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Posts From Drew Gholson, Irrigation Specialist

Surge Valves Update Updated

🕔06:03, 19.Jun 2020

Surge Valves are being investigated by the MSU Irrigation Team 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 valves Producers can

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Flood Irrigated Soybean Yield Considerations

Flood Irrigated Soybean Yield Considerations Updated

🕔06:03, 19.Jun 2020

Traditionally, many rice farmers chose to flood irrigate their soybeans. Rice farmers were accustomed to pulling levees in rice fields, so it was a natural fit to irrigate soybeans in the same fashion. With the decreasing water levels in the

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Irrigation after Cristobal

Irrigation after Cristobal Updated

🕔14:10, 8.Jun 2020

It is often said here in the Mid-South that we are always 10 days from a drought!  However, with the widespread and abundant rainfall received today from tropical depression Cristobal, irrigation is not really a primary concern until we rebound

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Producers Benefit from Multiple Side Inlet in Rice Production. Updated

🕔13:36, 8.Jun 2020

Most of the area rice is close to the permanent flood timing or will be after this tropical depression. With water being one of the most expensive inputs of the rice producer, utilizing methods to limit the amount of water

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How to Improve Corn Yield by Better Timing your First Irrigation

How to Improve Corn Yield by Better Timing your First Irrigation Updated

🕔22:59, 25.May 2020

The first week of hot, dry weather has folks scrambling to get ready to irrigate and often creates more anxiety than necessary. Deciding when to start irrigating corn can not only be confusing, but can have a considerable effect on crop productivity. This article explains methods to help you make that decision and make more corn.

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Pipe Planner Trainings for April 2020

Pipe Planner Trainings for April 2020 Updated

🕔13:20, 31.Mar 2020

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Furrow Irrigated Rice Final Report

Furrow Irrigated Rice Final Report Updated

🕔07:03, 13.Mar 2020

Over the last four years, MSU has conducted forty-nine “on-farm” furrow irrigated rice trials.  Yield data was reported from all forty-nine locations, while water use data was collected on twenty-eight locations from 2017-2019. Producers were required to have two adjacent

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Pipe Planner Webinars 2020

Pipe Planner Webinars 2020 Updated

🕔12:15, 9.Mar 2020

Pipe Planner training webinars will be starting in March for the 2020 season next week! Please see the dates below. Feel free to attend as many as you desire. Results have shown that those that use Pipe Planner can save

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MSU Extension offers “Come and Go” Pipe Planner help

MSU Extension offers “Come and Go” Pipe Planner help Updated

🕔08:36, 28.Feb 2020

MSU Extension offers irrigation training in Delta   The Mississippi State University Extension Service will offer multiple opportunities March 3-5 for Delta row-crop producers to get help with an important irrigation planning tool. Extension professionals will be at county Extension

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Irrigation Training

Irrigation Training Updated

🕔08:54, 19.Feb 2020

Mississippi State University and Delta Plastics invite you to a gathering to discuss irrigation in the mid-south. – Introducing Drew Gholson, MSU irrigation specialist – Pipe Planner training and planning for the 2020 season Friday, February 21, 2020 11:00 am at

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County Meeting Schedule – February 2020

County Meeting Schedule – February 2020 Updated

🕔21:55, 30.Jan 2020

Mississippi State University Extension will be hosting several more county row crop meetings during February of 2020. Each meeting will cover issues specific to the region including management topics on agronomics, insects, weeds, diseases, and economics. A meal will be

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Upcoming County Meetings – January 22-23, 2020

Upcoming County Meetings – January 22-23, 2020 Updated

🕔10:25, 17.Jan 2020

Mississippi State University Extension will be hosting several county row crop meetings in January and February of 2020. Each meeting will cover issues specific to the region including management topics on agronomics, insects, weeds, diseases, and economics. A meal will

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How to Safely Terminate Irrigation in Corn Updated

🕔10:55, 13.Jul 2019

As the corn crop nears maturity, knowing when you can safely terminate irrigation, without sacrificing yield, or wasting money and labor through unnecessary irrigation is likely the most important decision that will affect your bottom line. In order to make this call, you need to estimate when the crop will reach maturity and how much moisture is present in your soil. This article outlines the steps needed to help make this process accurate and reliable.

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Moisture Sensors not Responding to Irrigation Updated

🕔07:23, 21.Jun 2019

The importance of soil moisture sensors is becoming more evident as we continue forward this growing season.  This week we received a call regarding sensor readings that were assessed early this morning. The following are the data discussed in this

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Sealing Soils Complicates Irrigation

Sealing Soils Complicates Irrigation Updated

🕔07:08, 21.Jun 2019

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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Row Rice fields ready to plant.

Row Rice fields ready to plant. Updated

🕔09:02, 25.Apr 2019

One of our MSU row rice cooperators this year sent me the following pictures of his row rice and conventional levee fields.  He has burned the row rice field and it is ready to plant.  The conventional levee field had

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Agricultural Water Research Center Opens, Grower Participation Needed

Agricultural Water Research Center Opens, Grower Participation Needed Updated

🕔09:52, 21.Feb 2019

A new research center in the Mississippi Delta is tasked with studying agricultural water management to protect this critical natural resource.  The center primarily focus will be on water management in Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Missouri region. Plans for establishing

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The Cost of Flood Irrigation Soybeans, Year Three Summary

The Cost of Flood Irrigation Soybeans, Year Three Summary Updated

🕔15:34, 8.Feb 2019

The Irrigation Team at MSU was requested in 2016 to investigate the effects of flood and furrow irrigation by interested farmers.  Traditionally, many rice farmers chose to flood irrigate their soybeans.  Rice farmers were accustom to pulling levees in rice

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Riser Program Results Positive

Riser Program Results Positive Updated

🕔09:34, 6.Apr 2018

The Row-Crop Irrigation Science and Extension Research (RISER) was developed as a science based approach to evaluating irrigation Best Management Practices (BMPs) here in the Delta. The RISER program is designed to assist producers in reducing water use while maintaining

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Need to borrow a Flow meter?

Need to borrow a Flow meter? Updated

🕔12:50, 28.Jun 2017

The most important piece of data for running Pipe Planner is flow from your water sources.  Gathering this piece of information can sometimes be difficult.  If you are currently seeking where to get a flow meter, please see the attached

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Pipe Planner Update!

Pipe Planner Update! Updated

🕔14:24, 15.Jun 2017

New updates were recently deployed to Pipe Planner.  Please following the directions when signing into Pipe Planner to clear your computer cache to ensure that these new updates take place. Below you will find the message located in Pipe Planner

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Irrigation Season is Approaching

Irrigation Season is Approaching Updated

🕔04:41, 2.Jun 2017

It is often said here in the Mid-South that we are always 10 days from a drought!  However, with the widespread and abundant rainfall received thus far in Mississippi, irrigation is not really a primary concern until we rebound to more typical

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Another Row Rice Example

Another Row Rice Example Updated

🕔04:32, 2.Jun 2017

Here is an example of grower ingenuity. This grower planted a flat field of heavy buckshot clay and was unable to construct levees due to rain. The field was ready to flood so he decided to give row rice a

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Using Tractor Data for Pipe Planner

Using Tractor Data for Pipe Planner Updated

🕔11:58, 18.May 2017

Utilizing tractor GPS data for Pipe Planner designs seems to just get easier.  Here are some basic steps to utilize  GPS tractor monitor data to develop a Pipe Planner recommendation. (all pics are clickable) Elevation data is one  piece of

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Row Rice Video’s

Row Rice Video’s Updated

🕔07:16, 17.May 2017

With rice acres down, many thanks to the growers that have helped with our 2017 Row Rice trials.  This year, the Irrigation Team is comparing water use and yield on Row Rice fields to Multiple Side Inlet using AWD irrigation

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