Every Drop Counts

摘要

Irrigators turn to technology to make every gallon of water count toward yield. The rest of agriculture could learn a lesson about efficiency from irrigators. They have been challenged to make ends meet going as far back to the 1970s oil embargo thatcaused their pumping costs to double in one year. Fuel costs are still a concern. But today's challenge is the huge restrictions in the amount of water irrigators can apply to crops. In some locations of the High Plains, farmers have been cut back to withdrawing as little as 10 to 12 inches of water a year. That would be similar to being restricted to applying no more than 30 pounds of nitrogen on corn a year while trying to raise a 200-bushel crop. So how are irrigators making water ends meet? By turning to technology. That explains why Roric Paulman's office looks like a NASA control center.