LOWER REPUBLICAN NRD BOARD VACANCY

The Lower Republican NRD seeks a candidate to serve in the At-Large position on the Board of Directors effective immediately. Any individual interested must live within the Lower Republican NRD District boundaries.

For more information, contact the Lower Republican NRD Office, 30 North John Street/PO Box 618, Alma, NE 68920, or call (308) 928-2182.

Applications will be accepted until an appointment is made.

NITROGEN REDUCTION INCENTIVE ACT (NiRIA)

The Lower Republican NRD and the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources are partnering in a new program to reduce nitrogen fertilizer inputs. Earlier this year, the Nebraska Legislature passed LB 1368, establishing the  Nitrogen Reduction Incentive Act (NiRIA). This state funded program encourages producers to reduce the use of commercial fertilizers by offering financial incentives. To qualify, producers must verify a reduction in their nitrogen application by the lesser of 40 lbs./acre or 15% of their baseline rate. Applications and guidance documents are available at the Lower Republican NRD or online at www.lrnrd.org.

For this program, our district is divided into three priority areas (A, B, and C).

Priority A: Irrigated acres located in a wellhead protection area or the Superior-Hardy SPA.

Incentive Payment = $15 per acre.

Priority B: All certified irrigated acres within the Lower Republican NRD that are not located in the Priority A area.

Incentive Payment = $12 per acre.

Priority C: All other areas of the district, including dryland acres.

Incentive Payment = $10 per acre.

Each application/field is limited to 280 acres and the eligible crops are corn, sugar beets, or potatoes.

The incentives can be combined with other nutrient management programs offered by NRCS or other entities. Producers will need to confirm compatibility with those other programs. Producers are also given flexibility to determine how they will reduce their nitrogen application but are responsible for providing documentation that verifies a reduction in their nitrogen application by the lesser of 40 lbs./acre or 15% of their baseline rate.

Applications and documentation providing a baseline use of nitrogen in previous years  may be submitted to the Lower Republican NRD by mail, in-person, or online and are due January 15, 2025. The applications will be ranked, and successful applicants will be notified by March 15th, 2025. Producers will have until January 15th, 2026, to document and show the reduction in their nitrogen application to be eligible for payments.

NiRIA Application

Contact us at (308) 928-2182 or visit us online at www.lrnrd.org for more information on the application process.

For additional information, visit the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources website:

LB 1368 Nitrogen Reduction Incentive Program | Department of Natural Resources

Or contact Alexa Davis: (402) 471-3948 or alexa.davis@nebraska.gov.

FLOW METER REPLACMENT PROJECT

The Lower Republican NRD recently began a new project replacing existing flow meters with NRD owned telemetry flow meters. Please click the link to find out more about this project.

New Meter Letter to Producers 

PUBLIC NOTICE MEETING OF THE LOWER REPUBLICAN NATURAL RESOURCES DISTRICT

The Lower Republican NRD Board of Directors hereby provides public notice that the regular monthly public meeting of the Lower Republican NRD will be held on Thursday, December 12, 2024, at 1:30 pm, in the Lower Republican NRD Metting Room, 30 North John Street, Alma, NE.   

An agenda of the meeting is available for public inspection during normal business hours at the LRNRD office, on the front door of the NRCS offices, and at the following website: www.lrnrd.org.

Individuals with disabilities may request auxiliary aids and services necessary for participation by contacting Shirlee Poyser, Lower Republican NRD office, 30 John Street, Alma, NE, telephone (308) 928-2182 or e-mail spoyser@lrnrd.org.

Nebraska Open Meetings Act