New research from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is giving producers a way to reduce water usage while maintaining, or even improving, profitability.
The Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) announced that its researchers recently published results from “Irrigated agriculture in the United States: Current status and future frontiers” in Agricultural Water Management.
Peak irrigation season is underway and widespread drought conditions across multiple regions of the U.S. are prompting new restrictions on outdoor water use while also unlocking federal relief for agricultural producers.
Irrigation is becoming a limiting factor, not just a management decision, for growers across parts of the U.S., and early-season shortages are forcing difficult tradeoffs.
IA policy director Andrew Morris breaks down the EQIP landscape for 2026: new funding levels under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and four key factors that will shape irrigators' success.
The impact sprinkler, invented by citrus grower Orton Englehart in 1930s Glendora, California, transformed agricultural water delivery and still shapes modern irrigation nearly a century later.
IA policy director Andrew Morris identifies four policy developments giving irrigation professionals more planning certainty: USDA funding, farm relief, EQIP baseline increases and tax provisions.
Flow meters, pressure sensors and telemetry are giving center pivot growers real-time visibility into water use — but the experts say regular maintenance and uniformity basics matter just as much.
Modern automated block irrigation is transforming vineyards and orchards with smart valves, real-time sensing and AI guidance — helping growers optimize water, labor and yield quality.
Economist Renata Rimšaitė examines how crop diversification can reduce irrigation risk and stabilize farm income, while noting the real barriers growers face in making the switch.
USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey surveys a patchwork U.S. water picture heading into spring, with California reservoirs brimming, Colorado River storage low and southern drought expanding.
