PROGRAM INFORMATION

EQIP, WHIP, WRP, CREP, CONTINUOUS CRP and SAFE:  Applications for funding assistance or annual payments can be taken at your local USDA Service Center.

NSWCP: Applications for cost-share assistance can be taken any time at your local NRCS office.  August 26 is the application cutoff date in order to be reviewed for approval at the TBNRD's September meeting.  Irrigation, non-irrigation and flow meter applications will be reviewed in September.  The next time irrigation applications will be reviewed for approval will be at the December meeting.  Flow meter and non-irrigation applications will continue to be reviewed monthly.  Flow meters cost-shared through NSWCP are required to read in acre-inches and cannot have a resettable totalizer.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Aug. 4: CNPPID Board of Directors meeting, 9:00 AM
Aug. 6: South Central Ag Lab Field Day. Link to http://cropwatch.unl.edu/archives/2008/crop17/event_scal.htm.
Aug. 12: TBNRD Board of Directors meeting, 1:30 PM
Aug. 12-15: Soybean Management Field Days. Link to http://cropwatch.unl.edu/archives/2008/crop17/event_smfd.htm
Sept. 3: Irrigation and Energy Conservation Field Day.  Link to http://events.unl.edu/ianr/2008/9/3/

Water to the Crops per Gravity Set?

How much water are you actually getting to the crops with one irrigation set?  The answer to this question starts with your flow meter.  Knowing this answer will give you more accurate information that can be used in your irrigation water management program.  With crop prices where they are, one would not want to rob the crop of water.  With fuel prices where they are, one would not want to pump more water than what is needed.

So, with your flow meter, the first thing to do is to determine the rate at which water is being pumped through the irrigation system.  If a propeller-type flow meter is being used, you need to time the odometer to get a more accurate pumping rate.

I have worked up two examples that are shown below.  One example is for a flow meter that reads in gallons and the other is for a flow meter that reads in acre-inches.  In these examples, we will assume no water losses to friction, leaky gates, nor leaky gaskets.

If you would like to know how much water you are applying and do not have a flow meter or just have some questions about this, you can call Curtis Scheele at 308-995-6121, ext. 3.

ACROSS THE TRI-BASIN NRD

Irrigation Strategies Field Tours Scheduled

Too much water costs extra money; too little water reduces yields.  How do you get the optimum amount of water?  Attend one of the following tours to learn about irrigation strategies.

-- Aug. 5 at 6 p.m., Alma.  1/4 mile south of junction of U.S. Highway 183 and Highway 42A (Huntley Road).  Tour starts on east side.

-- Aug. 11 at 6 p.m., Axtell.  3-3/4 miles north of junction of U.S. Highway 6 and 24 Road (1 mile east of Axtell).  Starts on east side.

-- Aug. 14 at 2 p.m., Edison.  1/8 mile east of intersection of Roads 728 and 432.  South side.

-- Aug. 15 at 10 a.m., Edison.  Repeat of Aug. 14 tour.  See above.

-- Aug. 19 at 10 a.m., Loomis.  1/4 mile east of intersection of 733 Road and E Road.  North side.

-- Aug. 28 at 5 p.m., Upland.  6 miles east of junction of Highway 4 and Highway 10 near 38 Road.  South side of Highway 4.

There are other tours located further from the Tri-Basin NRD.  They are near Gothenburg, Ainsworth, Imperial, Benkelman and Curtis.  If you want more information about any of these tours, contact Steve Melvin at (308) 367-4424.

Stage of Growth:

Corn (Silking (R1) to milk (R3) stage):  Corn is drawing moisture from the third foot of the root zone.  Environmental stress - especially moisture stress - at the silking stage causes poor pollination and seed set.  Stress at the milk stage, although not as severe as at silking, can still have a profound effect on yield.  As kernals mature, yield reduction from stress becomes less.

Soybeans (Beginning bloom (R1) to full pod (R4) stage): Beans at the beginning pod stage are taking moisture from the third foot of the root zone.  Full pod makrs the most crucial period of plant development in terms of seed yield determination.  Environmental stress from R4 to to shortly after R6 (full seed) will reduce yields more than at any other period of development.  Stressful conditions from R1 through R3 generally do not reduce yields because some flowers can still be produced until about R5 (beginning seed).

Irrigation:

We have missed some promising rains.  With the peak water use season underway, irrigation is in force.  Using the atmometers over the last week, corn at silking/blister/milk stages have been averaging about 0.22 inches per day of water use.  Soybeans over the last week have been averaging about 0.18 inches per day at beginning bloom to 0.22 inches per day at full pod.

Lake McConaughy is at 37.6% capacity versus 30.3% a year ago. Inflows to Lake McConaughy are 564 cfs compared with 429 cfs a year ago.  Flows in the South Platte River at North Platte are 110 cfs compared with 278 a year ago.  You can track these flows on Central's web site.

Rainfall:
The following rainfall amounts (inches) come from NeRAIN which can be found at NeRAIN.

Nebraska Water Management Demonstration Network (NAWMDN) Crop ET Information
Additional atmometer sites and Weather Station Data can be found on CNPPID's website

Inches of Crop Water Use (ET) = Evaporation x Kc

Crop Coefficients (Kc)

Additional ET Information Sites:

Nebraska Water Management Demonstration Network (NAWMDN) Sites
KRVN radio broadcasts
KRVN.com
Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District
Water Use Hotline: 1-800-993-2507

Check out these web sites:

"Of all the crafts, to be an honest man is the master craft." - John Ray (1627-1705), English naturalist

If you would like to receive this newsletter via e-mail, or have any questions, comments or ideas, feel free to contact Curtis Scheele at the NRCS office in Holdrege or your local NRCS office at the addresses or phone numbers listed below.

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