Browse Irrigation Stories

Georgia's leading industry is agriculture, which relies significantly on irrigation — approximately half of the state's cropland is irrigated. For most farmers operating on razor-thin profit margins, irrigation is essential as insurance against drought and extended dry periods. In a concerted effort to address water conservation in agriculture, the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Ag Water Team helps farmers adopt water-saving practices that boost yields, lower production costs and conserve water for future generations.

The University of Georgia Griffin campus hosted its first training for a landscape company, Chatham Landscape, at its new irrigation demonstration site in April. Chatham Landscape is a sponsor of the site designed for training, research and education in new irrigation technologies.

Over the last few decades, water use-related disagreements between Georgia and its surrounding states have held the spotlight in the Southeast. To address the need for conservation, the Agricultural Water Efficiency Team (AgWET) was created to train University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agents to transfer advanced irrigation scheduling knowledge to growers through a unique one-on-one educational approach.

As climate variability increasingly affects producers across the Southeastern U.S., Wes Porter spends a lot of time thinking about water — specifically, crop irrigation — and how available tools can benefit farmers threefold.

When it comes to taking care of a lawn — whether at home or on a golf course — proper watering makes the difference between a beautiful landscape and a muddy mess. Knowing when and where to water turfgrass can be a tricky process, but thanks to a group of researchers at the University of Georgia and Rutgers University, lawn irrigation could soon be much easier to handle.

With winter just around the corner, now is a good time to perform some preventive maintenance on center pivot irrigation systems and to have them winterized.

An online tool developed by the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is helping produce growers assess their water quality and prepare for increased testing requirements.

The University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is part of a collaborative effort to develop a smart irrigation application for pecan farmers on smartphone devices.

During a summer when Georgia corn farmers have relied heavily on their irrigation systems working effectively, many struggled with equipment malfunctions that may have reduced crop yields. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension irrigation specialist Wes Porter believes that those problems can be avoided in the future if producers make necessary modifications after the growing season.

Water conservation is a part of the everyday work done at the University of Georgia’s Stripling Irrigation Research Park (SIRP), where scientists are constantly developing innovative sustainable agricultural practices. Georgia farmers can see some of those methods firsthand on Thursday, July 18, during the park’s annual field day beginning at 8:30 a.m.