2013 Blue Legacy Award ~ Agriculture Winners

The Water Conservation Advisory Council would like to recognize the 2013 Blue Legacy Award in Agriculture Winners as stewards for successful water conservation. Through their outreach efforts and commitment to preserving water resources within the state, they are leaders in the agricultureal community.

The Council recognizes Mr. Eddie Teeter from Lockney, Texas. Mr. Teeter has been farming for 45 years and paid careful attention to his water resources. His 1,360 acres include wheat, cotton, corn, and grain. When Mr. Teeter began to notice a decrease in irrigation water on his farm, he took extra steps to manage his resources. After studying others’ methods and observing the benefits of proactive conservation, Mr. Teeter switched from spray nozzles to low energy precision application hoses and drip irrigation. The results proved encouraging and prompted a conversion throughout the farm to these conservation methods.

Serving as the President of the Texas Alliance for Water Conservation (TAWC) Producer Board and currently as Secretary, Mr. Teeter assists and participates in outreach events coordinated by the TAWC. This includes hosting field walks on his farm and showcasing his low energy precision application center pivot and drip irrigation field to local producers. In addition to the field walks, Mr. Teeter has appeared on KFLP and KDDD radio stations for the TAWC Field Talk where he shared his experiences on his farm as well as irrigation management practices that have conserved water while maintaining productivity.

The Council would like to recognize the Harlingen Irrigation District – Cameron County No. 1for the Texas Project for Ag Water Efficiency (Texas AWE). Throughout the past eight years, the district has employed several technologies focused on water conservation including automated gates, telemetry, and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA). Through this project, the district has discovered what works best in water conservation efforts. One such practice involves an automated system integrating 40 miles of canal, 200 miles of pipeline, 37 automated gates, and 36 re-lift pump houses which are all on a network of telemetry stations that can be remotely controlled and monitored in real time. The information can be accessed via smart phone, computer, or tablet to check the status and control the gates on the system that delivers up to 52,000 acre-feet of water per year.

The Harlingen Irrigation District – Cameron County No. 1 is a leader in their community for conservation outreach. Through a series of “road shows,” the district has spread the news of their successful projects including presentations within the state and around the country. Through information sharing and the careful collection of its own data, the Harlingen Irrigation District – Cameron County No. 1 hopes to continue to develop and be recognized for their cutting edge technologies in water conservation.

The Water Conservation Advisory Council congratulates the 2013 Blue Legacy Award in Agriculture Winners!