Two weeks ago I was riding with University of Nebraska Extension educator, Scott Cotton, headed up Deadhorse Road southwest of Chadron. Scott took me into the heart of what was the West Ash Fire late last summer, and he described the tumultuous days of the wildfires in that region and how ranchers, emergency personnel and firefighters coped with extreme challenges. It wasn’t a pretty picture, and the most disheartening for many long time Pine Ridge ranchers is that their beautiful…

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There are places of comfort, with special significance, on everyone’s farms and ranches. We all have our favorite places. For me, the places I like most on our farm have nostalgic connections to the family history of our place and my memories growing up here. There is a vista, on a high hill north of our farmstead that rises about 100 feet above the home place that I really like. When I’m checking cows or fixing fence, I like to pause up there, and take a look at the old…

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I’ve been working on an article in recent days, following University of Nebraska research and Nebraska Department of Agriculture marketing efforts to get dry bean powder made from Nebraska Great Northern dry edible beans, into instant noodle cups in China. According to Lynn Reuter with the Nebraska Dry Bean Commission, Chinese consumers eat approximately 1300 instant noodle cups per minute. So, adding a teaspoon of dry bean powder boosts the nutritional value of those noodle cups for…

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Curt’s Comments:   Sandhills cattle are renowned around the world as some of the highest quality, healthiest cattle. The grass conditions in the Sandhills are perfect for raising cattle, and this shouldn’t be lost on consumers looking for a perfect cut of tasty beef. That’s why keeping the Valentine Livestock Auction open was so important to local ranchers and the community of Valentine, literally located in the “heart” of the Sandhills cattle…

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When my grandfather, Arnold Bickett, served in the U.S. infantry in France in World War I, he was certainly homesick. Having been born in a log cabin in Kentucky, the young farmer had never been very far from home. He most likely had never aimed a gun at anything but game birds or squirrels. He knew country life, but had never been crammed into a tight space with hundreds of other people. All of that changed in mid-1917 when he was drafted into the U.S. Army. After six weeks of very…

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One of the most annoying things about Farm Bill debates is that the majority of discussions are about money, not policy. Activist groups that I like to call – anti-farm or anti-food security – make farmers out to be free-loaders, loudly spouting off about direct payments and subsidies. I venture a guess that nearly all of these folks who like to use farmers as punching bags are not hungry or homeless. They probably enjoy hearty meals each day, thanks to guess who? Our nation has…

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I’m not sure whether I should talk weather or not today, but since most farmers can talk weather with the best of them, I’ll go ahead. This Spring has been crazy. Everyone agrees. Last Spring was just as crazy, but in the other direction. If you average the two extremes together, you get “normal.” For the Great Plains, this is situation normal. On Sunday morning, we awoke to about 28 degrees and heavy frost on the pickup windshield. Today, forecasters are…

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High school graduates around farm country will receive lots of advice from family, friends, teachers and neighbors over the next few weeks during their commencement ceremonies. Valedictorians will bid their old high schools and hometowns farewell, and offer well wishes for classmates as they begin the next chapters in their young lives. Graduates will hear hometown folks say things like, “Go out and make something of your lives.” They’ll hear advice like, “Get out…

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I noticed the new schedule for University of Nebraska Extension Tractor Safety and Hazardous Occupations courses for youth coming up this summer. The two-day courses, set up for 14- and 15-year-olds, will be coming to Kearney (May 23-24), Concord (May 29-30), Gering (June 3-4), Valentine (June 6-7), Osceola (June 10-11), North Platte (June 13-14) and Grand Island (June 17-18). Here is the complete registration information. I can recall my first experience driving a tractor. When I was…

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Curt’s Comments:   It had to be tough for Elgin rancher, Garrett Dwyer, when he returned home after serving with the U.S. Marines in Iraq. It is quite a transition, going from an active war zone to the peaceful Sandhills pastures west of Elgin. Dwyer, like so many of his fellow war veterans, were searching to make their place in society when they returned home after bravely serving their country. And, as Dwyer noted when I visited with him at the family ranch last spring…

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