PROGRAM INFORMATION

EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentives Program): Applications for funding assistance and annual payments for funding assistance and annual payments can be taken at your local USDA Service Center.  Deadline for EQIP sign-up is Dec. 14, 2007.

NSWCP (Nebraska Soil & Water Conservation Program): Applications for cost-share assistance can be taken at your local NRCS office.  The next round of approvals for irrigation practices will be Dec. 11, 2007.  Applications must be completed and submitted by Nov. 30, 2007.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Oct. 1 : CNPPID Board of Directors meeting, 9 a.m.
Oct. 8: Columbus Day - Government offices closed.
Oct. 9:  TBNRD Board of Directors meeting, 1:30 p.m.
* Times are tentative

Year-End Useful Information and Tools

I attended the No-till Whirlwind Expo this year near Bladen.  It was loaded with excellent no-till information, from someone just thinking about no-till to a veteran no-tiller.   Plan to attend an expo in 2008; they're well worth it.

No-till on the Plains is an excellent website for no-till information and upcoming events.  There is also a No-till Talk discussion board where you can read and ask questions, trade ideas, etc.  Go to www.notill.org.

NO-TILL@UNL.EDU is a bulk e-mail list created by UNL to share information about no-till.  You will receive e-mails for all questions, answers and information sent to this e-mail address.  For information about signing up, contact Curtis Scheele at 308-995-6121, ext. 3 or at curtis.scheele@ne.usda.gov.

The Holdrege No-till Conference and the Holdrege Water Conference will take place again this January and February.  Dates will be announced this fall.

The Central Plains Irrigation Conference, usually held in February, is an excellent conference to attend.  It has rotated each year between Colby, Kan., Kearney, Neb., and Sterling, Col.  Watch for information on this.  When it's posted, you can find information at www.oznet.ksu.edu/sdi/events/sdievent.htm.

The Water Optimizer tool is a spreadsheet that analyzes alternative water management strategies when water is limited.  It's available at http://extension-water.unl.edu/.  If you don't have access via the Internet, you can call 1-800-755-7765.

Kansas State University's Mobile Irrigation Lab website has lots of good irrigation information and useful tools.  Go to http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/mil/.

Energy Estimator tools can be used to estimate irrigation, nitrogen, and tillage energy costs.  Go to http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/technical/energy/index.html.

Web Soil Survey, version 2.0, was released earlier this year.  All of Nebraska's soil survey information is available online at http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/.

ACROSS THE TRI-BASIN NRD

New Nebraska State Irrigation Specialist:

The Nebraska Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has hired Kelly Kinnison as the new state irrigation water management specialist.  She grew up on a farm northwest of Lexington where irrigated corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa were raised.  The farm's irrigation consisted of both well and canal water.  She says she has personal experience with swinging irrigation pipe and setting water.  She said she has even set siphon tubes, but admits she wasn't that good at it.  She received her degree in agricultural engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is a licensed professional engineer in the State of Nebraska.  While at UNL, she spent time in the Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory.  She has worked for NRCS since 2000.  Kelly will begin work on Nov. 12 and she will be stationed in the Grand Island USDA Service Center.  She fills the void left by Allen Gehring.  Welcome, Kelly!

Final Tri-Basin Irrigator for 2007:

This is the final Tri-Basin Irrigator for 2007, ending its third year.  Hopefully you received helpful information this past season because that's what the publication is for.  If you wish to provide feedback, comments, or would like to see something different next year, let Curtis Scheele know at 308-995-6121, ext. 3, or at curtis.scheele@ne.usda.gov.

Stage of Growth:

Corn (Full dent to black layer stage): Harvest is underway.

Soybeans (R-6.2 full seed to R8 full maturity stage): Soybeans are being harvested.  In wheat harvested fields, soybeans are later, needing 2 to 3 weeks and 2 inches of moisture to reach physiological maturity, depending upon weather.

Irrigation:

Nice, timely rains this year have been a blessing.  This has been a year where close monitoring of the soil moisture and irrigating accordingly can add dollars to the pocket.  Across the NRD, average rainfall from May 15 through Sept. 15 was approximately 16 inches.  A full moisture profile to start the year at 3.5 inches would mean approximately 19.5 inches available to the crop from nature.  Figure corn and soybeans to use about 24 inches.  This leaves a net of 4.5 inches needed from irrigation for the crop this year.  These numbers are general across the NRD and assume 100% effective rain.  However, they do give us a feel for what kind of year it's been moisture-wise and an idea of what one can expect for irrigation usage.

Lake McConaughy is at 26.6% capacity versus 20.7% a year ago. Inflows in the North Platte River at Lewellen are at 542 cfs versus 626 cfs a year ago. Flows in the South Platte River at Roscoe are at 55 cfs versus 0 cfs a year ago.   You can track these flows on Central's web site.

Rainfall:
Rainfall amounts come from NeRAIN which can be found at http://dnrdata.dnr.ne.gov/NeRAIN/index.asp?&.

EVAPOTRANSPIRATION (ET) and GROWING DEGREE DAYS (GDD) INFORMATION
(Crop ET data comes from CNPPID's web site)

Additional ET Information Sites:

KRVN radio broadcasts
KRVN.com
Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District
Water Use Hotline: 1-800-993-2507

Check out these web sites:

"Everyone you meet knows something you don't know.  Be willing to learn from them." - Anonymous

If you would like to receive this newsletter via e-mail, or have any questions, comments or ideas, feel free to contact Curtis Scheele at the NRCS office in Holdrege or your local NRCS office at the addresses or phone numbers listed below.

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