Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition ‘Traveling Road Show’ focus is grasslands

    The Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition (NGLC), Nebraska Extension, Nebraska Cattlemen and the Sandhills Task Force will be hosting the 2020 Traveling Road Show at four locations in November.
    One of the sites is Imperial next Friday, Nov. 13.
    This year’s road show will focus on winning strategies for woody encroachment, featuring Dirac Twidwell, UNL Associate Professor in rangeland and fire ecology.
    Twidwell is a science advisor for the NRCS, Great Plains region, and a national science team member for a new Great Plains Grasslands Strategy under the Working Lands for Wildlife Program.
    Dirac’s presentation will include:
    Woody encroachment-national threat to range, and sustainability
    Nebraska Sandhill’s ranked #2 globally as viable grassland region on Earth
    Intact grasslands less vulnerable to encroachment by Eastern Red Cedar (ERC)
    ERC encroachment poses new threats to Nebraska’s livestock industry
    New earlier warning tools and tracking the economic loss
    Past approaches versus new scientific solutions and winning strategies
    The program will also include presentations from NGLC Burn Coordinators Doug Whisenhunt and Alex Petersen, plus local ranchers that have experience using prescribed fire.
    There is no cost to attend, and a meal will be provided.
    Students and local FFA chapters are encouraged to attend. Participants must pre-register by this Friday to reserve a meal by calling the UNL Extension office for each location.
    Here is the schedule for Imperial:
    Friday, Nov. 13—9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. MT @ Crossroads Wesleyan Church. Contact: Erin Laborie, Nebraska Extension-Furnas County, 308-268-3105
    Other locations for the road show are Bloomfield, Taylor and Thedford.