Posted on Feb 1, 2023
30 years ago, these Kansas farmers were told to use less water. Here's how they did it
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Farmers in the Walnut Creek basin have faced strict restrictions on how much they can water their crops since the early 1990s. Those limits have pushed them to change their methods and their mindsets.
HAYS, Kansas — Trying to cut back on irrigation in western Kansas isn’t a new idea.
More than three decades ago, the state came to farmers in the Walnut Creek basin south of Hays with a mandate. Farmers had to drastically change how much water they used on their crops. Some had to cut irrigation by nearly half.
Roger Mohr, who has grown grain in that area since 1970, remembers the irrigation limits didn’t go over well — at least at first.
“None of us liked that when it happened,” Mohr said. “But we all realized that we had to make changes.”
HAYS, Kansas — Trying to cut back on irrigation in western Kansas isn’t a new idea.
More than three decades ago, the state came to farmers in the Walnut Creek basin south of Hays with a mandate. Farmers had to drastically change how much water they used on their crops. Some had to cut irrigation by nearly half.
Roger Mohr, who has grown grain in that area since 1970, remembers the irrigation limits didn’t go over well — at least at first.
“None of us liked that when it happened,” Mohr said. “But we all realized that we had to make changes.”
30 years ago, these Kansas farmers were told to use less water. Here's how they did it
Posted from kcur.org
Farming
Agriculture
Water
Posted >1 y ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Other research from part of northwest Kansas has shown that some farmers who cut irrigation end up seeing their profits go up as they spend less money pumping water from underground and buying seed and fertilizer. But the conditions farmers face — the local climate, the depth and quality of their section of aquifer — can vary greatly from one part of the state to another.
And with the ongoing extreme drought, there’s only so much farmers can do to make up for a lack of rain even if they have irrigation.
Parts of Ness County near the western edge of the Walnut Creek IGUCA experienced their driest year on record in 2022. And many farmers in west-central Kansas already saw drought burn up their wheat and corn crops last year, drastically reducing harvests.
Without some precipitation in the next 60 days, Mohr said, farmers in his area will have to start making tough choices about the coming season.
“Mother Nature’s water,” Mohr said, “is much better than irrigating water.”
..."Other research from part of northwest Kansas has shown that some farmers who cut irrigation end up seeing their profits go up as they spend less money pumping water from underground and buying seed and fertilizer. But the conditions farmers face — the local climate, the depth and quality of their section of aquifer — can vary greatly from one part of the state to another.
And with the ongoing extreme drought, there’s only so much farmers can do to make up for a lack of rain even if they have irrigation.
Parts of Ness County near the western edge of the Walnut Creek IGUCA experienced their driest year on record in 2022. And many farmers in west-central Kansas already saw drought burn up their wheat and corn crops last year, drastically reducing harvests.
Without some precipitation in the next 60 days, Mohr said, farmers in his area will have to start making tough choices about the coming season.
“Mother Nature’s water,” Mohr said, “is much better than irrigating water.”
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