In farming, no matter if the crop is corn, potatoes, or grass hay, the name of the game is water. Whether it comes from Mother Nature in Kansas or from center pivot irrigation in California, the number one input to the crop is water. Water can carry nutrients from the soil through the roots to the plant, so that it can grow and return a yield; unfortunately, it can also run off the field, carrying nutrients and topsoil with it, or it can leach nutrients past the roots. Loss of water and nutrients have the same result – lost dollars – both in operating and fertilizer costs.