Grain Weevil co-founders, from left, Ben and Chad Johnson display the latest model of their autonomous robot that levels grain in bins and performs other tasks to prevent grain bin deaths. The machines are currently being tested in commercial applications but the goal of the company is to make them available to family farmers by next year.

A center pivot sprays water on recently emerged corn plants near the Platte River in northern Hamilton County. Extension Service educator Steve Melvin says it is unusual for farmers to be irrigating so much at this point in the growing season during the time when weather is usually wet.

Senior lecuturer with the University of Illinois In Urbana-Champaign stated that older generations and younger generations should start discussing financial matters of farming as soon as possible and gave advice to get the conversation started.

Artificial insemination tecnician Emma Snoberger stands with one of her show cattle. The cow has produced one calf through the use of AI calf and is currently AI bred.

High Plains FFA members and volunteers take some time to watch the cow and horse feed after dumping buckets of grain in their trough. Ag instructor Thomas Hofmann stated that the six year, hands-on training process and encouraging students to continue to raise animals has been a success.

A farmer uses a tractor to plant seed last week near Highway 14 north of Aurora. Four farmers from Hamilton County reported dry climate, low soil temperature and high input prices for this year’s planting season.

Pictured from left are members of the Nebaska Extension staff serving Hamilton County, including Mariah Newmyer, Extension educator, Travis Blase and Hillary Fuhrman, 4-H program coordinators.

Andrew Bish, COO of Bish Enterprises and CEO of Hemp Harvest Works, shows in his Giltner office some of the products that can be made with hemp on top of a sign made of hemp wood. Blocks, absorbant, feed and other uses for hemp could foster growth of the farming market in the future, stated Bish.

Photo by Lori Potter/Minden Courier All of the ethanol produced at the KAAPA Ethanol Minden plant is transported to California on a BNSF Railway line. Each car can carry 28,800 gallons.

Steam rises from the KAAPA ethanol plant west of Minden on a cold cloudy winter day. Its original production capacity of 40 million gallons a year had doubled by March 2016.