Agricultural Production Crop Production

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.

Cover Crops a Focus at Annual WREEC Water and Crops Field Day

Cover crop field at WCREEC
Producers at the field day swapped ideas and observations about cover crop production, and heard from extension educators and agronomists about best practices for their agricultural regions.

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Soil and Water Conservation Society Honors 2023 Award Winners

Four leaders in Nebraska resource conservation and the Nebraska Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) were honored by the International SWCS this year.

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Irrigation Season to End in September

Center pivot in field
A review of this year's irrigation season in the Panhandle and crop water use expectations for Aug. 28-Sept. 3.

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Manure Spreader Calibration is Not Just for Research Plots

photo of manure on tarp during manure spreader calibration
Just like a spreader used for commercial fertilizer, a manure spreader must also be calibrated. If you don’t know the rate you’re applying, how can you possibly calculate the nutrients you’ve applied? And if you’re not factoring in the nutrients in the manure, you’re wasting money. And who wants to do that?

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Optimize Those Last Few Irrigations

Scheduling the last few irrigations of the season deserves extra attention because the goal is not only to focus on keeping the crop wet enough to produce optimal yields, but also on using up stored soil water. Leaving the field a little drier at the end of the season will save irrigation costs, decrease leaching losses, improve soil conditions for harvest traffic, and save water for future years. Growers also don't want to miss out on capturing off-season precipitation.

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