Soil and water management, carbon farming, upcoming weather patterns, current status of federal policy, and a producer panel discussing conservative tillage practices are in the spotlight as part of the Texas Alliance for Water Conservation's 16th Annual Field Day. 

This year's event will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday (Aug. 19) at the FiberMax Center of Discovery, formerly known as the American Museum of Agriculture, at 1121 Canyon Lake Drive in Lubbock. Coffee and donuts will be provided by High Plains Underground Water District. Lunch will also be provided, and there is no cost to attend. 

"We look forward to bringing you a great line-up of presentations," said TAWC Project Director Rick Kellison. In addition to a series of informative, in-person presentations by agriculture industry professionals, there will be video and still shots of TAWC field sites. Participants will also hear from a producer panel consisting of TAWC cooperating farmers discussing their implementation of no-till and strip-till on dry land and irrigated fields.

Among the presentations are:

• Darren Hudson, AAEC Combest Endowed Chair; Carbon Credits and Markets for Agriculture: Considerations for Producers
• Jody James, National Weather Service Meteorologist; Weather Outlook: What can we expect in the months ahead?
• Katie Lewis, PSS Associate Professor of Soil Chemistry & Fertility; Measuring, Reporting & Verifying Soil Carbon
• Jeff Miller, Owner of ForeFront Agronomy; Cover Crops for Cowboys
• Barry Evans, Steve Olson, Josh Tunnell & Orin Romine, Producer Panel; Utilizing Conservative Tillage on Dry Land & Irrigated Fields

Funded by a grant from the Texas Water Development Board, TAWC operates as 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 United States.

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.

CONTACT: Rick Kellison, Project Director, Texas Alliance for Water Conservation, Texas Tech University at (806) 292-5982 or rick.kellison@ttu.edu

0813NM21 / Editor's Note: For more information on this year's virtual Texas Alliance for Water Conservation Field Day, contact Samantha Borgstedt at (806) 789-4177