Water News Archive

Monday April 21, 2025

Calculating the Value of Nutrients in Manure

“How much is this manure worth?” This is a common question from both livestock farmers who are supplying manure and crop farmers who are utilizing it. To answer this question, it is important to understand the difference between gross value and net value. The gross value of manure reflects the equivalent commercial fertilizer value of the nutrients contained in the manure. The net value considers the impacts of application method, transportation, and cropping system nutrient needs as well as intrinsic values that are much more difficult to put a number on. Therefore, this article will focus on determining the gross value of nutrients in manure.
Tuesday April 15, 2025

No Matter Where You Live, Submit a Request Before You Dig!

Spring is here and that often means its time start outdoor projects. Whether you are spading in new trees, putting in a koi pond or other excavated landscape features, drilling a new well, or installing a new onsite wastewater system, you want to make sure a ‘Locate Request’ has been submitted to Nebraska811 before digging.

Nebraska811 is the statewide one-call notification center, set up by Nebraska state law. It is the link between people who want to excavate and the underground facility owners/operators.

Thursday April 3, 2025

100 years of Nebraska nitrogen

Nitrogen is an essential plant nutrient but increasingly found in our water. Here is a brief history:
Monday March 31, 2025

DAWN Dashboard: A Decision Support Tool for the Corn Belt

Our Nebraska Digital Ag Survey indicated that digital dashboards have been adopted by three out of 10 farmers. Digital dashboards are considered decision support tools that can guide farmers in the decision-making process in their operations with the goal of increasing efficiency, productivity and sustainability of their farms. Data-driven decisions are a key goal for digital agriculture. In this article, we are highlighting the Dashboard for Agricultural Water and Nutrient Management (DAWN), developed by a team of universities as part of a USDA NIFA grant.
Monday March 31, 2025

Nebraska Mesonet Launches Improved, Real-time Weather Data

The Nebraska Mesonet, a critical tool for weather monitoring and data collection across the state, has launched a redesigned, user-friendly website offering real-time weather data. The upgrade comes as the mesonet is growing its network of weather monitoring stations across Nebraska to offer more accurate data.
Tuesday March 25, 2025

Manure source delays and opportunities related to HPAI

Following a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreak, there may be a delay in the ability to receive manure and other products from those barns.

Monday March 24, 2025

Managing Spring Drought

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, most of Nebraska is experiencing some level of drought, ranging from "Abnormally Dry" to "Extreme Drought". Lancaster county is currently classified with “moderate drought” conditions.

Friday February 28, 2025

Registration Open for 2025 Water for Food Global Conference

How can we ensure everyone has long-term availability of clean water and nutritious food in the face of a changing climate? With a theme of “A Resilient Future: Water and Food for All,” the Water for Food Global Conference tackles this critical question, convening global experts to explore innovative solutions and build a more resilient tomorrow. The conference will be held April 28–May 2, 2025 and is hosted by the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute at the University of Nebraska, bringing together leaders working to solve one of the world’s most pressing issues — feeding a growing planet while preserving our precious natural resources.
Wednesday February 26, 2025

A Beginner's Guide to Manure Spreaders: Ensuring Even Application for Healthy Fields

Manure spreaders are essential tools for distributing nutrients to crops to improve fertility and improve soil health. Therefore, achieving an even application of manure is just as important as with commercial fertilizers. Proper placement ensures that every part of a field receives the nutrients needed, leading to healthier crops and soil biology. This guide explains how to use manure spreaders effectively.
Monday February 24, 2025

Be Groundwater Aware in Your Day-to-Day Life!

National Groundwater Awareness Week is March 9–15, making it the perfect time to talk about groundwater in Nebraska! What exactly is groundwater? It is the water below the earth’s surface that fills the interconnected voids and cracks in and around soil particles, sand, gravel and rock — all of this is what we call an aquifer.

Monday February 17, 2025

Drought Effects on Trees

The drought is continuing across the state of Nebraska. This drought has been going on for over 3 years and we are already seeing problems in our plants. These problems will continue to get worse if we don’t have good precipitation through spring and summer this year.
Monday February 3, 2025

Livestock Facility Inspections: Do I need one? If so, what should I expect?

Inspections collect information about livestock facilities and are how the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) determines whether the facility is in compliance with regulations. There are two different kinds of inspections for livestock operations. Initial inspections help NDEE determine whether a permit is needed. Routine inspections allow the NDEE representative to make sure permitted operations are in compliance with their permit.
Monday February 3, 2025

Manure Rules not just for Large CAFOs

Have you ever been overwhelmed by the amount of manure regulations in Nebraska? Or anywhere? This article simplifies basic manure regulations. Manure rules can be hard to remember, but always remember your Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy representative is a great resource. Don’t be afraid to call them if you have questions. And, as always, the UNL manure team is here to help if called upon.
Wednesday January 29, 2025

Registration open for Nebraska Master Irrigator Design Summits

We are excited to launch Master Irrigator in Nebraska and would like your help to build it! Master Irrigator is a producer-directed comprehensive educational series focused on taking your irrigated acres to the next level. We are hosting a series of Design Summits bringing together farmers, industry, extension, and policy partners. We'll preview and discuss across four key themes:

Wednesday January 15, 2025

Water Conserving Landscape Design Principle

During the growing season, up to 30 percent of residential water use is for outdoor use. Of this, the majority often goes towards watering lawns and gardens. And so, using water conserving landscape design, soil health practices, wise plant selection, and efficient irrigation has high potential for conserving water. 

A design principle to use is grouping plants based on their irrigation needs. When designing landscape beds and borders, separate them into zones such as no irrigation, once a month irrigation, twice a month, or weekly irrigation. 

Thursday January 2, 2025

Ready, Set, Spread: Manure Application Workshops Across Nebraska

Turning manure nutrients into better crop yields while protecting the environment will be the focus of ten Nebraska Extension Land Application Training workshops being held across the state this February and March.
Monday December 23, 2024

Managing Hard Water

Many parts of Nebraska have hard water. Hard water has a high mineral content; hardness primarily refers to the amount of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) dissolved in the water. Hard water is not just a private well owner’s problem, it affects many municipal water users, too. While hard water does not present a health risk for the vast majority of the population, it is often a nuisance for rural and urban homeowners across the state. Having your well water tested for hardness is helpful in assessing what treatment system will work best.

Wednesday December 11, 2024

December Tree To-Do's

Though December traditionally brings weather conditions during which outdoor plants enter winter dormancy, there are still many considerations to act upon in the landscape. Due to the diversity of plantings and locations in the state, some of the following will apply now and others in future years.
Wednesday December 4, 2024

Understanding and Mitigating Ammonia Deposition

Applying manure to fields provides a natural and sustainable way to fertilize crops, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers. It adds essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, improving soil health and promoting plant growth. Additionally, manure enriches the soil with organic matter, enhancing its structure and water-holding capacity. However, there’s a side to manure that many don’t often think about, that is ammonia deposition. Ammonia deposition is the process by which ammonia is returned to the Earth’s surface after being released into the atmosphere.
Wednesday November 27, 2024

Data Shows Limited Economic Impact from Western Bean Cutworm Control in 2024 Sprinkler Corn Competition

During the 2024 growing season, competitors in the sprinkler corn competition were given the opportunity to choose insecticide treatments targeting the western bean cutworm, a moth/caterpillar pest. This decision was based on scouting data gathered by Julie Peterson and her team on July 12, 15 and 19. The scouting report showed that a cumulative 4% of corn plants were infested with either eggs or newly hatched larvae.