Family Field Day is planned at Haskell Ag Lab

CONCORD — People who want to enjoy an in-person agricultural event that will feature a variety of topics soon will have the opportunity.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Haskell Agricultural Laboratory near Concord will hold a science and agricultural family field day Wednesday, June 30.

This is a free event open to the public. All ages are welcome and encouraged to attend. There will be a variety of activities and programs.

Registration for the Haskell Ag Lab Family Field Day will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the farm site, with booths and activities scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

“This has been an annual event since 2018; however, the event was virtual in 2020 due to COVID-19,” said Haskell Ag Lab office associate Mary Jarvi. “We are hoping and looking forward to a fantastic day on June 30.”

The focus of the field day is to encourage youth and adults of all ages to discover scientific concepts and gain knowledge.

“The science and ag theme is inspired by the science literacy efforts supported by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,” Jarvi said.

“The field day also provides an opportunity to showcase the research and programs happening at the Haskell Ag Lab and University of Nebraska-Lincoln programming in northeast Nebraska,” she said.

The event’s first session will run from 10 to 11 a.m. and feature concurrent presentations.

The presentations, which will each be 20 minutes long, will be on ag land management and home and lawn care.

The speakers who will cover ag land management are:

-Nebraska Extension Educator Jim Jansen: “Nebraska Land Values & Cash Rental Rates 2021.”

-Nebraska Extension Educator Al Vyhnalek: “Farm Succession & Transition.”

-Nebraska Extension Educator Mitiku Mamo: “Cover Crops Research.”

The speakers who will cover home and lawn care are:

-Nebraska Extension Educator Kathleen Cue: “Using Annual & Perennial Flowers in Landscape Design.”

-Nebraska Extension Educator Kathleen Cue: “Lawn Care.”

-Nebraska Forest Service’s Pam Bergstrom, Anna Wiebelhaus and Jorden Smith: “Tree Care.”

Other activities will be going on during and after the field day’s first session:

-10 a.m.: Archery demonstration by champion archer Alexis Frye of Wayne.

-10:30 a.m.: Northeast Arboretum tour, which will involve some walking.

-10:30 a.m.: Hummus-making demonstration.

-11:30 a.m.: Archery demonstration by champion archer Alexis Frye of Wayne.

The event’s second session will run from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and feature concurrent presentations.

The presentations, which will each be 20 minutes long, will be on crop troubleshooting and nature and the outdoors.

The speakers who will cover crop troubleshooting are:

-Nebraska Extension Entomologist Tom Hunt: “Soybean Gall Midge.”

-Nebraska Extension Nutrient Management and Water Quality Specialist Javed Iqbal: “Nitrogen Management in Corn.”

\-Nebraska Extension Plant Pathologist Tamra Jackson-Ziems: “Fungicide Resistance in Soybean Frogeye Leaf Spot.”

The speakers who will cover nature and the outdoors are:

-Nebraska Extension Entomology Technologist Nicole Luhr: “Beekeeping.”

-Nebraska Extension Educator Ben Beckman: “Forages.”

-Nebraska Extension Educators Sarah Roberts, Jackie Steffen and Julie Boyle: “Learning Child Activities.”

Other activities will be going on during and after the field day’s second session:

-Noon: Hummus-making demonstration.

-12:30 p.m.: Ribbon-cutting ceremony by the Laurel Chamber of Commerce to welcome the Haskell Ag Lab.

-1 p.m.: Archery demonstration by champion archer Alexis Frye of Wayne.

-1 p.m.: “Backyard Farmer” panel.

-1:30 p.m.: Hummus-making demonstration.

-2 p.m.: Northeast Arboretum tour, which will involve some walking.

Michael Boehm, vice chancellor of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at UNL, will provide an IANR update during the field day.

There also will be educational trailers for people to visit that will feature topics such as a mobile beef lab, science literacy, shooting sports and maker spaces.

In addition, food trucks will be on site for lunch. Each attendee will receive a $10 voucher for the food trucks.

The Haskell Ag Lab is located at 57905 866th Road, about one-and-a-half miles east of Concord.

FOR MORE INFO:

Call the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Haskell Agricultural Laboratory at 402-584-2261 or visit its website at hal.unl.edu or its Facebook page at www.facebook. com/HALenrec/ for updates.

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