Corn, water and the Nebraska Agricultural Water Management Network

By Kelly Brunkhorst, Director of Research for the Nebraska Corn Board

Approximately 70 percent of the corn
produced in Nebraska receives some water
from irrigation (this figure is less than 14 percent
nationally). Water is only applied when
needed, depending on rainfall.

With Nebraska's corn crop quickly advancing and soon surpassing the “knee high by the Fourth of July” mark (well ahead of the Fourth!), farmers are beginning to look at the next stage of crop growth and irrigation of this year’s corn acres.

As farmers who have access to supplemental water begin to wrestle with when to begin irrigating, the University of Nebraska Extension has some great information and helpful tools to consider.

With today’s technology, corn farmers from across the state have the opportunity to continue efficient use of water through the use of evapotranspiration (ET) gauges, water mark sensors and being part of the Nebraska Agricultural Water Management Network (NAWMN) – just to mention a few.

Not utilizing these great technologies but want to find out more information?

The University of Nebraska has some great websites and information that assist in this easy to use technology. Look here, here or here for various articles on ET gauges and crop water use.

Farmers have become significantly more
efficient with water use – and are using less water
while producing more corn. Technology like watermark
sensors and ET gauges, along with new research,
make a significant impact.

In addition, the Nebraska Corn Board’s CornsTalk newsletter (.pdf) dedicated an issue last July to various research conducted across the state to highlight the savings farmers can see with the adoption of different irrigation strategies. (For a blog post on the newsletter, click here.)

As with any job, being part of a larger network provides the opportunity to continue to learn and gain valuable information.

Started in 2005, NAWMN enables the transfer of quality research information to farmers through demonstration projects and implementation of newer technologies to enhance water efficiency. Currently, NAWMN consists of more than 500 farmers across the state who, working alongside UNL Extension Education, have adopted various technologies as described above, along with assisting other farmers with valuable crop water use.

New this year, Gary Zoubek, UNL Extension Educator in York County, will be providing weekly podcasts that highlight crop water use. Consider taking advantage of these and other opportunities to become more efficient with every drop.