Justin Miller
Alabama Cooperative Extension System

Some Alabama producers will soon have the opportunity to add irrigation systems to their farms thanks to funding from the new Alabama Irrigation Initiative. The initiative will provide cost-share funding to farmers for installation of new irrigation systems.

The Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee is working with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and other institutions, including the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and Auburn University (AU), to identify which watersheds will have funding priority.

Workshops

In response to this initiative, Alabama Extension will host free irrigation workshops for producers Jan. 22 in Decatur and Jan. 23 in Dothan. These workshops include trainings, as well as on-farm demonstrations of the best irrigation practices and technologies.

Dr. Brenda Ortiz, an Alabama Extension precision agriculture specialist, said several speakers will discuss a variety of topics.

“We have invited a group of speakers with extensive experience on irrigation to share their knowledge with farmers and crop consultants,” Ortiz said.

Speakers include faculty, specialists and agents from Alabama Extension and AU, as well as the University of Georgia, Kansas State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The workshop will cover various aspects of center pivot and drip irrigation systems. Topics include

• Selection of center pivot sprinkler packages
• Irrigation pumping
• Agronomic and economic benefits of different irrigation systems
• Variable rate irrigation
• Fertigation
• Irrigation scheduling and methods

In addition to speakers, several agricultural companies will speak with producers about their services and do product demonstrations.

Details

Jan. 22 Irrigation Workshop
Aerospace Training Center – Calhoun Community College
6250 US-31, Decatur, AL 35609
8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Register for the Decatur workshop here.

Jan. 23 Irrigation Workshop
Houston County Farm Center
1701 E Cottonwood Road, Dothan, AL 36301
8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Register for the Dothan workshop here.

Learn More

For more information, contact Brenda Ortiz (bortiz@aces.edu), Chris Becker (cmb0034@ aces.edu), Brandon Dillard (dillaba@aces.edu) or Tyler Sandlin (tns0012@aces.edu).