NRD launches probe cost-share program

    Applications to receive cost share for soil-moisture probes used in 2023 are now being accepted by the Upper Republican NRD.
    Under the program, irrigators in Perkins, Dundy and Chase counties are reimbursed for half the cost of up to three soil-moisture probes.
    Use of soil-moisture probes with telemetry that relay moisture data and irrigation recommendations have been shown to reduce water use by approximately 1-2 inches during years when precipitation is near average or above average.
    Such probes are sold by several different companies with a presence in this area; the average cost of a probe is roughly $1,000 to $1,500.
    The cost-share program is made possible by a $124,000 grant the NRD received in 2020 from the State of Nebraska’s Water Sustainability Fund. It has used various grants over the years to provide cost-share for nearly 1,000 probes on approximately 130,000 acres since 2012.
    Applications are available at the top of the home page of the URNRD’s website, www.urnrd.org. They can also be picked up at the office in Imperial at 511 East 5th Street.