Daran Rudnick - Former Extension Irrigation Management Specialist

Daran Rudnick

UNL-TAPS competition participants
Figure 1. Water use efficiency in corn production is one dimension of the UNL-TAPS competition being conducted out of the West Central REC.

View Corn Contest Plots at UNL-TAPS Field Tour June 27

June 8, 2017
Learn from some of the most successful corn growers in Nebraska at a June 27 UNL-TAPS field tour and project update at the West Central Research and Extension Center at North Platte.

Read more

Field pea

Field Pea Seeding Rates, Seeding Depth, and Inoculant

March 13, 2017
Grain-type field peas are a cool season grain crop grown as an alternative for no-till summer fallow in a semiarid cereal-based cropping systems such as wheat-corn-fallow and/or wheat-fallow. They are typically planted in mid-March and harvested late-July. This article reports on research conducted on seeding practices and offers recommendations for producers on the economically optimal seeding rate, seeding depth, and inoculant to grow field peas in western Nebraska.

Read more

field pea comparison
Figure 1. Comparison of water use of two systems -- summer fallow and field peas -- between March 27 and July 20. (Photos by Stranhinja Stepanovic)

Field Pea Production: Rotational Costs and Benefits

March 10, 2017
Research findings show benefits in soil nutrient cycling, water infiltration, and microbial activity from replacing fallow with grain-type field peas in a wheat-fallow rotation in western Nebraska.

Read more

Map showing sites of Nebraska soybean fields in study of yield-limiting production factors
Map showing sites of Nebraska soybean fields in study of yield-limiting production factors

Help Us Identify Yield-Limiting Factors in Nebraska Soybean Fields

October 5, 2016
Nebraska soybean producers are being asked to answer a survey about their soybean fields and contribute to a benchmark study of current soybean production in Nebraska. Researchers from 10 north central states, including Nebraska, are collecting the data to identify factors that may be impeding growers from reaching full yield. See what they've learned in the first two years of the study and how they hope to use the information.

Read more

Malfunctioning center pivot pressure regulator
Malfunctioning center pivot pressure regulator

Pivot Pressure Regulator Testing to be Offered at HHD

August 25, 2016

Nebraska Extension is offering free testing of center pivot irrigation pressure regulators at the IANR building all three days of Husker Harvest Days September 13-15 in Grand Island.

Read more

Center pivot irrigation system
Figure 1. A walking inspection of your irrigation system can help identify mechanical problems leading to non-uniform water application.

Sprinkler Irrigation System Maintenance for Improved Uniformity and Application Efficiency

August 23, 2016
Center pivot irrigation systems are designed and managed to apply water as uniformly as possible to enhance crop production. Uniformity has a direct effect on the system’s overall application efficiency, which is a measure of how well an irrigation system delivers water to a crop’s root zone.

Read more