Browsing Educational Materials by Issue Date
Now showing items 1-7 of 7
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Bynum, J.; Cothren, T.; Marek, T.; Piccinni, G. (Texas Water Resources Institute, August 2007)[more][less]
Abstract: Identifying best management practices (BMPs) promoting greater water use efficiency while maintaining crop yields is essential to the future of Texas cropping systems. Available water for irrigated crops is vital for sustaining crop production throughout the state. However, the availability of this water for irrigation is diminishing through competition by urban development and, in some regions such as the Edwards Aquifer, is falling under state regulation. The awareness and improvement of efficient irrigation and best management practices to conserve water while maintaining crop production will help preserve the aquifer levels and increase water savings to producers. One component of BMPs for conserving water use is the application of decision support systems (DSS) that are used as tools for implementing irrigation BMPs. This DSS guide was developed as a complement to TWDB Report 362, "Water Conservation Best Management Practices Guide," which is a more comprehensive report on water conservation including an "Agricultural Irrigation Water Use Management" BMPs section. The full TWDB Report 362 can be found at: http://www.twdb.state.tx.us/assistance/conservation/consindex.asp. DSS include the Texas High Plains Evapotranspiration Network (TXHPET), the Precision Irrigators Network (PIN) and the Crop Production Management (CroPMan) model. These DSS strive to promote grower awareness of water conservation strategies. Irrigation conservation strategies are proposed to result in savings of approximately 1.4 million acre-feet per year by 2060 (TWDB and TWRI). TXHPET operates 18 meteorological stations located in 15 counties across the Texas North Plains and Texas South Plains. The regional coverage of TXHPET is estimated at 4 million irrigated acres. The network offers insight to evapotranspiration (ET)-based crop water use that producers and agricultural consultants can reference when making decisions on when and how much to irrigate their crops. This information is available to data users via fax or online (http://txhighplainset.tamu.edu) and currently results in approximately 300,000 downloads or faxes annually. The PIN program was formed in 2004 with a goal of saving millions of gallons of water annually by reducing irrigation water use by as much as 20 percent over several years and currently supports several crops (corn, cotton, sorghum, wheat) in seven counties of South Central Texas. Cooperation of the PIN programs consists of area producers, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station researchers, Texas Cooperative Extension personnel, San Antonio Water System, Edwards Aquifer Authority, Texas Water Resources Institute, Texas Water Development Board, Uvalde County Underground Water Conservation District and Wintergarden Water Conservation District. The PIN database will allow producers to gain historical and real-time information for better management of irrigation scheduling. The PIN program estimates that when all irrigators in the Edwards Aquifer region implement limited irrigation scheduling, approximately 50,000 to 60,000 acre-feet of water can be saved per year and made available for purposes other than agriculture. CroPMan is a computer model designed to aid producers and agricultural consultants in optimizing crop management and maximizing production and profit through a production-risk approach. CroPMan will help growers identify limitations to crop yield, assist in making replant decisions and help recognize management practices that reduce the impact of agriculture on soil erosion and water quality. CroPMan is a Windows-based application program that can be downloaded from the CroPMan Web site (http://cropman.brc.tamus.edu).
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/94952 Files in this item: 1
EM-100 DSS_Guideline.pdf (529.3Kb) -
Leigh, Eric; Fipps, G. (Texas Water Resources Institute, July 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: The title of this map series is Texas Legislative and Irrigation Districts of the Rio Grande River Basin. The series consists of nine (9) maps showing the boundaries of legislative districts and 32 water districts that deliver irrigation water. County boundaries are also shown on the maps. These "irrigation" districts include irrigation, water control, water improvement, and municipal utility districts. The official names of the 32 irrigation districts included on the maps are given in Table 1 along with the corresponding abbreviations used for the maps. For the Lower and Middle Rio Grande Regions, all irrigation districts shown hold Texas Class A water rights which total 1,556,959 ac-ft (Table 2). Based on water rights, the districts vary greatly in size, with the smallest active district having 1,120 ac-ft and the largest district 177,151 ac-ft. Actual water allocations in any given year depend on the amount of water stored in Amistad and Falcon Reservoirs. In the Upper Rio Grande Basin, El Paso County Water Improvement District No.1 is allocated water according to the Rio Grande Compact. The District receives 388,000 ac-ft ("full allocation") or 43% of the available water supply in Elephant Butt and Caballo Reservoirs, whichever is less. Hudspeth County Conservation & Reclamation District No.1 has Texas Class B water rights and, therefore is authorized to use water available downstream of El Paso.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/94954 Files in this item: 1
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Porter, D. (Texas Water Resources Institute, August 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: The Irrigation Training Program is a collaborative effort between the Texas Water Resources Institute, a unit of Texas A&M AgriLife; the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board; and the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. Special appreciation is expressed to the individual authors and technical advisors who have contributed to the information and publications contained in this manual; the agencies, irrigation districts, groundwater conservation districts, Texas Agricultural Irrigation Association and members of other associations who have contributed time and leadership in the delivery of irrigation training programs; and to the site coordinators and those who have shared their expertise as speakers at individual programs throughout the state.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/94953 Files in this item: 1
EM-101 Irrigation Training Manual.pdf (90.44Mb) -
Porter, D. (Texas Water Resources Institute, October 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: The Irrigation Training Program is a collaborative effort between the Texas Water Resources Institute, a unit of Texas A&M AgriLife; the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board; and the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. Special appreciation is expressed to the individual authors and technical advisors who have contributed to the information and publications contained in this manual; the agencies, irrigation districts, groundwater conservation districts, Texas Agricultural Irrigation Association and members of other associations who have contributed time and leadership in the delivery of irrigation training programs; and to the site coordinators and those who have shared their expertise as speakers at individual programs throughout the state.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/94955 Files in this item: 1
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Leigh, Eric; Barroso, M.; Fipps, G. (Texas Water Resources Institute, March 2009)[more][less]
Abstract: The border region of Texas is experiencing rapid urban growth which is expected to have a continuing and increasing impact on the irrigation districts of the region. This report presents an analysis of the expansion of urban area during the ten year period from 1996 to 2006 in portions of the Rio Grande Basin. This report includes maps of five counties: El Paso, Maverick, Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy, which show the expansion of urban area over this ten year period. Also, shown on the maps are the service areas of 30 irrigation districts. Individual maps of the districts have been distributed to each district and are posted at http://idea.tamu.edu. Hudspeth and Presidio Counties (and their associated irrigation districts: Hudspeth County Conservation and Reclamation District No.1 and Presidio County Water Improvement District No.1) are not included in this map series due to insignificant urban growth.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/94956 Files in this item: 1
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Moench, Emily K. (Texas Water Resources Institute, December 2010)[more][less]
Abstract: A wealth of knowledge exists regarding management of agricultural livestock, a category that includes horses in Texas. However, horses for the most part, are in a category that is neither livestock nor companion animal. Therefore, owners are left without access to the educational library traditional livestock operations use and they turn to companion animal information sources. While important, these sources tend to focus on management of the horse itself and not the land on which they are kept. This guide is intended to highlight issues often overlooked by horse owners (from breeding operations to horses kept for pleasure) and give them a choice of best management practices to decrease their impact on natural resources. For those interested in any particular best management practice, additional internet resources are listed at the end of each chapter with more detailed information on implementation. A good percentage of people who involve themselves with horses do not start as professional horsemen and horsewomen. They start as parents granting the wish of their children, as adults who have access to discretionary income, or as absentee owners who invest in the industry. Horse ownership mandates a unique set of management solutions of which people who just loaded their first purchase in the trailer may not be aware. Horse owners need to become proficient in the following list to do the best they can for their animals and the land they manage. Knowledge of these topics is important because horses kept for work or pleasure are not always the "free ranging" animal of the plains where they evolved. They are often kept in a restricted area, pasture, or pen where they can develop digestive and behavioral disorders, concentrate manure, degrade pasture quality, and can impact surrounding ecological areas and watersheds if care is not taken.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/94957 Files in this item: 1
EM-107 Guide to Good Horsekeeping.pdf (2.158Mb) -
Fromme, D. D.; Isakeit, T.; Falconer, L. (Texas Water Resources Institute, March 2011)[more][less]
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/94958 Files in this item: 1
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