Extension Foundation Online Campus
Irrigation
The cleanliness of your home can surprisingly affect your wellbeing and academic performance as a college student. It plays a significant and often overlooked role in both your mental and physical health.
The link between a clean, organized home and your stress level
Cleaning and organizing can improve your mood and reinforce a sense of control. When your home is dirty and cluttered, it can trigger feelings of confusion, tension, and irritability. On the other hand, a clean and organized home tends to promote a sense of calmness and well-being.
Dr. Danielle Roeske, Psy.D., Vice President of Residential Services at Newport Healthcare, explains that our external environments can reflect our emotional and psychic states. When our environment is ordered and structured, it can help us manage our internal feelings and world.
Clutter can contribute to feelings of depression and anxiety. A 2009 research study by UCLA found that mothers living in cluttered homes had higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Mayo Clinic and Princeton University also found that clutter can increase cortisol levels, leading to decreased productivity, insomnia, weight gain, procrastination, and depression. Furthermore, people with depression may struggle to maintain a clean and organized home, creating a vicious cycle.
Cleaning can be a great exercise in mindfulness. It brings your attention to the present moment in a positive way, as you notice surfaces becoming cleaner and items getting organized. This can enhance your focus and clarity, making you less irritable and more productive.
If you're having trouble focusing on a project, consider decluttering your home and workspace. You might find that organizing your things and clearing away messes improve your concentration and productivity.
By having a clean and tidy apartment, you can boost your academic success via better mental health, with improved mood, enhanced self-control, lessoned anxiety, more focus, and clearer clarity.
The impact of a clean, organized home on your physical health
According to a study by NiCole Keith, PhD, a research scientist and professor at Indiana University, people with clean homes tend to be healthier than those with messy homes. The cleanliness of your home can directly affect your immune system and risk of infection. Viruses and bacteria can rapidly multiply on dirty kitchen counters, posing a significant risk to your health.
Cleaning can also increase your physical activity. Tasks like wiping, dusting, mopping, and vacuuming require constant movement and provide moderate exercise.
Health is so important to your academic success. Having a clean and organized home is one of the best investments for your academic success.
Surprising, but true.
How to maintain a clean and organized home during your academic year
Start small: Commit to doing one cleaning task per day, like cleaning the kitchen counter or picking up scattered clothes.
Form a habit: Always put things back after using This can eliminate most clutter.
Establish a regular cleaning routine: Spend 30 minutes each Sunday cleaning your This can include cleaning the kitchen, bathroom, and other rooms, and vacuuming and mopping the floor. You can do so with a good cleaning check list for kitchen, bathroom, and other rooms.
Get help: Consider hiring a cleaning service to ensure a clean and organized This can allow you to focus on your studies and achieve academic excellence.
Establishing a bi-weekly or monthly cleaning schedule can greatly improve your mental and physical health. Fresh Tech Maid, a house cleaning service Chicago, offers a 10% discount for college students and specializes in chemical-free cleaning, providing a safer and healthier environment for you. Most importantly, such a cleaning help will help to secure your academic success at college.
Courses tagged with "Irrigation"
The audience for this course is: Crop producers, handlers, and anyone interested in food safety
By taking this course, students will learn:
Basic microbiology concepts, where pathogens come from and be able to explain where pathogens can be found and how they can contaminate fresh produce.
For more information or to enroll please contact:
- Teacher: Paul Goeringer
Summary: No matter the particular plant scenario you are working with (ie field crop, pastureland, Greenhouse business, turf grass, home garden and landscaping, etc.) being able to accurately estimate the water needs and timing of irrigation will help lower costs, as well as preserve limited water supplies. In this lesson you will learn how to use a specific irrigation app which has been developed by a group of public researchers and is free for your use. This app, along with the foundational irrigation principles you learned in previous lessons and/or from your previous knowledge will help you maximize the effects of your irrigation applications while minimizing costs. This lesson uses a Colorado field example.
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
- Set up a field in the Water Irrigation Scheduler for Efficient Application (WISE) App to schedule irrigations during one growing season.
- Input irrigation amounts in WISE based on estimated soil water deficits (D) and the crop’s management allowed depletion (MAD) during one growing season.
- Interpret the WISE water balance outputs.
Time Required: We estimate it will take you 2 hours to complete the lesson. You can work on it at your own pace and do not have to complete it in one setting.
Who Would Benefit: A variety of people will find this upskilling course useful from adults to high school students. This includes careers (or hobbyists) growing plants (ie field crops, greenhouse production, turf and lawns, gardens, etc.) and wishing to save money and water by better timing irrigation applications.
Upskill Credentials: If you finish the entire course including passing a final quiz (which you can take up to 3 times), then you will earn a badge certificate of completion. It has been approved for 2 Crop Management CEUs through the national Certified Crop Adviser program.
Instructor: Dr. Allan A. Andales is a Professor and Extension Specialist of Irrigation and Water Science in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University (CSU). He has a joint appointment in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Dr. Andales applies principles of soil and water engineering, environmental biophysics, and numerical methods to study the effects of management practices and environmental factors on field hydrology and agricultural production. Experimental data are used to develop computer models and decision support tools that can improve agricultural water use efficiency and water quality. He is a member of the CSU Extension Water Resource Management Team that engages the public in addressing agricultural and urban water issues in Colorado.
ADA Accessibility: We have done our best to follow ADA best practices. Let us know if you run into any problems or require further accommodations.
Acknowledgements: This online micro-credential upskilling course is offered through the CSU Ag Upskilling program. Development was supported in part by funding from the CHS Foundation, administered by Colorado State University (2022). The CHS Foundation, funded by charitable gifts from CHS Inc., is focused on developing a new generation of agriculture leaders for life-long success. Together, with our partners, we are igniting innovation and driving excellence in agriculture education, cultivating high impact programs for rural youth and accelerating potential for careers in agriculture. Learn more at CHS Foundation.
- Teacher: Allan Andales
- Teacher: Deana Namuth-Covert
- Teacher: Dessa Watson
Summary: When making decisions about when to irrigate a crop, no matter the specific plant or scenario, it is important to take into consideration evapotranspiration rates which provide an estimate of water flux out of your system. The challenge is that evapotranspiration varies a lot depending on the specific plant, its growth stage plus changing weather (or greenhouse) conditions. Precision agriculture scientists have been able to characterize two reference crop values as a way to standardize evapotranspiration calculations based on weather data. In this lesson you will learn what is meant by a reference crop, crop coefficient, and water stress coefficient and how you can use these to inform your irrigation management decisions.
Time Required: We estimate it will take you 2 hours to complete the lesson. You can work on it at your own pace and do not have to complete it in one setting.
Who Would Benefit: A variety of people will find this upskilling course useful from adults to high school students. This includes careers (or hobbyists) growing plants (ie field crops, greenhouse production, turf and lawns, gardens, etc.) and wishing to save money and water by better timing irrigation applications.
Upskill Credentials: If you finish the entire course including passing a final quiz (which you can take up to 3 times), then you will earn a badge certificate of completion. It has been approved for 2 Soil and Water Management CEUs through the national Certified Crop Adviser program.
Instructor: Dr. Allan A. Andales is a Professor and Extension Specialist of Irrigation and Water Science in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University (CSU). He has a joint appointment in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Dr. Andales applies principles of soil and water engineering, environmental biophysics, and numerical methods to study the effects of management practices and environmental factors on field hydrology and agricultural production. Experimental data are used to develop computer models and decision support tools that can improve agricultural water use efficiency and water quality. He is a member of the CSU Extension Water Resource Management Team that engages the public in addressing agricultural and urban water issues in Colorado.
ADA Accessibility: We have done our best to follow ADA best practices. Let us know if you run into any problems or require further accommodations.
Acknowledgements: This online micro-credential upskilling course is offered through the CSU Ag Upskilling program. Development was supported in part by funding from the CHS Foundation, administered by Colorado State University (2022). The CHS Foundation, funded by charitable gifts from CHS Inc., is focused on developing a new generation of agriculture leaders for life-long success. Together, with our partners, we are igniting innovation and driving excellence in agriculture education, cultivating high impact programs for rural youth and accelerating potential for careers in agriculture. Learn more at CHS Foundation.
- Teacher: Allan Andales
- Teacher: Deana Namuth-Covert
- Teacher: Dessa Watson
Summary: To effectively utilize limited irrigation resources in the most cost-effective manner requires balancing the inputs and outputs of water fluxes, as well as water that is stored in the soil profile. Best irrigation management scheduling practices focus on water balance in the rootzone because that is where the plant/crop is extracting water (and nutrients) from the soil. It is here we estimate the irrigation water requirements to maintain healthy plants. Decisions on when and how much irrigation water to apply depends on the soil water deficit and the management-allowed depletion (MAD). This lesson will walk you through each of these concepts including real world problem scenarios.
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
- Use the water balance of the root zone to estimate the irrigation water requirement.
- Make irrigation decisions by comparing the soil water deficit to the management-allowed depletion.
Time Required: We estimate it will take you 2 hours in total to complete the lesson. You can work on it at your own pace and do not have to complete it in one setting.
Who Would Benefit: A variety of people will find this upskilling course useful from adults to high school students. This includes careers (or hobbyists) growing plants (ie field crops, greenhouse production, turf and lawns, gardens, etc.) and wishing to save money and water by better timing irrigation applications.
Upskill Credentials: If you finish the entire course including passing a final quiz (which you can take up to 3 times), then you will earn a badge certificate of completion. This has also been approved for 2 Soil and Water Management CEUs through the national Certified Crop Adviser program.
Instructor: Dr. Allan A. Andales is a Professor and Extension Specialist of Irrigation and Water Science in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University (CSU). He has a joint appointment in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Dr. Andales applies principles of soil and water engineering, environmental biophysics, and numerical methods to study the effects of management practices and environmental factors on field hydrology and agricultural production. Experimental data are used to develop computer models and decision support tools that can improve agricultural water use efficiency and water quality. He is a member of the CSU Extension Water Resource Management Team that engages the public in addressing agricultural and urban water issues in Colorado.
ADA Accessibility: We have done our best to follow ADA best practices. Let us know if you run into any problems or require further accommodations.
Acknowledgements: This online micro-credential upskilling course is offered through the CSU Ag Upskilling program. Development was supported in part by funding from the CHS Foundation, administered by Colorado State University (2022). The CHS Foundation, funded by charitable gifts from CHS Inc., is focused on developing a new generation of agriculture leaders for life-long success. Together, with our partners, we are igniting innovation and driving excellence in agriculture education, cultivating high impact programs for rural youth and accelerating potential for careers in agriculture. Learn more at CHS Foundation.
- Teacher: Allan Andales
- Teacher: Deana Namuth-Covert
- Teacher: Dessa Watson
Summary: The goal of irrigation is to add water to the soil where the plant roots are actively growing (the root zone). The soil serves as a water reservoir, from which plants can withdraw water needed for growth. In irrigation management, it is necessary to know the characteristics of the soil in the area that you will be irrigating. These soil characteristics can be used to determine the amount of water in the root zone that is available to the plants.
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
- Describe the concept of depth of water.
- Determine the depth of water that is available to the plants.
- Use the concept of depth of water to estimate the net irrigation requirement (i.e., soil water deficit) of the soil root zone.
Time Required: We estimate it will take you 2 hours in total to complete the lesson. You can work on it at your own pace and do not have to complete it in one setting.
Who Would Benefit: A variety of people will find this upskilling course useful from adults to high school students. This includes careers (or hobbyists) growing plants (ie field crops, greenhouse production, turf and lawns, gardens, etc.) and wishing to save money and water by better timing irrigation applications.
Upskill Credentials: If you finish the entire course including passing a final quiz (which you can take up to 3 times), then you will earn a badge certificate of completion. It has been approved for 2 Soil and Water Management CEUs through the national Certified Crop Adviser program.
Instructor: Dr. Allan A. Andales is a Professor and Extension Specialist of Irrigation and Water Science in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University (CSU). He has a joint appointment in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Dr. Andales applies principles of soil and water engineering, environmental biophysics, and numerical methods to study the effects of management practices and environmental factors on field hydrology and agricultural production. Experimental data are used to develop computer models and decision support tools that can improve agricultural water use efficiency and water quality. He is a member of the CSU Extension Water Resource Management Team that engages the public in addressing agricultural and urban water issues in Colorado.
ADA Accessibility: We have done our best to follow ADA best practices. Let us know if you run into any problems or require further accommodations.
Acknowledgements: This online micro-credential upskilling course is offered through the CSU Ag Upskilling program. Development was supported in part by funding from the CHS Foundation, administered by Colorado State University (2022). The CHS Foundation, funded by charitable gifts from CHS Inc., is focused on developing a new generation of agriculture leaders for life-long success. Together, with our partners, we are igniting innovation and driving excellence in agriculture education, cultivating high impact programs for rural youth and accelerating potential for careers in agriculture. Learn more at CHS Foundation.
- Teacher: Allan Andales
- Teacher: Deana Namuth-Covert
- Teacher: Dessa Watson
Summary: Irrigation is defined as the watering of land (or other plant growth media) by artificial means to foster plant growth. This can be very costly and the availability of supplemental water may be scarce, so it is important to be able to calculate accurately how much water to apply and when. This lesson will introduce you the underlying concepts you will need to consider.
After completing this lesson, you will be able to:
- Explain how the systems approach can be used to manage water in irrigated systems.
- Identify the fluxes (flows) of water and energy in an irrigated soil-plant-atmosphere system.
- Describe how the Irrigator’s Equation can be used to quantify the four (4) major variables involved in managing irrigation systems.
- Use the principle of conservation of mass to determine the water budget (also called water balance) of a soil-plant-atmosphere (SPA) system.
- Use the principle of conservation of energy to determine the energy budget (also called energy balance) of a SPA system.
Time Required: We estimate it will take you 2 hours in total to complete the lesson. You can work on it at your own pace and do not have to complete it in one setting.
Who Would Benefit: A variety of people will find this upskilling course useful from adults to high school students. This includes careers (or hobbyists) growing plants (ie field crops, greenhouse production, turf and lawns, gardens, etc.) and wishing to save money and water by better timing irrigation applications.
Upskill Credentials: If you finish the entire course including passing a final quiz (which you can take up to 3 times), then you will earn a badge certificate of completion. This has also been approved for 2 Soil and Water Management CEUs through the national Certified Crop Adviser program.
Instructor: Dr. Allan A. Andales is a Professor and Extension Specialist of Irrigation and Water Science in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University (CSU). He has a joint appointment in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Dr. Andales applies principles of soil and water engineering, environmental biophysics, and numerical methods to study the effects of management practices and environmental factors on field hydrology and agricultural production. Experimental data are used to develop computer models and decision support tools that can improve agricultural water use efficiency and water quality. He is a member of the CSU Extension Water Resource Management Team that engages the public in addressing agricultural and urban water issues in Colorado.
ADA Accessibility: We have done our best to follow ADA best practices. Let us know if you run into any problems or require further accommodations.
Acknowledgements: This online micro-credential upskilling course is offered through the CSU Ag Upskilling program. Development was supported in part by funding from the CHS Foundation, administered by Colorado State University (2022). The CHS Foundation, funded by charitable gifts from CHS Inc., is focused on developing a new generation of agriculture leaders for life-long success. Together, with our partners, we are igniting innovation and driving excellence in agriculture education, cultivating high impact programs for rural youth and accelerating potential for careers in agriculture. Learn more at CHS Foundation.
- Teacher: Allan Andales
- Teacher: Tamla Blunt
- Teacher: Deana Namuth-Covert
- Teacher: Dessa Watson