Jecca Ostrander’s Box O Quarter Horses was presented the 2016 Ranching Heritage Breeder of the Year award at the 2017 AQHA Convention.

Box O Quarter Horses Ranching Heritage Breeder of the Year

By Lauren Brant

Box O Quarter Horses of Gordon is the inaugural recipient of the 2016 AQHA Ranching Heritage Breeder of the Year award. Jecca and Cash Ostrander will receive a custom-designed Montana Silversmiths buckle from the American Quarter Horse Association during the 2017 AQHA Convention in San Antonio, Texas, on March 18. 

Recipients of the award are chosen based on the breeder’s continued ranching tradition and the excellence of the ranch horses they raise. The Ostranders

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Striped rust in a wheat field.

Wheat rust is on its way – be prepared

By Robert M. Harveson, UNL Extension Plant Pathologist, Panhandle Research and Extension Center, and Stephen Wegulo, UNL Extension Plant Pathologist, Dept. of Plant Pathology, Lincoln

Wheat farmers in Nebraska should be prepared to scout their fields for rust diseases, which have already been reported in several states to the south and are likely to spread northward.

Wheat in Nebraska is affected by three primary rust diseases – stem, leaf, and stripe rust.  All share some fundamental

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Nebraska could be latest state to OK ‘right-to-farm’ law

By GRANT SCHULTE

Associated Press

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Nebraska could have a tougher time passing new restrictions on farming and ranching under a proposed ballot measure, which animal welfare groups are promising to fight.

The proposed constitutional amendment would guarantee the right to “engage in farming and ranching practices’’ and prevent the Legislature from passing new regulations without a compelling state interest.

If approved by lawmakers and then voters in November, Nebraska

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Farmers, schools at odds over Ricketts’ property tax plan

By GRANT SCHULTE

Associated Press

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Gov. Pete Ricketts’ property tax plan drew praise Tuesday from Nebraska’s farming community and opposition from school officials, who would face new restrictions on their budget authority.

Both sides argued their case to the Legislature’s Education Committee, which is reviewing one of two bills introduced on the governor’s behalf.

Ricketts said his proposal would slow the statewide growth of property taxes - a top concern of farmers and

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Top: Vin-Mar Cattle Co., Gordon, Neb., won reserve grand champion carload of bulls at the 2016 National Western Stock Show’s Angus Carload and Pen Show, Jan. 16 in Denver, Colo. The 10 January and February 2015 bulls posted an average weight of 1,399 pounds and are sired by S A V Hot Iron 0941; Vin-Mar Johnny Cash 3513; Vin-Mar Monumental 3575; S A V Resource 1441; Bushs Triple Threat 851; S A V Pursuit 0160; and EXAR Denver 2002B. Bottom: Krebs Ranch, Gordon, Neb., won reserve grand champion pen of three bulls at the 2016 National Western Stock Show’s Angus Carload and Pen Show, Jan. 16 in Denver, Colo. The January and February 2015 bulls posted an average weight of 1,450 pounds and are sired by Barstow Cash and CFCC Black Jack 001. This pen first claimed early calf champion. Arlen Sawyer, Bassett, Neb.; Doug Slattery, Chappell Hill, Texas; and Phil Trowbridge, Ghent, N.Y., evaluated six carloads and 43 pens of three.

Vin-Mar Cattle Co. and Krebs Ranch win Reserve Grand Champion at National Western Stock Show

Angus producers competed for top honors during the 2016 National Western Stock Show (NWSS) Angus Carload & Pen Show, Jan. 16 in Denver, Colo. Six carloads and 43 pens-of-three were showcased in the Yards during the 110th NWSS.

Arlen Sawyer, Bassett, Neb.; Doug Slattery, Chappell Hill, Texas; and Phil Trowbridge, Ghent, N.Y., evaluated the bulls and selected champions.

Express Angus Ranches, Yukon, Okla., claimed grand champion carload, with 10 January 2015 bulls sired by EXAR Denver

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Iowa, Nebraska post record corn and soybean crops

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - It is a record year for Iowa and Nebraska crop farmers.

The final harvest report released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture says Iowa farmers brought in 2.5 billion bushels of corn, 4 percent higher than the 2009 record. Iowa has led the nation in corn production for 22 consecutive years. The average per-acre yield of 192 bushels also is a new record.

Soybean farmers did very well too producing a record crop and the nation’s largest soybean bounty, beating

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Nebraska farmers running for cover crops

By NICHOLAS BERGIN

Lincoln Journal Star

RED CLOUD, Neb. (AP) - A decade ago, Keith and Brian Berns had heard about cover crops.

Discussion of growing rye or radishes to cover and condition soil tended to pop up at the type of winter meetings held in makeshift classrooms where university extension specialists talked to farmers about the merits of planting without a plow.

Cover crops were popular in organic circles but a rarity among mainstream row-crop producers, Keith Berns said during a

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EPA moves to withdraw approval of controversial weed killer

By ANDREW TAYLOR

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Environmental Protection Agency is taking steps to withdraw approval of a controversial new weed killer to be used on genetically modified corn and soybeans.

The EPA announced in a court filing that it had received new information from manufacturer Dow AgroSciences that a weed killer called Enlist Duo is probably more toxic to other plants than previously thought.

In a filing with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, EPA said it

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Federal Reserve says region’s farm income fell sharply in 3Q

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - The Federal Reserve says farm income fell sharply during the third quarter in Midwestern and Western states, so farmers cut back on major purchases.

U.S. Agriculture Department predicts farm income will fall 36 percent this year.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Mo., said Thursday agriculture bankers across the region are reviewing their loans to make sure farmers can make payments.

But at most banks fewer than 5 percent of loans had been placed on watch lists at

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