Manure Management Training Offered In-Person, Online

manure focused nutrient cycle on Nebraska
The workshops and online course are designed to help farmers increase the economic value of manure and to understand and implement the nutrient management planning requirements of Nebraska’s Department of Environmental Quality regulations. Topics covered include: updates on manure management regulations, value of manure as a fertilizer and soil amendment, biosecurity on livestock operations, and more. Anyone currently using manure or considering adding manure to their cropping system fertility program is encouraged to participate.

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Water and wastewater in winter weather

septic system opening

In Nebraska, extreme winter temperatures can come on quickly and hang around for extended periods.  Those extended periods of cold can be hard on things, but what impact do they have on your septic system? Can they affect your well and your water system? And what can you do to limit any impact?

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CornSoyWater: An Online App to Aid in Irrigation Management

Traditional irrigation decision-making relies heavily on experience and requires frequent visits to the field. The process is time consuming and labor demanding, while the results are not quantitative and prone to error.

Login page of the CornSoyWater program

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Winter Watering

Watering a lawn

It’s hard to think about our plants in the winter months. It is even harder to realize that they are still alive and sometimes need care in the winter months. Once plants go dormant for the year many people believe that they need nothing until spring, but that isn’t always the case, especially in years with low or no snow or rain throughout the winter months.

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What is the Economic Value of Manure?

Value of beef open lot manure assuming crop benefits from potassium supplementation and 5% increase in yield. Estimated manure value is $28/ton.
Manure has value. That value may result from improvements in soil quality, increases in yield, and replacement of commercial nutrient required for crop production. This article will focus on the economic benefits of manure.

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What's the deal with smelly water?

dirty pipe

Odors that can be compared to rotten eggs are not ideal in your home or coming from your drinking water faucet.  Sulfates, which are a combination of sulfur and oxygen, are naturally occurring minerals.  They are found in some soil and rock formations where groundwater is also found.  Bacteria that feed on sulfur can produce hydrogen sulfide gas which is the primary offender when it comes to odor. 

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Economics of Variable Frequency drives For Irrigation Pumps

In recent years irrigators have begun to install variable frequency drives (VFDs) to monitor and control the speed of their irrigation pumps powered by electricity. This has led to several recent questions:

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Sandpit Lake Basics – Where does the water come from?

aerial view of sandpit lake

Lakes are classified in a number of ways to help us understand how they function, make predictions, assess ecosystem health, and establish management strategies or regulations.  They are most commonly classified by the lake’s ability to support plant and animal life, or productivity. They can also be classified based on the water supply, how humans use them, plant and animal communities, or how they were formed (e.g.  glacier retreating, volcanic eruption, made by man).

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Stream Biological Monitoring

catfish in a stream

Rivers and streams are complex. They are filled with a dizzying array of life, from relatively simple bacteria and algae to more complex forms such as plants, insects, and fish. When everything is working well, rivers provide many benefits to society, including fishing and other recreation opportunities, drinking water, irrigation, and transportation. However, there are also many ways that people can disrupt the natural functioning of rivers. For example, it may be necessary for cities to build systems that rapidly remove rain water to prevent flooding damage to homes and businesses.

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Considerations in Adopting Variable Rate Irrigation

Irrigation-the largest user of freshwater in Nebraska and worldwide-can be applied more precisely.

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