• Overview: County Extension agents, Soil Conservation Service personnel, vendors of water management equipment and growers are provided information and trained to select, design, install, and operate efficient water management systems (irrigation and drainage).

 
• Goal: Promote the best and appropriate management of water. Help growers select and properly use water management systems with emphasis on production efficiency, water conservation and water quality. Continue to develop and refine design and operational guidelines for water management systems.

 
• Importance: Both wet and dry soil water conditions reduce crop yields in most years. Approximately 500 thousands acres of cropland soils are labeled as droughty. Only a small percentage of the acreage of most crops other than tobacco and turf are irrigated. Water management offers the potential to most growers, especially those producing cotton, peanuts, vegetables, and other high value speciality crops to increase net farm income and reduce the risks of large year-to-year yield and income variations. Land application of animal waste using irrigation equipment is utilized by most animal production systems.

 
• Cooperators: R. Skaggs (BAE), J. W. Gilliam (Soil Science), J. Barker (BAE), R. Sheffield (BAE), S. Hodges (Soil Science), D. Crouse (Soil Science), J. Parsons (BAE), and numerous other faculty in soils, crop, and horticultural science departments.

 

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Revised 5-02 ROE  webmaster