44 - The Vadose Zone - A critical indicator for Nebraska groundwater quality
Daugherty Water for Food Podcast
Release Date: 07/30/2025
47 - Crafting Compelling Science Communication
Daugherty Water for Food Podcast
In this episode, host sits down with , DWFI and Nebraska Water Center’s water and cropping systems extension educator, to discuss why the most revolutionary science can only drive change if it's communicated effectively. Crystal and her colleague, Ann Briggs, at the Nebraska Water Center, created the "Beyond the Data" workshop, which aims to transform researchers and conservation professionals from data presenters into compelling storytellers. We explore the critical skills scientists need today, including the importance of audience empathy and tackling the barriers created...
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46 – Know Your Well: engaging Nebraska youth in groundwater science
Daugherty Water for Food Podcast
In this episode, we explore a unique initiative that puts water quality testing directly into the hands of high school students across Nebraska. Sara Brock-Contreras, a PhD student advised by Dr. Dan Snow, joins us to discuss her work on the Know Your Well program—an innovative educational and participatory science effort that equips students with the tools, training, and confidence to test domestic wells in their communities. Through hands-on learning, students gain a deeper understanding of water quality, local geology, and science communication while generating real data...
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45 - Unexpected Connections: From Chance Encounters to Global Impact
Daugherty Water for Food Podcast
This episode of the Water for Food Podcast explores the valuable collaborations that can arise from in-person interactions, even in a digital age. Host , DWFI director of communications and public relations, shares a story that perfectly illustrates the lasting impact of those face-to-face moments, which can lead to unexpected and valuable partnerships. , program manager with Catholic Relief Services and Treaven Scheideler, a University of Nebraska student, discuss their cross-cultural collaboration, sparked by a chance meeting at a during the. Adam's team in El Salvador...
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44 - The Vadose Zone - A critical indicator for Nebraska groundwater quality
Daugherty Water for Food Podcast
Episode 44 - The Vadose Zone - A critical indicator for Nebraska groundwater quality The vadose zone is the area between crop roots and the water table, and is a critically important region for storage, transport and transformation of chemicals that can impact groundwater quality. In this episode of the Water for Food Podcast, host Frances Hayes talks with , a researcher with the Nebraska Water Center (NWC, a part of DWFI) who studies and monitors the impacts of irrigation and fertilizer on groundwater. Hayes is also joined by , assistant general...
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43 - Irrigation and Global Health with Claudia Ringler
Daugherty Water for Food Podcast
In the 43rd episode of the Water for Food Podcast, host Frances Hayes speaks with of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) about the crucial link between irrigation and global health, expanding on Ringler's recent as part of the and previous episodes in this podcast. Together they explore how irrigation can improve health outcomes while also addressing potential unintended negative impacts and how to avoid them when designing irrigation solutions. The conversation highlights successful irrigation projects, strategies for ensuring access to...
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42 - 15th Anniversary of the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute
Daugherty Water for Food Podcast
This special episode of the Water for Food Podcast commemorates the 15th anniversary of the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute by sharing the story of its origin. Read the full historical account . The 15th anniversary year will be highlighted by a celebration reception at the upcoming 2025 Water for Food Global Conference, held in Lincoln, Nebraska, April 28-May 2. Learn more at waterforfood.nebraska.edu.
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41 - Nebraska’s new nitrogen recommendations on irrigated corn
Daugherty Water for Food Podcast
After years of dedicated work from many people and sectors, UNL has released new recommendations for nitrogen fertilization of irrigated corn. In this episode, Nebraska Water Extension Educator, Crystal Powers, talks to UNL professor of agronomy, Richard Ferguson, who has been involved in the project from the start.
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40 - Irrigation’s role in agricultural productivity
Daugherty Water for Food Podcast
In the 40th episode of the Water for Food Podcast, DWFI Director of Communications and Public Relations Frances Hayes sits down with Darren Siekman at the headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. Darren is the Vice President of Policy and Industry Strategy at Valley Agriculture, a Valmont Company. The two discuss Valmont's history and global presence and the importance of center pivot irrigation in agricultural productivity, as well as current challenges and future innovations in achieving global water and food security.
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39 - Navigating Climate Change in Nebraska
Daugherty Water for Food Podcast
Navigating climate change: impacts on water stress and agricultural production in Nebraska Nebraska, located in the U.S. “Corn Belt,” is well known for its agricultural and livestock production, generating around $31.1 billion in agricultural cash receipts in 2023. But how will climate change impact long-term agricultural production, and how can we adapt to changes to ensure water security and food supply for future generations? In this episode, DWFI Communications Specialist Arianna Elnes talks to DWFI Research Assistant Professor Ivo Gonçalves, whose recent study explores...
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38 - Irrigation expansion’s varying impacts on nutrition
Daugherty Water for Food Podcast
Episode 38 - Irrigation expansion’s varying impacts on nutrition Irrigation expansion can provide the water necessary to increase food production for our growing world. It can also be a means for moving farmers from simply producing enough food for their families to generating more income through domestic markets or export of additional production. However, increasing use of irrigation can have varying impacts on the nutrition of the local communities and it’s important to consider these costs and benefits when striving to reduce poverty, end hunger and protect our water resources....
info_outlineEpisode 44 - The Vadose Zone - A critical indicator for Nebraska groundwater quality
The vadose zone is the area between crop roots and the water table, and is a critically important region for storage, transport and transformation of chemicals that can impact groundwater quality. In this episode of the Water for Food Podcast, host Frances Hayes talks with Arindam Malakar, a researcher with the Nebraska Water Center (NWC, a part of DWFI) who studies Nebraska’s vadose zone and monitors the impacts of irrigation and fertilizer on groundwater.
Hayes is also joined by Marie Krausnick, assistant general manager for Nebraska’s Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District (NRD). The Upper Big Blue NRD and other NRDs across the state have partnered with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the Nebraska Water Center in researching nitrate concentration in their districts. While nitrate levels in some areas have decreased in the Upper Big Blue NRD, there has been an overall increase of 54% in the district.
In Nebraska, as in many parts of the world, one of the key chemicals monitored in the vadose zone is nitrate. Nitrogen is a critical plant nutrient, but once it sinks below the roots and enters the vadose zone, it becomes a liability: both an economic loss for the farmer and a potential public health risk for some rural communities where wells have not been recently tested. Excess nitrate in drinking water can cause adverse health effects, particularly in infants and vulnerable populations, as too much nitrate in the body makes it harder for red blood cells to carry oxygen. Contaminants, like nitrates, present in the vadose zone can eventually appear in the underlying aquifers. NWC takes soil cores all the way down to the groundwater table, sometimes over 100 feet, and tests them for nitrate and other contaminants. These cores are crucial for understanding how water and chemicals move through the soil and potentially reach groundwater. They can also be useful in predicting water quality issues. The Nebraska Water Center Water Sciences Lab has collected vadose cores for decades. To increase the usability of all this data, they launched the Nebraska Vadose Zone Program online portal in 2015 with funding from the Nebraska Environmental Trust, Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy (now the Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment), and several Natural Resources Districts (NRDs).