News

News

A Visit to Bessey Nursery

A Visit to Bessey Nursery

By Chrystal Houston, Public Relations Manager, Upper Big Blue NRD

"Who knew Nebraska had so many trees?” I thought when we arrived in Halsey, Nebraska, home of the Charles E. Bessey Nursery. Thousands of mature trees surround the property, their green, leafy majesty so unexpected in the plains—a desert oasis, a verdant...Read More

A Passion for Planting

A Passion for Planting

Feather to retire after 40+ years of forestry


If there’s one thing Ken Feather is really bad at, it’s sitting still.

The springy septuagenarian is constantly on the move, ready to build or plant or improve something. Don’t let his jokes and gentle voice fool you. He’s a man on a mission—one that’s seen him plant...Read More

Soil Health Workshop Focuses on Increasing Agriculture Profit and Sustainability

Soil Health Workshop Focuses on Increasing Agriculture Profit and Sustainability

More than 100 people attended the annual Project GROW Winter Workshop hosted by the Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District on December 3 at the Holthus Convention Center. Most of the attendees were farmers or others involved in the agriculture industry. Speakers were a diverse group of researchers and practitioners, presenting on subjects from...Read More

​York Well Watch

​York Well Watch

City and NRD partner to provide cleaner water

Improving and protecting the quality of drinking water for all residents is the goal of a continuing collaboration between the city of York and the Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District. Their latest effort in the cause is an inventory of all private wells in the Wellhead Protection...Read More

Cattle Producers Event to Offer Demo and Dinner

Cattle Producers Event to Offer Demo and Dinner

All local cattle producers are invited to attend a free informational event on Thursday, January 23, from 4-6 p.m. The event will offer a demonstration of the Rawhide Portable Corral equipment recently purchased by the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture for use by producers in the Upper Big Blue and the Little Blue Natural...Read More

"No Regrets"

"No Regrets"

DeBuhr to retire after long career with Nebraska’s NRDs


Rod DeBuhr has spent his entire career dedicated to conservation efforts in Nebraska working for natural resource districts. Now as he eyes retirement on the horizon, he is looking back on four and half decades of work with satisfaction. There were plenty of...Read More

December 3: Carbonomics and Climate Science at the Project GROW Winter Workshop

December 3: Carbonomics and Climate Science at the Project GROW Winter Workshop

Second annual soil health event offers free info to growers

There’s a lot going on in the ground beneath our feet. The interactions between soil, plants, fungi, and creatures such as earthworms and microorganisms are as dynamic and complex as systems of trade within a nation’s economy, says Keith Berns, no-till farmer and...Read More

​Camping Sites to Close for the Season at Local Recreation Areas

​Camping Sites to Close for the Season at Local Recreation Areas

The Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District will close the RV pads and tent camping sites at Recharge Lake (York) and Pioneer Trail (Aurora) Recreation Areas for the winter season on Monday, October 28. However, the day use area, outdoor amphitheater, picnic shelters, hiking and biking trails, playground equipment, boat dock, and boat ramp...Read More

Healthy Soils, Healthy Harvest

Healthy Soils, Healthy Harvest

Cover Crops Make All the Difference

On a windy autumn day, Dan Leininger, a water conservationist with the Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District, stands in a field of ripe soybeans on the northeast side of York. The crop at the Project GROW demonstration plot is thigh-high, the rows of fuzzy bean pods a muted golden brown...Read More

The Weather Watcher

The Weather Watcher

NRD Employee Earns National Recognition

“Do you see those little, bumpy thunderheads?” Tom Johnson asks, pointing to a distant cloudbank to the southeast just before sunrise. “I noticed some lightning there earlier. I’ve been keeping an eye on it.” This is typical for Johnson, who is always quick to note a shift in the wind...Read More

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