Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute

Happy #NationalAgricultureDay! Today we celebrate the people and systems that make agriculture possible. 🌱 At the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, we know agriculture and water are deeply connected. Supporting farmers means advancing solutions to grow more food with less water. #NationalAgDay #WaterForFood #Nebraska

ICYMI, DWFI Executive Director Joe Sanders joined IANR Vice Chancellor Tiffany Heng-Moss on KRVN to discuss Joe's background and the institute's work across Nebraska in agricultural water management. Listen now: mediahub.unl.edu/media/26459

A new article in @theAGU by colleagues at @UNMC_WCHP and others reflects on discussions from DWFI’s Water for Food Global Conference on water quality, monitoring and protecting public health. Read more below. 💧

During #GroundwaterAwarenessWeek, we’re recognizing the important work of the Water Sciences Laboratory at the University of Nebraska. Through advanced testing and analysis, the lab helps researchers, farmers, communities, and water managers better understand groundwater quality and protect this vital resource. From supporting student education programs on private well testing to analyzing water and soil samples that inform water management across the state, the lab provides the scientific insight needed to safeguard Nebraska’s groundwater for generations to come. We are so grateful to have this gem at the University of Nebraska, and for the dedicated scientists and staff who are advancing incredible research around our groundwater resources. 💧 Watch the virtual tour of the Water Sciences Laboratory here: youtube.com/watch?v=f1S8cF…

💧 Groundwater pumping in California was once an unrestricted “wild west,” depleting many aquifers. The 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act created local agencies to sustainably manage aquifers. In our new podcast for #GroundwaterAwarenessWeek, Renata Rimšaitė (DWFI) speaks with Matthew Beaman (California's Merced Irrigation-Urban GSA) and Jim Schneider (Olsson) about how local groundwater management, data and technology are shaping the future of sustaining aquifers. 🎧 Listen now: dwffpodcast.libsyn.com

💧 It’s #GroundwaterAwarenessWeek! Groundwater professionals play a critical role in protecting the water resources that sustain our communities, agriculture and ecosystems. Yet according to the American Geosciences Institute, there are currently more than 135,000 open positions across the geoscience workforce nationwide — far too many to keep pace with growing demand. At the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, we’re proud to support student research and hands-on educational opportunities in groundwater science, helping cultivate the next generation of expertise, curiosity and care for our precious water resources.

Join us this afternoon to hear Steve Owen discuss Lincoln's Water 2.0 Project as part of the Spring Seminar Series. 🗓️ March 4, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. 📷901 Hardin Hall, UNL East Campus

Learn more about the Master Irrigator program, a peer-led program for irrigation and nitrogen solutions, in our latest Water for Food podcast episode with Crystal Powers, an Extension Educator based at the Nebraska Water Center and Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute.

Congratulations to Dr. Tiffany Heng-Moss, who has been named Harlan Vice Chancellor for @UNL_IANR at UNL and vice president for agriculture and natural resources for @u_nebraska.

Join us this afternoon to hear Amanda Grint, Lyndon Vogt and Mike Murphy discuss water management and community engagement across Nebraska as part of the Spring Seminar Series. 🗓️ February 18, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. 📍901 Hardin Hall, UNL East Campus

As the University of Nebraska launches its new Artificial Intelligence Institute to advance responsible, human-centered AI, we are pleased that this effort will be co-directed by DWFI Faculty Fellow Dr. Santosh Pitla, whose expertise bridges agricultural systems, robotics and applied AI, alongside Dr. Adrian Wisnicki, a leader in digital humanities and critical AI literacy. Together, their expertise reflects the interdisciplinary collaboration that positions Nebraska as a national leader in shaping real-world solutions to complex challenges.

💧 Join the 2026 Nebraska Master Irrigator “Shop Talk”! 📍 Locations across Nebraska 📅 Register by February 20 🔗Register now at water.unl.edu/register-2026-… Learn more at watercenter.unl.edu/news/nebraska-…

Join us this afternoon to hear @BonnieKeeler discuss how water quality affects rural communities as part of the Spring Seminar Series. 🗓️ February 4, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. 📍901 Hardin Hall, UNL East Campus

“Strengthening agricultural resilience requires innovative approaches to both climate adaptation and mitigation. Central to this effort is effective water governance, encompassing policy, incentives, partnerships, and capacity building.” DWFI’s Renata Rimšaitė explores how water governance can better support resilient agricultural systems in a recent opinion piece published in PLOS Water. Read more: waterforfood.nebraska.edu/news-and-event…

🌿 Happy World Wetlands Day! 💧 From mountain snowmelt to Missouri River confluence, wetlands across the Platte Basin tell the story of Nebraska’s water—its movement, beauty, and change over time. Thanks to the @PlatteBasin Timelapse project, more than 70 time-lapse cameras are capturing these transformations, frame by frame, hour by hour. DWFI is proud to support PBT internships that help students and early-career storytellers bring these water journeys to life. 📷 Explore Nebraska’s critical and stunning wetlands through time: 🔗 plattebasintimelapse.com/timelapses/?_e… #WorldWetlandsDay

“Building #resilience in #agriculture doesn’t mean effectively responding to the last #drought or #flood; it means being ready for the next ones.” Read DWFI’s @RenataRimsaite’s article from the Winter 2026 issue of Irrigation Today: irrigationtoday.org/features/build…

Join us this afternoon to hear @NirupamAich discuss community impacts of PFAS as part of the Spring Seminar Series. 🗓️ January 21, 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. 📍901 Hardin Hall, UNL East Campus

Following decades of improvements, food security has declined since 2014. The number of hungry people has surpassed 700 million, and good #nutrition is out of reach for more than a third of humanity who cannot afford the quantity and variety of foods needed for a healthy life. 🥬 Can we use #irrigation intentionally for more nutrient-dense #food production? 💡 Read the article in @irrigationtoday from @water_4_farming (DWFI), @ClaudiaRingler (IFPRI), and Jennie Baron (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences): irrigationtoday.org/features/nouri…