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NRD News and Events

Funds Available to Help Restore and Protect Rangeland

Friday, October 22, 2021 - 10:00am

LINCOLN, Neb., Oct. 22, 2021 – Through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Nebraska producers have funding opportunities to help address the spread of invasive woody vegetation on rangeland. Landowners interested in rece...

NRD Hall of Fame Inductees Announced at Husker Harvest Days

Wednesday, September 15, 2021 - 10:00am

Four individuals honored for conservation workLINCOLN, Neb. – During Husker Harvest Days Sept. 15, Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts (NRDs) recognized four individuals, who will be inducted into the NRD Hall of Fame later this month.“Nebraska’s Natural Reso...

EPA Announces $263,000 Grant for Nebraska to Improve Drinking Water for Underserved, Disadvantaged Communities

Friday, August 27, 2021 - 9:30am

(Lenexa, Kan., Aug. 27, 2021) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced the availability of $263,000 in grant funding for Nebraska to improve drinking water for residents in small towns and underserved communities.This funding is part of $25 million in Wa...

Hot topic: Understanding blue-green algae

Sunday, July 11, 2021 - 11:00am

DARYL BAUER Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Jul 11, 2021 Updated Jul 17, 2021It is midsummer, it is hot and that means prime time for blue-green algae blooms.There is not a body of water here that does not have blue-green algae,...

Daily Crop Water Use Data Now Available

Tuesday, July 6, 2021 - 11:00am

A new tool for irrigators to track crop water use and evaporation is now on the Upper Republican NRD website. Near the bottom of the home page at www.urnrd.org is a tab “Weather, Real-Time Rain Amounts, ET and Water Levels” that directs users to the evapotranspiration (E...

Deep dive into Nebraska’s water resources

Wednesday, June 2, 2021 - 11:00am

For a state located in the middle of the continent, Nebraska has an abundance of water — in most years, that is, and in many parts of the state, but not everywhere all the time.The Cornhusker State has more miles of streams and rivers than any other state, and more groundw...

Job Posting: NCORPE Operations Assistant/Rangeland Coordinator

Wednesday, May 26, 2021 - 8:00am

NCORPE24871 S. Lone Star Rd.North Platte, NE 69101308-534-6752 Job Description:Operations Assistant/Rangeland Coordinator: Job Duties: Assist with operation of wellfield and water delivery systems. Help manage seeding operations, assist with range manag...

No health alerts issued yet as NDEE begins weekly public lake sampling

Friday, May 7, 2021 - 11:00am

The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy and its partners have begun weekly sampling of public lakes across Nebraska. This year’s sampling began this week, and no health alerts were issued.This sampling will test for harmful algal blooms, also known as toxic blue-...

Nebraska Tree Canopy in Decline, Planting More Important Than Ever

Monday, February 22, 2021 - 8:00am

Time is running out to order conservation trees from your Natural Resources DistrictLINCOLN, Nebraska – Trees help soften the harsh climate of the Great Plains, but recent weather events are leaving Nebraska communities at-risk of being devoid of trees and their innumerabl...

URNRD Accepting Applications for Probe Cost Share

Monday, January 11, 2021 - 12:00pm

The Upper Republican NRD is accepting applications from irrigators for cost share to encourage the use of soil-moisture probes. The application period will end when all available cost-share funds have been obligated.Application forms are available on the homepage of the URNR...

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Regional/National Water News

Farmers restore native grasslands as groundwater disappears

09/09/2021 - 12:34pm

To avoid Dust Bowl conditions, more farmers are restoring native grasslands in areas where the nation’s largest aquifer is drying up and rainfall is often scarce. By TAMMY WEBBER Associated Press MULESHOE, Texas (AP) — For decades, the Texas Panhandle was green with cotton...Read more

DROUGHT UPDATE: WEST COAST, MIDWEST WATER SUPPLIES DWINDLE

05/28/2021 - 2:55pm

Central Valley Farmers to Get No Allocation Farmers in California’s Central Valley Project will get none of their water allocations in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Urban areas served by the Central Valley Project will receive 25% of their contracted...Read more

Scientists propose irrigation improvements

05/26/2021 - 9:28am

With threats of water scarcity complicating the need to feed a growing global population, it is more important than ever to get crop irrigation right. Overwatering can deplete local water supplies and lead to polluted runoff, while underwatering can lead to sub-optimal crop...Read more

Rising levels of nitrates still contaminating groundwater

03/15/2021 - 8:47am

Nitrate levels in Nebraska’s groundwater are on the rise, especially in portions of Northeast Nebraska. The Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD) has analyzed the nitrate data gathered as part of the routine Groundwater Quality Sampling Program and found some...Read more

Report: Burst pipe at Mead ethanol plant leads to discharge of waste

02/18/2021 - 9:02am

Chris Dunker A frozen pipe burst at the AltEn ethanol plant near Mead early Friday morning, causing waste to spill out of the property and onto a neighboring University of Nebraska-Lincoln research center site. Staff at the Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center,...Read more

More Farmers Are Planting Cover Crops Thanks To State Incentive Programs

02/10/2021 - 8:21am

By DANA CRONIN • JAN 29, 2021 Last month, the Illinois Department of Agriculture opened applications for its second annual Fall Covers for Spring Savings Program -- which provides a crop insurance discount for each acre of cover crop a farmer plants. It filled up in less...Read more

Research shows grazing cover crops can add economic value

01/18/2021 - 12:38pm

By KAY LEDBETTER Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Growing dual-purpose wheat for both grazing and grain production is an important agricultural practice in the Southern Great Plains. But of late, more Texas Rolling Plains producers want to know if alternative systems to...Read more

Contract approved for flood mitigation evaluation

12/25/2020 - 12:40pm

Melanie Wilkinson YORK – The York City Council has agreed to enter into a contract with JEO Consulting Group which will now do a flood mitigation evaluation for the city. This goal of the study is to eventually reduce the size and number of flood plain designations in the...Read more

California Water Futures Begin Trading Amid Fear of Scarcity

12/06/2020 - 3:00pm

Water joined gold, oil and other commodities traded on Wall Street, highlighting worries that the life-sustaining natural resource may become scarce across more of the world. Farmers, hedge funds and municipalities alike are now able to hedge against -- or bet on -- future...Read more

U.S. agricultural water use declining for most crops and livestock production

11/16/2020 - 11:53am

By Marianne Stein URBANA, Ill. – Climate change and a growing world population require efficient use of natural resources. Water is a crucial component in food production, and water management strategies are needed to support worldwide changes in food consumption and...Read more