This story was first published in the Davis College NewsCenter. See the original article here.
A detailed look at drip and pivot irrigated cotton and sorghum using Goanna, Autonomous Pivot, and Arable technologies are in the spotlight as part of the Texas Alliance for Water Conservation's 18th Annual Field Day. This year's event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. on Thursday (Aug. 31) at the farm of Lloyd Arthur in Ralls, Texas. (For directions, please click here)
“This field day is a great opportunity for producers to see new irrigation technologies and discuss with fellow producers management strategies proven to be economically and conservatively advantageous," said TAWC Project Director Rick Kellison. “It is the TAWC's goal to bring producers this timely information.”
As part of the farm tour program, Arthur will discuss his management practices and technologies. He has been a cooperating producer with TAWC since 2012. Today, he operates a mix of irrigated and dryland cotton and grain sorghum. Arthur is heavily involved in his community and the cotton industry, serving on numerous committees and boards, including Texas Farm Bureau, Cotton Incorporated, FiberMax Center for Discovery, and his local soil and water conservation district.
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.