irrigation – Views from VanDeWalle

NE Ag Water Management Network

May 13, 2016 Brandy VanDeWalle

Planting has been well underway and hopefully we will receive timely rainfall this growing season with little need to irrigate. If you have irrigated ground and are looking for ways to save money, reduce nutrient loss and use less water, consider joining the Nebraska Agricultural Water Management Network, or NAWMN. I’ve been in Extension for nearly eleven years and a program I’ve been involved with that has been a very rewarding program and made a positive impact for many is the Nebraska Agricultural Water Watermark Sensors Management Network, or NAWMN. Evaluation results have shown a one to two inch savings of irrigation since it’s inception. In 2005, only a few producers in the Upper Big Blue NRD, (shortly followed by the Little Blue NRD) were participating, but as of last fall, this program has reached 1,393 in 18 NRDs and 73 of 93 counties. The Network has been having significant impacts on both water and energy conservation due to farmers adopting information and implementing technologies in their irrigation management.

A couple of the tools we use are ETgages® or Atmometers which mimic crop evapotranspiration or ET and Watermark soil matrix sensors which measure soil matric potential or the energy required to remove water from the soil. These two tools have really worked well and have made irrigation management much easier than those gut feelings. The more information you have the better decisions you can make! ETgage

If you would like to participate in this dynamic program, let me know and I’d be happy to help and get you started! If you are in the NAWMN, consider installing your ETgage soon and once done with planting, start the soaking/drying cycle on your Watermark sensors to be sure they work! It’s also important to replace the #54 alfalfa canvas covers and wafers on a regular basis at the start of each season. For more information, go to Nebraska Extension’s Water Website.

Crops, Irrigation

Crop ET Weekly Report

June 7, 2013 Brandy VanDeWalle

Hopefully producers won’t have to irrigate as much this year as they did in 2012, but I’d like you to consider joining a program that can not only improve your irrigation efficiency, but reduce nutrient loss and save you money! I’ve been in Extension for nearly eight years and a program I’ve been involved with that has been a very rewarding program and made a positive impact for many is the Nebraska Agricultural Water Management Network, or NAWMN . My colleague, Gary Zoubek tracks the evaluation results and shared that in 2005 only a few producers in the Upper Big Blue NRD, (shortly followed by the Little Blue NRD) were participating, but this program has now grown to over 800 producers across the state and I’m sure we’ll add another 100 or 200 more this season!

As I have done the past couple of years, I plan to report the weekly ET in my weekly columns. The ETgage I check is in the center of the county, just south of Geneva; hopefully it will help others become aware or have an idea what the local ET is.

The ETgage I check outside of Geneva changed 1.4 inches for the week of May 31-June 7^th. Corn in the V-4 stage has a coefficient of .18”. To calculate how much water, corn at V-4 stage used you simply multiply .18” x 1.4” for a weekly use of .25” or .04 inches/day. Corn approaching V-6 would have used .49”/week or .07” per day.

Producers with Watermark sensors, which monitor the amount of water available in the soil profile should get them installed soon. Watermark sensors are installed early in the growing season at 1’, 2’, 3’ and in some case 4’ depths!

For more information about ETgages and Watermark sensors, check out the NAWMN website.

Irrigation

Prepare for Irrigation Season

May 14, 2011May 16, 2011 Brandy VanDeWalle

As the 2011 growing season is underway, we hope that irrigation is a long ways away, but if you are a part of the Nebraska Agricultural Water Management Network (NAWMN), you will need to get those watermark sensors out and start soaking and drying them to determine if they are reading as they should be. Check that ET gage canvas cover and the ceramic plate to be sure it works. If you are not a part of this excellent program which saves not only water but money you might be wondering what these tools are and what the NAWMN program is all about. The network which started in 2005 with only a few producers has grown to over 500 producers across Nebraska and will gain even more this growing season.

The tools used and mentioned above are the ETgage® or Atmometer which mimics crop evapotranspiration or ET rates and the Watermark soil matrix sensors which measure soil matric potential. This information along with crop stage of growth can help determine when to irrigate. These two tools have worked well and have made irrigation management much easier than gut feelings. The more information you have the better decisions you can make! As soon as the crops grow it will be time to install Watermark sensors to monitor soil water status. It’s important to soak and dry them a couple of times before installing them each year. They should read 5 or less when completely wet.

For more information or installation tips, check out this web site. At this site you can check out the videos and publications. While at the site, also check out the on-line ETgage site. Participants the past few years have reported saving 2 inches of water/acre for both corn and soybeans with little or no effect on yields. Two inches represents a water savings of about 7 million gallons of water for a typical 130 acre center pivot. With today’s fuel prices these energy savings are significant! These tools are not costly and check with the NRDs if cost share funds are still available. I’d be happy to work with you this season and can be contacted at the office at 402-759-3712 or bvandewalle2@unl.edu.