Texas Project for Ag Water Efficiency - From River to Farm
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From river to farm Wayne Halbert & Tom McLemore Harlingen Irrigation District Texas Water Conservation Association October 25, 2012 www.TexasAWE.org
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Presented by Wayne Halbert and Tom McLemore - Harlingten Irrigation District - at the Texas Water Conservation Association Fall Conference 2012 www.twca.org
Transcript of Texas Project for Ag Water Efficiency - From River to Farm
From river to farmWayne Halbert & Tom McLemore
Harlingen Irrigation District
Texas Water Conservation AssociationOctober 25, 2012
www.TexasAWE.org
ALL EYES ARE ON AGRICULTURE
FORUMULA FOR DOING MORE WITH LESS
maximizing ag water efficiency = integrating on-farm applicationwith district delivery systems
KEY FINDINGS
#1. Best approach to ag water conservation:
increase the efficiency of irrigation district operations
SYSTEM OPTIMIZATION
• Minimizes district water losses• Enhances system performance• Enables precise delivery of water to farms• Maximizes efficiency in irrigation
KEY FINDINGS
#2. Best methods of achieving district efficiencies: • infrastructure • automation
• interconnectivity
THE HID EXPERIENCEHID automation
• 40 miles of canals• 200 miles in pipeline• 36 re-lift pump houses• 37 automated gates• All networked by
telemetry• Controlled by SCADA• Remotely accessible
AWEsome AUTOGATES
PREVENTING WATER LOSS
Instant information & control:• system provides status check
& alerts• allows for rapid response &
problem-solving
RETOOLING THE SYSTEM
Then Now
VIRTUALLY TAMPER-PROOF
VIRTUALLY TAMPER-PROOF
REPLICABLE RESULTS
• System components designed & built with off-the-shelf, low-cost technology
• Plans available at TexasAWE.org
• Adopted by LCRA & El Paso Irrigation District
ON-FARM CONSERVATION
• Optimized systems mean farmers can do more with less
• Difficult for farmers to justify the cost of irrigation technology given the low cost of water.
• The bottom line is net farm income
ON-FARM STUDY PARTNERS
• Texas A&M Kingsville - Citrus Center
• Texas AgriLife FARM Assistance
• Numerous cooperating producers
CASE STUDY: SURGE IN SEED CORN
• 28% water savings in surge over furrow irrigation
• However, “there is [currently] no economic incentive to switch to the new surge technology as the cost of the surge valve offsets the potential water cost savings.”
CASE STUDY: CITRUS IRRIGATION
Large pan flood
Narrow border flood
CASE STUDY: NBF ADVANTAGES
Narrow border v. large pan flood irrigation:• 50% more net farm cash income• 18.5% higher average yield• Minimal investment
RIO GRANDE CENTER: TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
INFO-SHARING & HANDS-ON TRAINING
UPCOMING TRAINING EVENTS
STAY TUNED @ TexasAWE.org
JOIN THE TEXAS AWE PARTNERSHIP
Texas Water Development BoardHarlingen Irrigation District
AW Blair EngineeringTexas A&M Kingsville – Citrus Center
Texas Agrilife Extension & FARM AssistanceRio Grande Basin Initiative
Delta Lake Irrigation DistrictWaterPR
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