Irrigation

pivot irrigation system operating in a corn field

Center Pivot Safety, an Essential Part of a Satisfying and Profitable Year

May 7, 2020
Pivots have several potential hazards, making it important to review safety procedures each year with every person on the farm. Every person that will operate the system should read all the safety instructions in the machine’s manual or be trained by a knowledgeable trainer.

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Snowpack on the Snowy Mountain Range that feeds the North Plate River system
Figure 1. Snowpack on the Snowy Mountain Range that feeds the North Plate River system. The US Bureau of Reclamation monitors snowpack to estimate the amount of water in the North Platte Basin likely to be available this growing season. (Photo by Gary Stone)

North Platte River Basin Snow Melt Runoff Update for 2020

April 13, 2020
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Wyoming Area Office has released their forecast for spring snow melt runoff for the North Platte River drainage. The forecast calls for above average snow melt runoff.

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Irrigated soybean in Perkins County, NE (2019).
Irrigated soybean in Perkins County, NE (2019).

Seeding Practices and Nitrogen Management for Western Nebraska Soybean: What Matters and Why

March 30, 2020
Continuous corn is the most common irrigated crop sequence in southwest Nebraska. Although rotating to other crops, such as soybeans, can mitigate some production issues of continuous corn and often boost the next year’s corn yield, larger adoption of soybeans has not readily occurred in this area.

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watering cornfield

Crediting Essential Nutrients Applied in Irrigation Water

December 18, 2019
Crediting some of the nitrate-N applied in irrigation water for determination of fertilizer-N rates has long been advised in Nebraska.

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Researchers with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will use the Arable Mark IOT device to record 40 variables in Nebraska farm fields as part of a research effort to improve data farmers use to determine whether they should irrigate.

Researchers to Tackle Irrigation Decision-making with Help of USDA grant

October 30, 2019
A new federally funded, multi-state research project aims to bridge the gap between data-collection in the field, modeling, and decision-making so crop producers can more easily decide whether to irrigate. The project could help growers save financial and water resources.

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Water is flowing again at the tunnel entrance on the Gering-Fort Laramie and Goshen Irrigation Canal
The Goshen/Gering-Ft Laramie irrigation canal is again supplying water to growers in western Nebraska and eastern Wyoming. (Photo by Gary Stone)

Update on North Platte River Valley Canal Irrigation System

September 13, 2019
With a preliminary fix in place for the Goshen/Gering-Ft Laramie irrigation canal, irrigation district and government officials are now looking at the next steps for ensuring the whole canal can be a consistent source of water for upcoming cropping seasons.

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Water is flowing again in the Gering-Fort Laramie and Goshen Irrigation Canal
Water is flowing again in the Gering-Fort Laramie and Goshen Irrigation Canal and tunnel

Water Flowing Again in the Gering-Fort Laramie and Goshen Irrigation Canal

August 30, 2019
Water began flowing in the Gering-Fort Laramie and Goshen irrigation canal early Aug. 28 for the first time in about six weeks. Repairs to a canal tunnel are enough to allow water flow, but likely are not permanent. Our story includes a slideshow and three time-lapse videos of crops growing in the affected area.

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Field of wheat in the Nebraska Panhandle

UNL-TAPS Expanding To Include Winter Wheat Competition in the Panhandle

August 28, 2019
Winter wheat production is being added to the slate of UNL-TAPS contests for the next year. The competition will debut at a kickoff meeting Friday, September 6, at the High Plains Ag Lab near Sidney.

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