Water Conservation Center Demonstration Program Planting Season 2025

By Dr. David Sloane

This year we have an exciting and progressive plan lined up of field demonstrations at the Water Conservation Center. These include:

1. Continuing to evaluate the role of forage sorghum in a corn / cotton rotation under limited water.
2. Comparing forage sorghum drilled on 7.5” rows and windrowed vs planted on 30” rows and direct harvested.
3. The use of drought tolerant corn hybrids under limited water.
4. The use of UpTerra treated water

After compelling results from 2024, where forage sorghum proved to be profitable in a corn / cotton rotation under limited water, the Ag Committee decided to repeat this study. With continued pressure on the North Plains to produce more and more silage, forage sorghum has a role to play, given it’s greater water use efficiency and versatility, since it can be planted early or late. Forage sorghum should allow producers to stretch their water whilst still remaining profitable, and the district is at the forefront of proving out the metrics in both water use efficiency and profitability of including forage sorghum in the mix. This also includes a side study of comparing the different farming systems of planting on narrow rows and windrowing prior to harvest, versus planting it on 30” rows and direct chopping it.

Many folks might remember the 200/12 program that the district tested back in 2010 – 2012. This began as a bet between committee members to see if they could grow 200 bushels of corn on 12” of water. Back then it seemed like we would never be forced to use only 12” of irrigation, but unfortunately today it is becoming more of a reality. As such, the Ag Committee decided that it would be a great idea to return to 200/12 program some 15 years later, but using the new drought tolerant corn hybrids. This year we plan to test as many of the leading drought tolerant lines we can get our hands on and put them under the following conditions.
· 12” of total water (incl. rainfall and irrigation)
· 12” of irrigation
· 18” of irrigation
· 24” of irrigation (equivalent to a full allocation)

We plan to test two planting dates (early and late) and also include some leading conventional corn hybrids as a check. Given the constraints at the WCC and the need for a higher level of control over the irrigation, this trial will be conducted on the subsurface drip fields at the center.

We are lucky to have a donated UpTerra system on the west pivot at the WCC and we will continue to evaluate and compare it to crops grown on the east pivot without the system fitted. According to the manufacturer, the UpTerra system structures and energizes water using ultrasonic frequencies to make it behave more like rainwater. Already we are seeing some differences but heading into the second year, we might be able to put some hard numbers on what that means to producers.

We have an ambitious program set out for 2025, so wish us luck!