The Texas Water Resources Institute will hold an identical irrigation management workshop on Sept. 25 and Sept. 26 at two different locations in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. (Texas Water Resources Institute photo)
SAN BENITO – The Texas Water Resources Institute, or TWRI, is hosting two identical workshops focused on improving irrigation management techniques and technologies for producers in the Rio Grande Valley on Sept. 25 and Sept. 26.
The Sept. 25 workshop will be 12:30-5 p.m., with registration beginning at 12:15 p.m. at the Cameron County San Benito Annex, 1390 W. Expressway 83 in San Benito.
The Sept. 26 event will be 8 a.m.- 12:30 p.m., with registration beginning at 7:45 a.m. at the Echo Hotel and Conference Center, 1903 S. Closner Blvd. in Edinburg.
The workshops are free, but attendees are required to preregister at http://twri.tamu.edu/irrigation by Sept. 20. They are presented by the Texas Water Resources Institute, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the Texas Water Development Board.
The workshops will highlight irrigation management techniques and technologies. (Texas Water Resources Institute photo)
Lucas Gregory, Ph.D., TWRI senior research scientist, College Station, said the workshops will highlight irrigation management techniques and technologies that have the potential to add efficiency to producers’ operations, improve profitability and conserve water resources.
“Speakers will discuss irrigation scheduling, management techniques and new technologies available to the grower as well as salinity management and irrigation water valuation,” Gregory said.
He said the workshops will have a discussion of chemigation and fertigation options, which will provide attendees with one hour of continuing education units for Texas Department of Agriculture pesticide applicator license holders.
The programs have also been approved for four continuing education units for Certified Crop Advisors.
Presenters and topics will include:
— Dana Porter, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension agricultural water management, Lubbock. Irrigation scheduling tools and approaches.
— Danny Sosebee, Netafim USA; Jeffery Kleypas, Toro Irrigation; Ken Whitley, Trellis, Inc. Irrigation management and technologies panel.
— Luis Ribera, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension specialist – agricultural economics, College Station. Economics and value of irrigation water.
— Leyon Greene, Ph.D., hydrologist, Texas Water Development Board. Texas Water Development Board TexMesonet overview.
— Ronnie Ramirez, Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board conservation planner. Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board technical and financial assistance opportunities.
— Girisha Ganjegunte, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research associate professor, El Paso. Salinity management in irrigation water.
— Juan Enciso, Ph.D., AgriLife Research associate professor, Weslaco. Chemigation and fertigation irrigation options and considerations for growers.
There also will be a presentation on U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service technical and financial assistance opportunities.
These events are part of TWRI’s Lower Rio Grande Valley Irrigation Education and Outreach project funded by the Texas Water Development Board through an Agricultural Water Conservation Grant to AgriLife Extension.
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