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Integrated Systems for the West Texas High Plains

®. Integrated Systems for the West Texas High Plains. V.G. Allen, P. Brown and R. Kellison Texas Tech University. ®. Water Challenges. Declining water quantity & quality Growing global demand for food and feeds Global warming Increased pressure on agricultural lands.

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Integrated Systems for the West Texas High Plains

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  1. ® Integrated Systems for the West Texas High Plains V.G. Allen, P. Brown and R. Kellison Texas Tech University

  2. ® Water Challenges • Declining water quantity & quality • Growing global demand for food and feeds • Global warming • Increased pressure on agricultural lands

  3. The Ogallala Aquifer • Provides 30% of total withdrawals from all US aquifers Texas High Plains • Over 95% of the water pumped is for irrigated agriculture • Future Constraints: • Government regulation • Municipal uses • Water quality • Energy costs

  4. ®

  5. Decline in Water Level15 Counties around Lubbock, TX Source: High Plains Underground Water Conservation District, The Cross Section, April 2007 Recharge 1997-2007 2006-2007 ®

  6. Projected TotalWater Demand and Water Supplies Source: Texas Water Development Board 2007 Livestock Existing supplies Irrigation Needs Steam-electric Manufacturing County-other Municipal Mining ®

  7. Regional Economic Impact • Total Industry Output: $ 26.8 billion • Ag Related Output: $ 10.8 billion Agriculture: 40% of Total ®

  8. ® Texas High Plains Agriculture

  9. South Dakota Wyoming Nebraska Colorado Kansas Oklahoma New Mexico Texas Irrigated Crops • Over 4 million ac irrigated crops – 70% of total net crop revenue • Water source - Ogallala Aquifer • Virtually finite water source

  10. ® MonoculturesEconomy of Scale 20 – 25 % of U.S. Total

  11. ® Monocultures Integrated Systems Complimentarity Diversification

  12. Designing Integrated Systems Brain Storming Previous Research Researchable Needs Producer Experience Team Approach Funding Opportunities Resources Available ®

  13. Advisory Council Rick Kellison, Chair Silver Creek Farm, Lockney, TX Curtis Griffith City Bank, Lubbock, TX Harry Hamilton Harry Hamilton and Associates,Lubbock, TX Minnie Lou Bradley Bradley 3 Ranch Memphis, TX Tom Sell Lubbock, TX Steve Verett Plains Cotton Growers, Inc., Lubbock, TX Eddie Teeter Producer, Lockney, TX Jim Conkwright High Plains Underground Water Conservation District, Lubbock, TX ®

  14. ® Texas High Plains Experience Two systems - irrigated Integrated Crop-Livestock Monoculture Cotton Rye Wheat Cotton Fallow Wheat Rye Old world bluestem

  15. ® System Irrigation

  16. ® Nitrogen Fertilization

  17. Economics

  18. ® Net Returns over Variable Costper acre inch of water

  19. ® Results Reduced • Irrigation use • Soil erosion • Nitrogen fertilizer use • Energy required Increased • Profitability • Carbon sequestration • Soil microbial activity • Diversification of income • Management skills

  20. Photo by: Neal Hinkle Texas Tech University

  21. ® Ethanol New Directions Dairy Renewable energy

  22. ® Corn, Alfalfa, Small Grains

  23. ® 3000 Head Milking Cow Dairy Source: Southwest Plains Dairy Directory (2007) Annual feed and water required • Feed (all types): 44,686 tons • Land to produce: 6,348 ac • Waterrequired per year: • Irrigation: 2.3 billion gallons • Animal Consumption: 67 million gallons

  24. ® Texas Alliance for Water Conservation Senate Bill 1053 Senator Robert Duncan Texas Water Development Board $6.2 Million Funded through the Texas Water Development Board ‘Water is Our Future’

  25. Objectives of Project • Reduce Total Water Use • Enhance System Profitability • Identify Systems that meet objectives 1 &2 • Understand system behavior ®

  26. Producer Board Glen Schur, Chair Plainview, TX Boyd Jackson, Co-Chair Lockney, TX Brian Teeple, Secretary Floydada, TX Keith Phillips Lockney, TX Lanney Bennett Plainview, TX Eddie Teeter Lockney, TX Mark Beedy Floydada, TX Jeff Don Terrell Floydada, TX Jody Foster Lockney, TX ®

  27. NRCS & ARS A Cooperative Venture with TWDB Texas Tech University

  28. Texas Alliance for Water Conservation ‘Water is Our Future’

  29. ®

  30. Crops/Livestock (Total 4,300 acres) Corn Cotton Grain Sorghum Cotton Cotton Monocultures Cotton-Cattle Grass-cattle Grass seed

  31. Site Monitoring • Data logger • Satellite Telemetry • Rainfall Tipping Bucket • Temperature Sensor • Water Flow Meter • System Pressure Sensor • Solar Panel with backup battery • Neutron Probe Access tubes ®

  32. Irrigation Methods Pivot Flood Drip Dryland

  33. Crops/Forage/Livestock GrownTAWC Sites ®

  34. Irrigation Water, System Inches ®

  35. Nitrogen Fertilizer per System Acre, lbs ®

  36. Net Returns per System Acre, $ ®

  37. ® Returns (US $) per inch Irrigation Water System

  38. Site 20 - 2006 • Field 1 • Corn silage • Field 2 (double cropped) • Forage triticale • Sorghum silage ®

  39. Site #20 – Yield and net returns ($) ®

  40. Site #20 – Irrigation ®

  41. Energy - Site 20 Forage(MJ/Ac) ®

  42. Cotton Monocultures (2 sites)Energy(MJ/Ac) ®

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