educationalprograms customized for their groups.

Because extension staff are locally based,they are able to be responsive to specific com-munity needs and concerns.

Your Local Experts

The Buzz on ControllingInsects and Other Pests

Extension Helps Food BankPinpoint Source of Moths

Who are you going to call when you havea pest in your home or yard? Animal Control?Except for a few select animals such as dogs,cats, skunks or bats, Animal Control refers call-ers to University of Nebraska Cooperative Ex-tension in Lancaster County!

Lancaster residents access extension’s ex-tensive pest management resources via thephone, the Web site, workshops, various pub-lications or by bringing specimens to the of-fice for identification.

This past year, Lancaster Extension pur-chased a digital microscope to assist with in-sect identification and for use in developing

publications.Lancaster Extension

works increasingly withcommunity organiza-tions and professionalsin disseminating pestcontrol resources andassistance. Some ofthese agencies areLincoln-LancasterCounty Health De-partment, LincolnPublic Schools andLincoln Housing Au-thority.

Educators inother counties, states

Last year, the Food Bank of Lincoln had a seriousIndian meal moth infestation in their warehouse. They con-tacted Lancaster Extension for information, which led toan on-site inspection by Extension Educator Barb Ogg.She recommended the purchase of nontoxic Indian mealmoth pheromone traps and showed food bank staff how tolocate infestations using a triangulation method. Two sepa-rate infestations were eventually located and controlled.

The Lincoln Food Bank now routinely uses phero-mone traps as a monitoring tool for early detection of mothinfestations. Executive Director Scott Young says, “Wemonitor the traps weekly to prevent future infestations,thanks to extension. What great use of a resource — to thebenefit of everyone.”

This image of a varied carpet beetlelarva was taken with extension’snew digital microscope for an in-house fact sheet and the Web site.

Scott Young of the Food Bank of Lincoln inspects an Indian meal mothpheromone trap, which Lancaster Extension helped set up.

Removing Head LiceSafely is an 8-minute video devel-

oped last year by Lancaster Extension staff incooperation with other partners. This video is avail-able free on the Web and is the most requested videoon 5 City-TV. It has aired on Lincoln Cable Channelmore than 20 times per month. 1,000 copies of the videohave been sold to educators, health care workers, cos-metologists and parents. Lincoln Public Schools haveasked to have the video translated into other languages— translations into Spanish and Arabic are underway.

Lincoln Public Schools reports a 70 percent reduc-tion in head lice cases and Lincoln-Lancaster CountyHealth Department reports a 57.7 percentreduction in public health cases.

Head LiceVideo Gains

Attention

Horticulture Programs Growingin Depth and Outreach

Composting Demonstrations TeachCommunity to Recycle Yard Waste

Lancaster Extension col-laborated with the City of Lin-coln Recycling Office to de-velop, establish and maintain acomposting demonstration siteat University Place Park, 50thand Colby Streets.

Last year 18 hands-oncomposting presentations were

The Master GardenerTraining Program is a volunteerprogram where people aregiven training by University ofNebraska personnel and then inreturn provide 40 hours of vol-unteer time to educationalextension programs such as:• Answering horticulture

phone calls• Presenting educational

Darren Binder demonstrates screening compost through a 1/2-inchscreen.

A still from the educational video, TurfEstablishment and Renovation , developed byLancaster Extension Educator Don Janssen (left)and Douglas Extension Educator John Fech (right).

Volunteers Tend To Master Gardener Program

conducted throughout Lincolnto teach citizens how to suc-cessfully compost yard waste intheir own backyards. 920 resi-dents attended these presenta-tions.

The demonstration site hasan informal, self-guided tourwhich an estimated 5,000 resi-dents participated in.

Lancaster Extension alsoeducates the public on the ben-efits of mulching through a“Bag-No-More” grass clip-pings campaign.

The City of Lincoln Recy-cling Office estimates theseeducational programs will ex-tend the life of the present land-fill by 3 to 5 years over the next25 years.

Commercial Horticulture Clinics toeducate employees in the horticul-ture industry about plant identifica-tion, problems and care of thoseplants. These employees are thenable to pass this knowledge on tocustomers.

This year, Janssen and Fechdeveloped two educational videos,Turf Establishment & Renovation andRose Culture and Care. These vid-eos will be used as training tools forthe commercial horticulture industryand will be available for use at con-ferences and television broadcasts.

programs and workshops• Assisting in 4-H and other

youth programs• Establishing and maintaining

community beautificationprojects

Extension Associate MaryJane Frogge coordinates theMaster Gardener program forLancaster Extension.

The City of Lincoln Parks and

Recreation Depart-ment offer supportto the Master Gar-dener trainings andin return, MasterGardeners provideeducational infor-mation at publicgardens.

In 2001, 40 Lancaster CountyMaster Gardeners logged 1,868

Master Gardeners receive training (above) inexchange for volunteering their time toextension programs.

Cooperative Extension playsa vital role in teaching the com-munity about horticulture issuescustomized for local weather, wa-ter, soil and pest conditions.

In 2001, Cooperative Exten-sion in Lancaster horticulture staff:• Answered more than 6,500

telephone calls• Presented 86 educational

programs to groups andthrough other venues such ashome and garden shows

• Disseminated informationthrough the media, such as

“Garden Gossip,” a weeklycolumn in the LincolnJournal Star; BackyardFarmer on Nebraska ETV;Lincoln Live on KFORradio; and LancasterExtension’s HorticultureWeb pages

• Diagnosed problems viasamples brought to theextension office or on-site

Lancaster Extension Edu-cator Don Janssen teams withDouglas County ExtensionEducator John Fech to provide

volunteer hours and had 9,693direct clientele contacts.

and universities are using materials developedby Lancaster Extension staff. The CockroachControl Manual was written as a reference forthe Cockroach Combat Workshop, but morethan 786 copies have been sold and thousandsof people have accessed the information freeon the Internet. K Sharpe of Cornell Universitywrote, “I examined your manual on the Weband find it to be one of the best references oncockroach control ever done. I was a profes-sional pest control operator for five years andhave never seen such a clear and concise pre-sentation of cockroach control information.”

Real estate licensees can receive continu-ing education credits from the Nebraska RealEstate Commission by attending termite work-shops led by Lancaster Extension staff and heldin cities throughout eastern Nebraska. Termitein-service trainings are also held across the state

for other Extension Educa-tors. A manual, Subterra-nean Termites: A Handbookfor Homeowners, was up-dated this past year for useby homeowners.

Lancaster Extension’sentomology staff also pro-

vides workshopsto farmers andagribusiness pro-fessionals regard-ing crop insectpests.

In addition toinsects, LancasterExtension providespest managementeducation on wildlifeand other animals.

LANCASTER COUNTY EXTENSION2000�01 HONORS AND AWARDS

�Lancaster County Extension hasnationally recognized programs andstaff. We are fortunate to have sucha high caliber at the local level.�

—Wayne Heyen, president ofLancaster County Extension Board

Salt Valley CleanLakes Project

Farmer Brad Moser (left)is one of manyparticipants ExtensionEducator Corey Brubaker(right) works with on theOlive Creek WatershedProject (areal view belowsuperimposed withgraphic detailing landuse in the watershed).

University of Nebraska CooperativeExtension in Lancaster County collaborateswith 12 partners on the Salt Valley CleanLakes Project, initiated in 1993.

The primary focus this year was onthe Olive Creek Lake Watershed Project.Seven landowners in the watershed areahave completed 10 conservation projects,with eight more projects pending. Theseprojects include water and sediment con-trol basins, tile outlet terrace systems, farmponds and grass filter strips adjacent tostream channels.

The process is currently underway tobegin similar conservation projects for thewatershed above Wagon Train Lake.

Biosolids Program Merges Precision Ag With Waste Recycling

City of Lincoln “digesters” (above) processsewage into a suitable organic fertilizer forcrops. Extension Technologist Dave Smith(right) takes soil samples to determine theamount of biosolids to apply per field. Aftertransport to the fields (right center), thebiosolids are applied to the fields (far right).

Lancaster ExtensionEducator Tom Dornmanages the PesticideContainer Recyclingprogram for a 10-countyarea. In this program,pesticide containers arecollected, ground intosmall chips to be re-cycled into parking lottire bumpers, fenceposts, traffic lane markersand more.

In Lancaster Countylast year, more than 3,600

While most of extension’sprograms are educational in na-ture, the Biosolids ManagementProgram is a program in whichUniversity of Nebraska Coop-erative Extension in LancasterCounty coordinates distributionand application of biosolids toagricultural cropland for theCity of Lincoln Wastewater andSolid Waste Division.

Biosolids are an excellentsource of organic fertilizer forcrops not in the human food chain.

Lancaster Extension makesuse of the latest technologies inprecision agriculture to ensurebiosolids are applied in an en-vironmentally sound method:

• Global Positioning Sys-tem (GPS) measures exact fieldarea and record soil sample and

Agricultural Programs RemainEssential Part of Extension

Lancaster County has morefarms than any other county in Ne-braska according to the UnitedStates Department of Agriculture,with farm products bringing inmore than $82 million dollars.

University of Nebraska Coop-erative Extension continues tomake agricultural profitability andsustainability a priority issue.

Lancaster Extension fulfillsthis goal in part through severaleducational activities, including:private and commercial pesticideapplicator certification trainingsessions, a chemigation certifica-tion training/testing session, aCrop Protection Clinic, an Irriga-tion Management Home StudyCourse and Computerized Finan-cial Record-Keeping workshops.One participant of the latter said,“The income reports let me knowhow much I am actually makingcompared to my expenses. Thislets me see if I need to budget mymoney better.”

Following the 2000 drought,

Farmers learn better methods of record-keeping at two-day ComputerizedFinancial Record-Keeping workshops.

Students at Norris learn watersampling techniques.

Computerized Financial Record-Keeping Work-shop — National Association of Agricultural Agents’Search for Excellence in Farm and Ranch FinancialManagement, national finalist

earth wellness festival — Lincoln Public Schools’Volunteer Program Award, 4000 hour club

Nebraska Nutrition Education Program — NationalHealth and Human Services’ Food and NutritionPrograms, recognition award

THE NEBLINE (monthly newsletter) — NationalAssociation of Agricultural Agents’ Team Newsletter,national winner

Removing Head Lice Safely video(developed by Barb Ogg and SoniCochran) — national Telly Awards,finalist

Lorene Bartos, DeannaKarmazin, and Tracy Kulm —Nebraska Cooperative ExtensionAssociation’s 4-H Section TeamAward for 4-H marketing piece(county fair insert in THE NEBLINE)

Soni Cochran — University of Nebraska Coopera-tive Extension’s Distinguished Associate Award

Lance Cummins-Brown — National Association ofCounty Agricultural Agents’ Search for Excellence in4-H and Youth, regional winner and national finalist

Tom Dorn — National Association of AgriculturalAgents’ Distinguished Service Award

Arlene Hanna — Lincoln Public Schools Ventures inPartnerships’ Pioneer Award

LaDeane Jha — University of Nebraska CooperativeExtension’s Distinguished Educator Award

Deanna Karmazin — UNL Collegiate 4-H’s Friendof 4-H; and Nebraska Cooperative ExtensionAssociation’s 4-H Section Communicator Award forsafety curriculum on fire safety

Virginia Piening — UNL Institute of Agriculture andNatural Resources’ Outstanding Employee Award

Pesticide Container Recycling

storage sites.• Soil samples are taken to test

existing levels of nitrates,which determine how manyloads to apply per acre.

• Application equipment is

calibrated to ensure appropri-ate application rates.

• A computer database, Geo-graphical Information System(GIS), is used to keep recordsof the entire process.

Last year, more than 25,000tons of biosolids were deliveredand applied to 29 fields. Thissaved taxpayers $425,000 bykeeping this recyclable waste outof the landfill.

The City of Fremont isplanning to use Lincoln’s modelof having extension coordinatethe Biosolids Program for theirwastewater treatment facilitycurrently under construction.

there was increased interest in irriga-tion development. Lancaster Exten-sion developed a spreadsheet calledIRRIGCOST to assist farmers in esti-mating annualized costs of owningand operating an irrigation system.

Many agriculture producers accessinformation from Lancaster Extensionvia the phone, Web site, in-house factsheets and other publications.

Local youth learn about Ne-braska agriculture through programssuch as the Agricultural AwarenessFestival, the Ag Awareness Programand precision ag classes.

pesticide containers were col-lected. Overall the programhas diverted about 52 tons ofplastic from area landfills.

A farmer returns empty pesticidecontainers for recycling.

LANCASTERCOUNTY

EXTENSION • Extension Educators • Extension Associates • Extension Assistants

UNIVERSITYOF NEBRASKA-

LINCOLN

Helping People Put Knowledge University of Nebraska Cooperative Extensionextends the university’s research-based informationto Nebraskans while engaging with people in puttingthis knowledge to work. As the front door to theuniversity, extension is committed to being relevantand responsive to the evolving needs of localcommunities and their citizens.

Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County utilizesthe newest technologies and multiple media avenuesto be your source of information around the clock.

Presentations, DemonstPrograms and Worksh

Person to Person

Internet

�Thanks for having this information online. It really helped at 11 p.m. last night!!�—Lisa, www.lancaster.unl.edu Web site user

Displays, Boothsand Exhibits

Radio

Publications

Video

2,000+ Pages ofWeb Content!

An“Omnimedia”

PresenceWith the advent of new tech-nologies, extension staff arenow moving towards an“omnimedia” programmingstrategy, using multiple mediaformats and distribution chan-nels to meet consumer informa-tion needs. This goes beyond“multi,” or many, media to-wards “omni,” or combining allmedia to enhance total impact.

The University of Nebraska CooperativeExtension in Lancaster County’s Web site,lancaster.unl.edu, has grown substantiallysince 1998, from receiving approximately100,000 total hits annually to more than1,000,000!

The Web site, which is updated daily,features more than 2,000 Web pages ofcontent. Online Web resources include:• News and information section (updated

weekly)• Programs and event calendar• A searchable database• Photo pages of extension events• Information on extension programs,

including 4-H and youth, waterconservation and Nutrition EducationProgram

• Horticulture tips and a Master Gardenerdiagnostic center

• Extensive pest management resources(including multimedia clips)

• Food, nutrition and safety resourcesincluding “Cook It Quick”

• Agriculture and acreage informationand links

• Online versions of in-house fact sheets, THE NEBLINE and other publicationsLancaster Extension also utilizes other online resources such as e-newsletters, e-mail

updates and response to e-mail queries.The Ag and Acreage Web site was recognized as the national winner in

the National Association of County Agricultural Agents CommunicationsAwards Competition last year. The Food Safety and Nutritionsection of the Web site has received the highest possiblerating by Tufts University Nutrition Navigator — “Among theBest!” Several individual in-house fact sheets have receivedthe Lightspan STUDYWEB Academic Excellence Award.

• Professors• Specialists• Researchers• Departments

LANCASTER

COUNTY

RESIDENTS

To Work

In addition to direct outreach, Universityof Nebraska Cooperative Extension trainsindividuals who go out into the communityand teach others. This includes teachers,business professionals and employees, foodand other service industry workers, govern-ment employees, health professionals, day-care providers and community volunteers.

TRAININGTHE

TRAINERS

VOLUNTEERSVolunteers are a vital part of Cooperative Ex-tension, with Lancaster County benefitting lastyear from 2,223 volunteers investing 32,877hours of volunteer time. Independent Sectorvalues volunteer time at $15.39/hour (for moreinformation see www.independentsector.org),which would put a total value of LancasterExtension’s volunteers at $505,977.03.

PartnershipsExtension relies increasingly on partnerships. It is throughcollaboration and engagement that extension is able to reachthousands of Lancaster County residents. The following is alist of organizations, agencies, businesses, schools and morethat University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension inLancaster County has partnered with in the past year:

rations,hops

Phone

Youth Groups,Activities,

and Schools

�Extension leverages its resources and thoseof the Lincoln community through numerouslocal partnerships. This enhances educationalopportunities for a broader audience.�

—Shelia Kepler, member of Lancaster County Extension Board

Agriliance (Farmland andCenex Land O�Lakes)

Alltel CommunicationsAmerican Dairy Association/

Dairy Council ofNebraska

American Heart Association- Lincoln Division

Americorps/VISTAAmigos, IncArends InteriorsAsian Cultural and

Community CenterAsset Building CoalitionAudubon NebraskaBennet Public SchoolsBlessed Sacrament SchoolBryanLGH Medical CenterBurden Sales, Inc.Burlington Northern RailroadBurke Plaza Senior HousingCabin Realty & Ag ServicesCampbell�s Nurseries &

Garden Centers, Inc.Capitol Aviation, Inc.Capitol Child CareCarol Yoakum Family

Resource CenterCathedral of the Risen

Christ SchoolCatholic Social ServicesCedar Ridge Spraying -

AshlandCedars Youth ServicesCenterPointeCity of Lincoln Animal

ControlCity of Lincoln Citizen

Information CenterCity of Lincoln Parks and

Recreation DepartmentCity of Lincoln Public Works

and UtilitiesCity of Lincoln Recycling

OfficeCity of Lincoln Wastewater

DivisionCity of Lincoln Water

SystemClear Choice WaterCommodity Supplemental

Food ProgramCouncil of Family CentersCrossroads Senior HousingDoane CollegeEagle Elementary SchoolEarl May Garden CentersEmployment FirstEnvironmental Health

Systems, Inc.ExperianFaces of the Middle EastFaith Lutheran SchoolFamily ServiceFarm Credit Services of

AmericaFarmers Cooperative Co. -

Waverly and BennetFarmers National CompanyFarmers Union Coop -

GretnaFirst Plymouth ChurchFirth Coop - PrincetonFolsom Children�s Zoo and

Botanical GardensFood Bank of LincolnFood NetThe FortFrontier Coop - Mead and

David CityGiffard FarmGood Neighbor Community

CenterGoodwillGoodyear Tire CompanyGordon Chapelle Hoof

Trimming Inc.Great Plains Girl Scout

CouncilThe Groundwater

FoundationHamlow Elementary School

- WaverlyHanna ArchitectsHelen Hyatt Elementary

SchoolHenry Doorly ZooHispanic Community CenterHuman Services FederationHyline HatcheryINFORMIowa State UniversityIndian Center JTPAKeep America BeautifulKeep Lincoln-Lancaster

County BeautifulKeep Nebraska BeautifulKinko�sLancaster County Red

CrossLancaster County

Agricultural SocietyLancaster/Saunders School

to Career

Lancaster Event CenterLands for the Seventh

GenerationLincoln Action ProgramLincoln Center Kiwanis ClubLincoln Christian Schools #1

& #3Lincoln Community

Development Block GrantProgram

Lincoln Council on Alcoholand Drugs

Lincoln Housing AuthorityLincoln Indian CenterLincoln Interfaith CouncilLincoln Lancaster County

Food and HungerCoalition

Lincoln-Lancaster CountyHealth Department

Lincoln-LancasterImmunization andVaccination Effort

Lincoln Literacy CouncilLincoln Medical Education

FoundationLincoln Pantry NetworkLincoln Public SchoolsLincoln Solid Waste

Management AssociationLower Platte North Natural

Resources DistrictLower Platte South Natural

Resources DistrictLutheran Family ServiceMahoney ManorMail PlusMalcolm Public SchoolsMarch of DimesMatt Talbott Kitchen Life

SkillsMcCullough-Landell

ImplementMediation CenterMercy HousingMessiah Lutheran SchoolMilford Elementary SchoolMonsanto (DeKalb Genetics

and ASGROW Seeds)NASANational Recycles Day

AssociationNational Youth Sports

ProgramNE Ag in the ClassroomNE Agribusiness AssociationNE Beef CouncilNE Beekeepers AssociationNE Cattleman�s Association

Lincoln/Seward CountyAffiliates

NE Community NutritionPartnership Council

NE CooperativeDevelopment Center

NE Corn Development,Utilization & MarketingBoard

NE Corn GrowersNE Corn Fed BeefNE Credit Union LeagueNE Department of

AgricultureNE Department of EducationNE Department of

Environmental QualityNE Department of Health

and Human ServicesNE Department of Natural

ResourcesNE Environmental TrustNE Farm Bureau - State

Office and LancasterCounty Chapter

NE Game and ParksCommission

NE Home BuildersAssociation

NE Humanities CouncilNE LEAD ProgramNE Nurserymen AssociationNE Pest Control Association

MembersNE Pork ProducersNE Real Estate CommissionNE Restaurant AssociationThe NE Rural Development

CommissionNE School Age Childcare

AssociationNE State ForesterNE Statewide ArboretumNE Soybean BoardNE Water Environment

AssociationNE Well Drillers AssociationNE Wheat BoardNeighborhood Inc. YouthNorris High School

Vocational and IndustrialClubs of America

Norris Public SchoolsNorth American Martyrs

School

Northeast Family CenterNorthwood Child CareNovartis Consumer Health,

Inc.Oak Creek Valley BankOak Valley SchoolOlsson AssociatesOtte Oil, Fertilizer, and

Propane - WahooOmaha Agri-business ClubPapio-Missouri River Natural

Resources DistrictParagon SanitationParent Aid Support GroupParkview Christian SchoolPartners For A Safer

CommunityPeople�s City MissionPepsi-Cola Bottling

CompanyPfizer Animal Health, Inc.Pioneer HiBred InternationalPioneers Park Nature

CenterPlymouth Coop - Fairbury,

Odell, and WilberPreparation for Adult Living

(PALS)Professional Lawncare

AssociationProviders NetworkPsychotherapy AssociatesRaymond Central School -

ValparaisoRe:Build AssociatesReal Estate Owners and

Managers AssociationRed Hawk NurseryRetired and Senior

Volunteer ProgramRotary Club #14Sacred Heart SchoolSAFE Kids CoalitionSalvation ArmySt. Elizabeth�s Regional

Medical CenterSt. Elizabeth Burn CenterSt. John�s Catholic SchoolSt. Joseph�s Catholic SchoolSt. Marks ChurchSt. Mary�s Catholic SchoolSt. Patrick�s Catholic SchoolSt. Peter Catholic SchoolSt. Teresa�s Catholic SchoolSandhills Publishing

CompanySchool Districts #69, #152,

#153, #158Square DSoutheast Community

College � LincolnSoutheast Nebraska Area

Producers CooperativeSoutheast Nebraska Coop -

BeatriceSouthpointe Family CenterSouthwood Lutheran

ChurchState Farm InsuranceState Fire Marshall�s OfficeTabitha Intergenerational

ProgramTaylor ProductionsTeaching and Learning with

Children (TLC)Teen Pregnancy Prevention

CouncilThree Eagles BroadcastingTouchstonesTransitional Living Group -

Cedars Youth ServicesTrinity Lutheran SchoolTrinity United Methodist

ChurchTurning Point - Cedars

Youth ServicesUnion Bank and Trust

CompanyUrban Indian CenterUS Army Corps of

EngineersUS Environmental

Protection AgencyUSDAValentino�s Inc.Ventures in PartnershipsWachiska Audubon SocietyWasteCapWater Environment

FederationWausau InsuranceWaverly Public SchoolsWells FargoWIC Advisory CommitteeWillard Commnity CenterWilliams Garden CenterWomen Involved in Farm

EconomicsWorld Bird SanctuaryYoung Families Program -

LMEFYWCA

InformationFlows Both Ways

Cooperative Extension listens,respects and responds to

residents� needsand concerns

4-H clubs are open to youthages 5–19, and members learnpractical skills as well as lifeskills such as solving problemsand communicating.

In traditional 4-H clubs,members complete severalprojects a year, choosing frommore than 150 project areasavailable, including: aerospace,photography, flowers/garden-ing, cooking, clothing, cats,dogs, rabbits, horses, live-stock, woodworking andsmall engines. There are alsonontraditional 4-H clubswhich focus on one particu-lar area, such as small pets,rabbits, or chess (see storybelow). Members may alsobelong to more than oneclub or participate inprojects individually.

In 2001, LancasterCounty had 98 4-H clubswith 1,054 organizedmembers. ShimmeringShamrocks is a typical ex-ample of these clubs.Started and led by BeckyVahle who had been aLancaster 4-H’er in heryouth, Shimmering Shamrockshas seven members and meetstwice a month. Meetings are heldat and rotated among themember’s homes. At least oneparent of each member attendsthe meetings with their children.Vahle attributes the support of themembers’ families as critical tothe success of the club.

Shimmering Shamrocks hasbusiness meetings once a monthin which the officers (currentlyall members hold an office) planand decide what projects to workon and accomplish. Membersfocus on lessons and projectsduring the rest of the meetings.In the past year, members workedon a variety of projects includ-ing clothing units, cooking, rock-etry, woodworking, demonstra-tions and table setting. The Checkmates 4-H chess club is a pilot

project started in January 2001 by James Wallaand Julie Thomson. These parents were alreadyinvolved in 4-H with their daughter Terra.

James had the idea of a chess club because“chess is objectively a means to help the youngmind develop.” Julie organized the club withLancaster Extension 4-H staff and James devel-oped the materials for the program. Nebraska4-H did not previously have a chess project.

Within one year, the chess club has built upa membership of 30 registered youth ranging inage from 7–14 years. Parents are very support-ive, with many attending meetings.

Meetings usually include 15–20 minutes ofinstruction and then members divide up for informalchess matches. For the county fair, members hada choice of six projects they could enter, includ-ing chess-related reports, interviews and posters.

Kyle Pederson, president of The Check-mates, explains his involvement, “I like chess.And I like to play chess with kids my own agebecause my dad always beats me at it.”

27,676 Lancaster Youth Participated Since the beginning 99 years ago, 4-H has been established on a com-munity club model. However, 4-H also has organized activities which4-H members and nonmembers can participate in, and in recent years,4-H has expanded its outreach to a broader base of youth through SchoolEnrichment programs. 4-H is part of University of Nebraska Coopera-tive Extension. While 4-H is still well rooted in the historic base ofrural America, today’s membership is increasingly urban youth. In thepast year, 4-H programs reached 71 percent of the youth in LancasterCounty — 27,676 — nearly double the state enrollment percentage.

4-H Clubs RemainHeart of the Organization

New Chess 4-H Club

4-H Activities OfferHands-On Learning by Doing

A scrapbook page fromShimmering Shamrock memberCarly Belz’ Member’s Record.

All of the Shimmering Sham-rock members participated inthe 2001 Lancaster County Fair,exhibiting a total of 63 projectscombined.

For the holidays last year,members of the group wentChristmas caroling at LancasterManor and gave residents doordecorations they had made. Theclub also made gifts to send tofamilies of the September 11thtragedy.

Vahle says “It has been amaz-ing to watch these talented youngpeople learn life skills which theyuse to better themselves, theirfamilies and our community.”

County Fair Commitment

Members of the new Checkmates club challengeeach other to a match during a 4-H club meeting.

�Through this won-derful organization,I have learned how tobe an individual andmake my own safe/smart decisions.Through 4-H Council,I�m also learning tobe a leader.�

—Bryce Lemke,member of 4-H Council,

4-H Teen Council and4-H Ambassadors

Bugcatching(above)and papermaché (right) aretwo of 18workshopskids canchoose from when attending thefour-day camp, Clover College.

Kevin Hajek competed in 16 horse classesat this year’s county fair, including Halter(above). Lancaster County is a leadingcounty in registered 4-H horse projects.Active participates learn equestrian skills,a high degree of self discipline andresponsibility for care of their animals.

4-H offers members and sometimes nonmem-bers a variety of activities and opportunities out-side the club level.

The largest activity of the 4-H year is theLancaster County Fair (see story below). How-ever, there are events throughout the year, such asthe annual Speech Contest, Music Contest andDemonstration Contest.

4-H livestock exhibitors have several oppor-tunities to participate in activities across the state,including progress shows, the District HorseShow, State Fair, and the Ak-Sar-Ben

4-H Livestock Exposition.Connie Lemke, a mem-

ber of 4-H Ambassadors and4-H Teen Council said,“Since I’ve been in 4-H I haveaccomplished many goals,one of my favorite was theSong Contest. There are manyother fun opportunities4-H has to offer, from learningto cook, first aid, livestock,4-H camps, to meeting peopleall over the country.”

Non-4-H youth can partici-pate in 4-H Clover College,an annual four-day series ofworkshops, or State 4-H summercamps.

4-H also offers a wide varietyof leadership possibilities, throughawards, scholarships, 4-H Am-bassadors, Citizen WashingtonFocus (CWF), 4-H Teen Counciland 4-H Council.

Each year, 4-HTeen Council plans, or-ganizes and leads a 5thand 6th grade overnightLock-In. This year’sLock-In featured ajungle theme, educa-

Last year,Lancaster County4-H’er JoHannaMadsen was selectedthrough the 4-HRecord Book AwardsProgram as one offour 4-H’ers fromNebraska to attendthe National 4-HConference.

Madsen said of the conference, “Throughvisiting the Department of Agriculture andmeeting 4-H’ers from across the nation,national delegates learned the uniqueness ofthe 4-H program’s grassroots structure. At theconclusion of the conference, I felt I hadindeed built ‘a global community,’ as the themeemphasized.”

JoHanna Madsen

tional activities, food and crafts. JacobMessick, a member of the 4-H TeenCouncil, said that organizing the Lock-In was “a lot of fun, and seeing partici-pants come to it shows that kids are in-terested in 4-H activities and have funattending them.”

in 4-H Programs Last Year4-H School Enrichment Programs

Head to Classrooms

Showcases 4-H Members to a Healthy Community

Volunteers Make a Difference

Volunteers donate their time and talents to University of NebraskaCooperative Extension in Lancaster County programs through avariety of ways: Master Gardeners, 4-H leaders and superintendents,NEP volunteers, earth wellness festival presenters and assistants,Character Counts! volunteers and Family Community Educational(FCE) Club members. 4-H members often volunteer in community-related projects. In November 2001, two extension volunteers, Barband Ron Suing were recognized by the Retired & Senior VolunteerProgram (RSVP) and the Lancaster County Board of Commission-ers as the County/City Volunteers of the Month. The Suings haveserved as 4-H leaders a combined 28 years. Lancaster Extensionthanks all its volunteers for helping to make a difference!

Extension Educator Lorene Bartos (left) applauds asBarb (center) and Ron (right) Suing are awardedCounty/City Volunteers of the Month.

Character Counts! Youth Development Programs

Nutrition Education Programs for Youth

At the 2001 Lancaster County Fair,3,841 exhibits were showcased by 6334-H members.

This was the first county fair held atthe new Lancaster Event Center. 4-H’ers,superintendents and other volunteers putin long hours prior to the fair makingdisplays, setting up concession stands andpreparing the new facilities.

New measures were implemented inthe livestock areas to increase biosecurity.These included isolating the swine anddisinfecting pens and arenas.

4-H Council managed and staffed theconcession stands, raising money for fundswhich go back into 4-H programs.

The county fair marks the end of theactivity year for 4-H members, who workthe rest of the year on projects, many ofwhich are exhibited.

Winners at the county level go on toState Fair.

Participants in the 4-H Dog Show take theirplace before entering the arena.

Extension Associate Arlene Hanna (above)teaches fifth graders how pollution affectsaquifers as part of 4-H Water Riches.

School Enrichment programshave been a part of Nebraska’s 4-Hprogram since 1974 and have focusedprimarily on science. These programsinclude teacher guides, videos,books, posters, experiments, gamesand more. Extension staff develop theprograms, train teachers on their useand go into the classrooms for hands-on activities with students.

Currently in Lancaster County,the projects available to teachers are:• EMBRYOLOGY — through

incubating and hatching babychicks in the classroom, thirdgraders study life-cycles

• GARBOLOGY — introducessecond graders to solid wastemanagement and the three R’s:Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Cooperative Extension’s Nu-trition Education Program (NEP)offers several 4-H School Enrich-ment programs to qualifying lim-ited resource schools.

NEP has developed supple-mental kits of hands-on educa-tional experiences designed to en-hance first, fourth and fifth gradeschool health curriculum. Teach-ers may request these kits forthree-week periods, and an exten-sion staff member presents ahandwashing and healthy snackfood preparation activity in theclassrooms as part of the program.

For grades kindergarten, sec-ond and third, NEP offers class-room presentations teachingproper handwashing and healthy

First grade students atLakeview make healthy“Yummy Bugs” snacks aspart of Nutrition EducationProgram’s 4-H SchoolEnrichment programs.

More than 45 public, private andhome schools in Lancaster County haveimplemented Character Counts! programsin their classrooms. Character Counts! isa character education project developedby the Josephson Institute of Ethics toteach youth the “Six Pillars of Charac-ter”: trustworthiness, fairness, caring,respect, responsibility and citizenship.

In Nebraska, Character Counts! is

“The Wall” is part of the TRUSTcourse used in Leading withCharacter Counts! camps.

• VERMICOMPOSTING —second graders learn a new wayto compost, with worms

part of the state’s 4-H program and iscoordinated through Cooperative Exten-sion. Extension staff, in cooperation withlocal schools and agencies, providescharacter education training to teachers,childcare providers and community pro-fessionals.

Workshops are also provided to par-ents to support their children’s charactereducation.

Leading withCharacter Counts!camps are two-dayworkshops whichextension staff leadfor middle schoolyouth.

Last year, 18,254 Lancaster Countyyouth participated in Character Counts!programs.

eating throughthe food guidepyramid.

In additionto NEP’s SchoolEnrichment pro-grams, NEP pro-vides nutrition pro-grams at a variety ofcommunity sites suchas summer youth camps,preschool and school-agechildcare centers and teen resi-dential treatment programs.

During the 2000-2001 schoolyear, 2,437 Lancaster Countyyouth participated in NEP youthpresentations.

Extension Associate DeannaKarmazin (left) assists a fifth-grade student making recycledpaper at the annual earthwellness festival.

�4-H programsare a solidinvestmentin today�syouth. 4-His a provenway to teachyoung Heads,Hearts andHandsHealthy waysof living.�

—Keith Dey,4-H Council

President andex officio member

of Lancaster CountyExtension Board

turning garbage into compost• BLUE SKY BELOW MY FEET

— links space technology to theeveryday interests of fourth gradestudents

• 4-H WATER RICHES — fifthgraders determine ways to manageour water supply and commit towater preservation and conservation

In the past year, 11,470 Lancastercounty youth participated in theseSchool Enrichment programs.

Extension EducatorLaDeane Jha (above)teaches students inReal World — RealDecisions.

CooperativeExtension in

LancasterCounty

collaborates with12 community

partners to presentthe earth wellnessfestival, a yearlongschool curriculum

with a one-dayfestival offering 2,984fifth graders hands-on

experiences todiscover the

interdependency ofland, water, air

and livingresources.

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Elbert C. Dickey, Director of Cooperative Extension, University of Nebraska,Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension educational programs abide with the nondiscrimination policies of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the United States Department of Agriculture.

We assure reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act; for assistance contact Lancaster County Extension, 444 Cherrycreek Road, Lincoln, Nebraska 68528-1507, 402-441-7180. TDD capability available.

Institute ofAgriculture andNatural Resources

Nutrition & Food Safety Essential to Health of Community

Lancaster Extension and CountyBenefit from AmeriCorps*VISTA

AmeriCorps*VISTA is a na-tional program that places full-timevolunteers in local organizations forone-year terms. University of Ne-braska Cooperative Extension inLancaster County has two VolunteersIn Service To America (VISTA), AliAlkhazraji and Boshra Rida. Bothof these VISTA members assist indeveloping ways to reach commu-nities not previously covered byextension’s programs, with a specialfocus on character education.

VISTA member Boshra Rida (left)assists a Norris student at aLeading With Character Counts!Camp

Nutrition Education Programs for LimitedResource Families

Extension Assistant Karen Wobig presents“Who Wants to be a Milk-N-Aire” to MahoneyManor residents.

Dietary factors are associatedwith 4 of the 10 leading causesof death (coronary heart disease,some types of cancer, stroke andtype 2 diabetes) and with os-teoporosis, which affects 1 in 2women over age 50.

University of Nebraska Coop-erative Extension in LancasterCounty helps people eat healthierthrough a variety of educationaland outreach methods.

“Nutrition and Osteoporosis”was developed as a workshop of-fered to worksites and communitygroups. Articles were also distrib-uted via THE NEBLINE, the FOODWeb site, an e-mail newsletter andin-house fact sheets. Responsewas so positive the Power-Pointpresentation component wasposted on the Internet and subse-

Longtime FCE members were honored at this year’sAchievement Night in Lancaster County, includingDonna Gill (above left), a member for 45 years.

Family and Community Education (FCE) clubsare an educational, social and community-orientedprogram designed to meet the needs and interests ofNebraska homemakers.

Extension BuildsStrong Families and

CommunitiesLeadership and community

development, as well as fosteringfamily strengths, are by-productsof most of Cooperative Extensionprograms. Extension also hasprograms specific to these areas.

Extension partners with avariety of community agencies topresent workshops such asStrengthening Families, resourcemanagement and basic investing,Real World — Real Decisions,Parents Forever (for divorcingparents) and other FamilyStrengths programs.

Leadership, teamwork and abetter understanding of self andothers are developed throughReal Colors Matrixx and Myers

With the help of LancasterExtension Community Coordina-tor Sief Mahagoub, extension hasbegun translating educational ma-terials into other languages includ-ing Arabic, Spanish, Russian andVietnamese.

�Our local extension Office honors theland grant mission of the University ofNebraska. We have progressed as a peoplebecause of the educational opportunitiesand delivery of research-based knowledgethrough Cooperative Extension.�

—Alice Doane, member of Lancaster County Extension Board

TRANSLATION EFFORTS

quently downloaded by more than3,000 educators in Lancaster Countyand throughout the United States.

The “Cook ItQuick” program wascreated for both onsitepresentations and foraccess over theInternet. Materialsstress quick and nutri-tious food preparationand food safety tips.

Food Reflectionsis an e-mail newslet-ter sent to more than 6,300 health pro-fessionals, educators and consumers.Each month, a nutrition or food safetytopic is discussed in “how-to” lan-guage. One subscriber, Suzi, wrote,“Not only do you do creative, high-quality work, but you are generousand share it far and wide! Thank youfor another terrific resource

from University of NebraskaExtension.”

The “Pyramid Power: theFood Guide Game,” whichLancaster Extension staff devel-oped in 1994, continues to be auseful educational tool, with morethan 2,000 educators in all 50states having purchased the game.

University of Nebraska’s CooperativeExtension’s Nutrition Education Program(NEP) helps limited resource families learnto prepare nutritious and safe foods whilestretching their food dollars.

In NEP, qualifying adults learn throughsmall groups at agency or community sites,or individually through home visits, mail les-sons or phone consulta-tions.

“I’ve learned how toinclude dairy foods likecheese and yogurt in mydiet to get calcium.” saysMichelle, a LancasterCounty Early Head Startmother who can’t drinkmilk.

This year, NEPteamed up with the FoodBank of Lincoln to edu-cate families on how touse potatoes donated bythe Idaho Potato Grow-ers, and with community agencies to providefood preparation and safety information to fami-lies receiving holiday food baskets.

Lancaster Extension NEP partners with 87agencies and coalitions and receives fundingfrom the Expanded Food and Nutrition Educa-tion Program (EFNEP) through USDA, theFood Stamp Nutrition Education Pro-gram (FSNEP) through Healthand Human Services, LincolnHousing Authority, EarlyHead Start through Lin-coln Action Program,and other sources.Women, Infants andChildren (WIC)continues to be aprimary partner.

More than2,426 Lancaster

Handling Food SafelyNutrition Programs For Health’s SakeFood safety is a farm-to-table issue. Coop-

erative Extension is the lead agency in LancasterCounty for educating consumers about foodsafety. Lancaster Extension also partners withcommunity organizations in providing training tocommercial food service establishments.

Consumers are reached through programs,presentations, booths, Web articles, e-newslettersand news releases through the media. Many con-sumers call the extension office with home foodsafety concerns.

Lancaster Extension developed a game,“Don’t Get Bugged by a Foodborne Illness,” foreducators to teach consumers important foodsafety practices. The game has been recognizedby an award from the National Extension Asso-ciation of Family & Consumer Sciences. Approxi-mately 3,000 copies of the game have been soldto educators nationally and internationally.

The ServSafe Program provides training onsafe food handling practices to food service es-tablishments. Lancaster Extension partners with

UNL, Lincoln-Lancaster County HealthDepartment and the Nebraska RestaurantAssociation in this program.

Extension also provides yearly train-ing for child care provider directors andcooks in cooperation with the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department andthe State Department of Education.

Extension Educator Alice Henneman (left) andMary Torell of the Nebraska Department ofAgriculture combine nutrition educationand food safety information ina presentation.

Briggs Temperament Inventory(MBTI) Workshops delivered byExtension Educator LaDeane Jha.One participant commented:“Wow, this really opened myeyes. My boss isn’t a jerk — he’sjust different than me.”

In addition to direct outreachin these issues, extension providesstaff development and training toeducators, government officials,agency workers and communitygroups, both locally and region-ally. Some of these workshopsinclude leadership trainings, di-versity issues, poverty simula-tions, Success Outcome Markersfor Extension and character edu-cation trainings.

Nutritionadvisors SandyPhillips (aboveleft) and PatriceBroussard(above right)demonstrate useof perishablefoods at LincolnAction Program.

County residents received NEP educationthis past year. According to Extension Edu-cator Maureen Burson, extension researchshows 76 percent of NEP program gradu-ates adopt better nutrition habits, 76 per-cent learn better ways to spend their food

dollars and 57 percentmake food safety

improve-ments.Family and

Community Education Clubs

Page 7December 2001 NEBLINEThe Page 7

FamilyLivingClarice’s Column

by Lorene Bartos, Extension Educator

Clarice SteffensFCE Council Chair

What has happened to2001? It is slipping by usso quickly! FCE activitiesfor 2001 culminated onOct. 23 with the celebrationof achievements for the year.Kathy Peters shared her dollcollection with us as we sharedsome of our own collections and

childhood memories with others.Our clubs continue to do

worthwhile projects for thebenefit of the community. Items

for the Food Bank werecollected that evening,but other groups suchas Friendship Home,Headstart, etc.continue to also benefit

from FCE. Our memberswere most generous in helpingbuild the scholarship fund, so weare assured another member of

the community will receive ascholarship in 2002. As usual,clubs provided us with anexcellent variety of programs forour Council meetings and therefreshments were always thebest! I hope more members willtake advantage of this opportu-nity to enjoy the programs andget to know our membership.

As 2001 activities areending, plans are also beingmade for 2002. Clubs have beenreorganized and new committeesare being formed. The newschedule of programs will beavailable in January.

And now we are well intothe holiday season. The last fewmonths have certainly beentrying, but have also been a timeto think about what is important.Too often we take too manythings for granted. As membersof FCE, family, be it by relation-ship or association, is a toppriority. Even though we thinkour daily lives are trivial, it is atime to continue to do what wehave always done. The trivialmay be the things that create thebest memories. So take this timeto celebrate and enjoy yourfamily and make this a trulygreat season.

Happy Holidays!

H FCE News H

Stain removal tipsBeverages (wine, alcohol and soft drinks)

Sponge with cool water. Soak for 15 minutes in 1 quartof lukewarm water, 1/2 teaspoon liquid dish detergent and 1tablespoon of white vinegar. Launder. If stain remains, soakin an enzyme presoak for 30 minutes.

Candle WaxScrape excess from fabric with a dull knife. Spray or

sponge with dry-cleaning solvent, then rub with heavy-dutyliquid detergent before washing. Pressing the wax betweenpaper may set the candle dye more permanently by making itharder for the solvent to penetrate the wax. Launder using hotwater and chlorine bleach if safe for fabric.

GravySponge with dry-cleaning solvent or use prewash stain

remover. Rinse with water. Air dry, then apply heavy-dutyliquid detergent to stain and launder.

Family Community Education (FCE)Leader Training Lessons for 2002

“When you get into a tight placeand everything goes against you,till it seems you could not hold ona minute longer, never give upthen, for that is just the place andtime that the tide will turn.”

—Harriet Beecher Stowe

Traditionally, the holidayseason is associated with timesof good cheer and friendlyfeelings. The reality, however, isoften something else—depres-sion. In fact, depression is rathercommon both during and afterthe long holiday season.

Depression is an emotionalstate in which the sufferer feelssad, lonely and dejected, usuallyaccompanied by negativethinking, and involving physicalsymptoms such as fatigue and

The holiday season is over,the tree is looking a little dry andit is time to take down and putaway our seasonal decorationsfor another year. Since many ofour decorations represent aninvestment in time, money andmemories, they deserve propercare and storage and should becleaned and organized in waysthat will best preserve them.

Look all decorations over asthey are taken down. Washabledecorations, such as tablecloths,should be laundered beforestoring. Dusty ornaments orother decorations should bewiped clean and tree lightsshould be dusted and inspectedfor burned-out bulbs (be sure tounplug before doing this).

Use large, sturdy cardboardboxes for storing bulbs, orna-ments and lights. Select boxesthat are fairly shallow, but largeenough so two or three boxeshold all the ornaments. Wrap

If we want our teens to readand perform well in school, weneed to make sure our behaviorssupport the intended goal. Howcan we tell our teens to read, ifthey never see their mom or dadpick up a book? The best way tofacilitate these issues is for us tomodel the behavior we wish tosee and work together with ourteens. For example, if your teenis struggling with school, you

All leader training lessons will be presented at 1 p.m.• Aim for Fitness, January 7• Positive Communication for Families, January 29• Growing Communities of Character at Work, February 26• Nutrition and Osteoporosis, March 26• Energy Isn’t the Only Thing You Will Save, September 24

Study lessons available include:• Long Term Care: Options, Costs and Preparation• Parents Again: Grandparents Becoming “Grand” Parents• Servant Leadership• Telemedicine: The Future is Here• When a Loved One or Dear Friend Dies

CHARACTER COUNTS! Corner

CaringTo me the holiday season heightens awareness of those

around us who may be in need of a little extra care. Purchas-ing mittens for a mitten tree, donating cans of food to a foodbank, buying gifts for “Operation Santa”, taking home-bakedgoodies to a neighbor or shoveling snow from someone’swalk are all ways we demonstrate we care. As we put theneeds of others before our own, we model caring for ourchildren and help them develop a spirit ofgiving that strengthens their characterthroughout life.

—LaDeane Jha,Extension Educator

Storing Holiday Decorationsfragile bulbs and ornaments intissue paper and stack theremaining ornaments (fromheavy to light) on layers oftissue paper. Angel hair andtinsel can be stored betweenornaments for added protection.Remove hooks and hangers fromeach ornament, and store themseparately in a small box orenvelope.

Gather strings of tree lightscarefully to avoid tangling. Wraploosely around a large, flat pieceof cardboard. Store the tree standin its original box.

After the boxes are packed,clearly label the contents on the

outside of each box and then fillthe box with the same itemsfrom year to year.

Designate an area of acloset, basement, attic or garage,and use the same space everyyear. Clean the storage areathoroughly each year beforereturning the decorations to it.Keep boxes off the floor to keepmoisture out. If stored in theattic or outside garage, be sureextreme temperature andhumidity changes will not harmany of the items in the boxes.

Adapted from an article by LindaAdler, Extension Specialist. (LJ)

DepressionDuring theHolidays

headaches.Although there are many

reasons for depression during theholiday season, one of the mostcommon is unrealistic expecta-tions for the holidays. Popularimages, such as those promotedon television, paint an unrealisticimage of perfect families havingperfect holiday celebrations—an

ideal that few of us attain. Formany people, large familygatherings can be depressingbecause of internal problemssuch as illness, death, divorce orcertain family members simplynot getting along with each other.

Other major reasons for

Very often we all make individual New Year’s resolutionsand a few weeks later, we’ve forgotten them or moved on tosomething else. Why not make a family resolution this year—one you will all be committed to and remind one another aboutthroughout the year?

One suggestion is to decide as a family to focus on improv-ing social justice in the community. Pick an issue your familybelieves needs improving and work together to make a differ-ence. Read about the social justice issue you have chosen, watchmovies that highlight the issue, talk about injustice and figureout something tangible you can do in the community.

As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is athreat to justice everywhere.”

—LaDeane Jha, Extension Educator

Make a FamilyNew Year’s Resolution

see DEPRESSION on page 11

Model the Behavior YouExpect from Your Teen

can make arrangements withyour teen to go to the librarytogether. This does not mean weshould do the work for our teens.Instead, we should model thedesire to learn and, at the sametime, demonstrate support forour teens.

Source: Laura M. Stanton, OhioState University (LJ)

HO

USEH OL D

H

I NT

S

NEBLINEThe

4-H & Youth

December 2001 Page 8

ORSE BITS

In an effortto fight hunger,Nebraska 4-Hwill be conduct-ing a 4-H CANFight HungerCampaign. Thegoal is collecting4000 pounds offood. Collectdonated foodnow until Jan. 5,2002 and donate it to a charity ofyour 4-H club’s choice. You canalso bring it to the extensionoffice and we will donate it tothe food pantry. Please report to

4-H CAN Fight HungerTracy the totalweight of foodcollected, thenumber of youthand adultvolunteers, thenumber of totalvolunteer hours,the agencies and/or groups whobenefitted fromthe food drive,

and any publicity the projectreceived. Call Tracy at441-7180 for more informationand for 4-H CAN Fight Hungerpromotional material. (TK)

The 2002 Nebraska State4-H Volunteer Forum will beheld Feb. 15–16 in GrandIsland. This forum is a confer-ence developed by a committeeof 4-H volunteers from acrossthe state.

Network with other 4-Hleaders, exchange successful 4-H programs among 4-Hleaders and be introduced tonew areas and projects. Therewill be numerous workshops

4-H Volunteer Forum

If you and your family havea pet, or you are thinking aboutgetting one, there are somethings that need to be consid-ered. What are the needs of thepet? Who is responsible forfeeding and caring for the pet?Where will it play and sleep? Ittakes a great amount of time andattention to raise a pet, so sitdown and discuss the followingpoints with your children.• You will need to provide your

pet with love, food and water,shelter, exercise and the healthcare it needs.

• If you own a cat or dog, think

The Fall Rabbit Clinic washeld on Saturday, Nov. 10 at theextension office. It was a greatclinic for both new 4-H rabbitexhibitors and current exhibitorswho just wanted some additionalinformation about caring for andshowing their rabbits. There wasa demonstration on tattooing,and information was sharedabout different breeds of rabbits,

4-H Horse VIPSCommittee Update

It seems as though we just finished withCounty Fair and here we go again! The 4-HHorse VIPS Committee is planning the new 4-Hyear and we need everyone’s help.

We are organizing a group to present aclinic/conversation for all 4-H club leaders andany interested parents. Some topics we wouldlike to cover are the resources available to clubleaders, review of the 4-H calendar year andlevel testing requirements. Club leaders havereceived information in the mail and weencourage them to share this with theirmember’s parents. The date for the clinic willbe determined, then published in the JanuaryNEBLINE.

We are also preparing for the January 4-HHorse VIPS Committee fair planning meetingwhich will be held 7 p.m.,Wednesday, Jan. 9.One of the committee concerns is the lownumber of people in attendance at the VIPSmeetings. The two major consequences of thisare:

• You have a very small number of peoplemaking the decisions for the 4-H horse programin Lancaster County which will affect 237exhibitors and their families

• When we plan County Fair and do nothave enough volunteers to put on the show, thepeople in attendance will decide which classesneed to be cut.

Neither of these is desirable.Please mark your calendars and know that

the 4-H Horse VIPS Committee meets thesecond Wednesday of every month exceptDecember, and everyone is welcome to attend.

Area Youth RepresentNebraska at National Contest

The Lancaster County 4-H Horse Judging Team recently competed in the All AmericanQuarter Horse Congress-Youth Judging Contest in Columbus, Ohio. The contest consisted of

twelve placings classes and four sets of oral reasons. The Lancaster County team placed16th in Halter classes, 19th in Reasons and 26th overall.

The Lancaster County Team earned the honor of representing Nebraska as aresult of the competition held at the State 4-H Horse Exposition in July.

offering hands-on learningexperiences and new ideas andprograms designed to enhanceyour club.

Anyone interested in 4-H iswelcome to attend. Applicationsfor scholarships from the State4-H Office are due Dec. 15.Applications for scholarshipsfrom the 4-H Council are alsoavailable.

Contact Tracy at 441-7180for more information. (TK)

Fall Rabbit Clinic a Successhousing and care of rabbits andhow to read the fair book.

Thanks to all of the exhibi-tors and friends of the 4-Hprogram who assisted and sharedtheir knowledge, including: TeriBramhall, Lindsay Brinson,Mary Cudaback, Dawn Eggert,Judy Fitzgerald, Kirstin andRodney Liljestrand, LanceMaahs, Ken Majors and Emily

Morton.In the upcoming months,

look for more information aboutour upcoming Spring RabbitClinic and Show. The clinic willbe held at 6:30–9 p.m., Thurs-day, March 14 at the LancasterExtension Education Center andthe show on Saturday, March 16at the Lancaster Event Center.

carefully about letting your pethave babies. More kittens andpuppies are born than there arehomes for them. Consult yourveterinarian for informationabout spaying or neuteringyour pet.

• Does your pet know your nameand address? To assure thatyour pet will be returned toyou should it get lost, attach anidentification tag to its collar.In Lincoln, all cats and dogsmust be licensed.

• Keep your pet safely in yourown house or yard.

• Take your pet to see a veteri-

narian regularly. Dogs and catsneed yearly examinations andshots to prevent certaindiseases.

Loving and caring for familypets is an excellent way to teachresponsibility. Most childrenhave a natural affection foranimals and are born with asense of curiosity and fascina-tion about animal life. Takingcare of a pet will help childrendevelop the insight and under-standing they will need as adultsto make personal and politicalchoices beneficial to all crea-tures. (ALH)

Getting a New Pet for the Holidays?

Members of Lancaster County’s 4-H Horse Judging Team are (left to right) Patrick Smith ofCeresco, Kelly Heather and Teresa Perrin of Waverly, and Morgan Snyder of Crete.

4-H Bulletin Board4-H Ambassadors will meet at 2 p.m. and Teen Council will meet 3–5 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 6

NEBLINETheDecember 2001 Page 9

4-H & Youth

CentennialCelebrationin conjunction with4-H What�s It All About/Achievement NightTuesday, Feb. 5

4-H What’s It All About —Achievement Night will heldTuesday, Feb. 5, 2002 at 7p.m.

4-H members will berecognized for their achieve-ments. County awards, Out-standing 4-H Members, I DareYou and Meritorious Service

4-H Achievement Night Feb. 5, 2002awards will be presented.

There will be presentationsand displays of activities thathave taken place throughout theyear. Come see a demonstration,dance and song groups, judging,speeches, and more!

This is an opportunity for all

clubs, new or established, to seewhat opportunities 4-H has tooffer and how members, leaders,and parents can participate.

Come join the 4-H Councilin recognizing 4-H members fora job well done. (TK)

Join the 4-H Speech VIPSWe are looking for new speech VIPS members. If you would like to help organize and

conduct the Lancaster County 4-H speech contest, call Deanna or Tracy at 441-7180. (DK/TK)

An OvernightEvening/Night/Morning

of Fun!

Bring your sleeping bag, pillow, toothbrush,toothpaste, active wear, sleepwear (sweats)and a friend interested in 4-H!

Presented byLancaster County 4-H Teen Council

and sponsored byUniversity of Nebraska Cooperative Extension

in Lancaster County

Sleepover!

Games!

Fun Projects!

Snacks!

Movies!

4-H Lock-In Registration Form

Name of participant(s) __________________________________Age _________

____________________________________________________Age _________

Address ___________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip ______________________________________________________

Phone ____________________________________________________________

Parent or Guardian _________________________________________________

Special Needs or Other Information (such as food allergies) _______________

_________________________________________________________________

Make check payable toLancaster County 4-HTeen Council and mailwith registration form to:

Tracy KulmUniversity of NebraskaCooperative Extension inLancaster County444 Cherrycreek Road,Suite ALincoln, NE 68528-1507

Registrations due by January 4, 2002

LancasterExtension

Education Center,444 Cherrycreek

Road, Suite A,Lincoln

• Hors d’oeuvres, 5:30-7:00 pm• Exhibits featuring 4-H alumniprojects, photographs, stories andscrapbooks• Door prizes, including a Collector’sedition 4-H Garfield cookie jar• 4-H Clover Mint ice cream (mint icecream with chocolate truffles andwhite chocolate chunks!) and cookieswrap up the evening

Help Generate NextCentury Ideas for 4-H

Youth and adults who want to contribute to aneffort to collect the nation’s best ideas in youthdevelopment can join the Lancaster Conversationon Youth Development in the 21st Century onThursday, Jan. 31 from 7–9 p.m. at the LancasterExtension Education Center, 444 Cherrycreek Rd.,Lincoln.

As part of its centennial celebration, 4-H isleading conversations in all 3,067 counties of ournation. In the Local Conversations, youth andadults are being asked to describe what youth needto achieve success in their lives. This will be thefirst time any organization has developed a series ofrecommendations starting at the ground floor —where everyone lives — working its way up to onenational report.

The Local Conversations will lead to StateConversations, and then, on Feb. 28–March 3, theNational Conversation will take place in Washing-ton D.C., presenting a national report to PresidentBush and the Congress.

For more information about the LancasterConversation, call 441-7180.

Lancaster Conversation on YouthDevelopment in the 21st Century

Thursday, Jan. 31• 7–9 p.m.Lancaster Extension Education

Center, 444 Cherrycreek Rd., Lincoln.

December 2001 NEBLINEThe

CommunityFocus

Page 10

The Comprehensive PlanCommittee has been working thepast year to draw up a new mapof the community’s future. Adifficult and important task, theCity Council and the LancasterCounty Board look to adopting anew Comprehensive Plan inearly 2002.

Dr. Boshra Rida Joins StaffDr. Boshra Rida joined the Lancaster County Extension

Staff on Nov. 19. She joins Ali Alkhazraji as a secondAmeriCorps*VISTA member on staff. AmeriCorps*VISTAplaces full-time volunteers in local organizations for one-yearterms.

Boshra has a highly interesting background and has muchto offer extension. Her country of origin is Iraq and she spentnearly 22 years as a refugee in both Iran and Syria. She comesfrom a large family of seven brothers and five sisters, most ofwhom are currently in the United States. When her family wasforced to leave Iraq, however, they left behind four brotherswho have not been heard from since.

Boshra was a practicing general practitioner in Iran andSyria and was a resident in a pathology program for more thanone year. Since coming to this country she has been workingon getting her license to practice medicine and has alreadysuccessfully passed two of the qualifying exams.

In addition to studying for her medical license, Boshrahas worked as an Arabic and Farsi interpreter and translatorand as a volunteer at Bryan LGH. She says she is mostgrateful to her family for the support they have given her overthe years.

During her year as a VISTA with extension she will beworking with the Character Education program as well as inoutreach programming for Arabic and Farsi speaking refugeewomen in the community. (BR)

Soni Cochran Receives State “DistinguishedExtension Associate” Award

Extension staff member Soni Cochran received the 2001“Distinguished Extension Associate” award at the AnnualNebraska Cooperative Extension Association’s annual confer-ence in Omaha Nov. 13–15.

Soni annually handles more than 4,000 urban pest man-agement and wildlife queries. She maintains an active sched-ule with community partners in environmental educationprograms including the earth wellness festival — an annualevent that has reached nearly 20,000 Lancaster County fifth-graders and their teachers.

Congratulation Soni! (GB)

What Will Lincoln, LancasterCounty Be Like in 25 Years?

A proposed policy wasbrought to the ComprehensivePlan Committee related toacreage development. The draftcopy of the Growth Map,includes areas for plannedacreage development and

Planning Acreagesrecognizes those areas alreadyplanned and developed.

Around six percent of thecounty population (15,000persons) live on acreages. Thosepeople live in 3,900 dwellingson 41 square miles of property.

If acreage growth were tocontinue at approximately sixpercent of the county’s popula-tion, that would represent about6,780 additional persons and

see ACREAGES on page 11

Tiers of Growth andWhat They MeanFuture growth visions for

Lincoln have been shown as“Tiers”:

Tier ITier 1 reflects the city’s

growth, with full urban services,for the next 25 years. Landwithin this area should remainunencumbered with land uses,development forms, or condi-tions of property owner reticencethat would present impedimentsto future urbanization of thisarea by the city.

Tier IITier II serves these purposes:

• Defines the area where the cityis to grow beyond the initial25-year planning horizon.

• Serves as the basis for long

term, advanced utility planning• Acts as a reserve area for urban

growth should the Tier I areadevelop more quickly thanassumed for 25 years.

Tier II should remainunbridled with impediments todevelopment.

Tier IIITier III plans for Lincoln’s

extended long-term growthpotential. While urbanization isexpected, the Tier III areaextends well beyond any urbandevelopment envisioned withinthe present plan. Tier III servesas a panoramic vision forexpansion of the city well intothe future.

No active planning nordevelopment within Tier IIIshould occur during the planninghorizon.

Community input iswelcomed! Here is how youcan share your ideas:• e-mail to

plan@ci.lincoln.ne.us• fax to 441-6377• write to the Planning

Department, 555 South 10Street, Lincoln, NE 68508

• call the comment line:441-9744 (English);441-9745 (Vietnamese);or 441-9746 (Spanish)

STAFF NEWS

December 2001 NEBLINEThe Page 11

Miscellaneous

must be kept refrigerated, asbacteria love to grow in thesefoods. Avoid letting a pumpkinpie set at room temperature formore than TWO hours. Thatmeans it shouldn’t sit out morethan TWO hours total includingafter its baked and while waitingto be served.

Note: Some commercialpumpkin pies that are purchasedat room temperature may laterneed to be refrigerated. Checkthe label on commercially bakedpies for storage requirements.Don’t buy pies stored at roomtemperature if label directionsare unclear or missing.

• If you’d like to get a headstart on preparing your pumpkinpie, it’s easiest and safest tofreeze just your shaped andunbaked pie crust in a freezer-and oven-safe pie pan. Or,purchase an unbaked frozen piecrust already in a pie pan. Then,add the pumpkin filling, mixedaccording to directions, to the

frozen crust just before baking.It takes just a few minutes to mixtogether the ingredients.

Unless the directions withyour frozen pie crust recommendotherwise, place a baking sheetin your oven and pre-heat youroven to the baking temperaturegiven in your pie recipe. Thenplace your pie on the hot bakingsheet and bake your pie as usualthe day of your meal. To saveadditional time, buy a pie fillingwith the spices already added,especially if you must buy extraspices just for your pie.

• Instead of making a bakedpumpkin pie, consider making aform of pumpkin pie that can befrozen, such as the Pumpkin IceCream Pie recipe in this month’s“Healthy Eating Section.”

Set the Table AheadSave time by setting your

table the day before your holidaymeal. Also, set out all foodpreparation and service utensils.Or, assign children or others toset the table before you eat.

COOKING AHEADcontinued from page 6

ing good biosecurity measureson their operations.

Now as ag-terrorismbecomes a more realistic threat,those same biosecurity measurescan, and should, be practiced toprevent an ag-terrorism attack onour food supply.

According to the NationalAnimal Health EmergencyManagement System, there areseveral reasons why animalagriculture is a potential targetfor ag-terrorism.• Relative ease (when compared

to incident affecting humanpopulation) of implementingan ag-terrorist attack.

• The disruption of the nation’sfood supply and the negativeeffects throughout the foodprocessing and transportationinfrastructure.

• Public fear regarding the safetyof their food purchases.

• Public apprehension/confusionresulting from media coverageof response activities; e.g.,destruction/disposal of affectedlivestock, quarantines, etc.

• Disruption of United States’ability to export food products.Ag-terrorism poses a greaterthreat to states like Nebraskawhich rely heavily upon animalagriculture and food processingfor economic well-being.

Fortunately, livestockproducers can greatly reduce orprevent any ag-terrorism attack.

According to the team ofUniversity of Nebraska veteri-narians there are four mainbiosecurity principles livestockproducers should practice toprotect their animals.• Check Livestock Frequently –

look for unusual behavior,blisters, illness or death andreport them to your veterinar-ian immediately, do nothesitate.

• Don’t spread disease fromplace to place – check allanimals before they move on toor off of your operation. Ifsomething doesn’t look rightcall a vet immediately.

• Assure the safety and quality offeed and water – always knowyour source of feed and don’tbe afraid to ask questions. Alsoalways store your feed in a safelocation.

• Know who is on your farm orranch – it is very important tokeep your eye out for peoplewho do not belong on yourplace or your neighbors’.Always control visitors contactwith your animals and theirfeed. Restrict access to yourlivestock and insist visitorsregister with you and wearclean clothes. Don’t be afraidto call law enforcement if yoususpect a problem.

Bioterrorismand Crops

According to University ofNebraska Extension Plant

Pathologist, John E. Watkins thelikelihood of a bioterrorismattack working and causing anydamage to our crops is verysmall. Even though it can bedone in a greenhouse “For anyplant disease to occur and thenbecome epidemic, the threeessential components — avirulent pathogen, susceptiblehost, and favorable environment— have to be in balance, as thisdoesn’t happen very often innature.”

Also, new genetics in cropsand new chemicals used to fightcrop diseases aid in reducing thelikelihood of a successful attackon our crops.

Hopefully, we will neverhave to deal with a bioterrorismor ag-terrorism attack here inNebraska. I believe it is verycomforting to know that theUniversity of Nebraska is on theforefront of these very seriousissues providing quality informa-tion and research to aid thecitizens of Nebraska.

BIOSECURITYcontinued from page 1

v v v

For more information onbiosecurity issues, contactLance Cummins-Brown atthe University of NebraskaCooperative Extension inSaunders County at1-800-529-8030 or bye-mail at lbrown4@unl.edu.

v v v

malfunctioning heat tapes. TheCPSC recommends using onlynew heat tapes certified byUnderwriter’s Laboratories (UL)or similar agency. They alsorecommend using a ground faultcircuit interrupter and replacingany heat tapes more than threeyears old with new, certified heattapes utilizing grounded (three-prong) plugs. Check the CPSCweb page at www.cpsc.gov formore information, or call CPSCat 1 (800) 638-2772.

Underground PipesEven buried, underground

water pipes are subject tofreezing. Problems usually arisewhen soil in new water linetrenches has not fully settled, orwhen earthwork or constructionabove the pipeline removes toomuch soil or replaces soil withmaterials like concrete thatconduct heat away more easily.

If you have a buried waterline that is at risk because offresh backfill or thin cover, youcan add insulation on top of theground in the form of hay, leavesor even snow piled over thewater line. In extreme cases,letting a small flow of water runcontinuously through the waterline can supply enough warmwater to keep a line openthrough temporary periods.

With buried lines, rememberthat the risk period may last fordays or even weeks beyond theextreme cold weather untilground heat from below canmigrate back up to the water line.

Livestock WaterersKeeping waterers open in an

unheated barn, can be challeng-ing and frustrating in winter. Ifelectricity is available, submers-ible electric trough, tank andbucket heaters are available for$20 to $50.

For safe operation, you musthave a power supply with a thirdwire ground. If electricity is notavailable, liquid propane gas(LPG) stock tank heaters areavailable for $300-$500.

Energy-free waterers areavailable for new installations.These waterers channel heat upfrom the ground below and uselots of insulation to keep waterwarm. If properly adjusted, theyseem to work very well. Expectto pay $450 to $700 for energy-free waterers (about $100 morethan their electrically heatedcounterparts).

An inexpensive alternativefor large stock tanks withoutaccess to electricity is thepropane bubbler. This device isanchored to the bottom of thestock tank and releases a slowstream of bubbles from a 20-pound (5 gallon) propane tank.The bubbles, which are notharmful to livestock, carrywarmer water from the bottomof the tank up to the surfacewhere they maintain a smallopen hole in the ice duringmoderate weather. The bubblercosts less than $100 and operatesfor up to three months on fivegallons of propane (about $10).

Adding insulation to theoutside of a water tank and evento the water surface can helpconserve heat and keep wateravailable longer during coldweather. When adding insula-tion, be sure to protect theinsulation from animal chewing,manure and spilled water.

For small quantities ofwater, electrically heated bucketsand water dishes are availablefor $30-$100 from hardware andfarm supply stores. Make surethese units are properlygrounded for safety. (DJ)

Information Source: Shawn Shouse,ISU Extension Field Specialist/AgEngineering, SW Area ExtensionCenter.

WATERcontinued from page 5

v v v

depression include loneliness,the financial aftermath ofholiday shopping and evendisappointment over presentsreceived.

Nearly everyone is suscep-tible to holiday depressionregardless of age, sex or back-ground. However, it most oftenaffects those people who feelthey have a lack of control overtheir lives.

One of the best ways tocombat holiday depression is byparticipating in activities with

other people. Visit a nursinghome; go to a holiday service ata church, synagogue or temple;play in the snow with yourfavorite little person or sing—it’sa lot harder to be depressedwhen you’re doing somethingworthwhile with people youenjoy.

Seeking help with depres-sion does not mean you arecrazy or something is wrongwith you. It doesn’t mean youcan’t handle your own problems.It’s just smart. Getting helpwhen it’s needed is a sign ofstrength and intelligence, notweakness. Successful people

know when to seek expertadvice.

Most depression is usuallyrelatively minor, but sometimesit can be quite serious and mayhave its roots in a treatablebiochemical imbalance. If youare experiencing extreme orextended bouts of depression,get professional help as soon aspossible. Generally speaking,depression responds very well totreatment, and usually does so ina fairly short time.

Adapted from an article by SamQuick, Ph.D., Human Development& Family Relations Specialist. (LJ)

DEPRESSIONcontinued from page 7

2,800 dwelling units over 25 years.Acreage growth could occur

in various styles and locationsthroughout the county. Somedevelopment will occur in townsthat permit acreage development.Some will occur in towns thatutilize farmstead split-offprovisions and some will likelycluster within agricultural areas.

Acreage PrinciplesAcreages should:

• Be limited in the Lincoln areasof growth Tier I, Tier II andTier III in order to provide forfuture urban growth.

• Be directed to appropriateareas of the county. Predeter-mined focus areas whereacreage developments gener-ally are concentrated enhancesthe ability to provide countyservices and aids in reducing

the impact on the agriculturecommunity.

• Provide for adequate andappropriate locations of thistype of development.

• Be sensitive to: soil productiv-ity, agricultural production,existing rural water, existingand planned; paved roads,ground water conditions,environmentally sensitiveareas; reflect existing zonedand designated acreage areas.

GeographicDistribution

Area AArea A is suggested as a

very low density area to reflect,better farming soils, poorergroundwater, a lack of a ruralwater district, a low frequency ofpaved roads, the location ofwetlands, both saline and freshwater, the location of threatenedand endangered species and thelocation of native prairie.

ACREAGEScontinued from page 10

Densities of eight dwellings persquare mile, or less, are suggested.

Area BArea B shows an area of

poorer soils, better access topaved roads, little impact onwetland and native prairies andbetter ground water or ruralwater availability. This may haveselected opportunities for focusareas of higher acreage develop-ment, perhaps at densities of 200dwellings per square mile. Untilspecific areas are identified,density should be held at about32 dwellings per square mile.

Area CArea C has generally good

ground water but is not in a ruralwater district and does not havea fine grain of paved roads. Thisarea has not had much acreageactivity yet except near the statelakes and Crete. It is suggestedthis have an overall density of16-32 dwellings per square mile.

Page 12December 2001 NEBLINEThe

Extension CalendarAll programs and events will be held at the Lancaster Extension Education Center unless otherwise noted.

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Gary C. Bergman, Extension Educator–Unit Leader,gbergman1@unl.edu

Ali Alkhazraji , Americorps*VISTA, aalkhazraji2@unl.eduLorene Bartos, Extension Educator, lbartos1@unl.eduCorey Brubaker, Extension Educator, sbrubaker1@unl.eduMaureen Burson, Extension Educator, mburson1@unl.eduPatrice Broussard, Nutrition Advisor, pbroussard2@unl.eduTom Dorn, Extension Educator, tdorn1@unl.eduSoni Cochran, Extension Associate, scochran2@unl.eduMary Jane Frogge, Extension Associate, mmcreynolds1@unl.eduArlene Hanna, Extension Associate, ahanna1@unl.eduAlice Henneman, Extension Educator, ahenneman1@unl.eduDon Janssen, Extension Educator, djanssen2@unl.eduLaDeane Jha, Extension Educator, ljha1@unl.eduEllen Kraft , Extension Assistant, ekraft1@unl.eduTracy Kulm , Extension Associate, tkulm1@unl.eduDeanna Karmazin, Extension Associate, dkarmazin2@unl.eduVicki Jedlicka, Publication & Media Assistant, vjedlicka2@unl.eduSief Mahagoub, Community Coordinator, smahagoub2@unl.eduMardel Meinke, Extension Assistant, mmeinke2@unl.eduBarb Ogg, Extension Educator, bogg1@unl.eduAndrea Ohlrich , Extension Assistant, aohlrich2@unl.eduSondra Phillips, Nutrition AdvisorBoshra Rida, Americorps*VISTAKendra Schmit, Extension Assistant, kschmit2@unl.eduDavid Smith, Extension Technologist, dsmith9@unl.eduJim Wies, Extension Assistant, jwies1@unl.eduKaren Wobig, Extension Assistant, kwobig2@unl.edu

EBLINENNebraska Cooperative Extension Newsletter

Lancaster County

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EBLINENFEEDBACK

THE NEBLINE is published monthly by:University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in Lancaster County

444 Cherrycreek Rd., Suite ALincoln, Nebraska, 68528-1507

Phone: 441-7180Fax: 441-7148

TDD: 441-7180

FingerTips Programs & Events Hotline: 323-1784NUFACTS Information Center: 441-7188

Composting Hotline: 441-7139

Website: lancaster.unl.edu

All programs and events listed in this newsletter will be held(unless noted otherwise) at:

Lancaster Extension Education Center444 Cherrycreek Rd., Rooms A–C (event rooms posted)

Lincoln, NebraskaLobby Phone: 441-7170

THE NEBLINE articles may be reprinted without special permission if the source isacknowledged as “University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in Lancaster CountyNEBLINE.” If the article contains a byline, please include the author’s name and title.

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DECEMBERDec. 14 Extension Board Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 a.m.Dec. 20 4-H Cool Clover Club Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.Dec. 25 Office Closed

JANUARYJan. 1 Office ClosedJan. 3 Crop Protection Clinic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 a.m.–4 p.m.Jan. 6 4-H Ambassadors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2–3 p.m.

4-H Teen Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3–5 p.m.Jan. 8 Parents Forever and Kids Talk About Divorce

(at Northeast Family Center, 5903 Walker) . . . . . . . . . . 5–9 p.m.4-H Pet Pals Club Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6:45 p.m.4-H Council Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.

Jan. 9 4-H Horse VIPS Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.Jan. 10 4-H Rabbits VIPS Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.Jan. 11 Extension Board Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 a.m.Jan. 11–12 4-H Lock In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 p.m.–8 a.m.Jan. 15 4-H Citizenship Washington Focus Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 p.m.Jan. 31 Lancaster Conversation on Youth Development in the 21st Century . 7–9 p.m.

“It’s changed me! It’s takenthe focus more off of me and putit on ‘Where do my kids fall intoplay here?’ It was good!” Sosays a participant in the ParentsForever Program—a parentingclass whose focus is on minimiz-ing the effects of divorce onchildren.

Parents Forever Classes areheld monthly at the Northeast

Family Center, 5903 Walker,Lincoln. They are taught byprofessionals from UNL Coop-erative Extension, St Elizabeth’sRegional Medical Center and theMediation Center.

At the same time parents areattending class, children have theopportunity to attend Kids Talkabout Divorce. Kids learn to talkto their parents, understand their

Parents Forever andKids Talk About Divorce

emotional ups and downs arenormal, acknowledge andpositively direct feelings offrustration and anger andunderstand their rights andresponsibilities.

The next class is scheduledfor Jan. 8, 5- 9 p.m. For regis-trations please call 441-7180and ask for a Parents Foreverbrochure. (LJ)

Lancaster County is slatedto serve as a host site for a CropProtection Clinic again in 2002.This very popular clinic offersmany topics of interest to cropproducers and agribusinessprofessionals alike.

Among this year’s topicsare: Seed and seedling insectmanagement, soybean diseaseupdate, decision aids for weedmanagement, alfalfa insectmanagement, Callisto perfor-mance and mode of action, stripeand leaf rusts of wheat,glyphosate brand comparison,genetic control of plant traits,soybean insect management,relationship of tillage androtation to crop diseases andmore.

Commercial PesticideApplicators will be able to renewtheir General Standards and Ag

Plant certification by attendingthe entire workshop session.

The clinic will be Jan. 3 atthe Lancaster Extension Educa-tion Center, 444 CherrycreekRoad, Lincoln. Registrationbegins at 8 a.m. with sessions

continuing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.The $25 registration fee includesproceedings, publications,refreshments and the noon meal.

For more information,contact Tom Dorn at 441-7180.(TD)

Crop Protection ClinicScheduled for January 3

Non-English speakers, mostof whom are refugees from theMiddle East have participated inan interesting short Englishprogram called Survival English.The program teaches basicEnglish communication, impor-tant in every day life, and helpsnewcomers avoid some of the

problems they may come acrosswhen dealing with others.

This program was started byMohammed Albezerji, theproject coordinator for Faces ofthe Middle East at the AsianCommunity and Cultural Center.It takes two to three months tocomplete.

Some of the things learnedinclude:• How to say and write your

name, address, telephonenumber, social securitynumber, date of birth,

children’s names, country oforigin, etc.

• Telephone skills—for example,what to say in case of fire, afight or other emergency, andhow to dial 911. What to say ifsomeone calls them and theydon’t understand.

After the learners completethe program, they are able towrite and say what they hadlearned. Sometimes they con-tinue taking more English byattending Southeast CommunityCollege. (SM)

Sief MahagoubExtension Community

Coordinator

Faces of Middle East and the Survival English