Agricultural Water Conservation Grants: Current Investments & Future Opportunities Winter Season Outlook and Impacts Forum for Agriculture in the Lower Rio Grande Valley Mindy Conyers December 7, 2016

Texas Water Development Board “to provide leadership, information, education, and support for planning, financial assistance, and outreach for the conservation and responsible development of water for Texas” The following presentation is within the scope of the Texas Water Development Board’s statutory responsibilities and priorities but, unless specifically noted, does not necessarily reflect official Board positions or decisions.

Regional Water Planning

Region M water demands

Why conservation? Photo courtesy of TXDOT

On-farm & In-district “…the operational effectiveness and efficiency of the Irrigation Districts are necessary to reap the full benefits of on-farm [irrigation conservation] measures.” – 2016 Region M Water Plan Cameron County Irrigation District #2; Delta Lake ID; Engelman ID; La Feria ID; Santa Cruz ID; Harlingen ID

On-farm & In-district Cameron County Irrigation District #2; Delta Lake ID; Engelman ID; La Feria ID; Santa Cruz ID; Harlingen ID

Texas Project for Ag Water Efficiency Harlingen Irrigation District along with Texas A&M AgriLife, A&M-Kingsville, private industry, consultants, & producers Flowmeter calibration & training facility Some of our ag grant recipients have even received awards for their projects. The Harlingen Irrigation District in Cameron County is one example. This project focuses on conserving water by integrating on-farm applications and district delivery systems. According to the district’s General Manager, Wayne Halbert, “This project has proved that proper management, regardless of the method of irrigation, actually can produce increased yields with less water.” He added that, [Results from the project] “can be replicated across Texas and the entire world.” Now, although this is a larger project than what can be expected from a typical ag grant, it just illustrates how local entities can utilize TWDB funding to save water in agriculture without sacrificing profit.

Citrus Demonstrations Texas A&M University–Kingsville Narrow border flood 33% less water applied higher profitability Partial root-zone drying 40% less water applied maintains fruit quality & yield Citrus producers in water scarce areas face a complex challenge: maintain high production rates and fruit quality while using less water per unit of yield Narrow-Border Flood= 33% less applied vs traditional flood, and doubled the net cash farm income improved yields, easy/cheap to implement

Lower Rio Grande Valley Irrigation Education and Outreach Program For producers, irrigation district (ID) managers, and district board members 3 general & 3 commodity specific programs row-crop, citrus, vegetables 2 ID programs on new technology benefits Program delivery will begin in 2017; Provided by Lucas Gregory

Lower Rio Grande Valley Irrigation Education and Outreach Program Entities Involved Texas Water Resources Institute Texas A&M AgriLife Extension & Research Texas A&M Kingsville Citrus Center Harlingen Irrigation District Water PR Program Speakers Topical experts Industry representatives Agency representatives Local producers Provided by Lucas Gregory

On-Farm Irrigation Strategies for Water Conservation in the Lower Rio Grande Valley Develop irrigation schedules and guidelines for different crops using weather station networks & an internet based program & demonstrate to farmers southtexasweather.tamu.edu Dr. Juan Enciso Dr. Juan Enciso Soil Health & Irrigation Management Workshop Weslaco, TX – August 24, 2016

On-Farm Irrigation Strategies for Water Conservation in the Lower Rio Grande Valley Develop educational programs Develop agricultural demonstrations Future Field Demonstrations Tomato Meeting on December 12

Request for Applications Due Date (Closing): 12:00 p.m. February 15, 2017 Total Funding: up to $600,000 WEBINAR

Grant Categories Water use monitoring equipment Demonstration and technology transfer Study of irrigation efficiency in Texas up to $200,000 per project, subject to Board approval

Thank you. agconservation@twdb.texas.gov 512-936-6090