monday, december 1, 1980
lincoln, nebraska vol. 105, no. 68
jSUjD
Drought may cause higher nitrate levels in soil
By Jim Garrett
Nebraska farmers may experience higher
levels of nitrate concentrations in the
upper soil layers this year and into next, a
UNL agriculture extension specialist said.
Dr. Delno Knudsen said that because of
the summer drought conditions across Ne
braska and the Midwest, crops did not use
up as much of the nitrogen fertilizers
applied during the 1980 crop season.
He said it is not uncommon to find the
higher levels of nitrates left in the soil
when crops are subjected to drought stress
of this degree.
Stress from the drought, Knudsen ex
plained, restricts crop growth and increases
the crops' susceptibility to damage from in
sects and disease. He said the stress causes
buildup of nitrogen fertilizers by the crop.
Another major factor associated with
drought stress on crops is the accumula
tion of nitrates in the lower portions of
crop fiber, Knudsen said. He said this
factor becomes important when the fields
are open for winter grazing of livestock.
To avoid nitrate poisoning in livestock
grazing on nitrate concentrated fields,
Knudsen said, the farmer should precon
dition the livestock with adequate pre-feed-ing
techniques before turning the livestock
out into the fields.
Knudsen said fear of contaminating
underground water supplies by leaching of
the high nitrate levels should be evaluated
with adequate knowledge of the contamin
ating process.
Since nitrate poisoning was first
observed in Kansas livestock in the early
1930s, Knudsen said, the ability to manage
and predict possible nitrate poisoning has
improved greatly.
Knudsen said that for nitrate poisoning
to occur in water precontaminated from
bacteria must also be present.
The precontaminated water supplies,
plus high nitrate levels, increase the pos
sibility of nitrate poisoning ocurring
from intake of the mixed system.
Knudsen said that news of high nitrate
levels often causes panic. But, he said,
without the presence of bacterially-con-
taminated water, there probably will not
be nitrate poisoning.
If nitrates are consumed in high pro
portions by themselves, poisoning could
occur, Knudsen said. But for this to hap
pen by indirect passage 'through under
ground water systems, nitrogen concentra
tions considerably higher than normally
applied with fertilizers, must be present
to contaminate the water supplies.
Knudsen said there is no danger of get
ting nitrate poisoning from eating meat
or drinking milk of livestock grazed on
crop fields with high nitrate concentra
tions. He said the high nitrate concentra
tions will reduce meat and milk production
in the animal, but won't pass along with
the product that is consumed.
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Photo by Mark Billingsley
Roger Schmidt gives the bucking bull a try at the Expo America at the Lincoln Hilton Nov. 17-19. The popularity
of the bulls was enhanced by the recent movie Urban Cowboy, but lately their popularity has waned.
As hiding 'popularity declines,
two Lincoln bars remove bulls
By Bob Glissmann
Those mechanical bulls, recently popularized by the
movie Urban Cowboy, have lost their wide appeal shortly
after their introduction into the American bars, accord
ing to managers of area establishments providing the
bulls.
This decline in popularity has caused two Lincoln bars
to get rid of the bulls only two months after they started
offering the rides.
But two other bars, one in Lincoln and one in Omaha,
have kept the bulls, even though they aren't as populai.
Rick Madsen, assistant manager of the Electric Cowboy
in Omaha, said business is going well although the lines
aren't as long as they used to be for its bull, "El Toro."
Armadillo's and Starship Enterprise, have both gotten
rid of their bulls. Randy Gricser, manager at Starship
Enterprise, said, "It was successful for a short period of
time and it dropped off." Grieser said the popularity of
country music, also propelled by Urban Cowboy, has
waned.
"I thought it would last at least a couple of years,
but it has died." he said.
The bull and music haven't died completely, accord
ing to the manager of Little Bo West.
Dave Gcn.mcr said that his bar has had their bull,
"Big Red," for about one month and they have been
"fairly busy with it." He said the bar has run contests
with the bull, once offering a $200 top prize. No one
has been hurt while riding the bull, Genzmer said, except
"a few pants have been ripped.
"It's one of the safest bulls around," Genzmer said.
"We're the only ones that have the air bag that's probably
15 feet by 15 feet and 2 feet deep. The bull itself is
wrapped around with foam and Styrofoam. and there's
a sheep wool blanket on the bull to protect your legs."
he said.
Madsen of the Electric Cowboy said the only injury
he knew of at his bar was "a girl who fell forward on it
and cut her lip."
He said the operator of the bull, controls the direct
ion of the spin, but he can't control the up and down mo
tion or the speed of the spin.
"We usually run it at half speed, though," Madsen
said, "and if the rider looks like he's had too much we
slow it down or don't let him ride." He said that the
other Electric Cowboy in Augusta, Ga., runs the bull
at full speed all of the time.
"People are flying off all over the place down there,"
Madsen said.
Evaluation planned
on visitation policy
In order that some students will not be "disenfranchis
ed," UNL housing officials and students are going to re
evaluate the plan to modify procedures for changing visi
tation hours on residence hall floors.
UNL Director of Housing Douglas Zatechka said the
visiting hours plan may be changed somewhat before it is
submitted to tne NU Board of Regents for approval.
Zatechka said the current plan may be harsh on stu
dents who don't want a floor hours change.
The new policy, which was passed by the Residence
Hall Association on Oct. 30, provides that 90 percent of
floor members must consent to a change in hours.
To change floor hours now in residence halls from
eight-hour floors to 14-hour floors, there must be unani
mous consent by all people living on the floor. Parents of
minors living on the floor also must express their consent
to the change.
In the new plan, all students opposed to the change can
move to other floors with eight-hour visitation hours
when spots are available.
At the Oct. 30 RHA meeting, John Folda, a Harper res
ident who proposed the new hours policy, said although
parents of floor members will be sent notices by UNL
housing officials that hours have been changed, replies
from the parents will not be necessary. Folda said, how
ever, if more than four negative responses are received
from parents, the hours change process would be stopped.
Zatechka said Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Richard Armstrong reviewed the new propos;il and had
questions about it.
The problem may be that the new rule would not give
those residents who voted against an hours cha ige ade
quate opportunity to find another place to live, a. wording
to Zatechka.
Zatechka said he was concerned that the minority of
students would be "disenfranchised" and placed in a bind
to find new living space on another floor.
Student representatives and housing personnel will
meet before the Christmas break and try to revamp the
plan, Zatechka said.
He said he had no idea when the proposal would go be
fore the regents, but hoped it would be before the end of
the academic year.
DDDSD
O
monday
Blowin' in the wind: Wind energy researched at
UNL Page 2
North to Alaska: New book chronicles life in the last
frontier Page 10
Battle ends: Nebraska Basketball Coach Joe Cipriano died
Tuesday after a year-long battle with cancer .... Page 8