 |
| Duane A. Lienemann Nebraska Extension Educator |
It is a rather somber day for many. If you look at the date of this column you will note that 9-11 holds a special place in this generations memories. I don’t believe that anything else comes close to what happened 14 years ago today. I remember it well as we were in North Platte and had just witnessed the beginning of life for our third grandchild. In fact I have a picture of him being held in front of the TV with the screen showing the attack in the background. Who would have known that in just a few hours after this new life began that so many people would lose theirs over a senseless act of terrorism that resonated all across the world and continues to have huge effects on all of us? You cannot really quantify the impact on our lives including our economy, travel, security and yes, even agriculture. We shall always pay the price of this attack.
It is so important to keep the memory of those who died on 9/11 alive and to honor them. Today we honor the victims that lost their lives, the families that are still hurting from the tragedy, and the people that came together to show their support for a country in emotional ruins. I like the motto that came out directly after the attack on the Twin Towers and I hope that it continues for decades to come. It goes “911: Never forgive, Never forget!” Unfortunately we now seem to live in a politically correct world where tragedies like this seem to be swept under the rug and ideology trumps history. Our country and our world will never be the same as it was the day my grandson was born and I fear for the world he will live in.
Husker Harvest Days: This coming week most of the farmers and a lot of FFA members will be headed to Husker Harvest Days, which is recognized as the World’s Largest Totally Irrigated Working Farm Show and features the most extensive state-of-the-art information and technology available for today’s agricultural producers. September 15-17 is the date for this storied Farm Show. For those that don’t know it is located a few miles west of Grand Island on aptly named “Husker Highway”. Or if you prefer you can go 1-1/2 miles north and 2 miles west of Alda. Either way the drive is well worth it. I don’t know how many people remember when it started, but I do. I can even give a bit of history on it. The Nebraska Farmer magazine, working with the Agricultural Institute of Nebraska in Grand Island, developed the Husker Harvest Days event in 1978, on 1,000 acres of former U.S. Army Ordnance land located west of Grand Island, NE. The goal for the event, from its beginning and today, is to showcase the latest products, services, information and practices in agriculture. That goal is what made this event an important part of my teaching career and even today as a county agent.
I was a young teacher in Blue Hill when Husker Harvest Days started and remember that so many kids checked out of school to go the event with their parents and/or grandparents and soon I would be taking a bus of ag ed students on FFA Day. I so fondly remember those days with the wide-eyed kids who had never been there going "WOW!" and then scurrying off to see what they could see and grab what goodies they could get in the time they were there. I didn’t even try to catch up with them or to follow them, it would have been like herding cats. But it brings a smile to my face to bring back memories of HHD.
I also wanted to make sure that this event was educational and that they just didn’t go for the food so I contrived a scavenger hunt each year that was required and even provided prizes for the big winners. All the young people were winners as they got to see the newest and the best and more importantly got to network with fellow students and visit with companies and individuals that many of them one day would do business with. The trip home was fun with the kids going through their bags of goodies with pencils, pens, seed corn hats, leather gloves, milo cookies, popcorn, pine tree saplings, amongst all kinds of literature and who knows what. I always liked to go, not only to be with these young people, visit with vendors and other people in agriculture, get educational material, keep abreast with new equipment and ideas but I could once again refill my pen and pencil supply that always seemed to dwindle considerably during the school year.
You can expect over 100,000 people to attend Husker Harvest days. Visitors have access to nearly 600 exhibitors with agriculture’s latest product introductions, meet face-to-face with company representatives and gain hands-on knowledge about the latest products and services for their farms and ranches. Each year, visitors have the opportunity to see everything, from the latest in technology to seed to crop chemicals to field demonstrations to livestock handling and equine events. Additionally, rural lifestyle, health screening services, antique farm tractors and equipment, and arts and crafts exhibits are included in the show. Husker Harvest Days was one of the first farm shows to conduct cattle handling demonstrations. It may interest you that you can actually see what is going on this year via a webcam that gives several views. You can find it at: http://huskerharvestdays.com/customPage.aspx?p=394 . HHD Android apps are available https://play.google.com/store and the Apple based apps at: http://www.apple.com/itunes/ . You can find both by searching for "Husker Harvest Days."
UNL Extension has been a part of HHD for 40 years and will be there again this year. “Successfully Weathering Extremes” is the theme for our exhibits dealing largely with planning for potential weather extremes from climate change on the farm and ranch, as well as climate change-induced challenges and opportunities in our everyday lives. IANR staff will be available to answer questions on a variety of extension and research-related topics, provide copies of helpful NebGuides, and direct those needing further help to extension experts in their local area. You will have the opportunity to receive the latest information on the challenges and opportunities facing the economics of agriculture, including variability and extremes in planning successful agricultural operations. Please come see us at UNL’s Husker Red steel building at Lot 321. Go HHD!!
The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or Nebraska Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, Nebraska Extension Educator for Webster County in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email to: dlienemann2@unl.edu or go to the website at: http://www.webster.unl.edu/home
No comments:
Post a Comment