In an earlier blog, I provided the details of MSPB’s SIP 2014 initiative.  Briefly, this effort involves soliciting the commitment of leaders of the state’s commodity boards to adopt and use irrigation water conservation measures, and providing opportunities for Mississippi irrigators to learn how to use these tools.

During this past summer’s MSPB site visit to the MSU campus, I met Dr. Mary Love Tagert, Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at Mississippi State University.  She discussed her research to determine the potential benefits from using on-farm water storage systems (OFWS) to reduce the loss of soil and nutrients from irrigated sites, and to replace or supplement some of the water that is being pumped from the Delta alluvial aquifer to irrigate Delta crops.  Preliminary findings from this study show that OFWS can reduce the movement or loss of nitrogen, phosphorus, and soil from irrigated sites, and has the potential to replace a significant portion of the irrigation water that is being removed from the aquifer.  I encourage you to watch the below video that presents the first year’s results from her OFWS project.



The furtherance of her work to assess the potential of OFWS to offset a portion of the water that is pumped from the Delta aquifer to irrigate Mississippi crops will become an integral part of SIP 2014.  This is another forward step in the progression of the MSPB’s efforts to explore all avenues that may lead to/contribute to irrigation water conservation.

On another note, the NASS-MS crop production report for Nov. 8, 2013 forecasts that the Mississippi soybean crop will average 43 bu/acre.  This will be the second highest state average yield, behind only the 45 bu/acre average yield in 2012.  This same report forecasts the state’s corn crop to average 180 bu/acre, which will be a new record for the state and besting the 2012 average yield of 165 bu/acre.

These numbers are significant for two reasons.  First, the forecast average yield for the Mississippi soybean crop will be equal to that for the US as a whole, while the forecast state average corn yield will best the forecast national average by nearly 20 bu/acre.  Second, I am making an educated guess that irrigation played a major role in the attainment of these high yields of both crops in the state.

Do we need further evidence to support the need to protect our valuable water resource so that the state’s producers can continue to achieve these high crop yields?  I think not.

For that reason, I encourage you to find out more about SIP 2014.  Contact me or Jan de Regt if you have any questions or want to find out how to come on board and be a part of this dynamic conservation effort.

Composed by Larry G. Heatherly, Nov. 2013, larryheatherly@bellsouth.net