New Zealand’s Farm Environment Plans
As chair of Irrigation New Zealand, a natural resources engineer at irrigation consultancy Irricon Resource Solutions Services, and an irrigated farmer, Keri Johnston is an expert on the practice and policy of irrigation in New Zealand. Both the technology of irrigation and the New Zealand regulatory environment have been changing in recent years, and irrigated farmers […]
The South Island’s Efficient Irrigated Dairy Farming
The Canterbury Plains area of New Zealand’s South Island is a rich area of surface-water-irrigated dairy and crop farming. Its large schemes, similar to American irrigation districts, draw water from the alpine rivers and convey it via pressurized pipes and open channels to the region’s highly efficient farms. John Nicholls is a dairy farmer as […]
How Irrigation New Zealand Promotes Innovation and Sustainability
Irrigation New Zealand is a member-founded industry organization committed to representing the interests of New Zealand’s irrigation sector and promoting best practices across the industry. With new environmental standards and water management regulations currently being discussed by New Zealand’s government, Irrigation New Zealand is keeping abreast of the policy discussion and preparing to help its […]
Growing Washington’s Economy: Chris Voigt of the Washington State Potato Commission
Potatoes are one of Washington State’s top crops. Grown primarily in central Washington with Columbia River that point, potatoes are directly dependent on irrigation infrastructure and technology. The cultivation and processing Potato provides 36,000 jobs to Washington State. Growers and worked there for about 3 years. The Washington State Potato Commission is the industry association responsible […]
In Memoriam: Warren R. Morgan
[siteorigin_widget class=”SiteOrigin_Widget_Headline_Widget”][/siteorigin_widget] Warren R. Morgan, 60, passed away unexpectedly in May. He was born April 17, 1959 to Rex and Laurel Morgan in Soap Lake, Washington. He grew up in Quincy, Washington, and graduated from Quincy High School in 1977 and from Washington State University (WSU) in 1981. He returned to Quincy after graduating from WSU and lived […]
Growing Pecans in the Desert Southwest
The climate of the desert Southwest is ideal for growing pecans, and the region produces roughly one-third of all pecans grown in the United States. With global demand for their product rising, New Mexico pecan growers see a bright future. However, there is a hard constraint on pecan production: water. Growing pecans in New Mexico’s arid […]
An Online Security Training Course for Irrigation Districts
Philip Ball’s Situational Awareness Institute (SAI) provides training for private companies and public agencies about security, active killer prevention and response, and crisis communications. Now, SAI is releasing a new online course that presents the best of its information and education in brief modules that include text, pictures, and video. In this interview, Philip Ball speaks with Irrigation […]
Understanding River Hydrology and Aquifer Relationships in the Arid Southwest
It is well known that surface water and groundwater supplies are often interconnected, but it is difficult to accurately measure how they affect each other on a scale that is informative for purposes of management. Dr. Erek H. Fuchs, the groundwater resources director at New Mexico’s Elephant Butte Irrigation District (EBID), is addressing this issue through his […]
RTU, SCADA, and Gravity Meters: How EBID Monitors Its Hydrology
New Mexico’s Elephant Butte Irrigation District (EBID) benefits not only from the scientific expertise of its staff, but also from a sophisticated network of remote telemetry units (RTU) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA)–equipped meters. The information from these devices helps EBID capture stormwater and manage groundwater pumping, supplementing its drought-affected surface water supplies. In this […]
Maintaining Historic Carlsbad Irrigation District
Carlsbad Irrigation District (CID) was one of the earliest U.S. Reclamation Service projects and dates back to the turn of the 20th century. The town of Carlsbad, New Mexico, grew up around the project and the agriculture it enabled. The project has been updated several times over the years—notably with the Brantley Dam and Reservoir in the late […]