Environmental excellence award goes to Texas Alliance for Water Conservation
The Texas Alliance for Water Conservation, a research project made up of producers, industries, universities, and government agencies, has received a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality 'Texas Environmental Excellence Award.' The recognition, which in this case was presented in the agriculture category, is part of an effort to bring attention to the most innovative and effective projects that strive to protect the state's natural resources, officials said in making today's announcement.
"These recipients are a testament to what can be accomplished to protect our natural resources," said Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Commissioner Toby Baker. Nine winners in eight categories were selected this year. They were recognized at a banquet held on Wednesday (May 6) as part of the TCEQ's Environmental Trade Fair and Conference at the Austin Convention Center.
The TAWC is a partnership of producers across eight Texas counties, data collection technologies, and collaborating partners that include: individual industries, universities, and government agencies. The TAWC project was made possible through a grant from the Texas Water Development Board.
The TAWC goal is to demonstrate to producers ways in which they can be more conservative with the amount of water that they are using, but at the same time maintain an economic viability. Demonstrations are a big part of the TAWC, said Rick Kellison, project director for TAWC, which is based at Texas Tech University.
In 2013 field walks began, which are a series of meetings through the growing season. During these walks they bring growers to the field, look at the various crops, talk about the plant's current stage of growth and water demand, and how much water had been applied.
New technologies have also been tested on these demonstrations with the results being shared at field days and during field walks. In addition, the TAWC uses its on-farm demonstrations of cropping and livestock systems to compare the production practices, technologies, and systems that can maintain individual farm profitability while improving water use efficiency.
Written by Norman Martin
CONTACT: Rick Kellison, Project Director, Texas Alliance for Water Conservation Project, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2774 or silvercreekfarm@amaonline.com
0312NM15 / PHOTO: (left to right) Toby Baker, Bryan Shaw, Chuck West, Rick Kellison, Samantha Borgstedt, Rudy Ritz, Jeff Pate, Phillip Brown and Zak Covar
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