Texas Irrigation Impacts, Ag Comparable to Homeowners – Texas A&M University, along with the Texas Water Resources Institute and many other others, recently put together a study that shows the status and trends of irrigated agriculture in Texas. Texas ranks third in the U.S. for both irrigated agriculture acres and irrigation water applied. Some interesting facts the study found: over six million acres irrigated are for agricultural production, making up more than 10% of irrigated acres in the U.S.; and one out of four harvested cropland acres in Texas is irrigated. The study also found that in 2000, 86% of the irrigated acres used groundwater (Texas High Plains), 11.6% used surface water (Rio Grande Basin and the upper portions of the Gulf Coast) and the remaining acres used both. It is estimated that in 2009 Texas used an average water use of 16.2 million acre-feet annually, and of that about 57% is used for agriculture irrigation. Texas has averaged less than 18 inches on a per acre basis annually since the 1950’s. With that, the study found that agricultural irrigation is comparable to homeowners application of water. A three-year study in College Station found average households supplemented rainfall by applying 22 inches of water annually to their lawns. The study details the need for water usage currently and what different regions in Texas will need in 2060, with the DFW metroplex and Houston regions showing the greatest increase for water in that time span. DFW and the Houston areas will need more water for municipal use and Houston will need an increase in water for manufacturing as well. To view the full study, please visit www.twri.tamu.edu.
Water Efficiency Workshops to be Held in Rio Grande Valley – Workshops on low-cost, high efficiency irrigation techniques designed specifically for producers and irrigation district personnel will be held at the Rio Grande Center for Ag Water Efficiency near Harlingen, Tex. on Nov. 7-9. The two workshops are offered by the Texas Project for Ag Water Efficiency (Texas AWE). The topics will feature “District Technology Enhancements” on Nov. 7-8, and “On-Farm Irrigation Advances” which is geared toward ag producers and will cover low- or no-cost irrigation techniques and technologies to improve yields and boost net farm income will be held on Nov. 9. A small registration fee will cover the costs of lunch and materials. To register, visit www.TexasAWE.org.
New Plant in Missouri to Use Sorghum – The Rolla Daily News announced a new 5,400-square-foot manufacturing plant will be in production in the first quarter of 2013 to produce fiberboard products made from sorghum. The plant will be in Nodaway County in Missouri. The company notes that using sorghum will be making health-friendly building materials by lowering the carbon footprint, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, deforestation and health risks associated with traditional building materials. The plant will manufacture a product trade-named DurahForm, which consists of processed sorghum stalks fused together using a protein binder. The product is produced in sheets and is similar to high-grade plywood.
REMINDERS!
TGSB 2013 RFP’S – TGSB’s deadline for submitting project proposals is Monday, October 29, 2012 for the 2013 project year. The proposal should be three pages or less and the desired funding amount should not exceed $10,000. The projects should focus on applied (on farm) research and the domestic and international marketing of sorghum. For a detailed outbreak of guidelines and deadlines, please visit www.texassorghum.org/2013-rfp. Please submit all proposals to morgan.newsom@gmail.com.
TGSA BOD Nominations – TGSA recently changed their election process for their board of director’s. TGSA is divided into three districts across Texas: North, Central and South. Each district will now have three board seats (two producer’s and one at-large) for a total of nine TGSA director’s across the state. The nomination forms for all seats must be postmarked by Monday, Oct. 29, 2012 and mailed to TGSA, P.O. Box 905, Salado, TX 76571. To be nominated for a producer seat, you must be a dues-paying member of TGSA (either through individual membership or if you sell your grain to an E-member elevator) and you must be a sorghum grower. The at-large seats will be from FY2012 TGSA Corporate Members and Texas E-member elevators, and may be growers, owners, managers, etc. Once nomination forms are received, the election will be a mail ballot and posted on TGSA’s website soon after. For more information about the election process and/or to receive a nomination form, please contact Morgan at morgan.newsom@gmail.com or (806) 438-5994.
