Thursday, July 24, 2008

Group Learns Efficient Farming

By Juan-Carlos Rodriguez
Journal Staff Writer
      A small group of local farmers gathered at the Los Poblanos Fields Open Space on Wednesday to learn about drip irrigation, water efficiency and grant possibilities.
    The city of Albuquerque hosted the meeting, and Los Poblanos Organics, the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, the Rio Grande Community Farm and the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service gave presentations about the different ways they participate in local agriculture.
    Monte Skarsgard, head of farming operations at Los Poblanos, started off the morning demonstrating his method of pumping ditch water through a drip system. He said he can irrigate about four acres in two hours off his simple motor that draws ditch water and pushes it through a system of plastic tubing and irrigation tape.
    "What I find is that wherever you have water in New Mexico you have weeds, so if you can concentrate where the water is to the roots, then you have less roots around," Skarsgard explained.
    MRGCD assistant hydrologist Matt Martinez said farmers have to be careful about pumping, however, because it is not permitted to pump straight out of a ditch. Martinez said a permit may be issued for that use, but otherwise the water must be brought onto the property before it can be pumped.
    Skarsgard's setup allows him to pump from on his property.
    The farmers also got a look at much larger pump system, which is being installed by the Rio Grande Community Farm. It will allow the farm to drip irrigate 16 acres, with the possibility of irrigating all 50 acres in the future.
    "The advantages of drip are that you save a whole lot of water," said farm treasurer Minor Morgan.
    Morgan said the system will cost about $75,000. About $22,000 of that is coming from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service through a grant. Josh Sherman, the NRCS' district conservationist, was also on hand at the event to tell small farmers about different grant opportunities they may apply for.
    Farmers also learned about a new water efficiency program the MRGCD is undertaking, called the "Decision Support System." Kristoph Kinzli, a graduate student from Colorado State University who is working with the district on the system, said it is a computer model that allows the district to monitor which areas need water more than others. The model incorporates weather, crop type, soil type and acreage data and then informs someone back at the district is an area is particularly dry. As part of the program, the district is putting certain areas on an irrigation schedule that is based on the information that has been collected.
    "It takes a bit of the flexibility away, but using this we are able to save about 40 percent of the water in a ditch system," Kinzli said.
    Kinzli also touted the benefits of laser leveling farms.
    "Laser leveling is crucial," he said. "It can cut in half the amount of water you use."
    He also said it can drastically reduce the amount of time it takes to water a field.
    Maceo Martinet is a graduate biology student at the University of New Mexico and also helps farm an acre with his parents in the South Valley. He said having all the different agencies give a cohesive presentation was very helpful.
    "I think what different community farms are doing is very important in terms of water efficiency. At least to have the dialogue. Whether you agree with that type of approach or not, that's a different thing," Martinet said. "This kind of going out and giving these free workshops to local people is the only way we're going to transmit a lot of these ideas."
    Martinet said one reservation he had was what the effect all the plastic that makes up the drip irrigation system has on the ground and the plants.
    David Lujan, who lives in the Quaker Heights area, said he was impressed with the presentation and he learned some things he might use in his own family backyard farm.
    "I'm really conscious that some of this could be used at that level, but it also at the broader neighborhood level," Lujan said.
    Lisa Brown just started operating a farm in Corrales, called Toad Road Farm. She said she came to learn about drip irrigation and laser leveling.
    "We flood irrigate right now," Brown said, adding that she wanted to learn the traditional way of doing things first.
    "I think that it is important that we use the water we have for growing food," she said.
    For more information, visit www.nm.nrcs.usda.gov, www.mrgcd.com, or www.cabq.gov/openspace.
   

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