News

Residents of Merrick County will have the opportunity to engage with the office of U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts through the upcoming mobile office hours scheduled for February 22nd. The session, aimed at providing hands-on assistance with federal programs and benefits, will take place from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Merrick County Courthouse located at 1510 18th Street, Central City, NE.

Outgoing Chamber Board members Steve Kyes and Ann Heinen display their “Thank You” plaques from a grateful Chamber. Other members stepping down after their terms of service were Rick Stueven and Dwayne Braun.

Merrick County Clerk and Election Commissioner Trisha L. Fate-Strobel has officially released the list of offices that will be up for grabs in the upcoming 2024 primary and general elections. This announcement sets the stage for what is expected to be a dynamic election cycle in Merrick County, Nebraska.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that most farm loan borrowers will be able to make payments to their direct loans online through the Pay My Loan feature on farmers.gov in early February. Pay My Loan is part of a broader effort by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) to streamline its processes, especially for producers who may have limited time during the planting or harvest seasons to visit a local FSA office; modernize and improve customer service; provide additional customer self-service tools; and expand credit access to assist more producers.

Average gasoline prices in Nebraska have risen 0.4 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $2.84/g today, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 1,150 stations in Nebraska. Prices in Nebraska are 4.3 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand 50.1 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.

Aurora Cooperative Elevator Company (“Aurora Cooperative”), a Nebraska cooperative, announces it has reached an agreement for the sale of its South Dakota assets located in Mitchell and Tyndall, South Dakota to Agtegra, a South Dakota-based agricultural cooperative. Aurora Cooperative acquired the South Dakota assets in 2017 and has operated an agronomy business there since that time. Agtegra was formed in February 2018 with the merger of two farmer-owned cooperatives – 95-year-old South Dakota Wheat Growers (Aberdeen, SD) and 102-year-old North Central Farmers Elevator (Ipswich, SD). Agtegra has locations across North and South Dakotas.

Applications are now being accepted for the Center for Rural Affairs’ Beginning Farmer Conservation Fellowship program. Beginning farmers who want to deepen their conservation knowledge are invited to apply.