WH2O--Channel 11 News Team
Your Source for Water Wisdom
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WH2O--Channel 11 News Team Your Source for Water Wisdom |
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Water Works by Matthew Click here for printer friendly version of this information. |
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Picture from Microsoft Clipart |
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| Essential Questions: How do farmers use water? Are there methods to conserve water in agriculture? Are local farmers conscious about water conservation? | |
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by Matthew |
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Picture from Microsoft Clipart |
Irrigation is taking water from one place and putting it in
another. Irrigation is an artificial way of getting water to a
place.
An example would be how farmers use irrigation on their crops. That water is taken from maybe a pond and put onto the fields. That is what irrigation is and an example of where it is used.
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by Matthew
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Picture created in Microsoft Art Created by Matthew
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Irrigation is like a circle. There are problems with it, but there are advancements to help fix the problems. Here are some of the advancements being used to fix the problems. Computer controlled irrigation which is irrigation controlled by a computer. This could solve the problem of having to go and turn wheels to make the water flow. Another advancement would be a special type of plastic that covers the pipes that are used in drip irrigation. It reduces water loss, and is a very conservative type of irrigation. Those are just some of the advancements in irrigation.
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"Irrigation." Services and Irrigation. Dan Fix Construction Company. 23 Jan. 2006 <http://danfixlandscape.com/services_irrigation.html>. |
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by Matthew
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 Picture from Microsoft clipart |
Although a good source of getting water to plants irrigation does have some problems. An example would be saltwater intrusion which is when salt water gets into crops on the coast. The saltwater soaks into the ground and mixes with the freshwater in underground aquifers. Thus, the freshwater supply is seriously altered. That is just one of the major problems with irrigation.
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"Saltwater intrusion." CWPtionary Saltwater Intrusion. USGS. 23 Jan. 2006 <http://www.lacoast.gov/>.
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by Matthew
Woody Weeks, S & W Irrigation |
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Question- Which type of irrigation is most conservative? Answer- Center Pivot Irrigation Question- Why? Answer- It has a low evaporation rate.* Question- Is flood irrigation one of the least conservative types of irrigation? Answer- Yes, because it wastes a lot of water in runoff. Question- Are there other types of irrigation similar to the one in my first question? Answer- Yes: Drip, Hard Nose, and Solid Set. Question- Do you think farmers worry about waste of water when using irrigation? If so why? Answer- Yes because it costs money to waste.
* Water goes strait to plants instead of wasting a lot of water during the process of evaporation.
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Weeks, Woody. Telephone interview. 30 Dec 2005.
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Glenn Beard, Colquitt County Extension Agent
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Picture taken by Matthew |
According to Glenn Beard, Colquitt County extension agent, farmers in the Moultrie area use 27,000 gallons of water for every inch of irrigated land. If that's for 1 inch a whole field would be tons of water. Each year vegetable farmers put10-12 inches of water. Cotton farmers put on 6 inches of water. Tobacco, peanut., and turf farmers put on 8 inches of water. The total would be 1,440,000 inches of water. In total, farmers use about 30 billion gallons of water each year. This is about 65% of the total water supply.
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Interview with Craig Cannon Owner and Manager of C&D Cannon Farms Moultrie, Georgia |
Picture taken by Matthew |
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Question- What are some ways you save {if any} you save water? Answer- I use low pressure systems on my pivots. Question- Do any of these ways make major differences? Answer- Yes Question- Do you worry about waste of water? Answer- Yes Question- Why? Answer- Because, there is only a certain amount left, and I don't want to run out. Question- What type of irrigation do you use? Answer- Pivot & Hard Hose traveler Question- Is that type conservative? Answer- Pivot yes , Hard nose no Cannon, Craig. Personal interview. 22 Feb 2006. |
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Picture taken by Matthew |
Interview with Ricky Sparkman, Owner and Manager of Sparkman Dairy, Moultrie, Georgia |
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Question- What are some ways if any you save water? Answer- I water at night, so evaporation slows, I use low profile nozzles, and I plant on 30 in. fields because they use less water than 38in. or more. Question- Do any of these ways make any major differences? Answer- Yes they do. Question- Do you worry about waste of water? Answer- Yes Question- Why? Answer- Because water is so valuable and its running out fast. Question- What type of irrigation do you use? Answer- I use a low profile sprinkler. Question- Is that type conservative? Answer- It's as conservative as we can make it. Sparkman, Ricky. Personal interview. 23 Feb 2006.
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