Connecting South Plains' producers with the latest in irrigation scheduling technologies is the focus of the Texas Alliance for Water Conservation's first 'Field Walk' for the growing season. The event will take place on Tuesday (July 11) from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the organization's Site 50, which is farmed by Ralls producer Lloyd Arthur.

TAWC Project Director Rick Kellison notes that the discussion will center on recommended prescriptions for Arthur's particular field. Jeff Miller with ForeFront Agronomy will be explaining the readings from the site's irrigation technology and the prescriptions derived from it.

Directions from Lorenzo call for participants to go five miles east on U.S. 82 to C.R. 135, then north on 135 for 1 mile to C.R. 160, then east on 160 for half mile to turnrow on south side of the road. From Ralls participants go west four miles on U.S. 82 to C.R. 135, then north on 135 for one mile to C.R. 160, then east on 160 for half mile to turnrow on south side of the road.

Looking ahead, Kellison said, TAWC has two events on tap in the coming months. They are a TAWC Field Day from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday (Sept. 6) in Plainview, and TAWC's 4th Annual Water College on Wednesday (Jan. 24) at the Lubbock Civic Center.

Kellison said outreach events sponsors include Ag Workers, AgTexas Farm Credit, AquaSpy, Bayer Crop Science, Capital Farm Credit, City Bank, Cotton Inc., Diversity D Irrigation Services, Dow AgroScience, DuPont Pioneer, Eco-Drip, Equipment Supply, Grower's Source, Happy State Bank, High Plains Underground Water District, Hurst Farm Supply, Netafim Dragonline, Plains Cotton Growers, Plains Land Bank, Senninger, Sorghum Checkoff, Texas Corn Producers, Texas Panhandle Organics, Texas Sorghum Producers, Valley Irrigation, and Zimmatic Irrigation Services.

The TAWC project is a partnership of area producers, data collection technologies, and collaborating partners that includes industries, universities, and government agencies. The project uses 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 with a goal of extending the life of the Ogallala Aquifer while maintaining the viability of local farms and communities.

All production-related decisions are made by the more than 20 producers involved in the project. The project field sites involve more than 6,000 acres in Castro, Crosby, Deaf Smith, Floyd, Hale, Lamb, Lubbock, Parmer and Swisher counties. These sites represent the range of agricultural practices including monoculture cropping systems; crop rotations; no-till, limited-till and conventional tillage practices; land application of manure; and fully integrated crop and livestock systems.

CONTACT: Rick Kellison, Project Director, Texas Alliance for Water Conservation Project, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2774 or silvercreekfarm@amaonline.com

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