Nebraska Agricultural Water Management Demonstration NetworkSuat Irmak, Principal Investigator and Coordinator |
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Maximizing the net benefits of irrigated crop production through an appropriately designed agricultural water management program is of growing importance in Nebraska because many areas in the state are involved in significant management changes to conserve irrigation water. Growers are challenged to practice conservation practices, reduce runoff and other losses from irrigation, and increase crop water use efficiency while meeting the crop water requirements for maximum net return. This project is designed for, and expected to, increasing the adoption of newer technologies that will help farmers conserve water and energy resources associated with irrigated crop production. Our project has established a system for testing cutting-edge technologies and create a network with growers, UNL Extension, NRDs, NRCS, and crop consultants, and other interested partners, that will enable the adoption of water and energy conservation practices. Education and information about the use of appropriate technologies are being disseminated to agriculture professionals and irrigators through a "Nebraska Agricultural Water Management Demonstration Network" (NAWMDN), which was established in early 2005 in partnership between UNL Extension and Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District (UBBNRD). The state Natural Resources Conservation District (NRCS) became a valuable partner in this Network in 2006. Our demonstration projects started in the UBBNRD and will be extended to other parts of the state in 2007. |
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progress and accomplishments As a starting point, the demonstration and education Network was initiated in the UBBNRD district in south central Nebraska in 2005. The UBBNRD has a million acres of irrigated cropland which is the largest of all of the NRDs in the state. With over 12,000 irrigation wells, saving one inch of irrigation water in this area would reduce pumping of groundwater by 27.1 billion gallons (3.6X109 ft3). With current diesel fuel price, this would result in about $5 million savings in energy cost due to reduced pumping in this district alone. In the first year of the NAWMDN, 20 growers joined the Network as collaborators. As a first step, field demonstration sites were established in growers' fields in May of 2005 (Figure 1). |
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| Figure 1. Some of the ETgage and Watermark sensors demonstration sites in the growers fields in south central Nebraska in 2005 and 2006. |
Sensors were installed at 12, 24, and 36-in. depths between corn plants. |
One ETgage and 4 Watermark sensors were installed in each field every 12 inches up to 4 ft deep in the soil profile. Some of the ETgage and Watermark sensors were read by the growers and some by the Network core group members on a weekly basis. The first year results and collaborations with growers yielded excellent outputs. The NAWMDN team organized several meetings during the growing season to implement the project, review the results, assess the progress made, set future goals, and obtain feedback from the growers on the demonstrations. The project progress, findings, accomplishments, and future goals and objectives were presented at the Corn Growers Association Field Days and Crop Tip Demonstration Field Day organized by the UBBNRD in August 2005, and other local and regional meetings. The NAWMDN progress and accomplishments were featured in the September 2005 issue of Nebraska Farmer, UNL Extension Connect newsletter, August 2006 and July issue of the Upper Big Blue NRD newsletter. |
Another significant outcome of 2005 demonstrations was a significant increase in grower interest in joining the NAWMDN. As of August 2006, the network has over 60 growers as collaborators. In one-on-one interactions with the growers during the growing season in 2005, we received feedback and discussed the program, and assessed and identified the points on how to improve the Network and procedures. Some growers reported between 2 to 3 inches of irrigation water savings when they used the ETgage and Watermark sensors to make irrigation management decisions. The first year exposed growers to the Watermark sensors and the ETgage for monitoring soil water status and crop water use. The UBBNRD is currently cost sharing 50% of the ETgage and Watermark sensors for their growers in their district. In the cost share program, growers are required to report their weekly crop water data back to the Network to be posted on the web site. The collaborators report their weekly crop water use and crop growth stage to the Network and the information for all demonstration sites is posted in the UBBNRD web site (http://www.upperbigblue.org). The user can click on each numbered location (demonstration site) to view the weekly crop water use for corn or soybeans. The main objective of posting the crop water use data on the web page is to share the information with the other growers, crop consultants, and other users. Table 1. An example of weekly crop water use, crop coefficient, and crop growth stage information for one of the demonstration sites in the Nebraska Agricultural Water Management Demonstration Network (NAWMDN) as it appears in the UBBNRD web page. Site #35 2006 Nebraska Agricultural Water Management Demonstration Network-ET Gage Data, York County (Acrobat Reader required) |
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TOOLS/SENSORS USED The type of existing and/or newer technologies is critical to the success of the project. Tools that are selected should be accurate, but easy to understand and operate; the data gathered from these tools should not be difficult to interpret. Atmometers (ETgage, Figure 2) were used to monitor crop water use in the NAWMDN. An Atmometer (ETgage) is one of the alternative tools that can be used to mimic ET rates and this information can be utilized for irrigation management. The simplicity of the use and interpretation of the ETgage data, as well as the economical feasibility, makes it easy for farmers to monitor their own crop water use and irrigation practices. For more information on the Atmometers (ETgage) see the UNL Extension NebGuide G05-1579, Modified Atmometers (ETgage) for Irrigation Management. |
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CONTACT INFORMATION for the NAWMDNGrowers, crop consultants, state and federal water regulatory agencies, and other interested partners can contact one of the following members of the Network if they would like to sign up and be a part of the demonstration and education efforts. |
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Pictures from Network progress and activities |
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| The sensors were assembled before installation in the grower's fields. We met at the UNL Extension 4-H Building in York, NE. Gluing the sensors to the PVC pipe made for easy installation and extraction at the end of the season. | |
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Varying length of
pipe was cut to ensure consistent depth placement. |
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| As sensors were installed, soil samples for analysis of texture and organic matter content were also taken. | |
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| An important aspect of the project was to ensure that on-site, one-to-one instruction with each grower was provided. Growers were shown how to use the ETgage to collect and interpret the data for irrigation management. | |
