2009/10 Small Acreage Audit? Assessment? Evaluation? Program Denis Reich – Colorado Water Institute Would not have happened without: Dr. Curt Swift (CSUE), Wayne Guccini (Mesa CD), Rham Dan Khalsa (USBR), Zane McAllister (GRMCD), Tom Orr (Mesa Co. Health), Ardith Blessinger (local landscape auditor) WWUC: Wed July 27 th 2010

Background Commercial “family farm” acreage is shrinking (~5% drop *) Small farms, especially “small acreage” land parcels are growing (now ~1/4 total acreage of “family farms”*): – Primary source of income is off-farm – Most operators are new to irrigation – Typical enterprise includes horses and/or perennial grass based crop *NASS Colorado

Mesa County Pilot ~$5,000 from CSU Extension in 2009: – Auditor – Magflow meter – Advertising – Mileage Fall 2009: Developed audit protocol (furrow and side-roll) in cooperation with: – Western Colorado Research Centers (Fruita and Orchard Mesa), – US Bureau of Reclamation (Rham Dan Khalsa), – Landscape Audits (Curt Swift, Ardith Blessinger), – Don Lancaster (local side-roll irrigator).

Mesa County Pilot Basic Outline: – Book 1-2 hour slot with auditor during next irrigation – Visit includes: Furrow / sprinkler snapshot (%DU) Soil moisture measurement / root zone examination Discussion of set and interval management Free soil and water test Examination of problem areas Pond / Landscape issues – Report within 2 weeks of visit (soil and water usually take < 1 week) – Follow up call at end of audit period

Distribution Uniformity DU = Furrow Snapshot : Average (lower ½ of catch-can volumes) Average (all catch-can volumes)

Distribution Uniformity DU = Side-roll Snapshot : Average (lower ½ of catch can volumes) Average (all catch can volumes) Catch Cans “Outside” Test can placement (opposite side of lateral to “Inside” test) “Inside” Test can placement Diesel Engine for moves ½ sprinkler throw EIW

Audit Algorithm

Mesa County Pilot Spring 2009: Began Advertising with Grand Junction Sentinel: Excellent Response: – About 50 phone calls over 2 months. – Some looking for landscape audits, with others there were scheduling conflicts. – 14 audits completed: 164 acres (average of ~12 acres). All furrow pasture/hay – 2 audits in Delta Co.

Loma mini-workshop

Sample Audits Important to note: Calculations were only part of the visit. Establishing a relationship with the irrigator was probably more important: – Irrigator A: Good Irrigator – Irrigator B: Decent Irrigator

Sample Audits – Irrigators C & D: “Well that’s just makin’ a mess!”

Next Steps Two State Conservation Board “Matching Grant” proposals for 2011: – Joyce Foraker (Mesa Conservation District) – Sarah Sauter (Lower Gunnison Wise Water Use Council / Shavano & Delta CDs) Programs set to expand if funded with full-time auditor for each grant. Will take lessons learned from 2010 and 2011 and roll into larger grant application for a 3+ year regional program in Thanks to: – Wayne Guccini – Curt Swift – Ardith Blessinger – Rham Dan Khalsa – Zane McCallister – Thomas Orr – John Wilhelm – Calvin Pearson – Bob Hammon – Don Lancaster – Sarah Sauter – Sonja Chavez de Baca