New SARE Bulletin Highlights Water Conservation Strategies

Long-term droughts in the Southwest, increasing water scarcity in the semi-arid Plains, and seasonal precipitation shortages throughout the South and Northeast are shining a spotlight on the need for conservation-oriented approaches to agricultural water use.

In response, the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN), the national outreach arm of SARE, has published a free, 16-page bulletin to better inform producers about ways they can conserve water.  Smart Water Use on Your Farm or Ranch directs readers to many NRCS cost-sharing resources and spotlights a range of conservation options including soil management, such as compost, conservation tillage and cover crops; plant management, featuring crop rotation, drought tolerant plants, and rangeland drought mitigation; and water management strategies such as low-volume irrigation and water recycling.

Featuring a holistic approach to managing resources to improve water availability to crops, the bulletin highlights farmers who use innovative moisture conservation strategies. For example, Tim Gieseke, one of several farmers profiled in the bulletin, designed an agroforestry system to maximize water availability. Walnut trees need 35 inches of water a year to thrive, but Gieseke’s farm in southern Minnesota averages 30 inches of precipitation annually. To make up the difference, Gieseke, with help from a SARE farmer grant, constructed a contour system featuring irrigation holes that trap hillside runoff and convey it to the tree roots. In his first three seasons, Gieseke, a former conservation planner for a soil and water conservation district, did not need any supplemental irrigation.

Smart Water Use on Your Farm or Ranch also focuses on cutting-edge SARE-funded research, such as Texas Tech University’s alternative cotton rotation that pairs the commodity with cattle and drought-tolerant forages. The system reduced water use by about 23 percent in university trials. In Nebraska, University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers are testing cool-season oil crops such as brown mustard and camelina, whose seeds are crushed for biofuel, during the fallow period in wheat systems. And University of Arizona researchers have designed dual enterprises, pairing olive production with aquaculture to create two products from a single water source.

“Most field crop farmers will experience drought in most years,” said Harold van Es, a Cornell crop and soil science professor. “They are absolutely concerned about water.”

View or print a free copy of Smart Water Use on Your Farm or Ranch online.  Agricultural educators can request quantities at no cost by contacting SAN staff  at 301-504-5411.

About SARE
Since 1988, SARE has helped advance farming systems that are profitable, environmentally sound and good for communities through a nationwide grants program.  The program, administered by  CSREES and USDA, funds projects and conducts outreach designed to improve agricultural systems and natural resources.

NRCS field office professionals frequently collaborate on SARE-funded projects and are valuable partners to the SARE program. NRCS staff serve on SARE’s national Operations Committee, on regional Administrative Councils, on State committees and are actively engaged as technical advisers and collaborators on SARE-funded research grants around the U.S.

For more information, visit the SARE website or for more information about the regional SARE programs, click on the region area of the map below.

Your contact is Diana Friedman, SARE research associate, at 301-504-6422.