The Texas Alliance for Water Conservation (TAWC) is hosting its 5th Annual Water College on Thursday, January 17, at Lubbock's Memorial Civic Center. The focus of the free college is connecting today's producers and crop consultants with the latest in irrigation technology and research.

The event is targeted at 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. A trade show lined with agricultural industry booths will also be available.  

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Among the program highlights are an overview, "Utilizing Cover Crops and Irrigation Technology," by Kelly Kettner, a Bailey County producer, and Jeff Miller with Forefront Agronomy; and "Utilizing New Online Tools for Producers," by Shawn Wade with Plains Cotton Growers.

Other presentations include, "Cotton Yield Response to Various PET Irrigation Regimes," by Bob Glodt with AgriSearch Consulting; "Caught in the Crossfire: the US Sorghum Industry’s Battle with the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Commerce," by John Duff with National Sorghum Producers; and from "Farm to Brands: U.S.Cotton Industry’s Approach to Sustainability," by Jesse Daystar with Cotton Inc.

In addition, there will be a "Texas Water Law and Policy Update," by Victoria Whitehead with the High Plains Underground Water District; an update from the Texas Water Development Board by Kathleen Jackson; and a review of upcoming weather patterns by Brian Bledsoe, a Colorado Springs-based meteorologist and climatologist.

Registration for the TAWC Water College begins at 8:30 a.m., with the program starting at 8:50 a.m. The college is free with lunch provided and CEU credits available. The program concludes at 3:30 p.m.

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 U.S.

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. The goal of the project is to extend 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 a 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.

For more information, go to TAWC.

Source: TAWC