Tri-State Neighbor: South Dakota Farm Newspaper

LINCOLN, Neb. - Nebraska's continued drought and water problems are challenging but also represent an opportunity to improve irrigation and soil management practices, a University of Nebraska soil scientist said at the Agronomy and Horticulture Highlights program.

Gary Hergert, nutrient management and soil quality specialist at the university's Panhandle Research and Extension Center at Scottsbluff, Neb., spoke Dec. 2 at the annual meeting hosted by UNL's Department of Agronomy and Horticulture. The meeting features the department's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources research, teaching and Extension programs.

In his presentation, "Limited Irrigation - Crisis or Opportunity," Hergert said drought is part of broader water worries for Nebraska irrigators. Laws, regulations and policies governing irrigation water use and distribution are major concerns.

Parts of the state are in the fourth or fifth year of drought and 2005 is likely to bring limits on irrigation in these areas because less water will be available.

"It will take three or four years just to get out of this drought," Hergert said.

To cope with water limits and dry conditions, producers may want to consider making management changes that best fit their operation. These include improving irrigation scheduling, upgrading center pivot components, such as more efficient nozzles, and improving overall irrigation efficiency.

It also may be wise to fine-tune crop and soil management, including reducing the number of irrigated acres, limiting irrigation on all acres or changing cropping systems, tillage and other conservation factors.

The feasibility of different options depends on individual producer's locations in the state and whether they have an irrigation well and center pivot or use gravity, surface or ditch irrigation, he said.

"Whether this is a crises or an opportunity, we hope (research-based) information will help producers make these decisions," he said. "Further IANR research and partnering with others can help us find more solutions for all parts of the state and hope for the future."

Also at the meeting, agronomist Ken Cassman discussed the prognosis for achieving global food security and what it means for Nebraska agriculture.

He said many people in developing countries live knowing their food supply isn't secure.

"Nearly 800 million people in this world are undernourished each day. That has a tremendous impact on life," Cassman said.

In China and other Asian countries, meat consumption will double in the next 30 years.

All this begs the question: does the world have the quantity and quality of arable land to feed its people in the future? With arable land decreasing and food demand rising, yields on high-quality existing land must be increased, he said.

"Food security and food shortages are on the horizon unless we reverse some of these trends," Cassman said.

Nebraska's long-term role in agriculture will continue to help the world become more food secure, he said.

Also at the meeting, plant geneticist Don Lee outlined the university's genetics distance education program, which has a global reach. The program's workshops, classes, Web site and Internet course offerings have taught an international audience of students, teachers, farmers and others more about crop genetics.

Lowell Moser, interim department head of agronomy and horticulture, discussed the department's effort to attract more students.

The department is working to make agronomy more attractive to everyone in the state, including potential students in urban areas.

"Job opportunities are good, but there aren't enough students in agronomy-related fields," Moser said.