The survival of many Georgia farmers depends greatly on one
question: How efficiently can they use water and keep their
yields
and profits where they need them?

The C.M. Stripling Irrigation Research Park will be trying to
answer this and other irrigation-related questions during the
coming growing season, say University of Georgia experts.

The Way Water’s Used

No new water-related legislation will likely be created this
year
in the Georgia General Assembly. But as early as next year,
policymakers will begin forming concrete laws to change the way
water is used in Georgia, said Jim Hook, a professor of crop and
soil sciences with the UGA College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences.

This will directly affect agriculture, “which uses the lion’s
share of water” in many parts of the state, he said. Georgia
agriculture needs concrete, scientific irrigation data to mold
accurate and fair water practices and policies.

Set for Major Crops

Scientists will begin irrigation research for major Georgia row
crops such as cotton, peanuts and corn, said Rad Yager,
superintendent of the research park. Future research will
include
vegetables.

The park spans more than 130 acres, with 100 acres cleared for
crops and 30 planted in pines, pecan trees and live oaks, said
Kerry Harrison, CAES irrigation engineer. It’s strategically
placed in the Flint River basin in southwest Georgia, the hub of
agricultural water use in the state.

To conduct the research, scientists will use different types of
irrigation systems, such as pivot, linear and drip.

All irrigation areas will be monitored by a centralized
computer, said Dan Thomas, CAES professor of biological and
agricultural engineering.

“It’s all done by radio link that sends the information back to
the main building,” Thomas said.

Besides the computer control room, the main building contains a
classroom and meeting area and a kitchen, main office, storage
room and covered equipment area.

Looking for Answers

Researchers will use the park to answer other key questions:

* Will returns on irrigation investments be high enough and fast
enough for farmers and their financial backers to risk
investment?

* How will this lead to new production opportunities for Georgia
farmers or reduce economic risks in existing farms?

* What new service and manufacturing opportunities will arise
out
of new products and improved margins for farmers?

* How can growers, facing mandated water cutoffs or
restrictions,
schedule water use?

* How does water usage in other parts of the state affect water
quality and farm usage in southwest Georgia?

Finite Resource

Water isn’t an infinite resource. Stakeholders, including
farmers, have to independently understand their water usage,
while also seeing the big picture. They have to see how all
stakeholders are interdependent on this finite resource.

“It’s not just farm commodities, it’s also what happens in
Atlanta and with other (Georgia) commodities,” Hook said.

C.M. Stripling of Camilla, Ga., donated the land for the
research
park to Mitchell County. The county leases the land to the UGA
CAES for irrigation research.