Irrigation

An aerial view of the sink holes created by the July 17 tunnel collapse on the Gering-Fort Laramie/Goshen Irrigation District canal.
Figure 1. An aerial view of the sink holes created by the July 17 tunnel collapse on the Gering-Fort Laramie/Goshen Irrigation District canal. The larger sink hole is approximately 100 feet across and 50 feet deep. (Photo by Justin Burkart, Goshen Emergency Management Association)

Update on Efforts to Restore Water to North Platte River Valley Canal

July 26, 2019
The Gering/Ft. Laramie Irrigation District and the Goshen Irrigation District (Wyoming) held stakeholder meetings this week to discuss the status of canal damage and repairs and how to restore irrigation water to 100,000+ acres. Initial canal repairs have started, with tunnel repairs expected to start soon.

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Irrigation canal washout from tunnel collapse
Figure 1. Area where the North Platte River Canal breached July 17, flooding nearby fields. Water flow to the canal was stopped and won't be continued until repairs can be made, possibly cutting short the crop season. (Photo courtesy of Chabella Guzman of KNEB Radio)

Wednesday A.M. Meeting to Focus on Prospects for Collapsed Irrigation Tunnel

July 23, 2019
The Gering-Fort Laramie Irrigation District will host a public meeting Wednesday, July 24, in Scottsbluff to share information about the disruption of water deliveries caused by a tunnel collapse along the irrigation district’s main canal on July 17. It will be at 10 a.m. at the university's Panhandle Center.

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Area of the North Platte River canal where the break occurred July 17.
Figure 1. Area where the North Platte River Canal breached July 17, flooding nearby fields. Water flow to the canal was stopped and won't be continued until repairs can be made, possibly cutting short the crop season. (Photo courtesy of Chabella Guzman of KNEB Radio)

Growers in North Platte Valley Face Critical Water Loss with Canal Damage

July 18, 2019
Surface-water irrigators in the North Platte River Valley south of the river in western Nebraska and eastern Wyoming have lost their water supply due to a washout in the main supply canal early Wednesday morning (July 17). The Bureau of Reclamation is assessing the damage.

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Matt Stockton accepting the Oustanding Extension Program award on behalf of the UNL-TAPS team.
Matt Stockton accepting the Oustanding Extension Program award on behalf of the UNL-TAPS team.

UNL TAPS Receives Outstanding Extension Program Award

July 15, 2019
The Western Agricultural Economics Association (WAEA) recently honored the UNL-TAPS program with the Outstanding Extension Program Award for demonstrably impacting the mindset and management practices of irrigators while engaging and educating a much broader audience.

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Figure 1. Corn in one of the irrigation research plots at the South Central Agricultural Lab was starting to show signs of stress Wednesday.
Figure 1. Corn in one of the irrigation research plots at the South Central Agricultural Lab was starting to show signs of stress Wednesday.

Soil Water Content- and Soil Matric Potential-Based Irrigation Trigger Values for Different Soil Types

July 11, 2019
Keeping a close eye on soil water content in individual fields can help optimize irrigation efficiency. This article explores how to use research-based trigger points for various soil types using soil water content-based sensors or soil matric potential-based sensors. Nebraska research has shown that having 25% more water than needed in the maize root-zone reduced grain yields as much as 15 bu/ac.

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Combining corn
About one-third of the producer corn and soybean fields studied were successful in achieving high yields within irrigated water requirements.

Study: High Crop Yields Are Compatible with Prescribed Irrigation Levels

June 18, 2019
New research from University of Nebraska researchers has found that one-third of studied fields achieved high crop yields without surpassing prescribed irrigation levels.

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Figure 1. Fuel gauges help us determine how long until we need to put fuel in the tank and how much it will hold. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a gauge on your crop to tell you when to irrigate? Learn more about how soil water monitoring equipment can provide you similar information at two workshops on June 19 in Aurora and June 25 in York.

Workshops Focus on Irrigation Scheduling to Save Money, Water Even in Wet Years

June 14, 2019
Installing soil water monitors and making irrigation scheduling decisions based on sensor data will be the focus of two luncheon workshops this month in central Nebraska.

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Planting plots in the 2019 UNL-TAPS program
Figure 1. Planting plots in the 2019 UNL-TAPS program at the West Central Research and Education Center near North Platte. (Photos by Krystle Rhoades)

Hybrid Selection Sets TAPS Contests Up for a Unique Year

May 30, 2019
Competitors in the three divisions of this year's UNL-TAPS contest have selected their seed and seeding rate. Additional research was added this year to look at production functions such as seed selection.

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