The release of Potato Growers of Alberta’s new video about water conservation has proven timely, considering numerous Alberta municipalities have reported drought conditions or declared a state of agricultural emergency in recent weeks.
The Water Journey: From Mountains To Prairies (embedded below) was released earlier this month, on the heels of previous releases The Story of Us — Alberta Potato Growers and The Seed: How It All Begins.
“This is by far the most important one in our series. They all give very good information, but this one is critical,” said Terence Hochstein, executive director of Potato Growers of Alberta.
“There is a misconception out there that agriculture wastes water, and they simply don’t.”
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Several stakeholders are featured in the video, including Hochstein, Municipal District of Taber reeve Tamara Miyanaga, whose husband is a potato farmer, St. Mary Irrigation District’s David Westwood and Chris Perry of CKP Farms.
It showcases how irrigation powers the crucial southern Alberta ag corridor.
Water makes its way from the Rocky Mountains, with winter snowpack melting during the spring runoff and turning into water that feeds the St. Mary River. That water is then captured by the irrigation districts in southern Alberta, such as the SMRID, BRID (Bow River), and RID (Raymond).
The water in the irrigation districts’ reservoirs benefits not only producers but also rural residents. As well, the the reservoirs provide potable water to southern Alberta cities such as Lethbridge and Medicine Hat, which is 312 kilometres from the Milk River Ridge Reservoir’s main canal.
“It is also critical for municipalities, particularly in southern Alberta,” Westwood, who is general manager of the St. Mary River Irrigation District, said in the video.
“Our irrigation infrastructure actually provides the water for many small towns and hamlets.”
Producers often face water rationing to keep the irrigation system sustainable, which has required them to use some of the most advanced irrigation methods in the world to conserve water.
Low-pressure centre pivot irrigation limits evaporation and capitalizes on application efficiency.
Advanced irrigation systems feature variable rates that take in weather data, humidity and chance of precipitation.
One pivot on CKP Farms can put on 4/10ths of an inch of water over 20 hours across 500 acres.
Irrigators are using technology and techniques to use the least amount of water to achieve the crop they need to be successful in a growing season.
“Sometimes I think we take what we have here for granted sometimes. You take what Mother Nature gives you. Without irrigation, we’d be a dust bowl,” said Hochstein of the Dirty Thirties, which accelerated the need for farmer-owned irrigation districts in the region.
Added Westwood: “We are using much less water than we were using 40 years ago and actually being able to irrigate many more acres than we were using 40 years ago,”
All the videos can be found on the Potato Growers Alberta YouTube channel.
Previously released vignettes can be found on Potato Growers of Alberta’s website.
