POSTAL CUSTOMER
PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit #36 OMAHA, NE
June 13, 2013 Issue 264-17-12
Holdrege Silt Loam Known the World over for Its Ideal Mix of Sand, Clay and Silt That Makes It So Vital to Agriculture
Check out our Agstuff Classifieds Pages 22-27
Tractor Pull . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7 Rodeo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10 Car Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Weather Al Dutcher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Country Living House Plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Recipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
The Lighter Side Lee Pitts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Markets Grains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Livestock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Government Report Government Report. . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Ag Management Senate Approves New Farm Bill; Now Ball is in House’s Court . . . . .7
Livestock News Heartland Cattle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Production News Alfalfa Producers Need to Remain Vigilant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Schedule of Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Lori Potter, The Kearney Hub HOLDREGE — Some mid-19th century pioneers who traveled through central Nebraska on their way to California dreamed of striking it rich by digging for gold. Meanwhile, the homesteaders who decided to stay found black gold below their feet. The dark, rich Holdrege soils that formed below centuriesold grasslands continue to be the foundation for millions of dollars worth of crops, primarily irrigated corn and soybeans, planted annually. The Holdrege soil series exists on 1.8 million acres in central Nebraska. It first was identified as separate from other soil types in a 1917 Phelps County soil survey. The representative soil profile is two miles northwest of the city of Holdrege. In 1979, the Nebraska Legislature designated Holdrege silt loam as the state soil. Mark Kuzila, director of the Conservation and Survey Division at the University of NebraskaLincoln, said many states had a state soil, so members of the Nebraska Society of Professional Soil Scientists sought a similar designation. The
For daily agriculture news, updates and local happenings, visit the Heartland Express website at www.myfarmandranch.com
goal was to recognize the importance of soil as a vital resource for Nebraska’s No. 1 industry, agriculture. Seeking the designation of a Holdrege soil was done to "put our best foot forward, so to speak," Kuzila said, because it is so important to highly productive irrigated agriculture in south-central Nebraska. On May 14, a Nebraska State Historical Society marker erected at the Nebraska Prairie Museum in Holdrege was dedicated, thanks to the efforts of the Nebraska Society of Professional Soil Scientists, Landmark Implement Inc. and the TriBasin Natural Resources District. So would homesteaders have recognized the value of the yet-unnamed Holdrege soils? Kuzila said they probably were first attracted to the level land in south-central Nebraska, which is a component of such soils, and the abundant grass. "Where are the best grasslands growing? It would have been on the Holdrege soils," he said. "A soil series has very specific characteristics of composition and topography," said Tri-Basin NRD
General Manager John Thorburn. There are many soil series and specific types within each. Similar soils can be found from state to state, but their common names are different because those names come from specific locations. Elements of a Holdrege soil are a thick, darkcolored topsoil, clay-enriched subsoil and lower layer that contains free lime, according to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Conservation and Survey Division. "That dark fertile layer is thicker than in most soil types," Thorburn said. He emphasized that soil and dirt are not interchangeable. One is complex and the other is a simple component. "Soil is a combination of particles, living matter and dead organic matter," Thorburn said, while dirt or dust is "just the mineral fraction." "It’s just an ideal mix of sand, clay and silt particles to get that 'loamy' texture to hold water and still allow it to drain," he said about Holdrege soils. Continued on page 13
MARKET GLANCE Livestock and Products, Weekly Average
Crops, Daily Spot Prices Year Ago 4 Wks Ago 5/31/13
Nebraska Slaughter Steer 35-65% Choice, Live Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$121.06 Nebraska Feeder Steers, Med. & Large Frame, 550-600# . . . . . . . . . . . .177.41 Med & Large Frame, 750-800 # . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157.77 Choice Boxed Beef, 600-750# Carcass . . . . . . . . . .196.83 Western Corn Belt Base Hog Price . . . . . . . . . . . . . .85.97 Feeder Pigs, National Direct, 50#, FOB . . . . . . . . . . . .* Pork Carcass Cutout, 185#, 51-52% Lean . . . . . . . .80.38 Slaughter Lambs, Ch. & Pr.,Heavy, SD Dir. . . . . . . . .148.50 Nat. Carcass Lamb Cutout, FOB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .346.50
129.14
125.75
159.33 138.62 198.59 87.15 * 86.67 113.00 285.19
147.33 138.07 208.32 93.04 * 93.89 110.00 280.08
Wheat, No. 1, H.W. Imperial, bu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5.65 Corn, No. 2, Yellow, Omaha, bu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5.81 Soybeans, No. 1 Yellow Omaha, bu . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13.18 Grain Sorg. No. 2 Yellow, Dorchester, cwt . . . . . . . . .9.21 Oats, No. 2, Heavy Minneapolis, MN, bu. . . . . . . . . . .3.07
Hay (per ton)
Alfalfa, Lrg. Sq. Bales Good to Prem., NE Neb. . . . . .207.50 Alfalfa, Lrg. Rounds, Good, Platte Valley, . . . . . . . .140.00 Grass Hay, Lrg. Rounds, Premium, Neb., . . . . . . . . .97.50 Dried Distillers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212.50 Wet Distillers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73.50 * No market.
7.31 6.98 14.57 11.80 4.18
7.07 7.07 14.95 12.32 3.99
* * 227.50 225.00 222.50 217.50 233.00 220.00 90.00 91.00