Connecting today's producers and crop consultants with the latest in irrigation technology and research is the focus of the Texas Alliance for Water Conservation's 4th Annual Water College on Wednesday (Jan. 24) at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center (1501 Mac Davis Lane).

TAWC Project Director Rick Kellison said that registration for the event begins at 8:30 a.m. with the program starting at 8:50 a.m. It is free of charge, CEU credit will be given and lunch will be provided. The program concludes at 4:30 p.m.

Among the program highlights are programs on utilizing variable rate irrigation technology in West Texas cotton; when less is more: soil management for ideal water infiltration; from field to fabric - Wrangler's commitment to healthy soils; and improving corn water use with hybrid selection: trait evaluation for both dryland and limited irrigated systems.

Other presentations include upcoming weather patterns; an overview of Texas water law; an update from Texas Water Development Board; profit potential using split pivot irrigation strategies in cotton production; grower perspective of various irrigation systems; and the West Texas mesonet – useful tools to aid producers.

The event's luncheon speaker is Wyman Meinzer ('74 Wildlife Management), the official State Photographer of Texas and a graduate of Texas Tech's College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources. In addition, local irrigation supply companies, farm equipment dealers, farm credit businesses and commodity groups will have display booths and be available to answer questions and give details to participants.

Based at Texas Tech and funded by a grant from the Texas Water Development Board, TAWC is a partnership of producers, technology firms, universities and government agencies working to extend the life of the largest subterranean aquifer in the United States. Stretching from the Texas panhandle in the south to the northern boundary of Nebraska, the Ogallala Aquifer lies beneath one of the most important agricultural regions in the U.S.

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.

Sponsors for the TAWC 'Water College' include Bayer Crop Science; Cotton Inc.; DuPont Pioneer; Texas Corn Producers; Diversity D Irrigation Services; High Plains Underground Water District; and Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education.

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

0109NM18 / Editor's Note: For more detailed information on TAWC's 4th Annual Water College, click here