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NRD News and Events

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...

NDEE extends deadline to request free nitrate sample kits

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

LINCOLN, Neb. — The Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (NDEE) is extending the deadline for Nebraskans to request a free nitrate sample kit and lab analysis.Sample kits can now be requested through March 1, 2024, or until funds are expended. The free nitrat...

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Regional/National Water News

‘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

Nebraska Water Center researchers conduct statewide project to characterize nitrogen transformation beneath ground surface

08/12/2023

Surface soil, the deeper vadose zone, and groundwater are all interconnected and of particular importance due to Nebraska’s agricultural practices and reliance on groundwater for multiple uses. The vadose zone refers to the unsaturated zone above the water table, where...Read more