“Three growers we worked with still use no-till and are managing their water much better.” “It was a good project that worked out,” Stone said. With help from local farmers, Stone and his colleagues investigated a myriad of solutions for using less water, including alternative crops, crop water sensors and no-till practices. Stone’s project devised ways for Panhandle farmers to use less water and avoid the hefty penalties of exceeding their allocations. And if they use even an inch over their share, they have to pay it back twofold - in water. Pumpkin Creek farmers, for instance, get an allocation of 12 inches of water a year. The Pumpkin Creek Project was created to address the complex issue of water in western Nebraska, where Panhandle farmers have strict irrigation pumping allocations. He accepted an extension educator position at the UNL Panhandle Research Extension and Education Center in 2007 and jumped right into his first special project - Pumpkin Creek. So, years later, when the chance came to help his neighbors and other Panhandle farmers with their water issues and efficiencies, Stone was eager to the task. As an ag youth, he spent a lot of time tending the alfalfa and corn fields that fed their cattle - especially when it came time to dig and set the irrigation tubes. It’s a situation that’s all too familiar to Stone, who grew up on a farm just outside Mitchell, Nebraska. “Being in a semi-arid growing area with limited annual precipitation of 14 to 16 inches per year, the Panhandle irrigators have a unique situation with irrigation water management.” “Helping irrigators in the Panhandle is a challenge,” Stone said. For Stone, water is king, and it’s been the primary focus of his career as a Nebraska Extension educator. In thirsty fields from Sioux to Deuel County, Gary Stone is checking rain gauges and soil water sensors, and waiting to see how much water the crops use every day. It’s been said “Cattle are king” in the Nebraska Panhandle, but they’re not the only hot commodity out west. We hope you enjoy getting to know your local Nebraska Extension educators and specialists while reading Digging into Extension!
SYPHONER DEMO SERIES
Exclusive to CropWatch, the “Digging into Extension” feature series shines a spotlight on the professionals of Nebraska Extension, highlighting their roles in extension and services they provide to Nebraska farmers and ranchers.
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