News & Events

Horizontal Tabs

NRD News and Events

Soil Moisture Probe Cost-Share Now Available

Friday, January 2, 2026

The Upper Republican Natural Resources District is now accepting applications for the 2026 soil moisture probe cost-share program.The program is open to irrigators in the URNRD and will reimburse half the cost of the equipment and services of the probes, up to $1,300 per pro...

USDA Announces Commodity Payment Rates for Farmer Bridge Assistance Program

Thursday, January 1, 2026

Eligible producers to receive pre-filled program applications and payments in FebruaryPublished: December 31, 2025(Washington, D.C., December 31, 2025) – Today, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced the next phase in the Farmer Bridge Assistan...

All About DWEE: Understanding Nebraska's Natural Resources Data Bank

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

The Nebraska Natural Resources Data Bank is like a big library for all things related to Nebraska’s land and water. It's run by the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment (DWEE) and has been around since 1969, established by the Nebraska Legislature. The mai...

Secretary Rollins Announces New Priorities for Research and Development in 2026

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

(Washington, D.C., December 30, 2025) – Today, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins, signed a Secretary’s Memorandum (PDF, 909 KB) that puts forth a focused effort to establish new priorities for future research and development activities funded...

USDA Advances Farm Security Action Plan to Protect U.S. Farmland and Federal Programs from Foreign Adversaries

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Secretary Rollins Announces AFIDA Modernization Comment Period and BioPreferred Eligibility Updates to Put American Producers First(Washington, D.C., December 30, 2025) – As committed to under USDA’s National Farm Security Action Plan (PDF, 1.2 MB) U.S. Se...

Application Deadline for Nitrogen Reduction Payments Moved to Dec. 15

Saturday, September 27, 2025

The application deadline for a program that pays farmers $10-$15 acre if they reduce nitrogen applications by at least 15% or 40lbs/acre in 2026 has been extended to Dec. 15. It was Nov. 15.The same program was offered statewide last year and paid for by the State of Nebrask...

NRD Hall of Fame Inductees Announced at Husker Harvest Days

Thursday, September 11, 2025

LINCOLN, Nebraska – During Husker Harvest Days this morning, Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts (NRDs) recognized three individuals, who will be inducted into the NRD Hall of Fame later this month.“Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts involve many dedicate...

Husker Harvest Days includes Free Trees and Water Testing

Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Three individuals will be inducted into the NRD Hall of FameLINCOLN, Nebraska – Questions about trees, flood control, water quality or cost-share programs? Stop in to visit Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts during Husker Harvest Days Sept. 9-11, 2025.

URNRD Accepting Bids For Used Pickups

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

The Upper Republican NRD is accepting bids from the public for four used vehicles and will enter into agreements to sell them to the highest bidder for each. Bids must be received by the NRD by 4 p.m. on Sept. 8 by hand delivery to the office at 511 E. 5th Street in Imperial...

Officials push for Perkins County Canal despite challenges

Thursday, August 7, 2025

by: George Lauby Nebraska is suing Colorado over the water in the South Platte River in a battle that is expected to be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, state officials announced July 15.The lawsuit aims to clear the way for construction of the Perkins County Canal in...

Pages

Regional/National Water News

U.S. Bureau of Reclamation invests over $33M in drought resiliency projects in the West

07/07/2025

The Bureau of Reclamation is announcing $33.5 million for 14 projects to improve drought resiliency through water treatment, new or improved infrastructure, and implementation of new water management tools and technology . The projects are located in California, Nebraska,...Read more

‘Time for a reckoning.’ Kansas farmers brace for water cuts to save Ogallala Aquifer.

06/13/2024

After decades of local inaction, Kansas lawmakers are pushing for big changes in irrigation. BY: KEVIN HARDY AND ALLISON KITE - THURSDAY JUNE 13, 2024 JETMORE, Kan. — An inch or two of corn peeks out of the dirt, just enough to reveal long rows forming over the horizon...Read more

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Facts Related to Drinking Water

05/23/2024

By Becky Schuerman, Domestic Water/Wastewater Extension Associate In March of 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed new limits on six types of PFAS in drinking water. Of the thousands of PFAS in use, these six are believed to be the most prevalent in...Read more

Let wetland do its job: Filter water

03/28/2024

This landowner devised a unique way to filter water leaving his farmland. Tom J. Bechman , Editor, Indiana Prairie Farmer March 28, 2024 Using wetlands to filter out sediment, nutrients and other materials from water is not a new idea. Natural wetlands have performed this...Read more

A warm winter and lingering drought could set up a tough growing season in the Midwest

03/11/2024

By Kate Grumke | Harvest Public Media As planting season approaches for farmers across the Midwest, large parts of many states are still in a drought. The latest update from the U.S. Drought Monitor shows the upper Mississippi River from Minnesota to Missouri is surrounded...Read more

Finding profitability in cover crops

02/01/2024

Researchers testing whether crops could serve as a renovation tool for hayfields. By Katie Shockley Cover crops and their potential benefits have created widespread interest among producers, yet little data exists to show if diverse cover crops could serve as a successful...Read more

More Midwest states are moving to block foreign ownership of farmland in 2024

02/01/2024

KCUR | By Kate Grumke Published January 22, 2024 at 4:00 AM CST At least 21 states are considering legislation to block foreign companies and individuals from purchasing farmland. The issue has gained momentum in recent years. Worries over foreign ownership of U.S. farmland...Read more

Colorado pledges to play nice as Nebraska plows ahead on $628M canal at the state line

01/18/2024

Though details remain sparse on the new South Platte River project, local water users say, for now, the cornhuskers are entitled to their fair share of the river By: Jerd Smith Nebraska is moving quickly to build a major canal that will take water from the drought-strapped...Read more

Owner of prairie seed farm and a state senator say regulations needed for CO2 pipelines

01/17/2024

Unlike adjacent South Dakota and Iowa, Nebraska lacks state regulations for pipeline routes, setbacks BY: PAUL HAMMEL LINCOLN — On a farm near Western that includes a remnant of the tall-grass prairie that once covered eastern Nebraska, Kay Kottas makes her living...Read more

America Is Using Up Its Groundwater Like There’s No Tomorrow

10/10/2023

GLOBAL WARMING HAS FOCUSED concern on land and sky as soaring temperatures intensify hurricanes, droughts and wildfires. But another climate crisis is unfolding, underfoot and out of view. Many of the aquifers that supply 90 percent of the nation’s water systems, and which...Read more