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NRD News and Events

USDA Providing Funds to Protect and Restore Agricultural Working Lands, Grasslands and Wetlands across Nebraska

Wednesday, September 4, 2024

Applications due October 4, November 15, and December 20, 2024 at USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Offices.September 4, 2024 – USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is now accepting applications for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program...

A Nebraska Solution

Friday, July 5, 2024

By Kris PollyNebraska’s Legislative Bill 962, passed in 2004, was a decisive step toward better water management—and it is one that other states can learn from. In this month’s cover story, we speak with Tom Riley, the director of the Nebraska Department of Natural Res...

USDA Reminds Nebraska Producers to File Crop Acreage Reports

Tuesday, June 18, 2024

Lincoln, Nebraska, June 18, 2024 – Agricultural producers in Nebraska should make an appointment with their local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office as soon as possible to complete crop acreage reports before the applicable deadline after planting is complete. The...

Dams Protect Lives and Property During Intense Rainstorms

Thursday, May 23, 2024

LINCOLN, Nebraska – Amid a series of intense rainstorms, eastern Nebraska faced a deluge that brought up to 10 inches of rain within hours. Thanks to a network of floodwater-reduction dams, lives were saved, and property damage was significantly mitigated. These dams,...

NRDs Help Commemorate Arbor Day with Concolor Fir Planting at State Capitol

Monday, April 29, 2024

LINCOLN, Nebraska – Joined by esteemed guests including Lt. Governor Joe Kelly and representatives from the Nebraska Forest Service, Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, Arbor Day Foundation, and Lincoln Parks and Recreation, Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts (NRDs) celebr...

Nebraska’s NRDs Advocate for Conservation Funding in Washington, D.C.

Thursday, March 28, 2024

LINCOLN, Nebraska – Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts (NRDs) were represented by nearly 50 directors and staff in Washington, D.C., March 18-20, 2024.Nebraska’s NRDs advocate for strengthening tools to preserve and fund natural resources projects, which includes e...

Nebraska Cooperative Council Partners with NRDs on Producer Connect

Friday, March 22, 2024

LINCOLN, Nebraska – Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts (NRDs) are pleased to announce a new collaboration with Nebraska Cooperative Council on the development of a groundbreaking web and mobile application suite, Producer Connect. Producer Connect is designed to empo...

Nebraska unveils state's first Climate Action Plan, aims to reduce emissions by over 30%

Monday, March 11, 2024

Andrew Wegley Nebraska submitted the state's first Climate Action Plan to federal regulators earlier this month, outlining voluntary and incentive-based programs aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other harmful air pollutants in the state.The...

USDA Announces Conservation Reserve Program General Signup for 2024

Monday, March 4, 2024

LINCOLN, Nebraska, March 4, 2024 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that agricultural producers and private landowners can begin signing up for the general Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) starting March 4 and running through March 29, 2024. This conse...

NRDs Taking Orders for Spring Conservation Tree Plantings

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Conservation Tree Windbreaks Provide Critical Livestock ProtectionLINCOLN, Nebraska – Nebraska's Natural Resources Districts (NRDs) are actively taking orders for conservation tree seedlings, and the deadline to order is fast approaching. Secure your favorite species and m...

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Regional/National Water News

DROUGHT UPDATE: WEST COAST, MIDWEST WATER SUPPLIES DWINDLE

05/28/2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ogallala Aquifer’s shallowness has meant growers have to adjust

07/25/2020

Editor's Note The following is excerpted notes from Rocky Mountain Farmers Union Director of Communications Bob Kjelland who visited with Timothy Pautler, a third-generation family farmer and irrigator who lives at Stratton, Colorado, and serves on multiple boards and he...Read more