Agricultural field day planned near Creighton

People who want to enjoy an agricultural field day that will feature a variety of topics will soon will have the chance.

A demonstration field day will be held 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday, Sept. 9, at the Bazile Groundwater Management Area’s soil health site near Creighton.

To find the soil health site, people will need to travel two miles south of Creighton on Nebraska Highway 13, turn east onto 870 Road and travel three-fourths of a mile.

The outdoor event, during which social distancing will be strongly encouraged due to COVID-19, will feature the following presenters:

-Aaron Hird, state soil health specialist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, will discuss the benefits of soil health on farming operations.

-Steve Melvin, a variable-rate irrigation specialist with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will talk about the benefits of variable rate irrigation for irrigation efficiency.

-Jeff Steffen, a Crofton area farmer, will discuss the economics behind cover crops and how to make them work for other farmers.

The presentations will be posted online after the demonstration field day has concluded.

The BGMA is comprised of land located within these four natural resources districts, including the Lewis & Clark NRD, Lower Elkhorn NRD, Lower Niobrara NRD and Upper Elkhorn NRD.

Within these four NRDs, the BGMA includes parts of Antelope, Knox and Pierce counties and the towns of Bazile Mills, Brunswick, Creighton, Foster, Orchard, Osmond, Plainview, Royal, Wausa and Winnetoon.

“The BGMA was started by local producers and the NRDs to address rising nitrate levels in area communities and domestic wells,” said BGMA project coordinator Connor Baldwin.

In an effort to continue to address nitrate issues, the BGMA partnered with UNL Extension and the Nebraska Water Center, part of the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, and received a Nebraska Environmental Trust grant to develop three demonstration sites.

“The three sites focus on reducing nitrate leaching into the groundwater by demonstrating and researching agricultural best management practices,” Baldwin said.

All three sites have nitrogen and irrigation management aspects that can be compared between the sites.

“In addition, each site focuses on a specific method to reduce nitrate leaching,” Baldwin said.

For example, the diverse cropping rotation site looks at how different cropping rotations affect nitrogen leaching.

The soil health site focuses on practices that promote soil health, such as cover crops and organic fertilizer, or manure.

Finally, the nitrogen inhibitor site looks at different nitrogen management practices, use of nitrogen inhibitors and slow-release nitrogen.

TO RESERVE A SPOT:

For more information and free registration for the Bazile Groundwater Management Area’s demonstration field day, contact the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District at 402-371-7313 by Thursday, Sept. 3.

The Lewis & Clark Natural Resources District has information about the BGMA available online at lcnrd.nebraska.gov/bazile-gma/project-background.