Platte Co. Extension Happenings

As we head into the season of gratitude, Platte County 4-H wants to take a moment to recognize the incredible people who make our programs possible. From club leaders and project volunteers to fair superintendents, community partners, and generous sponsors, we are so thankful for the time, talents, and support they give to our youth and families.

Platte County 4-H is fortunate to have hundreds of volunteers who help make a difference in the lives of young people throughout our county. Whether they are helping youth prepare fair exhibits, supporting robotics teams, leading projects, or creating leadership opportunities, our volunteers play an important role in helping youth learn new skills, build confidence, and discover their passions. Their dedication helps ensure that 4-H continues to provide meaningful experiences for youth of all ages.

We also want to recognize our amazing community partners and sponsors who help bring these opportunities to life. Through financial support, donated materials, and partnerships that make programming possible, these individuals, businesses, and organizations help strengthen Platte County 4-H. Their generosity allows us to continue growing our programs, reaching more youth, and helping them become Beyond Ready for whatever comes next.

As we reflect on another year of 4-H in Platte County, we are reminded that it truly takes a community to make a difference. We are grateful for everyone who gives their time, shares their talents, and believes in the potential of our youth. Thank you for being part of the Platte County 4-H family and helping us create opportunities for the next generation of leaders. We couldn't do it without you!

4-H enrollment has begun! Returning 4-H families can re-enroll utilizing your email and password from last year using the link below. Please do NOT start enrolling as a new family. Last year's info is already there just waiting for you!

If you're enrolling for the first time, instructions can be found by clicking the link below.

We're looking forward to another exciting year of 4-H!

Even though winter is getting closer every day, there is still plenty of time this fall for gardening projects. Use this checklist to make the most out of the season.

Fall Cutbacks

Cut back the perennials that turn papery and mushy but leave the ones that can stand up on their own. Perennials like hostas and daylilies can be cut back to the ground, and their foliage composted. Plants like peonies can be cut back 3-4 inches above the ground and either composted (if you did not have any fungal issues) or the plant material can be disposed of if you had an issue with powdery mildew or leaf spots.

Leaving plant material that can stand up on its own can help create structure in your garden for the winter. Not only do standing stems add winter interest by catching frost, ice, and snow, but the dried seedheads can provide food for native birds that don’t migrate over the winter.

Standing plant material can also be good for pollinators that overwinter in the leaf litter or in the ground under clumps of grass. Native bumblebee queens may overwinter around standing plant material, rotting logs, or abandoned rodent nests, where they are insulated from cold winter temperatures.

Pruning Shrubs and Trees

Put down the pruning saws! This time of year, only prune dead, dying, or diseased branches. Total removal of woody plants is okay, but any structural or aesthetic pruning of trees and shrubs can wait until late winter. These plants are going dormant right now and are not prioritizing energy into growing. Pruning woody plants now creates wounds that may not have time to seal off before cold temperatures could damage the tissue. This can cause winter dieback or make the plants more susceptible to winter desiccation.

What About the Leaves?

Have a game plan for all the leaves. Fallen leaves make a great mulch in landscape beds, or can be shredded and mulched into the lawn with your mower. And if you have more leaves than you can reasonably rake into a landscape bed or mulch, consider collecting them to add to a compost pile.

Start a Compost Pile

Fall is a great time to start a compost pile. Composting is the natural process of organic materials decomposing, and you can recycle a lot of the nutrients in your landscape through composting. While all organic material will eventually decompose on its own, a little bit of management can speed up the decomposition and increase nutrient content of the compost.

A well-balanced compost pile is made up of brown material that is high in carbon (leaves, corn stalks, paper, wood chips) and green materials that are high in nitrogen (grass clippings, fruit and veggie waste, fresh plant material, coffee grounds). Collecting leaves now means you have brown material ready to add to your compost pile when you need it.

Tool Storage

Now is a great time to give those hard-working tools some TLC. Clean up your tools before storing them this winter. Make sure you wash off the dirt from shovels, rakes, and hoes, and inspect the handles. Any wooden handles that are getting old can be replaced. Drain the water from your hoses and store for the winter. If you haven’t, clean and sharpen your saws. A clean saw will stay sharp a lot longer than a dirty one, and usually a clean blade is easier to use. With the decent fall weather for the next couple weeks, now is a great time to clean, spruce up, and reorganize your tool storage.

Taylor Cammack is the Horticulture, Landscape, and Environmental Systems (HLES) Extension Instructor in Platte County. If you have any horticulture questions, please contact at (402) 563-4901 or tcammack7@unl.edu

The fee for Private Pesticide In-Person Training has increased to $70/person.

• Testing is the first step. Contact the Platte County Extension office to borrow a hay probe and get started: https://beef.unl.edu/beefwatch/do-your-herd-and-your-bank-account-favor-test-your-hay/

BeefWatch is your trusted source for timely, research-based insights for Nebraska’s Beef Industry. Subscribe to the BeefWatch e-newsletter.

Nebraska producers and service providers who perform or pay for livestock-related custom work can help set the state’s next custom rate benchmarks by completing a survey open now through Dec. 15, 2026.

The Center for Agricultural Profitability at Nebraska conducts the survey every two years and will publish the results in early 2027. Glennis McClure, an extension farm and ranch management analyst who leads the survey and report, said it gives producers, lenders and custom operators a current reference point for what others in their part of the state are charging and paying.

“Nebraska Extension regularly fields questions on prevailing rates for livestock services, and the published ranges and averages are only as good as the number of operations that respond,” McClure said. “That makes participation from across the state’s districts important, particularly from those doing the work and those hiring it done.”

The survey is open to anyone on either side of a custom arrangement. Individual responses are anonymous and confidential. Only district and statewide ranges and averages appear in the report.

Despite recent rainfall, persistent drought in the western Great Plains has forced many operations to feed last season's forage deeper into the summer and graze areas typically reserved for hay.

As regional demand for forage rises, some producers may look farther afield to places with better growing conditions — but with freight and fuel costs climbing, does a better buy really keep money in your pocket?

UNL Extension's Feed Cost Cow-Q-Lator, an Excel-based tool, is built to help answer exactly these kinds of nuanced but critical questions.

What the tool offers:

• A library of over 200 feeds with customizable nutrient concentrations
• The ability to adjust feed price and account for freight, storage, and feeding costs
• All-inclusive feed cost calculations on an as-fed basis, a dry-matter basis, and per pound of crude protein and total digestible nutrients
• Side-by-side comparison of up to four feeds to identify the "best buy"

This simple but valuable tool can sharpen feed-buying decisions at a time when elevated prices magnify every choice. Getting the most out of it, though, means pairing it with good information on the feedstuffs themselves.

Sun Safety with Young Children Part 2

Welcome back to Sun Safety with Young Children! Last month’s edition covered types of UV rays, examples of short- and long-term sun damage, and why practicing sun safety is important throughout the lifespan. The three components of sun safety were introduced:

1. Wear protective clothing

2. Use sunscreen

3. Seek shade

This edition will unpack what protective clothing is.

Wear protective clothing. There are three main types of protective clothing: long sleeve shirts and pants, hats, and sunglasses.

When outdoors, wearing pants, shirts, hats, and sunglasses block UV rays from hitting the skin. Shorts and short sleeves are popular in the summer but consider dressing children (and yourself!) in lightweight, breathable fabrics with long sleeves and pants for some summer activities. Darker clothing provides more protection than lighter colors, and tightly woven fabric is better than loose weaves and knits. While it may be easier to choose long sleeves and pants as the weather cools, do not forget about your face, neck, ears, scalp, hands, and eyes.

Did you know?

· The SPF of a long sleeve denim shirt is about 1700

· The SPF of a white T-shirt is about 7

· Not all sunglasses filter damaging UV rays

Remember to protect eyes with sunglasses year-round but make sure the sunglasses filter UV rays. Children often enjoy having their own sunglasses to wear, and it is easier to start good habits in childhood. Do not forget the scalp! Have children wear hats. Baseball hats do not protect the ears and neck and straw hats can allow UV light to filter through gaps, so the best choice is a wide-brimmed cloth hat whenever it is possible and makes sense.

Wearing long sleeve shirts and pants, wide brimmed hats, and UV blocking sunglasses will reduce the amount of damaging UV rays your child’s skin is exposed to. This will help decrease both short- and long-term sun damage.

Next time, we will take a look at the types of sunscreen, how much to apply, and how often to apply it.

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