Tool Developed at UNL Helps Farmers Improve Irrigation Efficiency

Contact: Drew Guiney Consumer Relations Specialist Nebraska Soybean Board Phone: (402) 441-3240

[email protected] For Immediate Release

LINCOLN, Neb. (July 23, 2015) – Soybean growers who are striving to maximize water use efficiency can turn to an online resource developed by researchers at the University of Nebraska– Lincoln (UNL). The SoyWater tool processes information about soil, precipitation and soybean variety to provide farmers with recommendations for the timing and amount of water applications.

UNL Professor Emeritus of Agronomy and Horticulture Jim Specht spearheaded the effort to develop SoyWater with research funding provided by the Nebraska Soybean Board. During his 40-year career, Specht has studied how soybeans respond to water. He sees SoyWater as a way to put that research into practice for farmers.

“SoyWater allows farmers to apply the right amount of water just-in-time, so you don’t over irrigate,” said Specht.

Specht recently explained how SoyWater works while installing soil water sensors at a research plot on UNL’s East Campus. The sensors measure moisture content at varying depths in the soil. Farmers can use similar sensors to accurately measure the amount of water available to their growing soybean crop at various locations in their fields. This data, combined with information about the type of soil and the way the specific variety of soybean uses water, is processed by SoyWater to aid farmers in scheduling irrigation.

Nebraska has more irrigated acres than any other state, and the SoyWater tool contributes to more sustainable farming operations by avoiding unnecessary irrigation. “By eliminating a single one-inch irrigation event with a 200-acre pivot, a farmer could save more than 5 million gallons of water,” said Specht. “You’re using the aquifer in a more conservative, sustainable way.” He says SoyWater can also help farmers manage disease, control pests more effectively and reduce irrigation costs.

“The less water you can use to get the same yields, the more profit in the bank,” said Specht. “You maximize yields and get more bang for your irrigation buck.”

Nearly half of Nebraska’s soybean acres are irrigated. Victor Bohuslavsky, executive director of the Nebraska Soybean Board, says SoyWater is a useful tool for soybean growers. “If farmers can more accurately know when to irrigate, they can reduce energy use and conserve water resources,” said Bohuslavsky. “That can make their operations more sustainable and profitable.”

To learn more about the SoyWater online tool, visit SoyWater.unl.edu.

About the Nebraska Soybean Board: The nine-member Nebraska Soybean Board collects and disburses the Nebraska share of funds generated by the one-half of one percent times the net sales price per bushel of soybeans sold. Nebraska soybean checkoff funds are invested in research, education, domestic and foreign markets, including new uses for soybeans and soybean products. ###