News

We all have that one song that makes our heart quiver a little bit during this special time of the year. I’ll be home for Christmas has been a favorite for many generations - especially when travel is tough due to weather, financial considerations, or health concerns.

One Holy Night Silver Bells and Candy Canes The Valentine High School Music Department presented a Very Merry Christmas concert Tuesday night, filling the Commons with festive spirit, sweet harmonies, and plenty of holiday cheer. Community members were greeted with a free-will cookie and hot chocolate table, as well as a sock drive - both helping support the department’s costs for sending students to honor bands, choirs, and conference events throughout the year.

Debbie Galloway is a textile artist from Kilgore, NE, where she lives on their homestead ranch with her husband. From an early age she has enjoyed sewing. The “need” to create and work with her hands started at her mother’s elbow, where she watched her Mom sew for the family.

Jill Austin always knew she’d find her way back to Valentine. Raised in the north-central Nebraska community, Austin returned seven years ago so her children could grow up in the same place that shaped her upbringing.

LINCOLN, NE, December 4— Nebraska Extension will again offer its popular Fundamentals of Feeding the Cow webinar series this January, providing cattle producers with practical tools to understand and meet the nutrient requirements of their herds.

LINCOLN, NE, December 3 — Following an overwhelmingly positive response last year, Nebraska Extension is bringing back its Calving College series for 2026. The three-part webinar series, Fundamental Knowledge for Successful Calving Season, will run January 19, 26 and February 2 from 7:30 to 8:45 p.m. CST, and will again be paired with hands-on, in-person workshops offered at four locations across Nebraska and South Dakota, February 9–12.

LINCOLN, NE – Nebraska Soil Health Coalition (NSHC) and Nebraska CommunityFoundationare pleased to name Casey Hoins as the Coalition’s new Coordinator. Her extensive experience in program and grant management spans the agriculture, water and sustainability sectors. In her prior role as a senior program manager for a sustainability consultancy, Hoins led conservation-focused projects for nonprofits, municipalities and ag-sector clients across Nebraska. She has also managed large USDA agriculture programs across the globe. Her strengths lie in working collaboratively with teams, systems and communities to guide programs forward.

(Washington, D.C., December 5, 2025) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced major updates to federal crop insurance, reducing red tape for farmers, modernizing long-standing policies, and expanding access to critical risk protection beginning with the 2026 crop year. The Expanding Access to Risk Protection (EARP) Final Rule streamlines requirements across multiple crops, responds to producer feedback, and strengthens USDA’s commitment to putting America’s farmers first.

Margaret Figert shared the following recipe for Brown Sugar Carrot Melt. “I make it whenever we get a good carrot crop! Don’t know its origin - just an old recipe I’ve had for many years.” Perhaps this could be the start of a new family tradition at your home with friends and family coming to visit!

R-CALFUSAStatement,December 4, 2025 – Media reports indicate that on December 2 the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the third case of New World Screwworm (NWS) in close proximity to the United States border. This is the third case reported in Nuevo León, Mexico. The first case was detected in September within about 70 miles of the Texas border, the second detection was in early October and within about 120 miles of the border, and this latest case was also detected within about 120 miles from Texas.