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Posts From Dan Roach, Ext. Associate

Soybean Irrigation: Flood vs Furrow Results

Soybean Irrigation: Flood vs Furrow Results

🕔09:34, 27.Jan 2017

From time to time the Irrigation Team at MSU is requested to investigate the effects of certain agronomic and cultural practices farmers use.  Traditionally, many rice farmers chose to flood irrigate their soybeans.  Rice farmers were accustom to pulling levees

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Deadline for reporting flow meter usage nears

🕔10:32, 23.Jan 2017

February 1, 2017 is the deadline for reporting your 2016 water usage. MDEQ should have sent each participate a survey for completion in the fall of 2016. The survey must be returned to MDEQ either by mail, fax, or the

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Three Years of AWD Water Savings in Rice

Three Years of AWD Water Savings in Rice

🕔11:46, 20.Jan 2017

AWD is a water-saving technology that farmers can use to reduce the amount of irrigation water used in rice fields without any yield penalty. In AWD, farmers allow the flood water to recede to a “muddy” state before re-flooding the

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Is Row Rice in your Future?

Is Row Rice in your Future?

🕔11:22, 17.Jun 2016

Row rice or furrow irrigated rice is once again being investigated by the MSU Irrigation team as an alternative to conventional flooded rice production.  Some of you may recall Dr. Joe Street and Dr. Ted Miller worked with Clarksdale’s Leon

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Irrigation Sensors: A Management Tool

Irrigation Sensors: A Management Tool

🕔10:02, 3.Jun 2016

There are many reasons why growers initiate early season irrigation.  Activation and incorporation of dry fertilizers and herbicides have been one motivating factor this year.  This year, it appears, growers are getting more familiar with utilizing soil moisture sensors as

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Corn and Soybean Irrigation Guidelines

Corn and Soybean Irrigation Guidelines

🕔11:38, 27.May 2016

As we traveled through Tunica county today we noticed a few growers received a shower or two recently.  Elsewhere across the Delta, a shower would be a welcomed Memorial Day event. Over the last couple of days we have received

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Surge Valves Increase Application Efficiency

Surge Valves Increase Application Efficiency

🕔05:40, 26.May 2016

In 2014, the Irrigation Team added surge valves to our list of tools to increase irrigation application efficiency.  When using a surge valve, water is applied in a series of on-off cycles alternating between two irrigation sets.  By utilizing surge

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Utilizing Moisture Sensors to Increase Irrigation Efficiency

Utilizing Moisture Sensors to Increase Irrigation Efficiency

🕔13:16, 24.May 2016

Utilizing moisture sensors to trigger an irrigation event is one method to increase irrigation efficiency.  Using the “calendar” or the “neighbor” method of determining when to trigger an irrigation event is not the most efficient method.  Soil moisture sensors are

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Pipe Planner:  The Foundation Water Management Practice for Furrow Irrigated Systems

Pipe Planner: The Foundation Water Management Practice for Furrow Irrigated Systems

🕔06:43, 20.May 2016

To address the declining Mississippi River Valley Alluvial aquifer, Mississippi State University developed the Row-Crop Irrigation Science and Extension Research (RISER) program. RISER’s goal is to develop a science based approach for evaluating Irrigation Water Management (IWM) practices in the Mississippi Delta and

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Pre-conditioning of Watermark Sensors, a must do!

Pre-conditioning of Watermark Sensors, a must do!

🕔06:00, 19.May 2016

Rain is in the forecast for tonight. As of today only a few growers have initiated corn irrigation, mostly to incorporate fertilizer after missing the last rain opportunity. Elsewhere, growers are beginning to prepare for that first irrigation event.  Poly-pipe

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Pipe Planner Success Stories

Pipe Planner Success Stories

🕔15:35, 16.Jul 2015

Early this spring we received a call from a grower requesting assistance irrigating a new property he had acquired. Historically the property had been in a rice/soybean rotation.  As you can see by the elevation map, the property was not

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Soil Moisture Sensor Field Day Tomorrow!

🕔09:24, 15.Jul 2015

Mississippi State University Extension has planned two soil moisture sensor field days for July and early August.  Attendees will view demonstrations and presentations of the agronomic advantages of utilizing soil moisture sensors to trigger row crop irrigation presented by Dr.

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Soil Moisture Sensor Field Days Starting July 16th.

🕔20:26, 7.Jul 2015

Mississippi State University Extension has planned two soil moisture sensor field days for July and early August.  Attendees will view demonstrations and presentations of the agronomic advantages of utilizing soil moisture sensors to trigger row crop irrigation presented by Dr.

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Surge Valve Update/P&R Jr. III Controller Limitations

Surge Valve Update/P&R Jr. III Controller Limitations

🕔09:43, 2.Jul 2015

P&R Surge Systems manufacture two surge valve controllers, the Star and the Jr.III.  The Star controller is totally digital and much more flexible in programming.  The Jr.III, being the more economic controller, lacks many of the features as of the

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Rice Irrigation with Safe AWD.

Rice Irrigation with Safe AWD.

🕔11:55, 1.Jul 2015

This year we are conducting nine rice irrigation Extension demonstration trials across the Delta.  To demonstrate the value of maintaining a less than full flood, we are utilizing a Pani Pipe and soil moisture probes to time irrigation events.  Research

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What is going on!

What is going on!

🕔05:31, 19.Jun 2015

With the use of irrigation moisture sensors increasing in Mississippi, growers are reporting that their moisture sensor values are remaining high after an irrigation event.  Growers are confused and frustrated that irrigation water is just not getting in the ground. 

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Tillage Study on Sealing Soils Results look Promising.

🕔05:25, 19.Jun 2015

Here are the results of one of our tillage studies where we tilled the middles with a parabolic anhydrous knife at layby in soybeans vs an untilled check.  The moisture sensors had been in the ground for a number of

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Understanding Surge Valve Setup

🕔20:42, 9.Jun 2015

We are having lots of questions concerning the proper set up of surge valves. First,   please consider some of the basic terminology associated with furrow irrigation with surge valves. We encourage you to visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46sSLFBUrh8       and view the video

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New Data Available on Sealing Soils

New Data Available on Sealing Soils

🕔10:34, 5.Jun 2015

If you farm old traditional cotton soils, most likely you have recognized that irrigation water tends to run down the row, racing to the tail ditch.  If you have noticed this, you have a “sealing soil”.  If you are using

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Watermark Sensors, Calculating Soil Moisture for Irrigation Initiation.

🕔10:34, 5.Jun 2015

With irrigation season ramping up quickly, Mississippi State University Extension Service has lots of expertise and programs available to assist with your needs. One tool that we are using to better assess soil moisture and schedule appropriate irrigation is Watermark™

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Tire Traffic Soil Compaction Effects on Corn

Tire Traffic Soil Compaction Effects on Corn

🕔13:25, 28.May 2015

As a lot of our corn approaches tassel, issues associated with tire traffic soil compaction are becoming more evident. This article discusses the consequences.

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Identification of Sealing Soils

🕔10:11, 20.May 2015

Surface sealing in the Mississippi Delta typically occurs in soils that have a low clay and organic matter content but have a high silt fraction, i.e., most of our silt loam soils. Surface sealing, from an irrigation management standpoint, is

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Moisture Sensor’s Role in Irrigation Initiation.

Moisture Sensor’s Role in Irrigation Initiation.

🕔14:54, 19.May 2015

Last week Dr. Eric Larson wrote an excellent article dealing with corn irrigation initiation.  At that time, a few growers had already begun to irrigate.  Dr. Larson stressed the importance of accurately assessing soil moisture verses leaf wilting when determining

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When Should I Start Irrigating My Corn?

When Should I Start Irrigating My Corn?

🕔10:05, 15.May 2015

The recent stretch of dry weather has prompted much conversation about the proper time to initiate irrigation for corn. This scenario usually generates a lot more anxiety than necessary because early season wilting is certainly not something we are very accustomed to.

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Soil Moisture Sensor Field Days

🕔10:49, 11.May 2015

Mississippi State University Extension is in the process of planning two soil moisture sensor field days for Summer 2015.  Attendee will view demonstrations and presentations of the agronomic advantages of utilizing soil moisture sensors to trigger row crop irrigation presented

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