Agricultural Irrigation

New for 2023, certain county extension offices will host computer kiosks that private applicators can use to complete the program, and extension educators will be hosting Zoom training sessions.

Chemigation training is offered at face-to-face events and online through the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy, at no cost to the individual.

Chemigation is the practice of applying agrichemicals to cropland using an irrigation system to distribute both the water and chemical.

Precipitation continued the trend of a general lack of moisture during the first month of fall. Our monthly statewide total came in at 27th driest and makes for the 12th driest three-month (July–September) period on record. At the start of October, nearly all of Nebraska is in a drought category, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Portions of the northeast and southwest are in exceptional drought (D4). Temperatures averaged above normal for September and quite a few new daily high temperature records were set, most in the triple digits. The October outlook doesn’t appear to have much relief in sight with a higher-than-average probability of the warmth and dryness to continue. Given the dryness, fire danger will be high particularly on windy days.

Fall frosts have ended the life cycle of many annual plants. In some cases, below-freezing temperatures have reduced insect numbers and finally ended the harvest challenges of extended green soybean stems and corn plants. Despite the cold nighttime temperatures, many crops are still growing. So, the question arises: “How much irrigation should be applied in late fall for perennial and winter annual crops like alfalfa, wheat, rye and triticale?”

Center pivots comprise three main components: the pump, power unit and pivot. Traditionally on leased cropland, the landowner owns the pump and pivot. Depending on the area of Nebraska and available energy sources, the power unit may be owned by the landowner or tenant. Ownership of the pump and pivot by the landowner creates greater flexibility for the management of the land when terminating the tenant or selling the property.

Irrigation decisions in the Testing Ag Performance Solutions (TAPS) farm management competitions ranged widely this year, even amid a drought throughout the region. According to rainfall gauges located near the TAPS fields, 8.92 inches of rainfall was collected from May 1 to Sept. 30, 2022. The following is a brief summary of the irrigation decisions made in each competition this year.

Factors such as the amount of water a soil can hold, the amount of water a crop will use until it reaches maturity, and the maximum allowable soil water depletion should be considered when deciding the last few irrigations of the season.

Leading into the sixth year of appropriation shortfalls, Nebraska Mesonet weather stations that are not contracted specifically by clients are slotted for closure to cut costs and reduce labor overhead.

The main barriers to adoption of new technologies in irrigation include cost and ease of use. These scientific methods need to be cost-effective and feasible for farmers to adopt. Today, using soil water monitoring equipment provides the most effective method for farmers to make data-driven irrigation scheduling decisions to apply the minimal amount of water while achieving optimal yields. However, the costs in labor and equipment limit their use. So, research continues to focus on developing lower-cost methods to schedule irrigation that results in putting on just the right amount of water. Since producers do not have time to do detailed work with large amounts of data often generated using SIS methods, the automation of SIS methods would likely provide incentives to producers by saving their time and, simultaneously, reducing the irrigation applications and producing optimal crop yield.

Image shared from unwater.org Annually on this day, we bring special attention to the importance of groundwater & freshwater around the world. This year's theme focuses on "Groundwater: Making the invisible visible" to bring attention to this hidden water resource, that all too often goes unrecognized when sustainable policies are developed.

The Testing Ag Performance Solutions (TAPS) program is excited to offer a new six-part series focused on water, nitrogen and “Effective Conservation Technologies and Management Practices for Corn Production,” as the practicum is titled.

A recent article by Dr. Steve Evett and others traces the history of irrigation in the Great Plains region from a geographical, technical, and political perspective as well as how it has impacted the water resources

Scheduling the last few irrigations of the season deserves more of your management time than earlier irrigations because one must not only focus on keeping the crop wet enough to produce optimal yields, but also on using up enough of the stored soil water to lower the level to 40% of plant available water in the top four feet. This level will give about 2.4 inches of water storage room in sandy soils and about 5.5 inches in silt loam soils. Unfortunately, many irrigators leave the soil fairly wet with little to no storage room according to a recent study.

Irrigation is in full swing for the North Platte Valley in the Panhandle of Nebraska.  Water deliveries by the four major irrigation districts (Pathfinder, Gering-Fort Laramie, Goshen and Farmers) are expected to be near normal. The districts hope to deliver water to growers through the first week in September. Link to full article

Water Law 101: Part 6

Fertilizer-N is a big investment for crop production in Nebraska and elsewhere. After harvest, growers tend to plan their fertilizer-N management for the next year’s crop. But the question is how much nitrogen can they apply to get the most profit from their fertilizer-N investment?

What a year 2020 has been. After a year of record flooding over much of the state, we are now in various stages of drought. With limited rainfall over most of the state this year and fairly extended hot, dry periods, many irrigators may be wondering when is the irrigation season going to end?  With the price of grain, it is also worth considering do I need to apply that last inch or two of water to get that last bushel or two?

Derek M. Heeren1, Associate Professor and Water for Food Global Institute Faculty Fellow Steven R. Melvin2, Extension Educator Aaron Nygren3, Associate Extension Educator Eric Wilkening1, Undergraduate Research Assistant   1 Department of Biological Systems Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln