|
Water Management/Issues
Farm Management
Forages & Cattle Update
Winter Meetings and Resources
|
Central Plains Irrigation Conference Feb. 16-17
|
The conference begins at 9 a.m. Feb. 16 with registration, coffee and the opening of the Irrigation Equipment Exposition. Technical sessions will be held beginning at 10 a.m. and continuing through the afternoon and into the evening. The luncheon speaker will be Darell Zimbelman, associate general manager of the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District, who will speak on the "Water Supply for the Platte River Basin.”
The Wednesday program starts with registration, coffee and the exposition at 7:30 a.m., following by technical sessions beginning at 8:30 a.m. and continuing to 3:30. The luncheon speaker will be Ken Knox, Chief Deputy Colorado State Engineer, who will speak on “Water Regulation and Policy.” Following are the technical session topics and speakers:
For more information or to register, contact Donna Lamm, CPIA executive assistant, at 785-462-7574 or donnalamm@yahoo.com, or go to http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/sdi/Revents/cpia.html. A block of rooms is reserved at the Ramada Inn until Jan. 15. Reservations need to be made directly with the motel at 970-522-2625 or 800-835-7275. Indicate you are with the CPIA conference.
C. Dean Yonts
Irrigation Specialist
Panhandle REC, Scottsbluff
Experts discuss water agreements on this week's Market Journal
A Market Journal program featuring discussions from this week's North Platte River Basin Water Policy Conference is now available online at MarketJournal.unl.edu.
Dale Strickland, executive director of the Governance Committee of the Three-State Cooperative Committee; Jim Cook, legal counsel for the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, and Ann Bleed, deputy director, Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, explain the proposed cooperative agreement that will slow depletion of water flows in fully appropriated river basins, such as the Platte.
The program also included:
|
Extension is offering a series of workshops this winter to help producers deal with limited water supplies in the 2005 growing season and beyond. Irrigators' options this year include adopting deficit irrigation techniques; planting crops that require less water; or reducing the number of acres they irrigate. Longer term, they may need to invest in more efficient irrigation systems.
Water, not land, is now the primary limiting resource for agriculture in some parts of the state, Martin said.
In 2004, the Nebraska Legislature passed LB962, one of the most far-reaching water laws in Nebraska history, Aiken said. The law requires the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources and the state's 23 natural resources districts to be more proactive in anticipating and preventing conflicts between groundwater and surface water users.
Among LB962's provisions: The DNR annually must survey the state's river basins and sub-basins to determine whether they are fully appropriated, meaning that the balance between water use and supply could not be sustained if further development occurs. That designation means immediate bans on new wells or surface water rights, as well as new integrated water management planning. Already, all or parts of eight NRDs are deemed fully appropriated, and parts of five more are defined as overappropriated. This means the permitted uses already are in excess of what the water supply can support over the long term.
The affected NRDs now must develop plans to manage all hydrologically connected groundwater and surface water to balance uses and supplies.
"It changes a lot of things," said Ray Supalla, university agricultural economist. "It forces us to integrate ground and surface water The very idea of identifying fully appropriated and overappropriated basins is an entirely new concept."
LB962 is only the latest development in a two-decade philosophical shift toward a recognition of the interrelationship between surface water and groundwater systems. Other developments included the 1997 Platte River Cooperative Agreement among Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming and the U.S. government, which prohibits new water uses that deplete river flow when the water is needed for endangered species. In 2002, Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska settled a lawsuit over their 1943 Republican River Compact. Bottom line of that complicated legal battle: Groundwater pumping was found to be covered by the compact, which will limit future groundwater irrigation development in the Republican River Basin in all three states.
Another shoe about to drop, probably in the next couple of months, is a Nebraska Supreme Court ruling in a case brought by the Spear T Ranch in the Panhandle charging that groundwater irrigators are depleting Pumpkin Creek flows. Aiken expects Spear T to prevail. If so, other, similar lawsuits likely will be filed -- including one by the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District over groundwater irrigators' depletion of flows into Lake McConaughy.
The immediate impact of the shifting policies will vary across the state. Beyond well moratoriums, irrigators in the Platte River basin won't see a huge change for a year or two, Aiken said. But, he added, this year is "crunch time" in the Republican River Basin.
"We'll be regulating withdrawals in the Republican Valley long after the drought ends," Supalla said. "We're going to see significant restrictions in future irrigation development, probably indefinitely."
State officials are hoping for some help from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in both basins, with a plan pending to pay farmers to quit irrigating a total of 100,000 acres in the Platte and Republican basins. The good news in the Republican basin is that there is a model for successfully regulating irrigation. The Upper Republican NRD has been doing so for about 20 years and could be an example for the Middle and Lower Republican NRDs as they try to develop their own plans, Aiken said.
"Their irrigators have learned to irrigate on a budget. They've already made the transition," Aiken said.
Aiken believes irrigators will discover they can successfully farm with less water, but he acknowledged they face a difficult transition. "It's the proverbial gun to the head," Aiken said.
But, Aiken warned, a failure to come up with local solutions that address these issues could lead to more onerous federal mandates.
In the next couple of years, water limits should lead to emergence of a water market in Nebraska, on which water rights could be bought and sold.
"We've never had a water market in Nebraska. This will be very interesting. We'll start to see what water is worth in the marketplace," Aiken said.
Fights over water rights could get simpler "because there will always be a market solution," he added. That's a distinct improvement over "beating someone over the head with a regulation." For example, if a community wants a new well in a basin already designated fully appropriated, it may have to pay some farmers not to irrigate.
Or, environmental groups might mount a nationwide fund drive to buy water rights from farmers to protect endangered species along the Platte. "If they're willing to pay, farmers will let them have it," Aiken said. "That door will be open."
As this market develops, Aiken said, academic discussions of what water is worth will be replaced by real, marketplace answers.
Dan Moser
IANR News Service
This theme is appropriate because water is such an important issue in Nebraska, according to Extension Educator Karen DeBoer, one of the conference organizers. Producers often are faced with selecting a crop according to the available water. In addition, since the previous Wheat Technology Conference about 10 years ago, the University has studied different wheat varieties and how they respond to irrigated and dryland systems.
The conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mountain Time at three locations in western Nebraska:
Conference topics and speakers:
The Conference is sponsored by the University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension and the Nebraska Wheat Board. For more information, contact your local Extension Office or check out the conference brochure. Conference coordinators are Karen DeBoer, Extension educator, Sidney, 866-865-1703, and Bill Booker, Extension educator, Alliance, (308) 762-5616.
The registration fee of $30 per person, which is due by February 18, includes admission to the conference, proceedings and the noon luncheon. To register, mail a registration form (available at Extension offices or on the Web) and a check for $30 (payable to Cheyenne County Extension Activities Fund) to University of Nebraska, Cooperative Extension - Cheyenne County, PO Box 356, Sidney, NE 69162. Walk-in registrations will be accepted only until capacity is reached.
"It's another poignant illustration of how small a planet we all
inhabit," said University of Nebraska research geologist Matt Joeckel.
Groundwater level recordings from a 170-foot deep well near Aurora
clearly show an unusual rise and fall in the groundwater level -- as much
as two-tenths of a foot above and below normal levels occurring over a
15-minute period directly corresponding to the Dec. 26, 2004 Indian Ocean
earthquake.
"The graph from the well shows very rapid rises and falls in the
groundwater level, creating very clearly seen spikes on the graph," Joeckel
said. The distinct spikes were discovered by UNL School of Natural
Resources associate geoscientist Scott Summerside and cartographer Jerry
Leach in conjunction with a groundwater level monitoring program conducted
by the university.
The well is one of only three in Nebraska equipped with a continuous
electronic recording device that monitors groundwater levels and is the
only one of the three that recorded the clear spikes corresponding to last
month's 9.0 magnitude earthquake, the largest since the Alaskan earthquake
of 1964.
The same well also has recorded graphic spikes corresponding to other
quakes worldwide, particularly in Mexico and Central America, Joeckel said.
"Frankly, we're not absolutely certain why this is, other than some
wells are more apt to respond to seismic energy than others," he said.
"Some geologists believe there is a resonance effect at work in the
response of aquifers to earthquakes."
Groundwater level changes in response to earthquake activity are
called hydroseism, a well known, if inexact, science.
"We may not have felt the Indian Ocean earthquake here in Nebraska,
but there's little doubt in my mind that we recorded it," Joeckel said.
Steve Ress
The program will be offered March 29 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the University’s Agricultural
Research and Development Center (ARDC) near Mead and March 30 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the
Lifelong Learning Center at Norfolk. This training is part of the University of Nebraska Cooperative
Extension's Crop Management Winter Programs. The program is designed for, but not limited to: crop
consultants, certified crop advisors, growers, Cooperative Extension personnel, state and federal
inspectors, master gardeners, and others involved in plant health management. Those attending will
be able to enhance their pest identification skills, learn about exotic pest issues that may threaten
Nebraska agriculture, and become a registered First Detector.
This class is limited to 65 participants so early registration is recommended and will help ensure that
appropriate class materials are available. This training session, which costs $25, is available at a
reduced rate courtesy of the Great Plains Diagnostic Network. Fees include lunch, refreshment
breaks, and workshop and reference materials.
For more information visit the Crop Management Winter Program web site. To register, visit the online registration site, call 402-624-8000, fax 402-624-8010, e-mail cdunbar2@unl.edu, or write to NU ARDC, CMDC Programs, 1071 County Road G, Ithaca 68033.
"Strong farm income
during 2004 pushed Nebraska farms into higher sales categories, but
overall farm size showed the smallest increase since 1998," said Mark
Harris, director, Nebraska Agricultural Statistics Service.
Land in farms and ranches in Nebraska remained unchanged at 45.9 million
acres. The average size of operation increased to 950 acres, up 4 acres
from a year earlier.
USDA Nebraska Agricultural Statistics Service
This is the program’s ninth collection since 1995. In that time nearly 2 million pounds, or 1,000 tons, of unwanted pesticide products have been collected from across Nebraska, said Larry Schulze, Extension pesticide education specialist. Of that total, more than four tons were electrical transformers.
“The collection program continues to have a very significant impact on environmental stewardship in Nebraska and I believe that’s largely because of the tremendous cooperation among the sponsoring agencies and businesses that make it possible,” Schulze said.
Pesticides, including herbicides, insecticides and fungicides and those used for agricultural, livestock, home, lawn and garden, structural and commercial purposes, may be turned in at collection sites. Pesticides in aerosol cans are included. Farmers and ranchers also may dispose of old electrical transformers from irrigation systems. Many of these old transformers contain PCBs, which have been linked to certain cancers and other health problems. Items that won’t be accepted include oil, antifreeze, paint, varnish, thinners, cleaners and solvents or pesticide products in pressurized cylinders.
Collected pesticides will be safely disposed of by Clean Harbors Environmental Services, a disposal facility near Kimball, Schulze said.
There is no charge for quantities of pesticides up to 1,000 pounds, Schulze said. Anyone expecting to turn in more than a half ton of waste products should notify Rich Reiman at the Nebraska Department of Agriculture by phoning (402) 471-2394. Products brought to a collection site totaling over 1,000 pounds require a nominal fee of $1 per pound for each pound over 1,000, Schulze said.
People turning in pesticides or transformers should:
Collection sites
Collection dates and sites (all open 8 a.m. to noon):
This program is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality; the Nebraska Environmental Trust through the Nebraska Agri-Business Association; and from fees collected by the NDA for pesticide registrations in Nebraska.
Steven Ress
Many irrigated acres in western and west central Nebraska may not receive enough water this
summer to grow a grain or root crop. Some growers may plan to use water allocated for several
fields on one crop field, leaving the remaining fields with little water.
Forage crops also need water for high production, but unlike most annual crops, at least some
useful yield can be gathered when total water is very low. So what are your options?
Do you expect these water limits to continue for several more years? If so, a perennial forage
would eliminate the cost and time of establishing a new crop each year. Switchgrass is a good
choice because it is less expensive to plant, its primary water needs occur in early summer when
water is available, and it can be managed successfully for hay or pasture. Other good
warm-season grass options include big or sand bluestem and indiangrass, especially for grazing.
Some of the wheatgrasses and bromegrasses as well as alfalfa can work with limited irrigation,
but these cool-season plants respond best to water applied during spring. Of course, annual
forages like pearl and foxtail millet, cane, and sorghum-sudangrass are relatively water efficient
and will yield proportionately to the amount of water they receive. And don't forget small grains
like rye, triticale, and oats for fall and spring forage if you have moisture at those times.
While it may not be your first choice, growing forage under limited irrigation conditions can help
you make the best out of a bad situation.
Bruce Anderson
Cattle love crabgrass. When given a choice, cattle will graze crabgrass before almost any
other forage. That's why you rarely see much of it in pastures. And they perform well, too.
Steers have gained over two and one-half pounds per day on well-managed crabgrass.
Most folks use crabgrass in a double crop or multi-crop program. They plant it after grazing
out rye or another small grain. Later, when the crabgrass goes dormant during cooler weather, a
small grain is drilled again, directly into the crabgrass residue. It also can be grown in
combination with sudangrass, pearl millet, or forage corn.
To use crabgrass most effectively, natural reseeding should be encouraged so the crop need
not be planted each year. This might cause some lower animal production as you delay use to
assure good seed production, especially during the first year. After that, plenty of seed
probably will be in the soil for several years.
Like other grasses, crabgrass will respond well to nitrogen fertilizer, irrigation, and rotational
grazing. In the wrong place, crabgrass is a problem weed, but if used correctly, you can make it one of
your best pasture crops.
Bruce Anderson
The dates and locations are:
For further information, please contact your local Extension office; Bob Harveson, Extension plant pathologist at the Panhandle Research and Extension Center (308-632-1239); or Sharon Holman at the Research and Extension Center (308-32-1260).
Specific topics and speakers include:
Topics will include: growth staging, recognizing fertilizer deficiencies,
major pest identification, understanding insect economic thresholds,
handling soybean cyst nematode, and weed and disease identification and
management. The training session includes in-depth information from Institute of
Agriculture and Natural Resources faculty and staff and the agricultural
industry. A total of 5.5 Certified Crop Advisor credits are available with 4 in
pest management, 1 in crop management and 0.5 in fertility/nutrient
management.
For more information or to register, visit the Web at
http://ardc.unl.edu/cmwp.htm, call (402) 624-8000, fax (402) 624-8010, e-mail cdunbar2@unl.edu or contact the ARDC, CMDC Programs, 1071 County
Road G, Ithaca, Neb. 68033.
Early registration is recommended as space is limited. Registration
is $65 before March 7 and $75 after. Registration includes lunch, refreshment breaks, workshop materials and an instruction manual.
IANR News Release
Workshops will be held at the following sites:
For more information about the class, visit the workshop web site: Crop Management Winter Programs: Digital Agronomy for Increased Yields.
Individuals need to register at least seven days prior to the workshop. To register, contact the Extension educator in the host county, call the toll-free number 877-854-6554, or call the Hamilton County Extension Office at P.O. Box 308, Aurora 68818-0308. Cost is $20 for the first person from an operation and $10 for another from the same operation. The fee covers the notebook, meal, and 2005 mailings. All workshops begin at 10 a.m. and end at 3 p.m.
Remaining dates and locations:
Class topics will include an overview of NDEQ Title 130 rules specific to land application of manure, nutrient management planning, interpreting soil and manure management test reports, record keeping, developing a manure application plan, applicator calibration, and setbacks.
Schedule
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., with the program continuing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The registration fee is $35 and includes lunch. Space is limited and preregistration is required. To register, contact the Cooperative Extension office in the host county. Participants should bring manure analysis, and aerial photos and soil analysis for two fields, and a laptop computer if available.
This Comprehensive Nutrient Management Program is sponsored by University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension and the Nebraska Environmental Trust. For more information, contact Phil Steinkamp, CNMP program coordinator, at the Lifelong Learning Center in Norfolk at 370-4061 or visit the CNMP Program Web site.
Registrations due Feb. 18
Wheat Technology Conference to focus on limited water and irrigation options
The 2005 Wheat Technology Conference will examine wheat production under full irrigation, limited or deficit irrigation and dryland growing conditions. Session topics will include the ground water situation in western Nebraska, how wheat responds to water, techniques for managing winter wheat irrigation, how winter wheat can play a role in managing limited water resources in a production system, hard white winter wheat, fertility, insect and disease management, and tillage.
Aurora well records Indian Ocean earthquake
When a massive undersea earthquake in the Indian
Ocean generated deadly tsunamis last month, a groundwater monitoring well
near Aurora recorded the catastrophic event.
IANR Newswriter
Soybean Rust First Detector training
Soybean Rust First Detector Training will be offered at two meetings in late March. Sponsored by the University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in cooperation with the National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN), the meetings will cover: an introduction to biosecurity issues, the mission of the NPDN, monitoring for high risk pests, and quality and secure sample submission.Farm numbers continue decline in Nebraska
Nebraska's number of farms and ranches declined during 2004 continuing a downward trend, according to
the USDA's Nebraska Agricultural Statistics Service. The number of farms and ranches in the State is 48,300, down 200 or less than 1% from 2003. The number of farms and ranches in Nebraska with less
than $100,000 in agricultural sales declined 1,300, while operations
with more than $100,000 increased by 1,100 farms.Pesticide and PCB disposal offered at 20 sites in March and April
Nebraskans can safely dispose of waste or unwanted pesticides and electrical transformers from irrigation systems free at any of 20 locations from March 14 through April 8. The joint venture of the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) and University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension accepts all pesticides except those in pressurized cylinders.
For more information on collections or individual collection sites, contact your local Cooperative Extension office, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture at (402) 471-2394 or the UNL Pesticide Education Office at (402) 472-1632. Information also is available online at the UNL Pesticide Education web site.
Communications Coordinator, UNL Water Center
Plant forages in limited irrigation areas
Drought, declining water tables, and legal issues are limiting the amount of irrigation water
available in some areas If you don't expect to get enough water for a good grain crop, consider
planting forages.
Extension Forage Specialist
Take advantage of delectable, nutritious crabgrass
Crabgrass is a troublesome weed for most people, but with a little planning and management, it
can be an outstanding forage crop.
Extension Forage Specialist
Learn the latest solutions for dry bean production issues
The University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center will sponsor a series of dry bean production meetings in February. Each meeting will feature a range of topics, including: tillage and irrigation, nutrient management, pest management, and seed certification standards.
Meetings will begin at 10 a.m. and end about 3 p.m. There is no registration fee, but preregistration is encouraged to provide for meal reservations. Certified crop advisor continuing education credits will be available. Lunch and breaks will be provided by Kelley Bean Co., New Alliance Bean and Grain, Stateline Bean Producers Co-op, and Trinidad Bean & Elevator Co.
Crop scout training set for March 14
A University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension Crop Management Winter Program March 14 will help pest managers better scout corn and soybeans for fertilizer deficiencies, pests and diseases. Crop Scout Training for Pest Managers will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at
the University's Agricultural Research and Development Center near Mead.
Digital agronomy workshop offers hands-on computer training
A new Cooperative Extension workshop, "Digital Agronomy for Increased Yields", will cover emerging technologies for making more informed crop management decisions and provide hands-on computer training on two Nebraska-based ag software products: Hybrid-Maize and WeedSOFT. The simulation model Hybrid-Maize can estimate field-specific yield potential for dryland and irrigated corn; help identify optimal hybrid selection, plant population, and irrigation regime, and 3) perform in-season, real-time yield forecasts. WeedSoft, a computer decision-support system, identifies weed management options in terms of potential impact on yield, profit and water quality. Both software products were developed by the University of Nebraska Department of Agronomy.
The workshop begins at 8:45 a.m. and ends at 4:30 p.m. Program topics to be presented by Department of Agronomy faculty include: Opportunities and challenges for digital agronomy and hands-on training sessions on using Hybrid-Maize and WeedSOFT. Seven CCA credits will be available: two in soil and water management, two in crop management and three in pest management. The registration fee for the workshop is $65 before Feb. 15 and $75 afterward. The fee includes lunch and workshop materials, but does not include a copy of the software for home use. Both software tools will be available for sale at the workshop or they can be purchased prior to the workshop at the following web sites: Hybrid-Maize and WeedSoft. Cost for each program is $35.
10-20 program adds new toll-free information number
A new series of Cooperative Extension programs called “Ten Easy Ways to Boost Profit $20/acre” is continuing across the state. Each meeting features 10 practices that are easy to adopt and can improve an operation’s margin of profit. This week program organizers added a single toll-free number that anyone can call for more information about the program or program topics: 877-854-6554.
Classes cover manure management requirements
Livestock and crop producers wanting to ensure that they're meeting state and
federal manure management regulations may want to attend one of several meetings being held in Keith, Hamilton and Madison counties in February. The classes are designed to help producers manage manure and comply with Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) permits, including Land Application requirements.
|
Other topics include a discussion on the weather outlook; an update of the Platte River Cooperative Agreement and the associated depletion plans in Nebraska and Wyoming; opportunities available to irrigation districts through the Bureau of Reclamation 2025 program; and a discussion on the role of consumptive use in water savings.
The conference will conclude with pertinent state issues, including an update of Nebraska’s new water legislation, LB962; reports on ground water levels in the North Platte Valley; and the issue of maintaining air quality through issuance of burning permits in Wyoming. CCA continuing education credits can be obtained for those interested.
Cost of the conference is $15. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., but pre-registration is encouraged so lunch arrangements can be made. To preregister, please call 308-632-1316. For more information call Dean Yonts, Extension irrigation specialist, at the NU Panhandle Research and Extension Center, at 308-632-1246.
Sponsors include the University of Nebraska and the University of Wyoming along with Pathfinder, Goshen, Farmer’s, Gering-Fort Laramie, Mitchell, and Enterprise irrigation districts.
C. Dean Yonts
Irrigation Specialist
Panhandle REC, Scottsbluff
 |
About Crop Watch |
Agricultural News |
Events |
Archives |
Markets Ag Links | Weather | Photos | Search Lisa Jasa, Crop Watch Editor | Publications | IANR |
 | ||
| Published by University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources Cooperating with the counties and the U.S. Department of Agriculture | ||
| The University of Nebraska-Lincoln does not discriminate on the basis of gender, age, disability, race, color, religion, marital status, veteran's status, national or ethnic origin, or sexual orientation. | ||