About
Alliance
Unique to the TAWC project is a partnership of area producers, data collection technologies, and collaborating partners that include: industries, universities, and government agencies. 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.
As described below, each member of the alliance has an important role in the research and development of our project sites.
Producers
All production-related decisions are made by the producers involved in the project. The project field sites involve more than 6,000 acres throughout the counties of Floyd, Hale, Lamb, Lubbock, Crosby, Castro, Parmer, Swisher and Deaf Smith. 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.
Jerry Don Glover Jerry Don and his wife of 55 years, Donna, live in Lazbuddie where they raised 3
children. Jerry Don manages 2,000 acres growing mostly wheat for grazing, silage,
and black eyed peas. Currently, he runs 1,100 head of stocker cattle on pasture and
recently planted 400 acres of improved grass. |
Blake DavisBlake has been a producer in Lamb County for over 34 years where he now operates 4,700
acres. His knowledge of farming and dedication to water management makes Blake a great
asset to the Texas Alliance for Water Conservation. |
Layton Schur Layton is a fourth generation farmer, raised on the family farm near Plainview, Texas. Layton graduated from Texas Tech University in 2017 in Agricultural and Applied Economics with the full intention of returning to production agriculture following graduation. Layton is now one of our young up and coming agricultural producers and part of the Texas Alliance for Water Conservation Project. Layton is also licensed by the State of Texas as an Auctioneer
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Barry EvansFarming nearly 4,000 acres in the area of Kress, TX, Barry is a strong leader in the
agriculture industry. In addition to his work with TAWC, Barry is currently Secretary/Treasurer
of the National Cotton Council, has served as Texas state chairman of the American
Cotton Producers, has held the position of president of the Cotton Foundation, and
served as a member of The Cotton Board. In 2016, Cotton Grower magazine awarded Barry
with the publication's Cotton Achievement Award. |
Eddie TeeterEddie has farmed over 45 years with his with Cheryl and works daily to manage his resources. He plants wheat, cotton, corn and grain sorghum throughout his 1,360 acres of farmland in Lockney, Texas, using LEPA hoses on his pivots and sub-surface drip irrigation. Eddie has received the Gerald W. Thomas Outstanding Agriculturalist Award in production, Water Conservation Advisory Council's Blue Legacy Award in Agriculture, and has been voted Lockney's Man of the Year. |
Glenn SchurLocted in Hale County, Glenn's 1,800 acre operation produces a variety of crops which currently includes cotton, grain sorghum, wheat, seed crops (sorghum and millet), alfalfa, CRP, and a 100-head registered Limousine cow/calf operation. He utilizes LEPA, PMDI and LDN on his center pivots. Glenn received the 2018 Texas Tech's Gerald W. Thomas Outstanding Agriculturalist Award in Agricultural Production, 2011 Blue Legacy Award in Agriculture, 2008 CASNR Distinguished Alumni Award and the 1990-92 Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership Award. |
RN HopperRN is a continuous no-till farmer from Petersburg, TX. He and his wife Lyndi live on the farm with their three children where they grow corn, cotton, wheat, and sunflowers. RN is one of the founders and current President of the No-Till Texas organization whose focus is to increase awareness of soil health issues and to establish a network of producers helping each other implement soil conservation practices. |
Bob MeyerBob has farmed for 37 years and currently manages 2,400 acres growing food corn, cotton,
sunflowers, milo and wheat. He also has a history of growing popcorn, seed milo, seed
wheat and canola. For the past 12 years, Bob has used no-till and strip-till farming
practices. |
Lloyd ArthurLloyd is a fifth generation farmer living in Ralls, Texas with his wife Angela. They have four children, and together the family has created a farming operation that has received awards and recognition such as Crosby County Agriculturist of the Year, Ralls Chamber of Commerce Mr. & Mrs. Cotton Boll and Texas Farm Bureau District II Outstanding Young Farmer and Rancher. Lloyd has served in numerous leadership roles including the boards of Rio Blanco Soil and Water Conservation District, Cotton Incorporated, and Texas Farm Bureau.
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Data Analysis & Technology Transfer
The project sites are being intensely monitored for water use, soil moisture depletion, crop productivity, and economic return. Each site is equipped with instruments to determine total water applied from the aquifer, solar radiation, temperature, rainfall, and timing. Also being monitored are amount of irrigation events as well as soil moisture. Integrated central processing controller equipment is being utilized to record, store, and transmit all data to a single database accessible to project participants.
Risk management specialists with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension analyze data gathered from producers' field records to calculate economic return from irrigation.
Data gathered over the past 10 years of the TAWC Project have been used to develop free online tools producers can access to enhance their irrigation management. These tools are found at www.tawcsolutions.org.
Awards
2016 Irrigation Association's National Water & Energy Conservation Award
2015 Texas Environmental Excellence Award in Agriculture
2014 TAWC Producer Eddie Teeter wins Blue Legacy Award
2013 TAWC Producer Glenn Schur wins Blue Legacy Award
2012 Water Conservation Advisory Council Blue Legacy Award
2012 AWRA Integrated Water Resources Management Award
2011 Texas Environmental Excellence Awards Finalist
Texas Alliance for Water Conservation
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Address
Texas Tech University Box 42122, Lubbock, TX 79409-2122 -
Phone
806-742-2774 (phone) 806-742-0988 (fax) -
Email
samantha.borgstedt@ttu.edu