Groundwater

Groundwater

Groundwater is vital to the “Good Life” in Nebraska. It maintains our agricultural economy, supplies water to streams and lakes, and provides drinking water to municipalities and rural households. Nebraskans pump groundwater out of the High Plains aquifer and many other aquifers across the state. The vast majority of groundwater is used for agricultural production.

100 years of Nebraska nitrogen

Nitrogen is an essential plant nutrient but increasingly found in our water. Here is a brief history:

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Nebraska Water Facts

Nebraska means “flat water” from the Omaha Sioux “ni braska” and Oto “ni brathge”/ Nebraskier describing the Platte River. The Platte River was named by early French explorers, also meaning “flat.” The Panhandle is almost 6.5 times higher elevation than the Southeast. (5,424 ft above sea level versus 840 ft). Southeast NE receives 2.5 times as much annual precipitation as the Panhandle (average 33” versus 13”).

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Substituting Commercial Fertilizer with Manure a Focus of Annual Manure Training Events

nebraska map of 2024 LAT locations
It’s that time of year again and I’m here to help you stay on track for that New Year’s resolution to “Manure Better”. That wasn’t your resolution? I’m sorry, but it would be a great resolution and an achievable one at that, so add it to your list. My New Year’s resolution is to help crop farmers “Manure Better”. The annual land application (manure) training events are coming up soon and may be just the ticket to “help me, help you”.

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Problematic Frozen Pipes Can be Prevented With Routine, Pre-Winter Maintenance

Winter is on its way which means it is time to assess and insulate the pipes in your home’s crawl spaces and attic. Both plastic and copper pipes can freeze, and frozen water pipes affect folks who live in both cold and warmer climates. By conducting routine preventative maintenance, you can greatly reduce the risk of potentially expensive damage frozen water pipes can cause.

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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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