Farm & Ranch

July 3, 2008

No-Till Notes

Six Inches, Part III

By Mark Watson

Panhandle No-Till Educator

In my last article I discussed soil moisture in a four-foot soil profile. I also pointed out that we receive enough moisture during the fallow periods for corn and dry edible beans to fill the soil profile to a depth of four feet, holding approximately six inches of moisture given the moisture holding capacities of our soil. During the long dormant period for winter wheat from October to April, we receive 2.52 inches of moisture in addition to the 1.4 inches of moisture during September for a total of 3.92 inches. I also feel it is very important to try to end each irrigation season with as little moisture as possible in your four foot soil profile. If you leave excess moisture in the soil profile, this will be moisture wasted as the precipitation received during the fallow period will be lost through the soil profile due to the excess moisture. If we look at our total water requirement for corn of 23-25 inches per year, how can we fill this transpiration and evaporation requirement in our semi-arid environment? We can start our growing season off with a full soil profile of six inches of moisture. Add to this is the precipitation received during the growing season from May to September. The average precipitation received during this time is 11.02 inches. This brings our total moisture from the soil stored and rainfall to 17.02 inches. For the winter wheat crop we have the moisture from September through March, the length of the crop establishment and dormancy period, of 3.92 inches. During the growing season from April until the end of June we receive 7.33 inches of moisture. This brings our total moisture from the time of planting through the growing season to 11.25 inches. Our crop moisture requirement for winter wheat is 17-18 total inches. The dry edible bean crop moisture requirement is 15-16 inches. We should plant into a full soil profile of six inches of moisture stored in the soil. During the growing season from June until the end of August we receive on average 6.75 inches of moisture. This brings our total moisture for the bean crop to 12.75 inches. If we add our six inches of irrigation to these crops, our total moisture for the crops including soil moisture stored, precipitation from Mother Nature, and our irrigation is 23.02 inches for the corn, 17.25 inches for the winter wheat, and 18.75 inches for the dry edible beans. All of these totals are within the total evaporation and transpiration requirements for the individual crops and in the case of the dry edible beans actually exceeds the moisture requirements.

For a more detailed story see the print edition.

July 3, 2008

Hemingford Couple Among Pioneer Winners

OMAHA — The Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben and the Nebraska Fair Managers Association recently announced the 185 honorees for the 2008 Pioneer Farm Family Awards. LaVerne and Steven Keane of Hemingford were selected in Box Butte County. In order to qualify for this distinction, members of the same family must have owned a parcel of land consecutively for at least 100 years. Since its inception, 52 years ago, more than 7,000 families have been granted this award from across the region. Each honoree receives an engraved plaque and gatepost marker as permanent recognition of this milestone.

For a more detailed story see the print edition.

USDA Announces New Area Director

SCOTTSBLUFF — The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development has announced Brenda Darnell as the Area Director of western Nebraska. "Brenda is a great asset to our Rural Development team,” stated State Director Scot Blehm, USDA Rural Development. “She has worked in the financial services field for a number of years which rural, western Nebraska is sure to benefit from.” Darnell received her Masters Degree in Business Administration and Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyo.

For a more detailed story see the print edition.

UPDATED 07/03/2008 3:36 PM ... HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!! HAVE A FUN AND SAFE HOLIDAY WEEKEND --- FIND OUT MORE IN THE PRINT EDITION OR SUBSCRIBE TO OUR ONLINE EDITION




COMMUNITY LINKS Moving to Box Butte County Visiting Box Butte County City of Alliance City Data for Alliance City of Hemingford Box Butte County Churches Alliance Public Schools St. Agnes Academy Hemingford Schools BNSF Crew Caller White Pages Yellow Pages Local Map and Directions LIFESTYLE LINKS WebMD Sudoko Online Parenting AG LINKS Complete Hourly Local Weather Daily WESTCO Weather Camera Livestock & Grain Market News Fruits & Vegetable Market News Crop Watch UNL Extension in Box Butte County Panhandle Research & Extension Center UNL Agricultural Reserach & Development Center UNL High Plains Ag Lab ONE STOP Wheat Information Extension Crop Management Workshops Institute of Agriculture & Natural Resources Pesticide Education Resources National Drought Mitigation Center Crop Protection Clinics Market Journal UNL Department of Agranony Variety Testing The High Plains Regional Climate Center The Nebraska Agriculatural Statistics Service	During the afternoon of June 20, the Imigs loaded 39 Hereford cows and their calves onto a truck headed for Chicago. From Chicago, these cows will be loaded onto a plane headed for Kazakhstan, a trip that will take around 17 hours. Kazakhstan is a large country in Asia bordering both China and Russia. July 3, 2008 No-Till Notes Six Inches, Part III By Mark Watson Panhandle No-Till Educator In my last article I discussed soil moisture in a four-foot soil profile. I also pointed out that we receive enough moisture during the fallow periods for corn and dry edible beans to fill the soil profile to a depth of four feet, holding approximately six inches of moisture given the moisture holding capacities of our soil. During the long dormant period for winter wheat from October to April, we receive 2.52 inches of moisture in addition to the 1.4 inches of moisture during September for a total of 3.92 inches. I also feel it is very important to try to end each irrigation season with as little moisture as possible in your four foot soil profile. If you leave excess moisture in the soil profile, this will be moisture wasted as the precipitation received during the fallow period will be lost through the soil profile due to the excess moisture. If we look at our total water requirement for corn of 23-25 inches per year, how can we fill this transpiration and evaporation requirement in our semi-arid environment? We can start our growing season off with a full soil profile of six inches of moisture. Add to this is the precipitation received during the growing season from May to September. The average precipitation received during this time is 11.02 inches. This brings our total moisture from the soil stored and rainfall to 17.02 inches. For the winter wheat crop we have the moisture from September through March, the length of the crop establishment and dormancy period, of 3.92 inches. During the growing season from April until the end of June we receive 7.33 inches of moisture. This brings our total moisture from the time of planting through the growing season to 11.25 inches. Our crop moisture requirement for winter wheat is 17-18 total inches. The dry edible bean crop moisture requirement is 15-16 inches. We should plant into a full soil profile of six inches of moisture stored in the soil. During the growing season from June until the end of August we receive on average 6.75 inches of moisture. This brings our total moisture for the bean crop to 12.75 inches. If we add our six inches of irrigation to these crops, our total moisture for the crops including soil moisture stored, precipitation from Mother Nature, and our irrigation is 23.02 inches for the corn, 17.25 inches for the winter wheat, and 18.75 inches for the dry edible beans. All of these totals are within the total evaporation and transpiration requirements for the individual crops and in the case of the dry edible beans actually exceeds the moisture requirements. For a more detailed story see the print edition. July 3, 2008 Hemingford Couple Among Pioneer Winners OMAHA — The Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben and the Nebraska Fair Managers Association recently announced the 185 honorees for the 2008 Pioneer Farm Family Awards. LaVerne and Steven Keane of Hemingford were selected in Box Butte County. In order to qualify for this distinction, members of the same family must have owned a parcel of land consecutively for at least 100 years. Since its inception, 52 years ago, more than 7,000 families have been granted this award from across the region. Each honoree receives an engraved plaque and gatepost marker as permanent recognition of this milestone. For a more detailed story see the print edition. USDA Announces New Area Director SCOTTSBLUFF — The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development has announced Brenda Darnell as the Area Director of western Nebraska. "Brenda is a great asset to our Rural Development team,” stated State Director Scot Blehm, USDA Rural Development. “She has worked in the financial services field for a number of years which rural, western Nebraska is sure to benefit from.” Darnell received her Masters Degree in Business Administration and Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyo. For a more detailed story see the print edition.


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