Bow Creek
Northeast Nebraska Ag Conference
December 17, 2024
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Lifelong Learning Center at Northeast Nebraska Community College
The Northeast Nebraska Ag Conference is the premier event of the year for exchanging practical farm and ranch ideas! Learn from others who are increasing their operation's financial stability and environmental stewardship. This event has something for everyone from those who are interested in new management practices to the innovative farmer who has been implementing them for years. Concurrent breakout sessions allow each attendee to choose the sessions that meet their needs. Industry leading speakers paired with experienced farmers/ranchers will discuss hot ag topics from theory to practical application and technology integration. Don't miss this exciting ag event!
Keynote Speaker: Rick Clark
Other Confirmed Speakers include Roy Thompson, Paul Jasa, Jackson Stansell, Jim Williams, John Heerman, Keith Berns, Austin Baldwin, Bob Noonan, Nathan Mueller, Value Added Products Farm Panel, Making It Work Here -Local Farmer Panel, and more!
This event is co-hosted by the BGMA and Bow Creek Watershed Project with support from LCNRD, LENRD, LNNRD, UENRD and NeDNR.
The Bow Creek Watershed contains 392,574 acres in portions of Cedar, Dixon, and Knox Counties. A rich history extends back to before the days of Lewis and Clark. Clark’s journal entry on August 26, 1804 mentions Bow Creek, writing, “above the mouth of this creek a Chief of the Maha Nation displeased with the conduct of Black Bird, the main cheif, came to this place and built a town which was called by his name Petite Arc (or Little Bow)...we gathered great quantities of grapes and three types of plumbs, one yellow round, one ovel and one the common wild plumb.”
In 2019, the Lewis & Clark NRD updated their Water Quality Assessment Plan and added Bow Creek as a priority area based on Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy Basin Rotation water quality testing. The 2016 Basin Rotation water quality testing showed elevated levels of sediment, phosphorus, nitrates and E. coli in Bow Creek. Working with FYRA Engineering, models were created to show the potential to decrease nonpoint source pollutants in Bow Creek by increasing the adoption of best management practices (BMPs) in priority Bow Creek sub-watersheds.
Those best management practices include, but are not limited to:
- Nutrient Management
- Cover Crop
- No-till Management
- Land Use Change: CRP or Riparian Buffer Strips
- Grazing Management Plans
- Livestock Exclusion Plans with Alternative Water Sources and Fencing
- Septic System Upgrades
Through grants from the Nebraska Environmental Trust and Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy, these BMPs are eligible for additional practice implementation and education payments through the Bow Creek Watershed Project. Practices must be part of approved conservation contracts to be eligible. Details for implementation of BMPs will be planned with NRCS technical assistance and Bow Creek programs will then be applied for through the LCNRD office. For more information contact:
Bow Creek Watershed Coordinator
Becky Ravenkamp
Lewis & Clark NRD Office
608 N Robinson Ave., Hartington, NE 68739
Phone: 402-254-6758.
