News & Events

Horizontal Tabs

NRD News and Events

Large Solar-Energy Proposal On NCORPE To Be Presented To NRD Board

Monday, February 10, 2025

The Upper Republican NRD Board of Directors will be presented with plans for a solar-energy project on NCORPE land in Lincoln County in advance of a final NCORPE vote on the project expected Feb. 19. The public is invited to attend and provide input.If approved by the NCORPE...

URNRD Launches 2025 Probe Cost Share Program

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Applications to receive cost share for soil-moisture probes used in 2025 are now being accepted by the Upper Republican NRD. Under the program, irrigators in Perkins, Dundy and Chase Counties are reimbursed for half the cost of up to three soil-moisture probes.Use of soil-mo...

Luncheon, Meeting Will Inform Farmers of Nitrogen Management and Payments

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Imperial, Neb. – A free luncheon and meeting will be held at 10 a.m. on Jan. 10 at the Nutrien building at the Chase County Fairgrounds to inform farmers of state payments available for reducing nitrogen applications, and technologies and products to help them achiev...

NDEE accepting applications for ONE RED Irrigation Engine Program

Thursday, November 14, 2024

LINCOLN, Neb. — The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) announces the opening of the 2024-2025 ONE RED Irrigation Engine Program. Applications are now being accepted for rebates to assist farmers with the replacement of agricultural irrigation pump d...

NRDs Now Taking Orders for Spring Tree Seedlings

Friday, November 1, 2024

LINCOLN, Nebraska – Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts (NRDs) are now accepting orders for conservation tree seedlings for spring planting. By ordering early, you can secure your preferred species and make a lasting contribution to the environment.Since 1972, Nebrask...

NRD Hall of Fame Inductees Announced at Husker Harvest Days

Monday, September 16, 2024

Three individuals honored for conservation workLINCOLN, Nebraska – During Husker Harvest Days Wednesday, Sept. 11, Nebraska’s Natural Resources Districts (NRDs) recognized three individuals, who will be inducted into the NRD Hall of Fame later this month.“Nebraska...

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,...

Pages

Regional/National Water News

Drought drops Platte River to one of its lowest levels in decade in Nebraska

07/30/2022

By: Nancy Gaarder Stunning images of a virtually dry Platte River near Columbus are yet another reminder of the grip that drought has had on the region. That stretch of river dropped this week to one of its lowest levels in about a decade, said Jeremy Gehle, water...Read more

The Perfect Storm: Now’s the Time to Safeguard Your Soil

05/16/2022

By JENNA HOFFMAN May 16, 2022 A dust storm rippled through the Midwest late last week, followed by rain in some parts and continued heat in others. The Great Plains is no stranger to this weather phenomenon, but producers up north are less familiar with it. Images of the...Read more

KGS report indicates 2021 drained Kansas groundwater levels

03/23/2022

By Sarah Motter LAWRENCE, Kan. (WIBW) - A new report from the Kansas Geological Survey , based at KU, found that groundwater levels have dropped by over a foot in western and central Kansas. The University of Kansas says preliminary data gathered by the Kansas Geological...Read more

Grasslands need protection now

03/13/2022

North America's grasslands are one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world. By Jacob Hanson The grade school textbooks in my rural, northern Minnesota classroom raised an issue that led to lunchroom table talk over a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Rainforests were...Read more

Farmers restore native grasslands as groundwater disappears

09/09/2021

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

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