Field Tips Nebraska is a place to connect growers, counties, and make Nebraska agriculture stronger! Brought to you by the Eastern Nebraska Water and Cropping Systems Nebraska Extension team to provide timely, research-based and locally relevant information to crop producers in southeast Nebraska.
Our Mission
Through Field Tips Nebraska and the work of Nebraska Extension, we aim to:
- Deliver timely, research-based agronomic information
- Connect producers with emerging technologies and local data
- Support economic decision-making in crop production
- Strengthen southeast Nebraska agriculture through education and collaboration
Purpose & Content
The website features three primary sections:
- Crops – Hard-to-find information on lower-acreage crops in the region, including winter wheat and alfalfa, as well as resources for major crops.
- Tech – Focuses on precision agriculture, data management and on-farm research.
- Bottom Line – Local data on cash rent rates, custom rates and hay prices.
About the Region
Our focus area includes Nemaha, Johnson, Pawnee, Richardson, Saline, Jefferson, Gage, Clay, Nuckolls, Thayer, Lancaster, Cass, Otoe, Saunders, Douglas, and Sarpy counties in southeast Nebraska—part of USDA Crop Reporting District #90 and #60.
Farms & Acreage (2017 USDA Ag Census)
- 1.25 million acres in 2,495 farms
- Average farm size:
- Gage County – 454 acres
- Saline County – 503 acres
- Jefferson County – 608 acres
Primary Crops (2020 estimates for acres harvested)
- Corn – 475,266 acres (36.9%)
- Soybeans – 402,997 acres (31.3%)
- Alfalfa – 19,321 acres (1.5%)
- Wheat – 6,997 acres (0.5%)
- Oats – 1,639 acres (0.1%)
- Sorghum – 1,593 acres (0.1%)
- Pasture – 226,683 acres (17.6%)
- Other uses – 14%
Notable Facts
- In 2019, Gage County was the largest soybean-producing county in Nebraska (by bushels and acres).
- Over 50% of farms use no-till practices (2017 USDA Ag Census).
Native Vegetation
- Primarily tallgrass prairie
- Riparian deciduous forest along the Big Blue and Little Blue Rivers
- Scattered upland deciduous forests on steeper slopes
- Gravelly mixed-grass prairie in parts of Jefferson County
Soils
- Saline & Jefferson counties: Crete Silt Loam/Silty Clay Loam (43% of land area)
- Gage County: Wymore Silty Clay Loam (38% of land area)
- All soils formed from Peorian Loess
Learn more about these and other soil series at USDA-NRCS Official Soil Series Descriptions
Topography
- Elevation: 1,660 ft near Tobias (highest) to 1,160 ft along the Big Blue River at the Nebraska–Kansas line (lowest)
- Notable areas:
- “Loveland Hills” in Saline County (reddish Loveland Loess soils)
- Rose Creek Escarpment (Dakota Sandstone, Greenhorn Limestone, Graneros Shale) in Jefferson County
- Iron Mountain rocky outcrops in Gage County
- Northern extent of the Flint Hills in southeast Gage County
Extension Educators
Ritika Lamichhane
Water & Cropping Systems Extension Educator – Nemaha, Johnson, Richardson, and Pawnee counties
📍 Nebraska Extension in Nemaha County – Auburn, NE
📧 rlamichhane3@unl.edu | 📞 402-274-4755
Ritika grew up on her grandparents’ paddy farm in Nepal. She holds a B.S. in Agriculture from Agriculture and Forestry University (Nepal) and an M.S. in Plant Science from the University of Idaho, where her research focused on nutrient management and precision agriculture in wheat and barley. She joined UNL Extension in August 2023.
John Nelson, Ph.D.
Water & Cropping Systems Extension Educator – Lancaster, Cass, and Otoe counties
📍 Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County – Lincoln, NE
📧 jnelson158@unl.edu | 📞 402-441-6774
John grew up on a family farm in Eastern Colorado and holds degrees in Soil & Crop Science from Colorado State University (B.S.), North Carolina State University (M.S.), and Texas Tech University (Ph.D.). He has served as an Assistant Professor and Field Agronomist at Kansas State University and continues to focus on precision agriculture, irrigation management, soil health, pasture management, and soil fertility.
Matheus Ribeiro, Ph.D.
Water & Integrated Cropping Systems Extension Educator – Saline, Jefferson, and Gage counties
📍 Nebraska Extension in Saline County – Wilber, NE
📧 mribeiro2@unl.edu | 📞 402-821-2151
Matheus was born in Brasília, Brazil, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Agronomy. He served as a professor at Mato Grosso State University before earning his Ph.D. in Entomology at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, focusing on insecticide resistance in soybean aphids. His career includes postdoctoral work in insecticide toxicology, industry research for Crop Enhancement Inc., independent consulting in Central & South America, and collaborative projects on soybean gall midge and alfalfa weevil management. He joined Nebraska Extension in November 2023.
David Wangila, Ph.D.
Water & Integrated Cropping Systems Extension Educator – Clay, Thayer, Nuckolls counties
📍 Nebraska Extension in Clay County – Clay Center, NE
📧 dwangila2@unl.edu | 📞 402-762-3644
David serves as the Water and Cropping Systems Extension Educator for Clay, Nuckolls and Thayer Counties. He grew up on a family farm and developed an interest in Agriculture from an early age, during Elementary school. He holds a MS and Ph.D. in Entomology from Louisiana State University and University of Nebraska- Lincoln, respectively. David is passionate about farming and developing solution- based innovative extension programs related to water and cropping systems.