By Nathan Mueller and John Nelson et.al
Southeast Nebraska farmers and crop consultants can sharpen their management strategies for the third- and fourth-most grown crops at the 2023 Southeast Nebraska Alfalfa and Wheat Expo on Thursday, Aug. 24, in Crete.
In its third year, the expo helps farmers prepare to grow these crops for the first time and fine-tune the skills of experienced alfalfa and winter wheat farmers and crop consultants. Speakers will address important issues for southeast Nebraska, and University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension will provide attendees with unbiased and research-based information. The expo also allows for great one-on-one discussion with local private industry exhibitors and sponsors. At the second annual expo in 2022, attendees had the opportunity to visit with 15 exhibitors.
This year’s expo hosts, Nebraska Extension Water and Cropping Systems Educators Nathan Mueller and John Nelson, and Nebraska Extension Livestock Systems Educator Connor Biehler, advocate for more diverse crop rotations that are both underutilized and undervalued in southeast Nebraska. Integrating alfalfa and winter wheat into the crop rotation can provide a critical tool to mitigate extreme weather like flash droughts, improve soil health, increase corn and soybean yields, combat troublesome pests like Palmer amaranth, increase flexibility in manure management plans and cattle feed.