High Plains farmers test new ways to save water.
As water supplies continue to tighten across the Texas High Plains, farmers are turning increasingly to technology to stretch every drop. The Texas Alliance for Water Conservation will showcase some of those efforts Sept. 9 during its Annual Field Day near Ralls.
Participants will see irrigation technologies in operation, tour crops growing on the Arthur farm and discuss the challenges of farming with declining water availability.
The free event will take place from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the farm of Lloyd and Angela Arthur (1102 County Road 135, Ralls), where producers, researchers and agricultural technology specialists will examine irrigation technologies and management practices designed to improve efficiency while extending the life of the Ogallala Aquifer.
The morning will feature presentations from producers and researchers, followed by demonstrations in the field. Participants will have an opportunity to see irrigation technologies in operation, tour crops growing on the Arthur farm and discuss the challenges of farming with declining water availability.
“This will be an excellent opportunity to see irrigation technology in action, walk through the crops planted on Arthur’s farm, and visit with fellow producers and researchers about timely issues,” said Samantha Borgstedt, project director of the Texas Alliance for Water Conservation.
Lloyd Arthur will discuss his experience and plans implementing irrigation technologies, including drip irrigation and rainwater harvesting equipment, on his operation.
Daniel Jenkins, vice president of sales and marketing for Autonomous Pivot, will discuss the company’s approach to automating irrigation. Autonomous Pivot converts conventional center-pivot irrigation systems into robotic platforms that use artificial intelligence to help manage irrigation.
Craig Hoelscher, chief executive officer of Eco-Drip Irrigation, will discuss subsurface drip irrigation, a system that delivers water beneath the soil rather than spraying it from above. The company has installed systems covering more than 200,000 acres across the Texas, Oklahoma and Nebraska High Plains, according to the company.
Also on the agenda is Oluwatola Ibukun Adedeji, a postdoctoral scholar and precision agriculture researcher in Texas Tech’s Department of Plant & Soil Science. Adedeji will discuss advances in remote sensing and their potential applications in agricultural irrigation.
His research combines remote sensing, unmanned aerial systems, satellite imagery, and deep-learning techniques to improve irrigation management and address water scarcity. His work has received recognition for its use of emerging technologies to help producers make more precise decisions about water use.
The field day is part of TAWC’s broader effort to address one of the High Plains’ most pressing agricultural challenges: how to sustain productive farms as groundwater supplies decline.
Since its inception, TAWC has collaborated with producers, university researchers, government agencies and private-sector innovators. Its work focuses on finding practical ways to extend the life of the Ogallala Aquifer while maintaining farm profitability and strengthening rural communities.
Rather than conducting research solely under controlled conditions, TAWC emphasizes demonstrations on working farms. More than 30 participating producers make production decisions on their own operations, allowing researchers to evaluate cropping and livestock systems, irrigation technologies and management strategies under real-world conditions.
CONTACT: Samantha Borgstedt, Project Director, Texas Alliance for Water Conservation, Texas Tech University at (806) 789-4177 or samantha.borgstedt@ttu.edu
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