The Yuma agricultural community continues to look for opportunities to engage and educate stakeholders on the importance of staying up-to-date on water issues and the impact that management decisions can have on the farming industry in the southwestern desert.

The Yuma Agriculture Water Conference, slated for Jan. 13 in Yuma, Ariz., will bring together experts and leaders on the current issues regarding water rights and supply.

Rex Green, general manager of Yuma Irrigation District, hopes conference attendance is standing room only.

“Agriculture water impacts this entire community and there are many who share in the burden of protecting our water rights and being continuously educated,” Green said.

“We look forward to welcoming each stakeholder that cares about this issue because we believe each person will add something to the conversation.”

Conference speakers will include: Mark Killian, director, Arizona Department of Agriculture; Shane Burgess, dean, University of Arizona (UA) College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Thomas Buschatzke, director, Arizona Department of Water Resources; and Terry Fulp, director, Bureau of Reclamation in the Lower Colorado Region.

The cost of the 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. conference is $25 per person for the conference, breakfast, and lunch.

The conference will be held at Arizona Western College in the Schoening Building. 

The conference entitled, “Yuma's Agriculture Water: What You Need to Know,” is sponsored by the Yuma County Agriculture Water Coalition, the Agribusiness & Water Council of Arizona, and the UA’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Coalition coordinator Wade Noble says, “This is the first and only Yuma agriculture water conference…We'll talk about water rights and supply, the importance of agriculture in Yuma County, getting the water to the crops, and water transfers.”

In February 2015, the Yuma County Agriculture Water Coalition published a report called, “A Case Study in Efficiency - Agriculture and Water Use in the Yuma, Arizona Area.”

Coalition members include Wellton-Mohawk Irrigation and Drainage District; Yuma County Water Users’ Association; Yuma Mesa Irrigation and Drainage District; Yuma Irrigation District; North Gila Valley Irrigation and Drainage District; and the Unit B Irrigation and Drainage District.

Registration is available online at www.agwateryuma.com/yawc2016.html or by calling Susan Sternitzke at (928) 246-9255.