Crop Water Use for Aug. 18-25, 2026

August 26, 2026

Crop Water Use for Aug. 18-25, 2026

By Gary Stone - Extension Educator, Xin Qiao - Irrigation and Water Management Specialist

Graphic for weekly crop water use updates in the Nebraska Panhandle, featuring a close-up of a corn leaf with dew and links to statewide GDD and ET data at cropwatch.unl.edu/gdd-et and agritools.unl.edu.

As crops move closer to maturity, their water needs are beginning to decline. See the latest estimated weekly water use for corn, soybean, dry edible bean, alfalfa and other crops across the Nebraska Panhandle and northeast Colorado.

The estimated crop water use for Nebraska Panhandle and northeast Colorado crops for the previous week is shown in the tables below. The tables are based on data gathered and calculations made by Gary Stone, Nebraska Extension educator, and Xin Qiao, extension irrigation and water management specialist, both based at the UNL Panhandle Research and Extension Center in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.

Crop water use will vary across the noted areas due to variations in ET, crop growth stage, temperature, soil type, wind and precipitation events. Crop water use will assist growers with irrigation scheduling and efficient water application and use.

More Resources

Estimated crop water use table for Nebraska Panhandle crops, showing weekly water calculations by crop type.
Figure 1. Estimated crop water use for Nebraska Panhandle crops: Aug. 18-25, 2026.
Table showing estimated crop water use for selected Colorado crops and recent weather station data.
Figure 2. Estimated crop water use for northeast Colorado crops: Aug. 18-25, 2026.

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