Soil Moisture Sensors

Corn field under center pivot
A water-saving strategy, deficit irrigation represents an important concept in managing water use through irrigation as groundwater depletion rises across the U.S.

The Economics of Deficit Irrigation Utilizing Soil Moisture Probes

December 15, 2023
Cornhusker Economics experts examine the financial impact on producers using a deficit irrigation strategy in corn.

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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.

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Pivot in field
Irrigating a late season soybean field. (Photo by Steve Melvin)

Optimize Those Last Few Irrigations

August 17, 2023
Leaving the field a little drier at the end of the season can help producers save irrigation costs, decrease leaching losses, improve soil conditions for harvest traffic, save water for future years and capture more off-season precipitation.

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Crop sensor
Figure 1. Early installation of sensors helps minimize root and leaf damage and makes it easy to get around the field with the pickup or ATV to install the equipment.

Study Reviews Farmer Irrigation Scheduling Tendencies in Dry Years

June 8, 2023
Many producers in Nebraska will need to irrigate in June to refill the soil profile before high water demand begins in July, but there are numerous factors to consider when calculating the appropriate irrigation amounts.

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Angela Knuth and NASA members
Figure 1. Angela Knuth shows some of the NASA team the current technology that they use and ways that she would like to see improvements to increase efficiency on the farm.

NASA’s Earth Sciences Division Visits Nebraska Farms

September 7, 2022
The Space for Ag tour brought NASA scientists and Nebraska farmers together to collaborate on new ways NASA technology and tools can support the agriculture industry.

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Soil water sensor
Figure 1. Early installation of sensors helps to minimize root and leaf damage and makes it easy to get around the field with the pickup or ATV to install the equipment.

Study Reviews Farmer Irrigation Scheduling Tendencies in Central Nebraska

June 15, 2022
While a recent study revealed that irrigators tend to overwater on wetter years, extension experts recommend data-driven decisions for optimizing yields, saving water and lowering cost of production.  

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Pivot irrigation

Scheduling the Last Few Irrigations of the Season Deserves More of Your Management Time Than Earlier Irrigations

August 19, 2021
University of Nebraska irrigation scheduling recommendations encourage irrigators to allow crops to continue using more of the stored soil water starting in August and continuing into September when the crop matures.

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Sorghum plant in field

TAPS Program Makes Plans for 2021, Including Change to Sorghum Competition

January 4, 2021
The Testing Ag Performance Solutions (TAPS) program is looking for participants for the 2021 competition as it tailors the upcoming season to accommodate new technologies, methods and practices in farm management.

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