UNL provides irrigation water availability, risk management considerations for 2026 crops

Current snowpack in the headwaters of the North Platte River Basin continues to be below average. 

Wyoming reservoir water levels on the North Platte River include Pathfinder at 33 percent full, requiring 722,530 acre-feet to fill, and Seminoe at 32 percent full, requiring 689,042 acre-feet to fill. 

While initial weather forecasts indicate the potential for more moisture in the next few weeks, many farmers are concerned about irrigation water availability for the 2026 crop year.

Crop insurance

Crop insurance may play a critical role in supporting surface water irrigated producers in the North Platte Valley this year. 

While irrigation districts have not yet finalized official water availability determinations, limited snowpack since March 15, 2025 may affect irrigation water availability for 2026 crops. 

If the allocation letters from the irrigation districts indicate lower water availability and the letter comes out before planting, section four of the Preventative Planting Standards Handbook says, “When available information indicates the effects of drought prior to the insurance period for the current crop year are such that normal weather conditions within the Preventative Plant Standards insurance period would still not allow crop production – for example, irrigation water allocations remain below what is needed to irrigate 100 percent of historical acreage, even with normal weather – the loss would be attributable to events occurring outside of the Preventative Plant Standards insurance period for the current year and no Preventative Plant Standards payment could be made on such acreage.”

In other words, preventative planting would not be available if there is official communication about reduced irrigation water before the insurance period.

Crop rotations

While planting typical crop rotations may still be feasible this season, producers may benefit from considering alternative crops. 

To have planting flexibility, there are actions one can take ahead of the crop insurance sales closing date of March 15. 

First, add crops to an insurance policy that one could plant if drought conditions persist. If a person does not plant these crops, there is no penalty. 

Second, make sure dryland coverage is adequate. If there are reductions in irrigation allocation, one may end up with dryland practice in part of a surface water irrigated field. As limited irrigation water requires the insured acreage to reflect what can be properly watered.

Third, be in excellent communication with a crop insurance agent to understand options, especially before the sales closing date of March 15.  

University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) encourages everyone to know cost of production and how it relates to insurance guarantee across many crops and practices. If irrigation water is limited, find the right crops to plant at the right coverage levels. 

The time is now to develop a strategy that will evolve with new information.

Cory Walters, Jessica Groskopf, Gary Stone and Xin Qiao are UNL Extension educators and specialists. For more information, visit extension.unl.edu.