Resource Available for Land Owners and Managers

UNL Extension has developed a digital resource to help answer questions about land lease arrangements in Nebraska. The program comes in the form of a DVD which includes three hours of instruction on the topics of trends in land marketing, land values, and cash rental rates, managing family and tenant/landlord relationsand considerations for written leases and other agricultural asset rents. It also contains information about flexible cash leases gives examples of figuring flex lease contracts and some of the more popular methods in Nebraska.

You may order a copy of the DVD by mail, or you may wish to check with your county UNL Extension office to see if they have a copy available for loan.

Central Nebraska FS4JK Teams with Fontanelle Seed & Cargill, Inc.to Offer Safety Day Take Away

Central NE Farm Safety 4 Just Kids announces their annual Progressive Agriculture Safety Day being planned for Tuesday, June 5, 2012 at the Valley County Fairgrounds. Kayla Hinrichs, Coordinator, is pleased to announce some very special donations to this year’s safety day. Cargill, Inc. has announced that they will once again sponsor the registration fee for all youth attending the Safety Day this year. Fontanelle Hybrids local dealer, Russ Bloom, has made possible a $2500 grant to help sponsor the purchase of fire extinguishers to be give to the first 100 families with youth attending the Safety Day. Green Plains LLC, the local ethanol plant in Ord, will be providing smoke detectors to each participant in the Safety Day. It is not surprising, then, that the focus this year is on fire safety. These generous donations will help to make a very affordable and fun day for area kindergarten through sixth grade youth.

According to Hinrichs, “This summer, safety days such as the one being hosted by the Central NE Farm Safety 4 Just Kids Chapter, are being held in many locations to teach rural children how to prevent injuries and reduce the risk of farm incidents.” During the safety days, children participate in interactive activities that reinforce the importance of taking responsibility for their own safety, respecting parents’ safety rules and sharing safety tips with their family and friends. Hands-on demonstrations reveal the hidden hazards of farm surroundings and teach participants how to avoid injury and what to do should an accident occur. Some of the demonstrations this year will focus on: Fire Safety and a Working “Smoke House”, Weather Awareness, Livestock Safety with a live beef demo, Machinery Safety, Camping and Home Safety.

Parents can register their children to participate in the safety day by turning in a completed registration form for each child to Kayla Hinrichs at (308) 728-5071, Bev Smedra at (308) 728-3781 Ext. 3, or Jennifer Schauer at the Loup Basin Health Dept at (308) 346-5795. Registration are due May 25, 2012. Parents wishing to stay for lunch should include $7.00. Lunch for the youth has been sponsored by area banks. Each participant will receive lunch, a take-home goodie bag, and a safety day T-shirt.

UNL Extension Tractor Safety Courses Offered Across Nebraska

University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Tractor Safety/Hazardous Occupations Courses will be offered at seven locations in Nebraska during May and June.

Federal law prohibits youth under 16 years of age from working on a farm other than their parents'. Certification through the course grants an exemption to the law allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to drive a tractor and to do field work with mechanized equipment.

The most common cause of death in agriculture accidents in Nebraska is overturn from tractors and all-terrain-vehicles (ATV), said Sharry Nielsen, UNL Extension Educator and course instructor, and are topics covered in-depth in the class work. Mark Hinze, also a UNL Extension Educator and course instructor, will teach the mechanical, safety, and maintenance aspects of tractor operations. "Instilling an attitude of 'safety first' is a primary goal of the course," Nielsen said. "where youth have the chance to learn respect for agricultural jobs and the tools involved."

Classes consist of two days of instruction plus homework assignments. Classes are from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. each day. Dates and locations include:

• May 24-25, Fairgrounds, Kearney
• May 31-June 1, Haskell Ag Lab, Concord
• June 4-5, Panhandle Research and Extension Center, Scottsbluff
• June 7-8, West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte
• June 11-12, Evangelical Free Church, Ainsworth
• June 14-15, Fairgrounds, Beatrice
• June 18-19, College Park, Grand Island

Pre-registration is strongly encouraged at least one week before a location's start date to Site Coorindator's Extension Office. Cost is $60, which includes educational materials, testing, supplies, lunches and breaks. For more information, contact the Extension Office, download the registration flyer or contact Sharry Nielsen at snielsen1@unl.edu or (308) 832-0645.

The first day of class will consist of intensive classroom instruction with hands-on demonstrations, concluding with a written test that must be completed satisfactorily before the student may continue driving tests the next day. Classroom instruction will cover the required elements of the National Safe Tractor and Machinery Operation Program. Homework will be assigned to turn in the next day.

The second day will consist of testing, driving and operating machinery. Students must demonstrate competence in hitching equipment and driving a tractor and trailer through a standardized course as well as hitching PTO and hydraulic systems.