Nebraska Extension in Hamilton County brings you reliable, research-based information in agriculture and natural resources, consumer and family economics, community and economic development, and 4-H / youth development. Our goal is simple . . . to help you put knowledge to work!

A 9-member Extension Board and a 12-member youth and adult 4-H Council representing all areas of Hamilton County are also a part of our Extension team. It gives us great pleasure to serve you in your quest for learning or keeping up-to-date in this ever-changing world.

Congratulations, Mariah!

Hamilton County Expanded Learning Opportunities Program has been quite active this Fall! These educational experiences, offered to students during school hours by Hamilton County Extension staff, are designed to enrich classroom learning, provide hands-on education, introduce new topics, and spark new interests!

Hillary Fuhrman coordinated 4th Grade Ag Day, attended by students from Hampton, Giltner and Aurora. Students learned about agriculture in Hamilton County with sessions taught by the UNL Mobil Beef Lab, AKRS, Syngenta, Kaapa Ethanol, Aurora Coop, and Nebraska Extension. Additionally, Preferred Popcorn sponsored a lesson taught by Mariah Newmyer, where participants explored how popcorn travels from the field to the packaged products found in stores, learned about the popping process, and enjoyed sampling freshly popped popcorn. This day was made possible by a generous donation from AKRS.

Barb Bonifas visited the 2nd grade classrooms in Aurora to engage youth with live hissing cockroaches. Using STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), students calculated the insects’ pulling power and were introduced to the scientific method through our Hissing Cockroach Tractor Pull lesson.

Mariah Newmyer taught Handwashing lessons to kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade students in Aurora. Students explored how to properly wash hands to prevent spreading unwanted germs to themselves, their classmates and teachers!

Mariah also spent time with 5th and 6th grade students in Giltner to teach a 3-part series titled Fueling Your Body. Students learned about whole grains, how to build balanced meals, and healthy snacks and beverages. They also experienced making and taste-testing healthy recipes! She also brought her Let’s Move! program to Giltner, helping students learn about physical activity, heart rate, and why it’s important to exercise our hearts.

Emily Soll visited the 5th and 6th grade classrooms in Giltner to teach a 3-part lesson titled Health Rocks! Red Ribbon Week Edition. Students had the opportunity to enhance their understanding of making healthy choices. Red Ribbon Week serves as a powerful reminder of making positive life choices and standing up against substance abuse.

The UNL College and Career Pathways team visited the Aurora High School to provide students with Connecting the Dots. Connecting the Dots is an interactive career exploration designed to help 9th grade students learn more about careers of interest. Participants explored how to connect the dots from early high school through postsecondary education and training to the workplace.

We look forward to a busy spring filled with engaging programs such as INVENTURE Day, Embryology and STEM Field Day. These hands-on programs will provide youth with enriching learning experiences that foster creativity, problem-solving, and practical knowledge in the topics of entrepreneurship, agriculture, and STEM.

As we continue to expand our efforts in offering innovative educational opportunities, we encourage you to share our Expanded Learning Opportunities with local educators. By clicking the link below, you can view our full Expanded Learning Opportunities brochure and help spread the word about the new and upcoming opportunities.

Early childhood, ages birth to eight, is the most rapid period of development in a human’s life, which can leave those surrounding a young child sprinting to keep up. Our mission on The Good Life in Early Life podcast is to share the latest happenings in early care and education in Nebraska. We delve into early childhood topics, providing relevant and reliable information to keep you up to date. Each episode features interviews with academic experts, educators, providers, families, or informed community members. The Good Life in Early Life, a production of Nebraska Extension, releases episodes twice a month September through May. Episodes are available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Topics include screen time, sleep and nightmares, gratitude, being a grandparent, childcare.

Ag Day in Aurora will be held on Tuesday, February 11, at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds. More details to follow.

Private Pesticide Training in Aurora will be held on Tuesday, February 25, at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds. More details to follow.

Jenney Rees is an Extension Educator serving York and Seward County and she provides a wealth of resources to the clients of Extension. Jenny writes a weekly newspaper article, newsletter and blog about crop production, educational opportunities, and current issues affecting Nebraska farmers. I encourage you to check them out! Her newspaper articles are published by the Aurora NewsRegister.

Click her to read her blog: https://jenreesources.com/

2025 Programs

This free webinar series - delivered via Zoom - is a great opportunity to join experts from Nebraska Extension to learn and ask questions! More details on each program and a registration link coming soon.

All programs are on the second Wednesday of the month from Noon-1pm CT.

• February 12 - Starting a vegetable garden
• March 12 - Raingardens and Plants to Use
• April 9 - Trees to Plant and Trees to Avoid
• May 14 - Consider these Natives, Scott Evans
• June 11 - Garden Friends
• July 9 - Rose Management
• August 13 - Fall Turf Activities
• September 10 - Composting
• October 8 - Unusual Small Fruits
• November 12 - Herbs

The BeefWatch Podcast is an audio companion to the UNL BeefWatch newsletter. It provides the same timely information as the newsletter, just in a downloadable audio form. Information is geared to helping beef cattle producers improve the sustainability and profitability of their operations.

As a busy rancher, you have limited time to spend reading. You often have time available to listen while in the pickup or tractor cab. The BeefWatch Podcast brings you the information you need in a format you can use.

Don't miss any episodes. Once you subscribe, every podcast will be delivered straight to your computer, phone, or other device of choice.

A website that is focused on providing practical, money-saving tips and information for families. Fun and interactive lessons provide life tips for users to plan meals, save money, and shop and eat healthier.

Date & Time

Feb 17, 2025 12:00 PM in Central Time (US and Canada)

Description

With Jim Jansen and Anastasia Meyer, Agricultural Economists, UNL Offered since 2019, the quarterly webinars address common management issues for Nebraska landowners, agricultural operators, and related stakeholders interested in the latest insight on trends in real estate, managing agricultural land and solutions for addressing challenges in the upcoming growing season. The February 2025 webinar will cover recent trends in Nebraska cash rental rates for 2024-2025, calculating cash rental rates to reflect market prices or farm yields, updating agricultural leases for the 2025 production season, and considerations for landlords and tenants entering the new growing season.

Mark your calendars for one of the two YQCA opportunities that will be offered in Hamilton County in 2025. The first training will be held on January 6th, 2025 from 1p.m. - 2p.m. The second training will be held on June 9th, 2025 from 6p.m. - 7p.m.

Our office is located on the ground floor of the Hamilton County Courthouse in the middle of town on 13th and M Streets. Please stop in for a visit and see what the University can do for you. Our 4-H Youth Development Program, for example, reaches more than 220 youth in Hamilton County alone. Statewide, 4-H touches the lives of more than 90,000 youth each year.

Extension EEO Statement
Nebraska Extension is a Division of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln cooperating with the Counties and the United States Department of Agriculture.
Nebraska Extension educational programs abide with the nondiscrimination policies of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the United States Department of Agriculture.

©2022

Email: hamilton-county@unl.edu
Website: www.hamilton.unl.edu
Location: 1111 13th Street, Suite 6, Aurora, NE, USA
Phone: 402-694-6174
Facebook: facebook.com/hamilton.unl
Twitter: @HamiltonExten4H