On a cold January morning in Lubbock, more than 150 farmers, researchers and policy specialists gathered at the Civic Center for a conversation that has become increasingly urgent on the Southern High Plains: How to sustain agriculture as water grows scarcer.
The occasion was the Texas Alliance for Water Conservation’s (TAWC) 12th annual Water College, held Jan. 21, a daylong forum that brought together producers, consultants and industry leaders to examine the economic and environmental pressures reshaping farming and ranching in Texas.
“The TAWC is aware that everyone involved in agriculture in this region is facing water issues and have questions about the future of Texas water,” said Samantha Borgstedt, director of the alliance. “Cattle producers, row crop farmers, landowners, and researchers all play a vital role in our industry, and we wanted this 12th Annual Water College to address topics related to all of them through presentations but also discussion with audience involvement.”
Organizers said the program was designed to narrow the distance between research institutions and the growers working daily under the constraints of declining groundwater supplies. Sessions ranged from federal conservation programs and crop insurance to advances in water technology and the financial realities facing producers across the High Plains.
Among the early presentations was an analysis of the cost of fat in beef cattle by Dale Woerner, the Cargill Endowed Professor at Texas Tech, followed by a market outlook titled “Cattle Market: How We Got Here and Where We’re Going,” led by Brady Miller, director of Market, Membership & Education at the Texas Cattle Feeders Association.
Shawn Wade, assistant director of the Fiber & Biopolymer Research Institute, reviewed crop insurance updates and options for 2026, while Ashley Morgan of the Texas Water Development Board offered an overview of statewide water planning efforts. An agricultural policy update from Tom Sell, founder of Combest, Sell & Associates, placed those discussions within the broader context of state and federal decision-making.
As the day progressed, attention turned more directly to water. Eric Bernard, director of planning at KDC Associates, discussed advancements in the use of polished produced water in agriculture. Krishna Jagadish, interim chair of Texas Tech’s Department of Plant and Soil Science, outlined recent developments in water research, followed by a presentation from Amy Hardberger, professor of water law, on legal considerations for landowners.
The program concluded with a commodity outlook panel featuring Kody Bessent, chief executive of Plains Cotton Growers, and Andrew Wright, an assistant professor and extension specialist in agricultural economics with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. A detailed weather outlook from Jacob Riley, chief meteorologist at KLBK News, closed the day.
Separately, organizers recognized student research through the alliance’s annual poster and photo competition, which highlights work on water use and conservation by students in Texas Tech’s Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources. Awards were presented across categories including row crops, livestock, forages and agricultural economics. Poster competition, which inlcuded 11 entries, was organized by Associate Professor Impa Somayanda (agricultural water management) and photo competition by Assistant Professor Kalavathy Rajan (Fiber & Biopolymer Research Institute).
Among this year’s poster winners were:
- Frist Place | Anita Kumari | Department of Plat & Soil Science | Metabolomic Responses of Cotton and Sorghum to Polished Desalinated Produced Water in a Field Irrigation Study
- Second Place | Reymark Alcantara | Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics | The Effects of Crop Insurance Participation on Water Use Under Extreme Heat: Evidence from U.S. Agriculture
- Third Place | Katherine Coyle | Department of Plat & Soil Science | Assessment of the Feasibility of Treated Oilfield Produced Water as an Agricultural Irrigation Source from the Perspective of Soil Chemistry
Winners were also announced in the alliance’s annual ‘Sustainable Agriculture’ photography competition, which features images capturing the relationship between water, soil, plants and livestock on the Texas High Plains. This year’s honors went to Emily Muehlstein (First Place); Priyambada Khadka (Second Place); and Masoumeh Pourasghar (Third Place).
The Water College is part of a broader effort by the Texas Alliance for Water Conservation, a consortium based at Texas Tech University and supported by the Texas Water Development Board. The alliance brings together producers, researchers, technology firms and government agencies with a shared goal: extending the life of the Ogallala Aquifer, the vast underground reservoir that supports agriculture from the Texas Panhandle to Nebraska.
Its work relies on more than 20 participating producers who retain full control over production decisions on demonstration sites totaling roughly 6,000 acres across nine counties, including Castro, Crosby, Deaf Smith, Floyd, Hale, Lamb, Lubbock, Parmer and Swisher. Together, the sites represent a cross-section of regional practices – monoculture and rotational cropping systems, varying tillage methods, manure application and integrated crop-livestock operations – offering real-world comparisons of how management strategies influence both water use and farm profitability.
CONTACT: Samantha Borgstedt, Director, Texas Alliance for Water Conservation Project, Texas Tech University at (806) 789-4177 or samantha.borgstedt@ttu.edu
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