Irrigators have rightfully staked their claim to Earth Day, too
On April 22 the United States residents celebrated the latest version of Earth Day and it has a linkage to agriculture.
The first Earth Day was April 22, 1970, according to the official website earthday.org. Many Americans, regardless of age, found that Earth Day activities had merit to not only clean up the environment but also sow the seeds for greater awareness.
Early Earth Day activities for youth included being a part of cleanup crews of city parks, around schools and along creeks and rivers. Help crews included 4-H, FFA, Scouts and church youth and their parents and civic clubs.
Agriculture has been instrumental to making the environment better and that starts by managing acres and herds with the right perspective.
The stories of Earth Day activities found their way into the media and continue to be a source of community pride. Today’s awareness about our environment and stewardship to keep it sustainable for future generations remains a focal point.
In this week’s cover story, Tim Unruh writes about the plight of the Ogallala Aquifer. The continued decline of the vast underground reservoir is well documented but efforts are in place to help extend the life. Those who depend on the aquifer understand success has to be achieved at the local level—one irrigator at a time. Each producer has a different bottom line with different expectations so a one-size-fits-all approach can lead to frustration.
One of those initiatives, the local enhanced management areas, has shown promise as one way to preserve autonomy and achieve an overall goal of reducing how much is pumped to apply on crops. Water policy is never easy because the reservoir stretches from Texas to South Dakota and well depth varies greatly within state boundaries.
When Earth Day commenced in 1970 there were many stories of irrigation wells producing over 1,000 gallons a minute, and flood irrigation was common. As costs dramatically climbed it led some pundits to speculate that the days of widespread irrigation would be over by the end of the 20th century. High Plains entrepreneurs who have long set the standard of success knew better.
Even with the declines in well depths, great efforts were made to make water application more precise. Corn production continued to surge as seed companies and irrigation manufacturers adapted and found ways to make the seed and plants much more drought tolerant. That provided growers with an opportunity to cut back on the amount of water needed. Irrigation companies found ways to use satellite imagery and with smartphones a grower had additional tools to reduce water usage.
Not to be overlooked is the contribution of soil health—a topic of great interest to irrigators, too—as holding moisture nourishes the ground and preserves groundwater.
These success stories are important to our High Plains economy and to feeding the world. Earth Day’s continued success is because Americans continue to reap the benefits of stewardship and balancing today’s needs and the needs of future generations. High Plains agriculture is also benefiting from visionaries who rightfully are doing their part to extend Ogallala Aquifer. We would encourage growers who depend on aquifers to continue to explore LEMAs as an important long-term strategy for their production goals.
Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].
