July 30, 2010

With today’s tight irrigation water allocations and high input costs, producers are looking for better irrigation strategies to achieve the most from the water they have and the nitrogen they apply.

The Aug. 2 Irrigation Strategies Field Tour will look at management strategies to optimize the use of the nitrogen and water applied. These methods can make irrigation decisions as easy as keeping fuel in the tank using a fuel gauge.

The field tour will be held at a research and demonstration farm site near Imperial, beginning with a 5 p.m. meal. Cooperators on this plot are Greg Smith, farmer, and Steve Smith, landowner. The program will cover methods to help you get the most effective use out of your irrigation water and energy dollars. It does this by focusing on methods to apply the optimal amount of water and nitrogen, along with water conservation methods.

Tour topics will include:

• Using Canopy Sensors to Ideally Manage Nitrogen and Water Application
• Water Savings with Crop Residue Management
• Predicting the Last Irrigation
• No-Till vs. Conservation Tillage
• How Time of Application and Amount of Water Applied Effects Crop Yield

Program speakers include: Steve Melvin, extension educator; Simon van Donk, extension irrigation and water resources specialist; Greg Kruger, extension weed ecologist; and Tim Shaver, extension nutrient management specialist.

Tour Location

The field tour is located on the northeast side of the intersection of Road 736 and Avenue 334. From Imperial, go 1 mile east of the intersection of Nebraska Highway 61 and US Highway 6, turn south onto Avenue 334 and the plot is 3/8 of a mile south on the east side.

For more information about the Irrigation Strategies Field Tour Series, contact Extension Educator Robert Tigner at (308) 882-4731 (rtigner2@unl.edu) or Extension Educator Steve Melvin at (308) 367-4424 (smelvin1@unl.edu).

Steve Melvin
Extension Educator, Frontier County