Many farmers and ranchers in the Great Southwest have been dealing with drought and extreme heat that just won't let up and give them a break. It has become all too reminiscent of the historic 2011 drought.
The ongoing drought has placed a great emphasis on the limited water for many in agriculture. Water scarcity is one of the most urgent challenges confronting farmers and ranchers in the Southwest United States today.
To learn about some of the latest, most promising technologies and techniques in water-use efficiency that are being developed by agricultural professionals throughout the Southwest, you may want to consider attending the "Water: The Foundation of Agricultural Sustainability Conference" on August 7 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
CONSERVE WATER. A special conference on water and the future of agriculture in the Southwest is slated for August 7 at Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The conference is sponsored by the Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program, or SARE, and New Mexico State University. It is geared toward agricultural professionals and will provide practical information on efficient water use in agriculture.
Presenters at the New Mexico conference will include farmers, Extension Service educators and researchers, along with other stakeholders from New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and Texas. Among the many water conservation topics and the hands-on presentations at the water conference will be:
--Balancing agriculture and urban water use
--The acequia system
--Rainwater harvesting
--Low-water use crops
--Efficient orchard irrigation
--Low tech irrigation strategies
--Small-scale hydroelectric generation, and
--Renewable energy technology for water pumping
This special one-day conference was developed as a response to seven listening sessions held by Western SARE, during which farmers and ranchers, along with other agricultural professionals ranked water-use efficiency among the top 10 priorities for sustainable agriculture research and education.
For much more information on the "Water: The Foundation of Agricultural Sustainability" conference, including meeting times and other details, you can go online to www.sare.org.