Daugherty Water for Food Podcast

Five years ago, DWFI was tapped by the U.S. Department of Energy to tackle a critical challenge: scientifically validating carbon sequestration in Midwest corn and soybean production. With this $3 million project now in its final 120-day closeout phase, DWFI Director of Research Christopher Neale discusses this initiative at the intersection of energy, agriculture and policy. He shares insights in...

Joe Sanders, the new executive director of the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute (DWFI) at the University of Nebraska, brings more than 27 years of experience in international agricultural development to his role. In this episode, hosted by Arianna Elnes, he reflects on his career path—from serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia to leading USAID-funded projects across Africa, Asia a...

When it comes to groundwater management, California was the wild west not long ago, with unrestricted pumping depleting many aquifers. But that changed in 2014 with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which created about 350 Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSA) responsible for management of more than 140 of the state's basins. Using a framework of local control, GSAs work to sustain g...

In this episode, host  Frances Hayes  dives into the  Nebraska Master Irrigator Program , a new approach to advanced water stewardship. Joining Frances is  Crystal Powers , DWFI Water and Cropping Systems Extension Educator and a co-collaborator on the new initiative. Through the Nebraska Master Irrigator Program, organizers invite participants to dig deeper and "talk shop" about the critical issu...

Episode 49 - Irrigation as a Service: A New Paradigm In our first episode of 2026, host   Frances Hayes  discusses a unique approach to supporting access to irrigation for smallholder farmers with  Erin Anders , Senior Program Manager at the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute.   Farmers of all sizes in all parts of the world need access to water, inputs and financing to grow food. Irrigatio...

In this special episode, host   Frances Hayes  sits down with   Peter McCornick , Executive Director of the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, as he concludes nearly a  decade of leadership .   This deep-dive conversation covers Peter's distinguished career, from his early life on a farm in Scotland and pivotal international work in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, to what drew him to le...

In this episode, host  Frances Hayes  sits down with  Crystal Powers , 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 an...

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 dome...

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  Frances Hayes , 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.   Adam Keough , program manag...

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  Arindam Malakar , a researcher with th...

In the 43rd episode of the Water for Food Podcast, host Frances Hayes speaks with   Claudia Ringler   of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) about the crucial link between irrigation and global health, expanding on Ringler's recent   Heuermann Lecture   as part of the   2025 Water for Food Global Conference  and previous episodes in this podcast. Together they explore how irri...

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 here .  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 wate...

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.

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 Valmont Industries 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 i...

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 foo...

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 va...

ILIMS Deputy Director Jude Cobbing - Opportunities of Irrigation and Mechanization In November 2023, the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute announced a new USAID Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Irrigation and Mechanization Systems (ILIMS). ILIMS enhances global food security by generating research-based solutions to support the growth of vibrant irrigation and mechanization markets; deve...

Drought is a prolonged dry period that can occur anywhere in the world and results in a water shortage. Unlike some other disasters, drought has a slow onset and a prolonged impact on health, agriculture, economies, energy and the environment. An estimated 55 million people globally are affected by droughts every year and as many as 700 million people are at-risk of being displaced as a result of...

Farmers are the original agtech innovators. As the population grows, and water resources become scarcer, there is a need for continued innovation in agricultural technologies, and a ready network to foster and accelerate them. The 2024 Nebraska Agtech Innovation Ecosystem Map, jointly published by   Water for Food   and   The Combine AgTech Incubator by Invest Nebraska , outlines the ecosystem for...

The Fifth National Climate Assessment is federally mandated by Congress and released every four years to serve as the foremost review of research on the current and future impacts of climate change in the United States.   In this episode of the Water for Food Podcast, DWFI Director of Communications and Public Relations Frances Hayes discusses key findings of the report with three of its co-author...

Aakanksha Melkani, a postdoctoral research associate at the Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute, researches the economic implications of drought in the United States, specifically on agricultural sectors. In this edition of the Water for Food Podcast, we are sharing an episode of Nebraska on Tap , a podcast produced by the Middle Republican Natural Resources District in Nebraska. Host of the...

The Melting Cryosphere and Food & Water Security, with Randall Ritzema, Tika Gurung, and Nick Brozović A 2023 report called  Water, ice, society, and ecosystems in the Hindu Kush Himalaya: An Outlook (HI-WISE), published by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) , was an urgent call for how disappearing snow and ice in the Hindu Kush Himalayas will impact water resou...

Yufeng Ge, Santosh Pitla and David Jones have already conducted research in the areas of ag-relevant sensors for more efficient application of fertilizer and water, and the development of an autonomous planter capable of seeding a 5-acre field all on its own. But now they've set their sights quite a bit higher — growing food in space. The three biological systems engineering faculty at the Univers...

Since 2013, UNL Water Sciences Lab Director Dan Snow and other researchers in the University of Nebraska system (NU) have collaborated with faculty and students in Central Asian institutes to improve water quality research across the globe.  The purpose of this effort is to share NU's knowledge and expertise in water quality research with a region that has limited resources and important water qua...

DWFI was recently selected to lead USAID's Feed the Future Lab for Irrigation and Mechanization Systems (ILIMS). In this episode of the Water for Food Podcast, Nicole Lefore, the director of the new lab and the associate director of sustainable agriculture water management at DWFI, shares the purpose of USAID's overall Feed the Future initiative; how ILIMS will support smallholder farmers in low-...