Water News Archive

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.

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.

The 2025 Nutrient Management Calendars are now available from the Nebraska Extension. This easy-to-use record keeping calendar tracks manure-related records for livestock and cropping operations. It serves as a guide for livestock operations that are required by the State of Nebraska to keep records. It was designed to be used by all sizes of livestock operations and includes all records required for operations permitted for the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).

A manure workshop will be held in conjunction with the Confronting Cropping Challenges programs at two locations, Randolph and Neligh. The manure workshop will help row-crop farmers Save Money and Resist Stress, and it is designed for crop producers using manure on their cropland. You do not need to own your own livestock to attend. Participants can choose to attend either the Confronting Cropping Challenges program, the manure workshop, or both.

Fall is a good time to incorporate organic matter like compost into soil. Increasing soil organic matter improves soil structure and adds nutrients. This in turn improves plant growth, efficient use of water, and water infiltration into soil to reduce runoff.

Fall and winter gatherings are upon us and that often means a bustling house full of family, friends and preparation of tasty recipes in the kitchen. All of these things should make for joyful times, but they can potentially have a stressful impact on your private water well and onsite wastewater systems.

When incentives are available for renewable energy and/or practices that reduce carbon emissions, livestock and poultry producers tend to show more interest in anaerobic digesters.  These producers may also be looking to better manage manure nutrients on the farm.  Common objectives are to reduce nutrient content where an imbalance exists – typically an excess of phosphorus (P) – and to optimize the fertilizer value, especially the amount of nitrogen (N) that is readily available for plant use.  Perhaps the most appropriate answer to whether digesters affect the nutrient cont

‘Right Plant, Right Place’ is a very important aspect of planting and it is never too early to start thinking about landscape changes for next year. As you clean up and refresh mulch or water, start assessing your landscape and what did and didn’t work. There are some very important plant requirements to keep in mind when planning a new garden or adding to an established garden.

As the harvest season winds down and cooler temperatures set in, it's time to start thinking about post-harvest plans. For many farmers, this means planning manure application. Manure is a valuable fertilizer and soil amendment, but to maximize its benefits, it should be treated with the same attention as commercial fertilizers. However, some farmers overlook manure in their fertility programs, missing out on its potential.

A new water research series from Nebraska Extension, this article focuses on the history, construction and use of siphon tubes for crop irrigation.

As surface/canal water usually curtails mid-September, extension recommends that Nebraska Panhandle producers ensure their soil water profiles are full to sustain crops through to harvest.

Compost is used as a soil amendment to improve the physical, chemical and biological properties of soils. Over time, yearly additions of compost will improve your landscape or garden soil in many ways including the water holding capacity of sandy soils and water percolation in clay soils. 

Nebraska growers share Week 2 results of their irrigation management decisions based on soil moisture sensor data, as part of a new collaboration with extension educators.

Updates on crop progress, irrigation water deliveries and crop water use for growers in the Panhandle and western Nebraska.

Nebraska Extension will host a Nitrogen Sources and Water Quality Field Day on August 13, 2024, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the Haskell Ag Lab near Concord, NE.

Are you planning a day at the lake?  Did you know you can check on the water quality before you head out?

The amount and timing of irrigation applied in recent years may have very little to do with what's needed this year. Review the factors before making a decision.

As we move into the heat of the summer, we need to remember proper irrigation practices for our plants. It is just as easy to overwater as it is to underwater plants. And remember that irrigation practices differ among all different types of plants.

Part 3 in a series of 3, this article explains the what you need to know when you want to apply for USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service's Environmental Quality Incentives Program, known as EQIP.