Irrigation training program set for Gulf Coast
Contact(s): Cecilia Wagner, 979-458-1138, CAWagner@ag.tamu.edu
Dr. Juan Landivar, 361-265-9201, JALandivar@ag.tamu.edu
The event, sponsored by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service and others, will be held Nov. 18 at the San Patricio County Fairgrounds and Civic Center at 219 5th St. in Sinton. Another sponsor is Texas AgriLife’s Irrigation Technology Center.
The conference and trade show begins at 8:30 a.m. and concludes at 3 p.m.
“In these times of drought and the rising costs of farming, it’s important to know about the many new technologies available to growers to help them save water, become more efficient and operate more profitably,” said Dr. Juan Landivar, director of the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Corpus Christi.
Landivar will be the luncheon speaker and will address the potential of properly irrigated crops in the Coastal Bend area.
Cecilia Wagner, a project manager at Texas A&M AgriLife’s Texas Water Resource Institute, said irrigation and groundwater experts will present information on a variety of irrigation-related topics.
“They’ll be sharing information on improving the efficiency of furrow irrigation and pumping systems, using soil moisture devices and evapotranspiration rates for crop management, and managing or reclaiming saline soils,” she said.
In the afternoon session, representatives of the Texas Railroad Commission and the University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology will present information on salt domes, oil brine contamination and Gulf Coast aquifer water quality, Wagner said.
“This Gulf Coast event is the fourth of six irrigation program training events being held around the state to help growers learn about efficient tools and techniques of irrigation management,” Wagner said.
Each event offers region-specific information about irrigation practices, cropping systems, policy updates and cost-sharing programs available to local producers, she said.
The next event is set for Jan. 14 in Amarillo. The final event, the South Texas Irrigation Conference, will be held Jan. 20 in Hondo.
Participants can receive two hours of certified crop-advisor or pesticide- applicator continuing education credits.
The Irrigation Training Program is a collaborative effort of Texas Water Resources Institute, AgriLife Extension, Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The Texas Water Development Board funds the project through its Agriculture Water Conservation Grant program.
Registration is $15 in advance and $20 at the door. To register, contact Duane Campion at the AgriLife Extension office in Corpus Christi at 361-364-6234, or email DTCampion@ag.tamu.edu.
For more information about this event, visit http://itc.tamu.edu/conferences.php .
