Crop Production

The production of crops is the heart of Nebraska's economy. Water is essential to all plant growth. Thus Nebraska's economy relies on a plentiful supply of water to produce crops – in both rainfed and irrigated environments. Several factors involved with producing crops interact with either water supply or water quality issues – or both.

Friday, September 24, 2021

Maximizing Profitability of Manure Use

truck mounted spreader going over tarps to calibrate

Fertility is critical to a good crop, so we know not to ignore our crop fertility needs, but we don’t always think about ways we may be able to trim costs by better utilizing local nutrients. Manure has many benefits, including some related to soil health, but perhaps the most recognized benefit is that manure contains the nutrients our crops need. Manure isn’t always an inexpensive product, but it contains multiple nutrients that are highly valued when planning your fertility program.

Monday, August 30, 2021

Scheduling the Last Few Irrigations of the Season Deserves More of Your Management Time Than Earlier Irrigations

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.

Monday, August 9, 2021

Using Cover Crops to Reduce Nitrate Leaching in the Waverly Wellhead Protection Area

Nitrate Challenges

Monday, July 19, 2021

Update on 2019 Tunnel Collapse and Canal Washout, Irrigation Water Outlook for 2021

Irrigation water flows through Tunnel No. 1 on the Goshen/Gering-Fort Laramie supply canal in 2021.

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

Monday, July 12, 2021

2021 Nebraska 4Rs Nutrient Stewardship Field Day

This FREE event on 4Rs of Nutrient Stewardship features knowledge and tools to improve nutrient management, soil health, crop yields and water quality. This is a great opportunity to learn about 4Rs strategies to improve crop yield and profits while protecting the environment.

Earn 4.5 CEUs on Nutrient Management.

Link to full article and registration information