1. 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

2. 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.

3. Regional Water Planning

4. Region M water demands

5. Why conservation?
Photo courtesy of TXDOT

6. 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

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

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

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

15. 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

16. Thank you.