Stable water supplies help ensure a stable supply of malt barley and revenue for the growers. Mr. Malchow explained, “Water management is part of risk management for our growers and for our company. The goal is to ensure adequate supply for the grower to sell and for us to buy while not using any more water than absolutely necessary.”
MillerCoors is working with growers to adopt technology, such as variable rate sprinklers and soil monitors, and improve water delivery operations to help conserve water—even in times of plenty.
“Procedures that ensure water is shut off as soon as the grain has reached its physiological maturity, instead of putting on another round of water simply because it is available, help. Some growers have the mindset that if they have the water available, they will use it, and we need to try and change that mentality whenever possible. That is the low-hanging fruit of management.”
In Mr. Malchow’s experience, the real challenge is managing water in times of want, so the company is encouraging growers to facilitate an increase in soil health to increase the amount of water the soil can hold and to adjust irrigation output according to what kind of natural precipitation has fallen.
When it looks like water use may be limited, the company is on the ground working with growers to determine the ideal time to access irrigated water. For MillerCoors, the goal is to minimize the effect a lack of water will have on crop yields, while at the same time honoring water rights.
“Sometimes, our growers need to use the water despite our desire to conserve it. That is a difficult dynamic, and one that not everyone understands. So we have been educating our company and our consumers about water use in the West, conservation, and the incentives to use less water.”
In addition, MillerCoors has been educating its growers about customer expectations, which influence what the company asks of its growers.
Cathy Davis is one of those growers. She, like her father before her, grows barley in Colorado’s windblown and arid San Luis Valley. Since working with MillerCoors, she has adopted water-saving changes to promote conservation: adjusting her sprinklers, adding water saving nozzles, and increasing the precision with which she times her watering schedule. Those changes have given her “more bang for the buck,” translating to increased yields with reductions in water use.
For MillerCoors, water conservation is a critical component to its larger conservation plan. Mr. Malchow explained that because agriculture accounts for much of the company’s water use, “if we want to move the needle on the overall water use that goes into the product, that is where we have to concentrate.”
That means growers for MillerCoors will be asked to make simple changes that can help reduce water use, as well as stretch for greater efficiency. For Mr. Malchow, “Watching irrigation timing, being conscious of exactly what it takes to produce an on-time and high-quality crop without using excess water, and capturing and using data are all part of what it will take to achieve our sustainability goals without sacrificing the quality of the product.”
