Water News Archive

Tuesday, June 2, 2020

Can I Irrigate Animal Manures On Growing Crops?

High rainfalls can leave holding ponds or manure storage full and operators looking for irrigation options for applying animal manure during the growing season. This article discusses important considerations for application of open lot holding pond effluent and diluted manures during the growing season without damaging the crop.

Monday, May 18, 2020

Managing Lawn Diseases

Photo of Summer Patch, Photo from Paul Hay, Extension Educator Emeritus

Spring is a great time of year. We typically see much more enjoyable weather and we can get outdoors more. Spring is also when we usually see more rain, as they say ‘April showers bring May flowers’. Those April showers can also lead to fungal diseases in our landscapes. This year, we haven’t seen much rain, but we will still see fungal diseases in our lawns.

Disease cycle

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Extending the Manure Application Window: Post Plant Experiences

Glen Arnold’s 20-minute discussion of Ohio’s experiences with applying manure in corn after planting is available for viewing.

Extending the window for manure application offers many possible advantages. One can reduce some of the labor and equipment challenges associated with busy spring application windows as well as deliver nutrients to the crop more closely timed to the crop’s nutrient’s needs. Glen Arnold, Extension Specialist at Ohio State University recently met with a Nebraska audience to share field experiences in Ohio to side-dress manure into growing corn.

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Protect Your Private Well from Stormwater Runoff

Warmer weather is here and our precipitation has changed from snow to rain, though snow melt also creates stormwater runoff. The next time it rains, go outside and notice how the rainwater moves from roof areas and gutters, driveways, walkways, and other concrete or asphalt surfaces. Make sure this water is not flowing toward your private drinking water well.

Friday, April 24, 2020

Nebraska Groundwater Levels Rise Following Wet Year

Groundwater level changes for Nebrasks for 2018 versus 2019

Groundwater levels across much of Nebraska continue to rebound from the historic 2012 drought, according to the 2019 Groundwater-Level Monitoring Report. On average, wells measured in spring 2019 saw a 2.63-foot increase in groundwater levels statewide.

Thursday, April 23, 2020

Emergency use of milk as a fertilizer Q&A

Emergency use of milk as a fertilizer questions and answers.

Difficult challenges in the dairy industry such as those resulting from COVID-19 result in times when a market is not available for milk. When those occur, using milk as a crop fertilizer may provide a short-term option for gaining some value from milk. This article will answer several questions about using milk as a fertilizer.

Friday, April 17, 2020

Manage Soils to Improve Drainage and Prevent Compaction

Soils with good structure and those that not compacted help expand root systems. Roots hold soil in place to reduce erosion, a leading cause of water pollution. Soils that are not compacted allow for increased infiltration of rain and irrigation water.

Soil management is important to healthy plants and healthy ecosystems. Following are a few tips for improving residential landscape and garden soils and why it is important for root systems and plant health.

Monday, April 13, 2020

The connection between soil organic matter and soil water

One benefit of increasing soil organic matter is to store more water in your soil. Why does this happen? Because soil organic matter creates pores in a range of sizes. Exactly how much more water is stored due to soil organic matter will depend on soil texture, though. Animal manures are one option for increasing soil organic matter and soil health.

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Flushing Products Other Than Toilet Paper Can Cause Big Problems Down the Line

There is no time like the present to have a “Flushing 101” review. Whether you live in a rural area and have your own personal onsite wastewater system or your house is hooked up to a municipal wastewater system, everyone needs to be conscious of what we flush down the toilet. Regardless of what type of wastewater system your home is hooked up to, minimizing solids in our wastewater will improve the overall system performance.

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Preparing Water for Use in an Emergency

tips for safe drinking water storage for use in an emergency

It’s that time of year again in Nebraska, when we can experience severe weather such as flooding, thunderstorms, and tornadoes. These events can create power outages. If you are a private well owner without power your well pump won’t work, therefore you will not have running water and public water customers can also experience disruptions in their water supply. Having an emergency water supply on hand can be very helpful in these situations.