Market transformation of irrigation scheduling in Washington
Date
2000-06
Authors
Leib, Brian G., author
Hattendorf, Mary, author
Elliott, Todd, author
Matthews, Gary, author
U.S. Committee on Irrigation and Drainage, publisher
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract
Washington State University is implementing a Scientific Irrigation Scheduling (SIS) Project that is being funded by the public utility districts through the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (1998 through 2000). Scientific irrigation scheduling is defined as the use of crop evapotranspiration data and soil moisture sensors to accurately determine when and how much to irrigate. The project goal is market transformation. In other words, scientific irrigation scheduling will become a common practice that does not require continual government subsidy to be maintained. A 50% adoption rate will be a key indicator of market transformation in scientific irrigation scheduling. Surveys were conducted during 1997 and 1998 to determine the status of and direction for scientific irrigation scheduling in Washington. According to the survey results, private consultants were contracted to perform irrigation scheduling on nearly 300,000 acres per year. Conservation Districts, county extension, and the National Resource Conservation Service have assisted producers in scheduling irrigation on an additional 15,000 acres per year. Individual Farm enterprises reported scheduling another 55,000 acres of irrigation on their own. The combined effort has resulted in a 17% adoption rate of scientific irrigation scheduling on an acreage basis. Survey results also indicated that potatoes and tree fruit account for more than half of the acreage being scheduled. The main reason producers were willing to pay for irrigation scheduling is to insure the quality of high-value crops. Energy savings became important when water needed to be lifted a considerable distance; however, water conservation, high yield, fertilizer savings, and non-point pollution reduction were considered secondary benefits. Center-pivots were the most likely irrigation systems to be scheduled and a considerable proportion of drip and solid set sprinklers were scheduled, but a very small proportion of furrow systems and set-move sprinklers were scheduled. Of the producers who irrigated farms smaller than 1,000 acres, 75% of the survey respondents have personal computers and 50% have modems but less than 5% are using their computers to schedule irrigation. Since computers and communication technology are available "on-farm," Washington Irrigation Scheduling Expert (WISE) has been developed as a web-linked and user-friendly software tool that brings together all the pieces needed to implement irrigation scheduling. WISE, soil moisture sensors and other tools will be promoted via traditional demonstration and educational methods but with a different emphasis. Instead of offering irrigators a free service, cooperators will be encouraged to produce their own irrigation schedules from the onset of their involvement with the SIS project and agricultural supply companies will be encouraged to add irrigation scheduling to their services. The goal of this paper and presentation is to document the status, tools, and progress of market transformation in Washington's SIS Project.
Description
Presented at the 2000 USCID international conference, Challenges facing irrigation and drainage in the new millennium on June 20-24 in Fort Collins, Colorado.