Tate Mazour Public Speaking February 17, 2016 Title: Dwindling resources Topic: Water usage on farms Purpose Statement: To Inform people about water usage on farms Thesis: Water usage is becoming critical and each drop counts Introduction Paragraph (45 seconds) Water. A simple combination of 2 Hydrogen atoms and 1 oxygen atom. We think water will never go away but could it? Water usage is a big topic Nebraska with farmers and the Ogallala Aquifer. Slowly but surely water is getting regulated. Today, I will inform you on how Flow meters, no tillage farming, and pivot nozzles after water usage on the farm. I. Probes for water usage A. Water efficiency is at a low and water is being wasted B. All irrigating wells are required to have flow meters installed (The Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District, 2016) C. All flow meters installed before April 1, 2014 follow grandfather rule (Little Blue Natural Resources District, 2015) II. No Tillage A. Leaves water and nutrients in the ground. 1. Herbicides kill weeds 2. Run off is eliminated so herbicides don’t get into water B. Causes erosion and evaporation. Estimated 2 additional inches of water. (Staropoli, 2015) C. Lessens fossil fuels used, less labor, conserves water III. Pivot nozzles A. Nozzles closer to the crops is more efficient and doesn’t evaporate as much (Yonts,Kranz, Martin,2007) B. Different types are iwobs, rotators, or gun type C. Prefers rotators because they don’t get clogged up as much as Iwobs but does evaporate a little easier (Schultz, 2016) Conclusion Paragraph (45 seconds) As you can see Flow meters, no tillage farming, and pivot nozzles greatly affect farming. Farming comes with a lot of things to worry about and water is a major factor farmers have to take into matter. Water is a serious issue that cannot be taken lightly as we do not want to see a day where our water is in scarce amounts. Water can go away, we need to protect all that we have. References Little Blue Natural Resources District (2014). Flow meters, Installation, and Certification: In Chapter 3. Retrieved February 17, 2016, from http://www.littlebluenrd.org/Water/flowmeters.html Staropoli, N. (2015, July 12). No-till agriculture offers vast sustainability benefits. So why do organic farmers reject it? | Genetic Literacy Project. Retrieved February 17, 2016, from https://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2015/07/12/no-till-agriculture-offers-vast-sustainability-benefits-so-why-do-organic-farmers-reject-it/ The Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD) (2016, February 1). Amended Groundwater Management Area Rules & Regulations become effective February 22. Retrieved February 17, 2016, from http://www.lenrd.org/latest-news/ Yonts, D. C., Kranz, W. L., & Martin, D. L. (2007). Water Loss from Above-Canopy and In-Canopy Sprinklers. Retrieved February 17, 2016, from http://extensionpublications.unl.edu/assets/html/g1328/build/g1328.htm Interview Schultz, G (2016, February 17) Personal interview.

• published: 22 Feb 2016
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