Nebraska Extension, Upper Elkhorn Natural Resource District (NRD), Lower Niobrara NRD, Lewis & Clark NRD, Lower Elkhorn NRD and Nebraska Environmental Trust are sponsoring the Bazile Groundwater Management Area Field Day on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021 at David Connot Farm in Knox County. We are excited to host this face-to-face field day to discuss nitrogen management and impacts on groundwater.

The field day will be held at David Connot’s field located ½ mile east of Hwy 13 and 870 Rd, two miles south of Creighton, Nebraska. Registration for the field day will start at 8 a.m. with the program officially kicking off at 9 a.m. The field day will conclude around 3 p.m.

Presentations include:

• Aaron Hird, Nebraska NRCS soil health specialist, will be present to discuss soil health and cover crops.
• Troy Gilmore, assistant professor in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will discuss his work on surveying the Bazile Creek and groundwater nitrate. Further discussion about Bazile Creek watershed will also be included.
• Daran Rudnick, associate professor in Biological Systems Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Chris Proctor, extension educator in the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and their graduate students, Jamie Duan and Victor de Sousa Ferreira, will discuss their research being conducted at the field day location focusing on variable rate fertigation and cover crop interseeding.  Demonstration will also be held of the variable rate irrigation used at the field.
• Ed Olson, Practical Farmers of Iowa, will discuss cover crop interventions and nitrate mitigation.
• A farmer panel during lunch will discuss methods on how they are mitigating nitrogen loss through various agricultural systems.

While this field day is free, registration is requested. For questions regarding the field day, contact the Lower Elkhorn NRD office at 402-371-7313.