[link to northplattebulletin.com]

Done deal, pipeline plans underway for water farm
by George Lauby (North Platte Bulletin) - 12/5/2012

A pipeline will be laid as soon as possible in the “water farm” project in southern Lincoln County.

Officials want to get the pipeline in operation by June 2013. They will meet Monday in McCook to consider an engineer for the project.

The project, which officially began just six weeks ago, will convert the largest crop farm in Nebraska to a farm from which only water will be harvested.

Conservation officials officially bought the $83 million in farmland Tuesday. The water will be pumped, piped and ditched into two major Nebraska rivers.

The deal will help Nebraska meet agreements with surrounding states and the federal government for river flows in the Platte and Republican rivers, Kent Miller of the Twin Platte Natural Resources District said.

The farm, formerly known as Lincoln Farm and before that as Oppliger Farms, was one of the largest crop farms in Nebraska. Located in southern Lincoln County, it consists of 117 center-pivot irrigated crop fields, most of which cover half of a square mile.

(Less than 50%)