Chicken takes 330 gallons per serving, and that steak washes up on a whopping 1,231 gallons, all according to the Water Education Foundation. What s more, rice farmers are learning how to make the most of the water they use and with good reason. In eastern Arkansas, irrigated agriculture is not sustainable, according to University of Arkansas researchers. Since 1964, use of groundwater in Arkansas has tripled mainly because of added rice acreage. When water levels get low, water can get salty.
Reservoirs are one way to help make that groundwater go further and to manage salinity.
Farm reservoirs on page 8 tells how one Lake Village, Ark., grower reclaimed fields lost to salty well water by building a network of reservoirs. And to offset the loss of land to reservoirs, he s added a catfish operation. Water conservation is nothing new to California producers, who have been using tailwater recovery systems for years, reducing water usage and preserving water quality. Managing that recovered water for the best yields can be a challenge. Preserving water quality is one advantage of reduced tillage.