DWFI releases 2019 Nebraska Water Productivity Report

The 2019 Nebraska Water Productivity Report was launched at a DWFI-hosted side event at the World Food Prize Oct. 15 in Des Moines, Iowa. The report highlights significant improvements in Nebraska’s water productivity (WP) in crops, livestock and bioethanol, is an excellent benchmark for future research and sets the standard for global WP efforts.

Irrigation plays a vital role in Nebraska’s agricultural prominence. The state ranks first in the nation in total irrigated cropped area with 8.4 million acres. The expansion of irrigated agriculture has intensified competition for limited water resources, which is why measuring – and improving – WP is so important.

Over the last 25 years, the state’s corn and soybean yields have grown considerably. This significant increase in grain yields, combined with the adoption of improved farm-level management, advanced irrigation systems and regulatory limits on irrigation pumping, has helped sustainably improve the WP of crop production in the state. From 1990 to 2014, the WP of soybeans and corn increased by 79% and 71%, respectively, while groundwater levels have largely stabilized.

The livestock sector is an important part of Nebraska’s economy as well. Livestock production has increased substantially since the 1990s, matched by a large improvement in livestock water productivity, which has helped to minimize the rate of increase in livestock feed requirements. The use of the distillers' grains as livestock feed improves the WP of livestock products and reduces pressure on freshwater resources. Nebraska is leading the way in precision water management for agriculture and livestock productivity. Great strides have been made in improving WP, but there is room for continued improvement.