ORCHARD, Nebraska - On January 30, 2024, the Bazile Groundwater Management Area (BGMA) Project hosted their annual Winter Meeting at the Community Center in Orchard, Nebraska. In total there were 78 attendees consisting of NRD and NRCS employees, NRD Board Members, Sponsors, and most importantly, Producers (43 in all).

The event started with an educational presentation by Daniel Snow, Nebraska Water Center, and University of Nebraska-Lincoln, reviewing the ‘2021-2023 Bazile Groundwater Management Area (BGMA) Vadose Zone Project’. The crowd was very engaged with this information and responded with many questions.

Lunch was served and all enjoyed the soup and sandwiches!

Immediately following lunch was an informal ‘Farmer-to-Farmer’ session. This session allowed producers the opportunity to share information about farming practices that work for them peer-to-peer. The session was led by Josh Stelling of Orchard, NE. Stelling showed seeding discs that he tried out for cover crop inter-seeding. These discs are compatible with many of the existing planters and do not require a huge new investment. Lower Elkhorn NRD board member, Mark Hall, (also a producer) spoke about the Reverse Osmosis Rebate Program offered by the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy.

The last presentation was a Soil Health and Rain Simulator Demonstration conducted by Marty Marx and Waylon Petsche of the NRCS. This was a very visual working demonstration of how soil health affects how rain infiltrates soil under different management systems.

The BMGA Project is an ongoing joint effort of the Lewis and Clark, Lower Niobrara, Lower Elkhorn, Upper Elkhorn NRDs, and the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy, to curb the rise in nitrate concentrations. By offering educational opportunities, establishing demonstration sites, and offering cost-share on select Best Management Practices (BMPs), one of the Project’s goals is widespread adoption of BMPs across the area.  BMPs are designed to give the producer more efficient control over inputs while reducing the environmental impact. If anyone is interested in adding BMPs to their operations, contact BGMA Coordinator Lisa Lauver at 403-371-7313 or llauver [at] lenrd.org, or your local NRCS office.

For questions please contact:
Lisa Lauver, BGMA Coordinator
402-371-7313
llauver [at] lenrd.org