Katie Pekarek - Extension Educator

Katie Pekarek

faculty

Exten Educator School of Natural Resources University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Work Hardin Hall (HARH) 518 South

Lincoln NE 68583-0995

Work 402-560-3110

kpekarek2@unl.edu

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Katie Pekarek is an Water Quality Extension Educator in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. She is a biological and agricultural engineer who works primarily with watershed management planning, nonpoint source pollution education, source water protection, and stormwater management.

icon-academic-capEducation

MS, North Carolina State University, 2008
BS, University of Nebraska - Lincoln, 2006

icon-business-chartResearch & Grants

UNL-NDEQ Water Quality Liaison, Ne Dept of Environment & Energy, October 2017
City of Waverly & LPSNRD Matching Funds, City of Waverly, June 2020
Online Stormwater Core Course, North Central Region Water Network, August 2017
Project ID 48321: Delivery of Watershed Science Education to Decision Makers A Multi-Agency Collaboration, Nebraska Environmental Trust, May 2019

Priority Website: Water.unl.edu

Highboy Cover Crop Interseeding Project Fall 2023 Updates

March 28, 2024

Researchers share insights from the second year of the study, wherein they experimented with delayed interseeding dates to maximize cover crop establishment.

Cover crop in field — Cover crop mix (cereal rye and brassicas) in a field on Oct. 12. Last year’s cereal rye residue is still visible.

Broadcast Interseeding with a Highboy — What We Learned in Year One

December 16, 2022

First-year results of a study to assess cover crop establishment using broadcast late-season interseeding in rainfed and irrigated fields.

Highboy Cover Crop Interseeding Project

October 6, 2022

Interested producers are encouraged to participate in this new UNL project, wherein researchers are interseeding cover crops into late-season corn to provide additional growth time before winter dormancy.

Cover crop mix drill interseeded into V4 corn growing well by V8-9 leaf corn. (Photo by Jenny Rees)

Comparing Cover Crop Planting Methods

September 1, 2022

While planting cover crops after harvest with a drill or planter may be the most convenient, there are several other planting methods that can increase cover crop success as measured by biomass production.

Seeding Rates for Broadcasting Cover Crops Into Late-season Corn and Soybean

August 31, 2022

The middle to end of September is a good time to establish cover crops by broadcasting seeds into corn or soybean before harvest, which allows the crop to capture more sunshine, growing degree days and rainfall.