Nebraska Youth Beef LeadershipSymposium – Save the Date!by Sara Ellicott, UNL Extension Educator

Youth that are juniors and seniors in high school, withan interest in the beef industry, will want to consider

a program coming this fall offered by UNL’s AnimalScience Department.The Nebraska YouthBeef LeadershipSymposium (NYBLS)will be held on EastCampus November21-23, 2009. Thissymposium is an excellent opportunity for youth to:• Network with Nebraska beef producers, allied beefindustry personnel, beef industry staff, and UNL faculty.• Demonstrate knowledge of the beef industry by usinginformation presented at the symposium to develop andmarket a retail beef product.• Investigate career areas within the beef industry throughparticipation in workshops and discussions with beefindustry professionals.• Increase preparedness and competitiveness for beefindustry careers.

The early registration fee is $30 by October 1, 2009.There is a $50 late registration fee until October 19.

For more information about the symposium or how toregister visit the NYBLS website at: http://nybls.unl.eduor contact Sara Ellicott, UNL Extension Educator at (402)624-8030. ❏

Nebraska Fire DistrictsBenefit From Forest Service ProgramNFS articles provided by Nancy Evans, Nebraska Forest Service

More than 160 Nebraska rural fire districts are using reconditioned federal vehiclesobtained through the Federal Excess Personal Property/Firefighter Property

(FEPP/FFP) program coordinated by the Nebraska Forest Service Fire Shop at theAgricultural Research & Development Center.

The program, operatedin cooperation with the U.S.Forest Service, currentlyprovides more than 300vehicles—with a replace-ment value of $17.7 mil-lion— to Nebraska fire dis-tricts. The vehicles aremade available to rural firedistricts for just the trans-portation and reconditioningcosts. Typically, fire dis-tricts receive vehicles for 5-10 percent of the cost ofnew vehicles.

“The program increasesthe capacity of rural firedepartments to protect livesand property,” said DonWestover, WildfireProtection Program Leader.

Through the FEPP/FFPprogram, vehicles that areno longer needed by thefederal government aremade available through theNebraska Forest Service(NFS) to cooperating ruralfire districts. While in use,the equipment remains fed-eral property and when it’sno longer needed, it is eitherreassigned or sold by NFS,with the proceeds returnedto the federal treasury.

In Nebraska, Fire Shop staff members are responsible for screening, retrieving, recon-ditioning, inventorying and assigning excess property. After vehicles are screened andacquired through the Government Services Administration, Fire Shop mechanics JoeLiberator and Mike McWilliams inspect them and make necessary repairs or upgrades tobring the vehicles up to current safety standards. If necessary, they add devices to makethe vehicles suitable for use by rural fire districts, such as back-up alarms, light bars,electrical converters and hard tops.

The NFS Fire Shop also helps cooperating fire districts reduce vehicle maintenancecosts by securing parts and providing complimentary maintenance inspections. Followingeach inspection, NFS outlines steps needed to keep the vehicle in proper working order,helping to extend the usable life of the vehicle.

As part its service-oriented goal, the Fire Shop has two mobile units available to pro-vide routine maintenance and repairs as well as onsite support for cooperating fire dis-tricts in case of catastrophic fires. “They enhance our ability to bring service to the cus-tomers,” said Sieber, who also described a new venture aimed at increasingresponsiveness to large fire events.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln * Institute of Agriculture and Natural ResourcesIt is the policy of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln not to discriminate on the basis of gender, age, disability, race, color, religion, marital status, veteran’s status, national ethnic origin or sexual orientation.

A publication of theUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln

Agricultural Research &Development Center and

UNL Extension in Saunders County

September/October 2009Vol. 13, No. 5

In This Issue...** ARDC FEAARDC FEATURE UNIT TURE UNIT

- Nebraska Forest Service - Nebraska Forest Service Fire ShopFire Shop

- - About the PeopleAbout the People- Nebraska Fire Districts Benefit- Nebraska Fire Districts Benefit

From Forest Service Program From Forest Service Program - NFS W- NFS Wildland Fire Protectionildland Fire Protection

Program Serves FirefightersProgram Serves Firefighters- Recent NFS Program Impacts . . .- Recent NFS Program Impacts . . .

** Attention 4th Grade TAttention 4th Grade Teachers...eachers...Apply for the Apply for the Ag Ag AAwarenesswarenessFestival TFestival TODAODAY!!!Y!!!

** Goats Dress Up at the SaundersGoats Dress Up at the SaundersCountyCounty FairFair

** Hay Probe Hay Probe AAvailable for Checkvailable for CheckOut Out

** Hostetler Receives IANRHostetler Receives IANR AAwardward** Livestock TLivestock Tour Vour Visits Coloradoisits Colorado** Mead FFMead FFAA Students Students Assist atAssist at

Saunders County FairSaunders County Fair** Nebraska Nebraska YYouth Beef Leadershipouth Beef Leadership

Symposium – Save the Date!Symposium – Save the Date!

NEBRASKA FIRE DISTRICTS - Cont. on P. 2

Hay Probe Availablefor Check Out by Sara Ellicott, UNL Extension Educator

Forages are an important component in the diet ofmany livestock species and knowing the quality

of your forages can help you meet the nutrient require-ments of your livestock and perhaps save you moneyin supplementation costs.

Producers have asked questions about hay qualityand if their forages are sufficient nutritionally for dif-ferent types of livestock. The basic answer to this iswe can look up book averages, however, this does nottell the true story of what you have on your place. Inorder for us to know exactly what your hay has anddoes not have, it is important to test, to be sure youare meeting the nutritional needs of your livestock.

There are many factors that can affect the qualityof the hay you have and it can vary from place toplace. If you are interested in sampling your hay forthis winter, the Saunders County Extension Office hasa hay probe available for check out. It is a relativelysimple process to sample the bales, and I would beglad to discuss this with you, along with provideinformation as to what laboratories are available tohandle the samples and actual testing. UNL Extensionhas a NebGuide Sampling Feeds for Analyses avail-able online athttp://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/sendIt/g331.pdf or at thelocal Extension office. If you have questions regard-ing this information or are interested in checking outthe hay probe, please contact Sara Ellicott, UNLExtension Educator at sellicott2@unl.edu or 402-624-8030. ❏

DeWitt’s volunteer fire department uses this 1986 Chevydiesel with a 225-gallon tank and skid unit as a grass rig.

This 2006 IHC 3,000-gallon tanker used by the DorchesterVolunteer Fire Department was placed for $4,500 throughthe Federal Excess Personal Property/Firefighter Propertyprogram.

Coordinator. Don received at B.S. in Forestry in 1969 and an M.S. in Natural Resourcesin 1975, both from the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point. He earned an M.A. inAdult Education from UNL in 1980.

Don served as a medic in the Air Force, spending most of that time at the Air ForceAcademy in Colorado Springs.

As Fire Equipment Manager/Shop Superintendent, Lewis Siebersupervises daily operations at the Nebraska Forest Service FireShop. He works with participating volunteer fire departments todetermine their firefighting equipment needs and the Fire Shop’sability to meet those needs using low-cost federal excess property.He ensures that NFS complies with federal regulations concerningthe FEPP/FFP program.

Lew is ASE-certified and earned an Associate Degree in Over theRoad Diesel Truck Technology from Southeast Community Collegein Milford, and has served as a motor transport operator andwheeled vehicle mechanic with recovery specialist designator withthe Army National Guard. He retired from the Guard in 2004 after23 years of service.

Lew has been involved in Boy Scouts for nearly 25 years—as ayouth and then for 15 years as an adult. He also has been a volun-teer firefighter for four years. Lew and his wife, Karen, have threedaughters and three sons, and live in Lincoln.

Joseph Liberator and Mike McWilliams are full-time mechanicsat the Nebraska Forest Service Fire Shop. They assess, recondition,and maintain firefighting equipment obtained through the excessfederal property program.

Lead Mechanic, Mike McWilliams, began work at the NebraskaForest Service Fire Shop in July 2008. He is an ASE-certifiedMaster Medium/Heavy truck technician. Mike and his wife, Josie,live in Omaha.

Joseph Liberator began work with the Fire Shop in 2001. Heearned an Associate Degree in auto mechanics from Iowa WesternCollege in 1973. Joe was trained on military equipment while serv-ing in the Army Reserves for 18 years. He and his wife, Marian, live

in Omaha. They have a daughter, Andrea. ❏

NFS, the Nebraska State Fire Marshal and the Nebraska Department of Roads (DOR)are forming a partnership to move large amounts of water to state-declared disasters. Byusing equipment and driversfrom all three agencies, thepartners will be able torespond quickly and effi-ciently during calls for stateaid.

Many of the assetsalready are in place and will

serve dual roles, whichwill maximize the use ofequipment that normallyis used seasonally, suchas DOR trucks and tanksthat haul salt brine dur-ing the winter. The FireShop is painting and out-fitting semi-tank trailersthat will be preposi-tioned in target areas.Semi-tractors and driversto pull these trailers arebeing identified andprepped by NFS and theState Fire Marshal.

The ability to movewater in this way willgive local incident com-manders the ability tobring water from fartheraway and not overtaxlocal wells in time ofneed.

For more informationabout the NebraskaForest Service Federal Excess Personal Property program or to inquire about vehicle

availability, contact Lew Sieber at (402) 624-8061 or lsieber2@unl.edu ❏

September/October 2009 Extended Extended VVisionsisions Page 2

NEBRASKA FIRE DISTRICTS - Cont. from P. 1

NFS WILDLAND FIRE PROTECTION - Cont. on P. 3

NFS Wildland Fire ProtectionProgram Serves Firefighters

The work of the Nebraska Forest Service WildlandFire Protection program is aimed at helping maxi-

mize the effective-ness of the state’slocal firefighters, apredominantly vol-unteer force con-sisting of more than14,000 rural fire-fighters in 476 firedistricts.

In addition toprocuring and serv-icing excess federalproperty for use byNebraska rural firedistricts, theNebraska ForestService assists ruralfirefighters in fivemajor areas:WildfirePrevention,Training, Planning,Aerial FireSuppression andFuels Treatment.

WildfirePrevention: Perhaps the greatest impact Nebraskans canhave in the area of fire protection is in fire prevention.NFS provides fire prevention materials to communities toeducate citizens on steps they can take to prevent fires.Fire Prevention Resource Manager Bob Vogltance isavailable to visit local fire departments to help set up fireprevention programs. These programs are at the heart ofeffective prevention and can be tailored to meet each com-munity’s specific needs.

Bob has received the prestigious national Bronze andSilver Smokey Bear Awards for excellence in wildfire pre-vention programming. A decade ago he began a search forvolunteers to implement fire prevention programs throughtheir local fire departments. The group of five talented andenergetic volunteers, Partners in Prevention, also has beenrecognized with Bronze and Silver Smokey Bear Awards.The partners donate nearly 2,000 hours of service yearlyand help Bob spread fire prevention enthusiasm and train-ing across Nebraska and the Midwest.

Training: Headed up by Wildfire Training ManagerCasey McCoy, NFS provides training to rural fire districtsthrough classes in numerous communities as well asmutual aid schools and the State Fire School attended by2,000 people annually. The second annual NebraskaWildland Fire Academy was held in March. Begun as aninteragency effort by NFS and the U.S. Forest Service, itoffers many benefits. “The Academy provides opportuni-ties for Nebraska volunteer firefighters to attend nationallyrecognized training at a much lower cost on a schedulethat doesn’t require them to be away from home for longperiods of time,” McCoy said. It also enables local volun-teers to enter the national Red Card system and developcertifications that are recognized across the nation, headded.

Training classes offered by NFS cover a variety oftopics ranging from beginning to advanced firefightingtechniques, Firewise landscaping and construction to lead-ership and educating others about fire prevention. Theyoffer flexibility and can be fine-tuned to meet the needs of

This 2-1/2-ton 6x6 with a 500-gallon tank used in Brule isset up to meet all federal standards to fight wildfires.

The Nebraska Forest Service Fire Shop acquires vehiclesthrough the Federal Excess Personal Property/FirefighterProperty program and reconditions them for use byNebraska’s rural firefighters.

Lew Sieber

Joseph Liberator

Mike McWilliams

About the People...

Don Westover is the WildfireProtection Program Leader for the

Nebraska Forest Service based at theUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln. Hejoined UNL in 1975 as Fire Management

Recent NFS ProgramImpacts . . .

* $1,182,380 external competi-tive grant dollars secured for fuelreduction* 2 million+ people reached byfire prevention messages* 550 rural firefighters trained* 103 communities/organizationsreceived Volunteer Fire Assistancecost-share assistance* 476 cooperating rural firedepartments* 160 fire prevention programpartners* 31 cooperating aerial applica-tors* 300 pieces of federal excessproperty placed in rural fire dis-tricts* $226,900 Volunteer FireAssistance funds distributed tolocal fire districts (2009)

local fire departments. NFS also provides training materials and funding to

the Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s Training Division“Firefighter I” curriculum, which addresses wildfire sup-pression.

Planning: Planning services offered by FireResource Manager for Planning, George Teixeira, takethe form of either Mutual Aid District Planning orCommunity Master Planning. Fire emergencies oftenstress local resources, creating a need for assistance(mutual aid) from neighboring fire departments. NFSencourages fire departments to participate in one of the58 Mutual Aid Districts in the state. Mutual AidDistrict Planning provides member districts with direc-tories listing resources and problem areas within firedistricts.

Community Master Plans are created with local fireofficials to help ensure that their needs will continue to be met in the future. The plans contain equipment replacement schedules, insurance infor-mation and explanations of the privileges and responsibilities rural fire districts have under state statutes.

George also helps communities write plans outlining steps they will take to reduce the risk of damage from wildland fires. A CommunityWildfire Protection Plan addresses the community’s wildland fire response capability, and the protection of homes and structures within the commu-nity. Creating a plan allows a community to apply for cost-share assistance for fuels treatment work, which can further reduce the risk of wildfiredamage.

these niche markets to makeadditional income or maketheir primary income fortheir operations.

As we learned, water isa subject that came up atmost of the tour stops inColorado. There is a lotgoing on with it currently,and as most said, it is notsomething that is going togo away. The group com-mented that they learned alot by visiting with the pro-ducers and the water con-servancy district, and hear-ing just how it is appropriat-ed in the State, how it ishandled differently than in Nebraska, and how it could potentially affect agricultural pro-ducers.

The group was able to visit a cow-calf operation and a sheep operation in the moun-tains. These were both very unique stops where they got to see the different ways live-stock are produced, particularly when they not only utilize private ground, but also BLMor U.S. Forest Service Permits for a part of the grazing season.

Other educational stops included: • Graff’s Turf Farms - Fort Morgan, CO• Innovative Foods – Evans, CO• Colorado Livestock Association – also at the Evans, CO stop• Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District – Berthoud, CO• Diamond D Dairy – Longmont, CO• Albertson Cattle Company - Burns, CO• CJ Mucklow, Extension Agent, Routt County, CO• Maneotis Sheep – Steamboat Springs, CO

For more information on this tour, please contact Sara Ellicott, UNL ExtensionEducator at (402) 624-8030 or sellicott2@unl.edu. ❏

Livestock TourVisits Coloradoby Sara Ellicott, UNL Extension Educator

Forty local livestock and grain producers tookpart in the 2009 Saunders County Livestock

Association “Cattle Drive” tour August 11-14.This was the 51st annual tour for the group.

The focus of this year’s tour was the state of Colorado; the group had visited agricul-tural operations in this state several years ago, but there were a variety of stops on thisyear’s tour that were new to the group. Also, Colorado has changed a lot in the last sev-eral years, particularly along the Front Range area. Agriculture is still a very importantpart of Colorado’s economy, but is being met with some challenges of urban encroach-

ment, water, land values,

September/October 2009 Extended Extended VVisionsisions Page 3

September29 Wahoo High School ASSET Testing 8:00-12:0030 Ag Awareness Festival

October5 Ag Awareness Festival6 Ag Awareness Festival7 Ag Awareness Festival14 Wahoo High School PSAT Testing 8:00-12:0023 Science Festival 9:00-2:30

November4 4-H Council Meeting 7:00-9:00pm17 2011 Planning Meeting 9:00-4:0017 Saunders County Extension Board 7:00-9:00pm

Jim Docheff speaks to the group about his dairy operation,Diamond D Dairy, in Longmont, CO. Their dairy built it'sown bottling plant for milk and yogurt products, and areutilizing these value added products to make their opera-tion more profitable, and bring their kids back into theoperation.

Vern Albertson, Albertson Cattle Company, Burns, CO;Vern visits with the group in a hay meadow, discussing howa pivot has made better use of the irrigation water andincreased hay yields. He also explained to the group aboutwater use at the ranch, and also how the meadows are usedfor fall grazing.

and commodity prices.However, a couple of

the stops also discussedtheir value-added productsand how they are utilizing

Ivan Steinke, Director of Quality Resources for theColorado Livestock Association visits with the group aboutissues and opportunities with Colorado's livestock indus-tries at Innovative Foods, Evans, CO.

The Partners in Prevention, a volunteer group sponsored by the Nebraska Forest Service,received the prestigious national Silver Smokey Bear Award this year for their work in fireprevention education. From left: Bob Vogltance, Nebraska Forest Service Fire ResourceManager; Linda Pasewalk, Emerson; Rhonda Cerny, Linwood; Stu Wilsman, Franklin; BillFortune, Ogallala; and Scott Josiah, Nebraska State Forester. Not pictured is Mark Graffrom Arapahoe.

NFS WILDLAND FIRE PROTECTION - Cont. from P. 2

NFS WILDLAND FIRE PROTECTION - Cont. on P. 4

September/October 2009 Extended Extended VVisionsisions Page 4

Mead FFA Students Assist at Saunders County Fairby Jamie Larsen, Mead FFA Historian

People from all over Saunders County enjoyed the county fairthis summer. During the week of July 26th, Mead FFA mem-

bers dedicated many hours of volunteer work at the SaundersCounty Fair. While some were there to show their own animals,such as Moriah Nygren did with her sheep, others were helpingwith setting up for the hog show, announcing the placing of con-testants at the rabbit show, writing the placing of contestants on

their cards, and many otherthings. Some of the mem-bers that helped out a lotwith the fair were AllisonHough, who volunteeredaround 22 hours andAmanda Ruhe, who volun-teered four days at the fair.Amanda Ruhe claimed that"Getting to watch the horseshow" was her favorite partof the fair.

On Thursday, membersbegan putting the float

together for the SaundersCounty Parade. Our themewas that FFA is a party andwe used a combination of

This issue of Extended Visions was produced and edited by Deloris Pittman, Marketing & Promotions Manager. Extended Visions is published bimonthly by theUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln ARDC & University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Saunders County, 1071 County Road G, Room A, Ithaca, Nebraska, 68033-2234.

For more information, call 402-624-8000 or 1-800-529-8030. Check out our web site at http://ardc.unl.edu. E-mail dpittman1@unl.edu.© 2009 University of Nebraska–Lincoln Agricultural Research & Development Center

Mark Schroeder, Director, University of Nebraska-Lincoln ARDC * Keith Glewen, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Educator Unit LeaderNebraska Forest Service Fire Shop articles provided by Nancy Evans, Nebraska Forest Service.

.

M.E.A.D.Making Education inAgriculture Different

Goats Dress Up at the Saunders County Fair

4-H is a youth entity of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.Working cooperatively to help young people develop life-

skills, 4-H provides the first avenue for youth to begin theirlearning and exploration of potential careers through project

involvement.Developing and uti-lizing positive char-acter traits, positivedecision making,communicationskills,citizenship/commu-nity service and lead-ership is all part ofbuilding strong life-skills.

4-Hers at the2009 SaundersCounty Fair wereable to work on theircommunication skillsthrough participationin the Best DressedGoat Contest. Youthselected "characters"for both themselvesand their goat.Judges (Steve Waller,Dean of the Collegeof Ag Sciences andNatural Resourcesand Jill Brown,Career Specialist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln shown in the photos on theright) were on hand to interview and evaluate all of the participants. TheChampion Best Dressed Goat for 2009 was Colton June. ❏

Attention 4th Grade Teachers...Apply for the Ag AwarenessFestival TODAY!!!

If you are a 4th grade teacher and haven’t applied toattend the Ag Awareness Festival - please do so as

soon as possible. Submit your application online at:http://ardc.unl.edu/aafform.shtml....don’t delay!Dates for this year’sfestival areSeptember 30,October 5, 6, and 7.At the festival, stu-dents learn aboutbeef, dairy, andgrains sessions.Production, technol-ogy, and products inagriculture are cov-ered. The first Agricultural Awareness Festival washeld in October 1996 with 200 Omaha Public Schoolsixth grade students attending. Since that time, thefestival has grown to multiple days and is now aimedat fourth-graders. For more information, call(402)624-8030 or e-mail kdam2@unl.edu. ❏

During the four days that Amanda Ruhe volunteered at thefair, she performed many duties, including photographingthe horse show.

Hawaiian and Mardi Gras to show this. We decorated the float with palm trees and bal-loons and signs that said 'Bead it up for Mead FFA'. To spread our Mardi Gras theme, wehanded out beads during the parade. The fair gave members a good opportunity to helpout our community and represent our school. ❏

Judy Hostetler, financial associate in the ASSISTBusiness Center, received the IANR Outstanding

Employee Award for managerial/professional staff for Julyand August. A nominator wrote she is “always eager toaccept additional responsibilities or special projects, evenwhen her desk is already overflowing with regular workassignments.” Judy provides grant support for many ofthe grant-funded projects at the ARDC and that Extensionprovides. We extend our congratulations to Judy on thisoutstanding achievement. ❏

Aerial Fire Suppression: Thirty-one aerial applicators(agricultural spray pilots) provide valuable support to theNFS aerial fire suppression program by making their air-craft available for fighting fires statewide. Aerial firefight-ing support is especially helpful in reaching areas inacces-sible to fire trucks on the ground. In addition, 28 locationsacross the state store Class A wildland foam fire retardantfor use in aerial suppression of wildfires.

Fuels Treatment: In the Pine Ridge, foresters JohnOverstreet and Doak Nickerson, and in the Niobrara RiverValley, foresters Jess Yahnke and Rich Woollen, are work-ing with landowners to reduce fuel loads on their property.When forest fuels are thinned to the proper level, wildfiresburning into these areas will be more easily and safelysuppressed by firefighters, reducing the wildfire threat tohomeowners and communities. At the local level, this fueltreatment provides jobs and a ready source of bio-fuelswhich can serve as an alternative energy source. ❏

NFS WILDLAND FIRE PROTECTION - Cont. from P. 3

Hostetler Receives IANR Award