Field Research

Field of sorghum — Participants in the 2023 TAPS Competition tackled some atypical challenges during this year's contest, from hail damage in corn plots to irrigation issues in sorghum. Contestants' strategies to overcome these and other production issues throughout the growing season will be shared during the awards banquet on Jan. 13 in Kearney.

2023 TAPS Competitions to Culminate with Awards Banquet

December 12, 2023

The seventh annual TAPS Competition awards banquet will showcase how participants managed their plots throughout the 2023 growing season amid numerous production challenges.

Richard Faflak adjusting pivot valve — Richard Faflak, KZValve mechanical engineer, adjusts a valve at the annual Panhandle Agriculture Research and Technology Tour before a tour group goes by in June. (Photo by Chabella Guzman)

UNL, Nebraska Company Collaborate on New Valve for Pivot Irrigation

November 2, 2023

A new pivot valve, created by KZValve of Greenwood, Nebraska, has self-power generating capabilities that could potentially be used in partial variable rate irrigation.

Researchers examine dry bean field — In a dry edible bean plot at the UNL PREEC Mitchell Lab, Maria Alvarado, UNL graduate student, left, Kainyon Tay, head of the legume program in Chile, and Carlos Urrea, UNL dry bean breeder, look for desirable bean plants. (Photo by Chabella Guzman)

Bean Breeders Scout Fields for Desirable Bean Genetics

September 28, 2023

The best dry bean plants in the Nebraska Panhandle will soon be sent to researchers across the world as part of an ongoing international collaboration on cross-breeding.

MICRA project team posing for photo — The University of Nebraska–Lincoln team working on the MICRA project includes (from left) Taro Mieno, agricultural economics; Daniel Schachtman, agronomy and horticulture; Saleh Taghvaeian, biological systems engineering; and Seunghee Kim, civil engineering. (Photo by Nick Kumpula, Research and Economic Development)

Nebraska Part of Interdisciplinary Team Examining Climate Resiliency Through Soil

September 28, 2023

The research team will experiment with soil amendments and biochar to measure their impact on soil water-holding capacity to find ways to improve preservation of soil moisture in farm fields.

Group photo of Ostdiek, Maharjan, Bischoff and Yoder with sign — The Historic Knorr-Holden signboard located near the corn plot north of Scottsbluff was officially unveiled on Aug. 23. (From left) Dave Ostdiek, retired UNL PREEC communications specialist; Bijesh Maharjan, UNL associate professor at PREEC and current plot supervisor; Richard Bischoff, UNL IANR associate vice chancellor; and Ron Yoder, UNL IANR senior associate vice-chancellor.

Unveiling of Historic Knorr-Holden Plot Signboard

September 20, 2023

UNL faculty members recently celebrated the Knorr-Holden Plot's century-long historical value to agricultural research. Located near Scottsbluff, Knorr-Holden is one of the top five-oldest continuous field-crop experiments in the U.S.

Researchers sitting in bean field — Timothy Porch, research geneticist at USDA ARS, left, and Carlos Urrea, Nebraska Extension dry bean breeding specialist, scout a plot of dry beans. (Photo by Chelsea Didinger)

Dry Bean Breeders Collaborate on Climate-savvy Bean

September 19, 2023

Researchers at UNL and USDA ARS in Puerto Rico are collaborating on the development of new drought-tolerance dry bean lines using plant genes from tepary beans, a crop native to the southwest U.S. and Mexico.

Vesh Raj Thapa stands near soil sample display — Vesh Raj Thapa, UNL post-doctoral research assistant, stands behind root samples from the plots at WREEC in North Platte. (Photo by Chabella Guzman)

Roots, Another Important Aspect of Cover Crops

September 19, 2023

Researchers involved in a UNL-USDA NRCS study on cover crops highlight the importance of species selection, as each type of cover crop has a unique root system that contributes differently to soil health.

Field day participants inspect an ag drone — A session on drones was held at the annual Water and Crops Field Day at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, West Central Research Extension and Education Center in North Platte. (Photo by Chabella Guzman)

Nebraska Extension Center Preps Ag Producers for Climate-smart Practices

September 19, 2023

The 2023 Water and Crops Field Day featured seminars and panels on crop and livestock production practices that align with USDA's new climate-smart agriculture initiatives.

Explore Tags