March 2024 News and Events

(402) 444-7804

March 2024

Nebraska Extension in Douglas-Sarpy Counties

Community Partner - The Furniture Project

The Furniture Project Omaha provides assistance to those in-need within our community. Recently, Nebraska Extension's Dr. Jody Green taught their staff and volunteers how to protect the families they serve from bed bugs and other invasive insects. Need help with bed bug management? See our resources at https://go.unl.edu/bedbugmanagement.

Free Online Gardening Classes

Maximizing Garden Potential

When: March 13, 2024 Noon-1pm CT.

Where: Zoom

Get the most out of your garden in spaces big or small! Learn new techniques with double cropping, relay planting, container gardening, vertical gardening and incorporating herbs and flowers to attract pollinators and improve crop pollination.

Rain-Use it, Don't Lose it!

When: April 10, 2024 Noon-1pm CT.

Where: Zoom

From rain barrels to rain gardens and more, landscape design tips and practices to, “slow it down and soak it in.”

Preparing a Ham

Hams may be fresh, cured, or cured-and-smoked. Ham is the cured leg of pork.

Hams are either ready-to-eat or not. Ready-to-eat hams include prosciutto and cooked hams; they can be eaten right out of the package. Fresh hams and hams that are only treated to destroy trichinae (which may include heating, freezing, or curing in the processing plant) must be cooked by the consumer before eating. Hams that must be cooked will bear cooking instructions and safe handling instructions.

Hams that are not ready-to-eat, but have the appearance of ready-to-eat products, will bear a prominent statement on the principal display panel (label) indicating the product needs cooking, e.g., "cook thoroughly." In addition, the label must bear cooking directions.

See more ham preparation tips here.

Periodical Cicadas Will NOT Find Their Way to Nebraska

Co-Parenting for Successful Kids

Co-Parenting for Successful Kids is an educational program for families in the process of divorce, or who are interested in custody modification or paternity proceedings. The class will help parents understand the impact on their children and provide concrete steps parents can take to help their children succeed through the process.

Co-Parenting for Successful Kids is available throughout Nebraska to help meet the needs of divorcing families and children and meet the requirements of the New Parent Act as amended by LB 554 in 2007.

For information on Nebraska Extension's Co-parenting for Successful Kids: https://child.unl.edu/coparenting.

Egg Reminders

Inspect the eggs before purchasing them and make sure they are not dirty or cracked. Dangerous bacteria may enter a cracked egg.
Store eggs in their original carton in the refrigerator rather than the refrigerator door.
Wash your hands with soap and water before handling the eggs when cooking, cooling, dyeing and hiding them.
Discard cracked or dirty eggs and eggs left unrefrigerated for more than 2 hours. Rinse uncracked eggs and put them in the refrigerator until it's time to eat them. DO NOT EAT hard-boiled eggs used for an egg hunt or as decorations if they have been at temperatures above 40ºF for more than two hours; discard them.
Refrigerate hard-cooked eggs in their shells and use them within 1 week.

NACEB Legislative Day

The Nebraska Association of County Extension Boards (NACEB) is a non-profit organization that's mission is to support Nebraska Extension. In February, NACEB representatives, along with Douglas-Sarpy 4-Hers participated in the NACEB Legislative Day. They were able to share how Nebraska Extension has positively impacted their lives and our community.

4-H Enrollment is Open

To enroll, click here.

Direct questions to Mary at mdierks@sarpy.gov.

For returning families, use your log-in credentials for 4honline used in previous years. Instructions can be found here: https://4h.unl.edu/enroll/returning-member.

Enrollment instructions for new families can be found here: https://4h.unl.edu/enroll/new-member.

Please note the enrollment fee for Douglas-Sarpy counties is $10 per member and is paid online.

Learn more about horticulture and the 4-H programs by signing up for our Newsletters:

Monthly Horticulture Newsletter by emailing John Fech here.
Weekly 4-H Newsletter by emailing Rachel Wright here.

Nebraska Extension in Douglas-Sarpy Counties

8015 West Center Road, Omaha

402-444-7804

go.unl.edu/douglassarpyext

Email us at douglas-sarpy@unl.edu

Our south office is located at 1102 E. 1st St., Papillion, NE 68046.

Call 402-444-7804 to schedule an appointment at our Papillion Office.

Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made to Douglas-Sarpy County Extension at 402-444-7804 or douglas-sarpy@unl.edu

Nebraska Extension education programs abide with the non-discrimination policies of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the United State Department of Agriculture.