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Smart Water Use on Your Farm or Ranch

SOIL MANAGEMENT

   Compost

   Conservation Tillage

   Cover Crops

   PROFILE: George Ayres, Shortsville, N.Y.

PLANT MANAGEMENT

   Crop Rotation

   Water-Conserving
   Plants


   Rangeland Drought
   Strategies


   PROFILE: Rick Kellison, Lockney, Texas

WATER MANAGEMENT

   Smart Irrigation

   Water Cycling

   PROFILE: Milford Denetclaw, Shiprock, N.M.

   PROFILE: Tim Gieseke, New Ulm, Minn.

Resources


Printable Version

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Smart Water Use on Your Farm or Ranch Opportunities in Agriculture Bulletin

Resources

General Information

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program
(301) 504-5230
sare_comm@sare.org; www.sare.org.
Studies and spreads information about sustainable agriculture via a nationwide grants program. See research findings at www.sare.org/projects.

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC)
Free assistance and resources to farmers and agricultural professionals, including information on water use and water quality. (301) 504-6559; www.nal.usda.gov/afsic.

ATTRA.
National information service offers 200+ free publications. Click on “water management” for information on irrigation and water use.
(800) 346-9140; Spanish (800) 411-3222;
http://attra.ncat.org.

Water Quality Information Center
Links to drought and weather information: www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/drought.html
and water conservation: www.nal.usda.gov/wqic/cons.html

Soil Management Resources

Building Soils for Better Crops
by the Sustainable Agriculture Network.
How ecological soil management can raise fertility and yields and improve water-holding capacity.
240 pp; $19.95 + $5.95 s/h. (301) 374-9696;
; www.sare.org/WebStore

Drought Resistant Soil
by ATTRA.
Pamphlet on how texture, aggregation and organic matter affects water-holding capacity.
Free. (800) 346-9140;
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/summaries/drought.html.

Field Guide for Compost Use
by the U.S. Composting Council.
Technically based compost use guidelines.
$30. (631) 737-4931;
www.compostingcouncil.org/article.cfm?id=64

Managing Cover Crops Profitably
Comprehensive look at the use of cover crops to improve soil, slow erosion and capture precipitation.
$19 + $5.95 s/h. (301) 374-9696;
; www.sare.org/WebStore

Stubble Over the Soil
by Carlos Crovetto Lamarca.
In-depth look at no-till applications, which renovated soils and brought higher wheat and corn yields to this Chilean farmer.
247 pp; $40. (608) 273-8080;
http://www.amazon.com/Stubble-Over-Soil-Residue-Management/dp/0891181318

Plant Management Resources

PLANTS Database
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
Click on “Advanced Search” for detailed characteristics.
http://plants.usda.gov.

Texas Tech University
Department of Plant and Soil Science Forage Research Program, which focuses on water conservation.
www.orgs.ttu.edu/forageresearch/sustainable.htm

Water Management Resources

Colorado High Plains Irrigation Practices Guide: Water-Saving Options for Irrigators in Eastern Colorado
80 pp.; free.
Colorado Water Resources Research Institute, Fort Collins, Colo.
(970) 491-6308; cwrri@colostate.edu; http://cwrri.colostate.edu.

Crop Residue and Irrigation Water Management
by Nebraska Cooperative Extension.
http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/irrigation/g1154.htm

Drip Irrigation for Vegetable Production by Penn State University Extension
http://agalternatives.aers.psu.edu/crops/Irrigation/DripIrrigation.pdf

Drought Preparedness and Response
by University of Wisconsin Extension.
www.cft.uwex.edu/ces/news/info/drought.pdf.
22 pp.

Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) irrigation cost-share assistance:

The Agricultural Management Assistance Program (AMA). www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/ama.
The Ground and Surface Water Conservation program, part of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Available in selected states only.
www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/eqip/eqip_gswc_fs101305.pdf
For state water management cost-share programs, go to your state NRCS home page (locate that at www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/organization/regions.html#state) and select “programs.”

Water Conservation and Irrigation
Selected linked publications compiled by North Carolina State University.
www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/hortinternet/water_conservation.html

Water Conservation Publications
such as “Livestock Water Management During a Drought” and “Estimating Water Flow Rates.”
Oregon State University Extension.
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/.

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