This story was first published in the Davis College NewsCenter. See the original article here.
The Texas Alliance for Water Conservation is hosting its 9th Annual Water College from 9 a.m.to 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 19. Connecting today's producers and crop consultants with the latest in irrigation technology and research is the focus of the program at Lubbock Civic Center. The event is cost free, lunch will be provided, and CCA CEUs will be offered. No pre-registration is required.
The program brings together area producers, consultants and agriculture industry leaders in an effort to present the latest in water management technologies and practices, upcoming weather patterns, and industry news. Among the scheduled program highlights are:
- 9:15 a.m. - Wide Row Cotton with Covers: Proving Less Is More; Kris Verrett, TAWC cooperating producer (Lubbock County)
- 9:45 a.m. - Opportunities for Sorghum in Climate-Smart & Water-Smart Agriculture; John Duff, Founder of Serō Ag Strategies
- 10:30 a.m. - Playas Work for Texans; an overview of the Texas Playa Conservation Initiative (TXPCI); Heather Johnson, Texas Parks & Wildlife Migratory Game Bird Specialist (Region 1)
- 11:00 a.m. - The Long-Term Motivation of Farmers: Can They Survive in an Uncertain World?; Kevin Brinkley, Plains Cotton Cooperative Association President & CEO
- 11:30 a.m. - Producer Advantages of the West Texas Weather Mesonet; Wes Burgett, Operations Manager, West Texas Mesonet (Texas Tech University)
- 1:30 p.m. - Cattle Market Outlook: Rebuilding the Herd in 2023; Justin Benevidez, Assistant Professor – Management Economist, District 1, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
- 2:00 p.m. - Weather Outlook 2023; Brian Bledsoe, Chief Meteorologist/Climatologist & Weather 5280 Specialist
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 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. 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 the Texas Tech College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources; BASF; Cotton Inc.; DuPont Pioneer; Texas Corn Producers; Diversity D Irrigation Services; and Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education.