Water News Archive

Monday, October 24, 2022

Yucca Control and Fall Irrigation

Fall frosts have ended the life cycle of many annual plants. In some cases, below-freezing temperatures have reduced insect numbers and finally ended the harvest challenges of extended green soybean stems and corn plants. Despite the cold nighttime temperatures, many crops are still growing. So, the question arises: “How much irrigation should be applied in late fall for perennial and winter annual crops like alfalfa, wheat, rye and triticale?”

Thursday, October 20, 2022

How To Adjust Rental Payments When Tenants Own the Center Pivot

Center pivots comprise three main components: the pump, power unit and pivot. Traditionally on leased cropland, the landowner owns the pump and pivot. Depending on the area of Nebraska and available energy sources, the power unit may be owned by the landowner or tenant. Ownership of the pump and pivot by the landowner creates greater flexibility for the management of the land when terminating the tenant or selling the property.

Friday, October 14, 2022

The UNL Animal Manure Management team’s first Art Challenge comes to an end with state-wide contributions showing how much “Manure Matters in Nebraska”

example image of coloring contest submission

During our in-person events this summer, we had a lot of fun talking with kids of all ages about the diverse types of manure, how manure provides nutrients to growing crops, and how manure helps improve soil health and water quality. We hope that all the kids we talked to learned how much manure matters in Nebraska. We also asked our in-person participants to submit some of their own more artistic interpretations of how “Manure Matters in Nebraska” for a chance to win a fun prize.

Monday, October 10, 2022

Safe Winter Pesticide Storage

Store liquid and dry pesticides formulations correctly during winter.

As the growing season draws to an end and we put away our gardening equipment, it’s also important to store any remaining pesticide products properly to prevent contamination and maintain product effectiveness for next year. But even more important, being careless with pesticide storage is an open invitation to disaster, in the form of a pesticide poisoning or spill which could contamination ground or surface water.

Thursday, October 6, 2022

TAPS Irrigation Season Comes to End Amid Drought

Irrigation decisions in the Testing Ag Performance Solutions (TAPS) farm management competitions ranged widely this year, even amid a drought throughout the region. According to rainfall gauges located near the TAPS fields, 8.92 inches of rainfall was collected from May 1 to Sept. 30, 2022. The following is a brief summary of the irrigation decisions made in each competition this year.

Thursday, October 6, 2022

Using Broadcast Interseeding of Cover Crops as a Tool for Water Quality Improvements

Cover crops are a proven method for increasing soil health by reducing soil erosion, increasing soil organic matter, and improving soil structure. Cover crops also have the potential to positively impact water quality by reducing nitrate leaching and nutrient runoff. While cover crops are growing in popularity in Nebraska, there are significant planting challenges. To address these challenges, interseeding has been proposed as an alternative planting method to increase cover crop success.

Monday, October 3, 2022

Not All Manure is Created Equal

visual representation of various manures' nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contents compared to volume of organic matter and water.

Chicken, Beef, Swine and Dairy are all manures. All are valuable, but are they equal? Absolutely not. I could rank them by smell, another by their nutrient content, another by proximity to them, and yet someone else could separate them for their ability to influence soil health charateristics. This article will discuss a little about the different kinds of manure and explain why not all of this valuable product is created equal.

Thursday, September 29, 2022

Using a Cornstalk Nitrate Test to Evaluate Nitrogen Management Decisions

At the end of the season, a nitrate test can help determine whether the crop was under-, adequately or over-fertilized with nitrogen, resulting in the potential to significantly reduce input costs.

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Another Dry Year: What to Know About Leftover Nitrogen in Soil Following Dry Conditions

departure from normal precipitation 2022

With the two consecutive dry seasons in 2021 and 2022, there is likely a considerable amount of unused nitrogen left in the soil, which could be used for the 2023 crop. With the higher fertilizer prices, such fertility adjustments for next crop can be profitable as well as environment friendly. So, it is recommended to test your soil and account for all sources of nutrients for the next crop.

Thursday, September 22, 2022

Drought and Fall Irrigation

Currently, most of the state is in at least a moderate drought, with many areas affected by severe, extreme, and even exceptional drought conditions. The Farmer’s almanac is calling for a cold, dry winter, again, so moving into that with drought conditions already could be devastating to our plants.