Simply put, farmers are the true stewards of the nation’s water supply.

Agribusiness places some of the greatest demands on fresh water in the U.S. and around the world. According to the latest statistics provided by the United States Geological Survey, farmers use 138.92 billion gallons of water a day for irrigation, livestock care and aquaculture.

The importance of farmers’ role in using the world’s most vital natural resource as responsibly as possible cannot be overstated. As the population grows and more food is required, better water management will become as critical as the water itself.

Below, we take a look at five helpful water conservation resources for farmers.

1. More Efficient Irrigation Equipment

Irrigation equipment upgrades can be costly, but there is no question that it will be worth it in the long run. The reality of an ever-shrinking water supply in the face of growing needs will become more evident, and eventually the true cost of water will emerge.

The most efficient irrigation system will depend on the type of crop, the type of soil, area climate and other factors. Gravity-flow systems and irrigation systems are just two examples of possible solutions for more efficient water use. Using water flow meters can help measure and control the amount of water being used in irrigation.

2. Weather Apps

Some farmers may be inclined to set an automated irrigation schedule and let it run regardless of the weather. Adjusting irrigation systems to work in better harmony with natural precipitation takes more work, but it is an inarguable way to save significant amounts of water.

There are numerous weather apps available that provide up-to-the-second precipitation reports. Using these along with irrigation systems can help save water, which will save farmers money and reduce wear and tear on systems.

3. Soil Management

Proper soil management is a key to conserving water. It is the soil that absorbs, transmits and holds the water for crops to use and there is much a farmer can do to manipulate the nature of soil, and is especially helpful if the soil quality is compromised.

Various techniques farmers may consider include conservation tillage, using compost and utilizing cover for crops. Again, what works the best to conserve water will depend on what kind of soil is being managed.

4. Water Recycling

Avoiding or mitigating runoff can save millions of gallons of water over the course of a growing season. Runoff can occur due to overwatering, poor soil and other factors, and in any case is a natural result of irrigation to some degree.

Recycling runoff not only helps save water, it helps save entire ecosystems. Agricultural runoff typically contains large amounts of chemicals that can seep into groundwater and pollute rivers, streams and other bodies of water. The costs are significant, but so are the benefits.

5. Organic Farming Methods

Water recycling is far less expensive when a farmer doesn’t have to treat the water before reusing it. Organic farming methods that reduce or eliminate the use of chemicals are yet another way for farmers to conserve water by taking out a costly step in the recycling process.

Using organic farming methods can arguably also lower the water-use footprint by preserving the quality of water that would otherwise be negatively affected by polluted runoff. That said, not all organic farming methods reduce the amount of water used, so conservation-minded farmers should carefully consider the options.

Do you have additional suggestions for farming water conservation tools? Please share them in the comments below.

Stock Photo by Shutterstock

There is a huge benefit to having the ability to install and/or maintain a flow meter on a system without having to bear the expense of a complete system shut down. Hot Tapping is the ability to safely tie into a pressurized system, by drilling or cutting, while it is on stream and under pressure. Seametrics manufactures flow meters with this functionality. To see hot-tapping in action, watch this instructional video:

Long past are the days when the American farmer relied solely on experience, the advice of friends and the latest Almanac to make decisions about how to produce the biggest yield. The Digital Age has arrived, and farmers are more in the know now than at any other time in the history of agriculture.

Given the history of agriculture, that is really saying something. Many anthropologists attribute the very growth of humanity as it is seen today to advances in agriculture. Ironically, it is this very growth that is now putting a strain on agriculture, and making it necessary for farmers to produce food even more efficiently and with better use of vital natural resources.

Doing that means farmers must be informed about agricultural best practices, new methods, news, technology, laws and regulations – and particularly water conservation.

Below are five recommended water conservation websites for farmers.

1. University of California Center for Water Resources

California often acts as an incubator for new farming technologies and methods due to its more progressive legal system and enormous agribusiness economy. As such, it also frequently serves as a bellwether for processes that are adopted later by other states.

This makes the UC Center for Water Resources an exceptional resource for farmers in any locations despite differences in hydrology, soil and other factors. It’s a website that provides comprehensive information on the latest developments in water sustainability and policy.

2. USDA National Agricultural Library

The Soil and Water Management section of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Library is an essential resource for farmers who want to increase their yields with efficient water use while remaining in federal compliance.

Two sections in particular – Water Conservation and Water-saving Irrigation Techniques – will be useful for large commercial farmers who consume significant quantities of water. That said, an operation of any size could benefit from the many resources that are contained in this library.

3. National Water Program

The unique thing about the National Water Program (NWP) website is that it breaks down water management into eight regions on a clickable map, and when clicked the user is taken to a list of resources suited specifically to that area and reflecting the vast differences in regional water data.

The NWP has a larger focus than just agricultural water management, but it does not weaken the information because researchers can see how water conservation in farming relates to all other water use, which is important to know when making decisions about how to save water.

4. Internal Revenue Service

This is a rare instance wherein someone can actually benefit by getting to know a little more about the IRS. For those who feel that water conservation in agriculture is nothing more than a policy burden and a means to appease environmentalists who have no experience in water management, they may be happy to know farmers can deduct expenses for water conservation.

More information can be found in Publication 225, otherwise known as the Farmer’s Tax Guide, but the short story is that expenses incurred for soil and water conservation can be deducted if the plan has been approved by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The deduction cannot exceed 25% of the gross income from farming, but it is nevertheless a generous deduction.

5. National Water Management Center

The National Water Management Center (NWMC) is a subdivision of the aforementioned Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), which in turn is a department of the USDA. Acronym confusion aside, the NWMC website is a good place to go for top-level information on federal policy as it pertains to watersheds, irrigation and other critical water conservation issues.

Specific areas in which the NWMC specializes are environmental compliance, watershed management and water quality. It also provides free access to numerous publications that can keep farmers up-to-date on trending water conservation topics.

Stock photo courtesy of Shutterstock

We created this infographic that provides interesting facts about the tremendous amount of water used globally for agriculture while emphasizing the great importance of conserving the world’s water supply to feed the 9 billion population expected in 2050. Please feel free to share this infographic on your blog, website, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest to help increase awareness of this important issue. View Wide Version

Feel free to publish this infographic on your site or blog.

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For some people, installing an irrigation magmeter is old hat.  Hopefully that’s because those people have installed several of them for different purposes, not because they’ve had to replace one meter a handful of times (in which case I may need to write a post about why those people should buy Seametrics Magmeters)…

BUT, for those of us who are new to the process, we’ve developed this simple installation video.  Watch and enjoy…

We put together an infographic that presents surprising facts about the importance of water conservation including the massive number of deaths caused by inadequate access to clean water and the incredible amounts of water needed to produce the food to feed our rapidly growing global population. We encourage you to republish this infographic on your site or share it through social media to raise awareness of this important issue (See Wide View Version).

Copy and Paste the following code to put this infographic on your site: <img src="http://www.seametrics.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Water-Conservation.jpg" width="500" height="2742" /><br/>Infographic by Seametrics, a manufacturer of <a href="http://www.seametrics.com">water flow meters</a> that measure and conserve water.

The 2011 Tuvalu drought is a severe period of drought afflicting Tuvalu, a South Pacific island country of approximately 10,500 people, throughout the latter half of 2011. A state of emergency was declared on September 28, 2011, with rationing of available fresh-water. Parts of the country were reportedly in danger running out of natural drinking water by Tuesday, October 4, 2011

I’m a little late to this story since the drought has actually ended with the coming of the rainy season in November. Before that happened, both New Zealand and the US launched ship-based rescue missions in October, with our Coast Guard sending a buoy tender from American Samoa to deliver contianers of water. As of now, there are plans for assistance from Australia and Japan to provide more desalination capacity.

Stepping back a little, the likely immediate cause of the drought was said to be a La Nina condition, the “other half “of the ENSO (El Nino Southern Oscillation) weather seesaw.

Much closer to home, this same La Nina pattern is leading to predictions of likely continuing drought in Texas and Florida this coming year. When it comes to climate, we live in a very connected world.

Infographics have grown leaps and bounds beyond the PowerPoint SmartArt of yesteryear. Charts and bubbles have given way to dynamic representations that can distill reams of data into one easy-to-understand picture.

They are a great way to get information fast, and listed below are 10 of the best, most relevant infographics pertaining to the agricultural industry.

1. Farming First: “The Story of Agriculture and the Green Economy”

This award-winning infographic is actually a series of 17 graphics that are combined to tell the story of how agriculture can contribute to a green economy in America. It poses six questions to readers in a progressive drop-down format that addresses issues like sustainable supply chains, reducing poverty through green agriculture and answering the food needs of future generations.

2. FarmBillHack: “Consolidation of the Meat Industry”

This infographic published by Food + Tech Connect and winner of its Farm Bill Hackathon contest takes a sharp look at the farm bill as it relates to what is happening in the meat industry. The illustration argues that the consolidation is ruining the market for U.S. beef by putting ranchers and workers out of business and ultimately raising the price of meat.

3. LiveScience: “Green Acres”

Ross Toro provides a quick snapshot of American farming in 2011 in this infographic. Readers are invited to consider how many farmers there are in America and how many of their fellow Americans they feed, as well as how many people they employ and how much of their food is used for export.

Source:LiveScience

4. ONE, Living Proof and GOOD: “The Agricultural Multiplier Effect”

The dynamic infographic created through a partnership of three different companies that promote environmental stewardship and healthy living demonstrates how smart agricultural investments can improve crop yields while also bettering the protection of the environment.

See full infographic

5. Frugal Dad: “The Consolidation of American Food”

Industry consolidation is a big issue in American agriculture, and this infographic takes a more tongue-in-cheek approach to these concerns. The piece begins by using the fact that 30% of all turkeys consumed this Thanksgiving (2011) were produced by Butterball and then proceeds to apply this measurement to other top food producers.

Source: Frugal dad

6. International Food Policy Research Institute: “Global Hunger Index 2011 by Severity”

The pervasiveness of starvation around the globe is crystallized in this effective infographic from the IFPRI. As made evident by the red and orange areas on the map, Africa leads the world in its need for food.

See full infographic

7. Food Service Warehouse: “Visualizing the World’s Food Consumption”

This interactive infographic was ostensibly created to demonstrate the differences in food consumption around the world. As pertaining to agriculture, however, it also provided detailed information on how much income is spent on food in different areas, revealing the differentiation between food cost and availability.

See full infographic

8. USAID: “The Global State of Agriculture”

The U.S. humanitarian assistance organization provides this infographic to illustrate the need for increased food production by emphasizing the boom in the global population. The planet now supports 7 billion people, and USAID estimates food production must increase 70% by 2050 to meet the growing need.

9. EcoPolitology: “Cornfields vs. Oilfields”

The message in this infographic is that the increased use of ethanol is a viable, cost-efficient and environmentally-friendly alternative to gasoline for use in America’s vehicles. The benefit of the analysis is that it illustrates the pros and cons of the plan in a way that is balanced and clearly represents both sides of the issue.

Via: Online Schools

10. Public Health Program: “The Two Sides of the Food Crisis”

This is yet another in-depth look at the challenges agriculture will face in the coming years. It predicts agricultural production will slow in the near term, food prices will rise due to lower supply, higher demand and more production costs associated with adapting to climate change, farm encroachment and other factors that will impact the industry.

Created by: Public Health Degree

Change is the key to growth.  In order to get where we want to go, there must be a goal and there must be a decision and plan to achieve that goal no matter what it takes. 

2011 has been a year of change — and growth — for Seametrics.  We found that a willingness to address systems from the past and make a commitment to do the hard stuff to change can bring astonishing results.  And of course in all of this the concept of TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) served as a catalyst to raise expectations and see big-time success.

The month of December in our Flanged Magmeter Department was our icing-on-the-cake illustration of the reward of change.  See, we had a delightful problem: orders for these flow meter products were streaming in (the delightful part) and yet our output level was stationary (the problem).  So, our Management Team put their heads together and applied the principles of The Great Game of Business to create a “mini-game” that served as a company-wide challenge to increase output.

The road had already been paved with a complete overhaul of our Flanged Magmeter production area to make things more organized and sensible to an efficient manufacturing process.  The Before and After effect was astonishing to me, a person who loves to watch shows that transform homes to get them sold. 

So with a clean slate, so to speak, our Management Team presented the production challenge first to the Flanged Magmeter Production Team, and then to the company at large.  The Production Team itself obviously did the hands-on, skilled work but the rest of us in the company were tasked to find out how we could support their efforts by offering our help with supply replenishment, cleanup, and even bringing coffee and words of encouragement.  A visual representation of a racetrack with the milestones for the game, along with the rewards for achieving those numbers, was hung on the wall in the break room so we all had a vision and could see the status of the game at any given time of the day. 

The Production Team met weekly to discuss progress and any barriers to momentum.  Any needed adaptations were made, and the game went on.  We were all astonished to see the output numbers climb higher and higher in times much shorter than any of us would have believed.  Yesterday we reached our optimum level of production…the number that was two steps higher than the “needed” number…with three more days left in the game.  All I can say is…AMAZING!  I am in awe of what can happen when change is made, a vision is cast, and a team effort is applied.  

I’m proud to be part of Seametrics.

Today I heard for the first time that some of my readers consider me a “greenie”.  After getting over the shock of hearing that I have any readers at all (and you both know who you are), I tried to think just what a greenie might be. With no clear definition and only the vague sense that it isn’t a compliment, I’ve decided to repeat some of the things that I do believe, at least in the narrow context of water use. So here’s a list, in no particular order:

1) Agriculture, like manufacturing, is a bedrock part of the American economy. As a nation we should never neglect or take for granted our agricultural bounty. It’s a tough business even in the best of times and we should be grateful that anybody wants to do it for us.

2) There is no shortage of water, and there never will be. There is a growing shortage in numerous places of usable water, in the right spots, right quality, at the right price or pumping cost, and so on.

3) Waste is bad, efficiency is good. Efficiency comes from the creative application of human knowledge to eliminate waste.

4) One of the better slogans I’ve ever heard is often used by the Irrigation Association (http://www.irrigation.org/ ) of which we’re a member: “More Crop Per Drop.” That kind of says it in a nutshell.

5) Here’s another pithy saying: “That which can’t go on forever, won’t”.  There are some water use practices in some places that will come to an end sooner or later, regardless of any regulatory activity or lack of it. For instance, when ancient water in very dry places is gone, it’s gone (for our lifetimes, at least).

6) We think that American agriculture as a whole is the quintessential learning industry, constantly developing in its ability to acquire information and to use that information to produce more with less. We hope we can do our little part to help out.

How green is that?