Initial Crop Water Use for Week Ending May 6

May 7, 2025

Initial Crop Water Use for Week Ending May 6

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

crop water use graphic

Extension’s weekly crop water use reports help producers anticipate crop needs, fine-tune irrigation, cut costs and boost yields all season long. See the first report of the 2025 growing season and strengthen your operation against drought with UNL's digital ag tools.

The initial crop water use for Nebraska Panhandle and northwest Colorado crops for the previous week and the upcoming week is shown in the tables below. The tables are based on data gathered and calculations made by Gary Stone, Nebraska Extension educator, and Dr. 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 Panhandle 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.

Register online to receive a weekly text message with the table information.

For statewide growing degree days and evapotranspiration data, see the CropWatch GDD/ET tool

The AgriTools App can also provide easy access to location-specific climate and weather information to the agricultural industry in Nebraska.

crop water use table
Figure 1. Estimated crop water use for Nebraska Panhandle crops: April 30-May 6, 2024.
crop water use table
Figure 2. Estimated crop water use for northwest Colorado crops: April 30-May 6, 2024.

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