soil & water conservation
Andrew Hautzinger
Will this year be another low-water drought year, or will the Rio Grande bring enough water to support irrigated agriculture in our valley?
The U.S. Drought Monitor predicts the state of New Mexico will face persistent drought in 2024, experiencing more “severe, extreme, and exceptional” drought conditions than any other state (source: droughtmonitor.unl.edu). Meanwhile, the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District reports a slightly below average snow pack (84 percnet of normal), which could translate into a shorter irrigation season this year, if more snow doesn’t fall in the highlands in the coming weeks.
MRGCD manages surface irrigation water in the valley, maintaining and operating some 1,200 miles of ditches that deliver precious water to farmland. MRGCD recently announced that Feb. 26 is the planned date for MRGCD to charge the ditch system in preparation for the first irrigation cycle. MRGCD has informed the public that with upstream storage still unavailable, as repairs at El Vado Dam continue through 2026, last season irrigating could be a big challenge.
The good news is that there are resources and options to help us all manage in times of low-water and hot temperatures, whether to support farming on large fields or backyard gardening. Cover cropping is a cost-effective way for farmers to manage through dry years, saving water and promoting healthy soils on their lands. Wikipedia puts it, “In agriculture, cover crops are plants that are planted to cover the soil rather than for the purpose of being harvested. Cover crops manage soil erosion, soil fertility, soil quality, water, weeds, pests, diseases, biodiversity and wildlife in an agroecosystem—an ecological system managed and shaped by humans.”
Cover cropping can be very simple (e.g., planting cereal rye grass to cover and conserve the soil) or very involved, using many low-water, soil friendly species, with project complexity largely based on the individual farmer’s interests and experience level.
On the Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District’s website, ValenciaSWCD.org, farmers and gardeners can access and download cover crop plant lists and technical assistance information.
There is funding available to support cover cropping and other projects that conserve water and soil, especially important during persistent and severe drought. MRGCD offers an innovative fallowing program for application from eligible local farmers. In essence, the program allows farmers to rest their farm fields (1 acre and above) for either a full or a partial portion of the 2024 irrigation season.
The “partial lease program” provides $400 per acre to a farmer who commits to fallow their lands in the summer, with allowed irrigations in the spring and fall (supply dependent). For those who are participating in this partial lease program (the application deadline was Feb., 16 for the 2024 cycle), farmers have a way to protect the vitality of their soils for one year (noting that participating in the program has no water right impact in future years).
“We want farmers to farm, that’s what MRGCD is here for,” said Casey Ish, the conservation program supervisor for the MRGCD. “But we also recognize the need to for operational flexibility during times of drought. The fallowing program serves as a voluntary tool that MRGCD and our farmers can use to manage limited resources in times of scarcity.”
Go to mrgcd.com/fallowing-program for more details.
More help is on the way for backyard gardeners and farmers. The New Mexico Department of Agriculture Healthy Soils Program offers grants for up to $22,000 to reimburse New Mexicans who are interested in improving their lands through implementation of at least one of these five principles of healthy soils: 1) keeping soil covered; 2) minimizing soil disturbance on cropland and minimizing external inputs; 3) maximizing biodiversity; 4) maintaining a living root; and 5) integrating animals into land management, including grazing animals, birds, beneficial insects or keystone species, such as earthworms.
NMDA is accepting applications for this great-cover-crop-fit program from Friday, Feb. 23, through noon, Friday, April 26. To learn more about how healthy soils can improve your farmland, visit VSWCD’s office at 2424 N.M. 47, within the Whitfield Visitors Center. Call 505-864-8914, or by visit NMDA’s website, nmdeptag.nmsu.edu/healthy-soil-program.html.
Finally, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday March 23, the Valencia SWCD is hosting Agriculture Appreciation Day at Whitfield. This event will have booths from local growers and representatives from local, state, and federal agencies who work with farmers and ranchers. Dean Bruce from NMDA will give a talk about healthy soils. Visit Whitfield on Ag Appreciation Day to learn about technical assistance programs for farmers, gardeners and landscapers alike, and have lunch, as the Tomé Todo food truck will be on site. Any visit to Whitfield preserve provides a great chance to take a short hike on our trails and enjoy some time outside in a beautiful natural setting —please come visit.
Also, don’t forget the upcoming Spring Forward Star Party at Whitfield from 5-9 p.m., Saturday, March 9.
(Andrew Hautzinger is the district director of the Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District.)
Andrew Hautzinger, guest columnist
Andrew Hautzinger has been the district director for the Valencia Soil and Water Conservation District since 2020. Prior to that, he was a volunteer VSWCD board member for 12 years and spent many years volunteering at the Whitfield Wildlife Conservation Area.
Hautzinger has a bachelor of science in watershed sciences from Colorado State University. He worked for more than 27 years as a federal hydrologist working for agencies within the Department of Interior including the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. National Park Service, and for the final 20 years of his career, with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services’ National Wildlife Refuge System.
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April 25, 2024
