AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. — The Alabama Cooperative Extension System is offering two irrigation field days in February. The workshops are designed to provide support to farmers as they implement precision agriculture technologies to strengthen preplanting, in-season and harvest management strategies.
Brenda Ortiz, an Alabama Extension precision agriculture specialist, said the topics will allow producers to make plans for irrigation use with all of the latest research in mind.
“These workshops were planned with farmer needs in mind,” Ortiz said. “Both of the workshops were designed to provide the latest information pertaining to upcoming growing season needs, while catering to the needs of farmers in the area.”
First Field Day
The first field day will take place on Feb. 14 at the Aerospace Training Center at Calhoun Community College in Decatur, Alabama, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Those interested in attending can click here to register.
The topics include:
- Use of Soil Sensors for Irrigation Scheduling (Drew Gholson, Mississippi State)
- Impact of Irrigation Rates on Soybean Yield (Brian Leib, University of Tennessee)
- Success Stories from Farmers Adopting Irrigation Best Management Practices (Farmer Panel)
- Selecting the Right Pump to Increase Irrigation Efficiency (William Green, California State University)
- Does the Summer Rain Meet Crop Water Demand (Brenda Ortiz, Auburn University)
- Selecting the Right Sprinkler Package for your Irrigation System (Corbett Falgout, Nelson Irrigation)
- Success Stories from the Adoption of Subsurface Tile Drainage (Ryan Baty, consultant)
- Alabama Drought Reach Program (Brianne Minton, Auburn University Water Resources Center, and Lee Ellenburg, University of Alabama at Huntsville)
- Updates on the Alabama Irrigation Initiative (Auburn University Water Resources Center)
Second Field Day
The second field day will take place on Feb. 23 at Eastgate Park, located at 1949 Sanitary Dairy Road in Ashford, Alabama, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Those interest in attending can click here to register.
The topics include:
- Irrigation Scheduling Apps (George Vellidis, University of Georgia)
- Impact of Irrigation Rates and Irrigation Thresholds on Peanut and Cotton (Wesley Porter, University of Georgia)
- Impact of Irrigation Rates and Frequency on Nitrogen Use Efficiency (Vivek Sharma, University of Florida)
- Selecting the Right Pump to Increase Irrigation Efficiency (William Green, California State University)
- Success Stories from Farmers Adopting Best Irrigation Management Practices (Farmer Panel)
- Dos and Don’ts Selecting and Operating Irrigation Pumps (Jim Reid, Reid Brothers Irrigation)
- N-Time: A New Solution for Fertigation on Row Crops (Jackson Stansell, Sentinel Fertigation)
- Benefits of Drip Irrigation on Vegetable Crops (Andre Biscaia Ribeiro da Silva, Auburn University)
- Update on the Alabama Irrigation Initiative (Alabama Water Resources Center)
- Update on National Resource Conservation Service Programs to Support Best Irrigation Management (Jennifer S. Wells, NRCS)
- Selecting the Right Sprinkler Package for your Irrigation System (Nelson Irrigation)
- Success Stories Resulting from the Adoption of Best Irrigation Management (Cody Rhoades, Southern Ag Service)
Ortiz said irrigation service providers will also be in attendance to answer producer questions related to irrigation technology.
More Information
Each of the workshops will include a time to speak with irrigation companies in attendance. Learn more about the workshops by contacting Ortiz by email at bortiz@auburn.edu.