March 09, 2020
March 19 virtual field trip to address surface water irrigation issues
By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast facts
- Join March 19 field trip from desktop, phone or tablet
- Dabbs family shares real-world experiences
- Program includes curriculum for high school classes
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LONOKE, Ark. — As concerns over declining groundwater levels in Arkansas increase, some farmers have built their own reservoirs to ensure adequate irrigation for their crops.
Groundwater use from the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer, which supports the Arkansas Delta, has increased over the last century and the “majority of the increase is attributed to irrigation,” according to the Arkansas State Water Plan’s 2014 Update.
In 1935, the average groundwater use was about 320 million gallons per day. By 2010, groundwater use grew to about 7.8 billion gallons per day (see: http://bit.ly/39ighbT). The report also noted that in 2010, “long-term water-level changes were evaluated … in the alluvial aquifer for a period from 1984 to 2008. The mean annual change in water level for the alluvial aquifer in eastern Arkansas was a decline of 0.38 feet per year.”
For farmers, cities and other groundwater consumers, these declines have translated into increased costs to drill deeper wells and increased fuel use to pump the water to the surface.
“Building on-farm surface water impoundments is one solution to ensuring adequate growing season irrigation,” Lee Riley, Discovery Farm program associate for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said.
The pluses and minuses of building and maintaining a reservoir, implementing various on-farm water conservation practices, and the impacts of the Bayou Meto and Grand Prairie water projects are among the topics to be addressed during a Soil and Water Conservation Virtual Field Trip scheduled for March 19 at 10 a.m. There is no cost to register for the field trip. Attendees can participate in the tour and talks, as well as take part in a live chat, from any device connected to the internet.
Learning moments
Trent, Terry and Lori Dabbs of Stuttgart will share their real-world experiences as
part of the virtual field trip, Riley said. The Dabbs family farm is part of the Discovery
Farm program, in which demonstrations and agricultural impact research are conducted
on privately owned farms.
“We will also hear from Ed Swaim, executive director of the Bayou Meto Water management District, who is familiar with the water quality and quantity challenges of the Arkansas Delta,” Riley said.
Participate and learn
The field trip will also have curriculum appropriate for high school science classes.
To learn more about the Discovery Farm project visit http://discoveryfarms.uark.edu/.
To learn more about crop production, visit uaex.uada.edu or call your county extension office. Follow the Cooperative Extension Service on Twitter at @UAEX_edu.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact Rita Watson at (501) 671-2084 or rwatson@uada.edu as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.
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Media contact:
Mary Hightower
Director of Communications
University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture
(501) 671-2006
mhightower@uada.edu