The Yuma Conservation District has been working on the Federal Conservation Innovation Grant, the Pathways Project close to three years now. The main focus is to grow crops with less water then has been traditionally used in the area. Recently the district was informed that we have received another grant which will be the next evolution in the Pathways Project, creating an online informational database for area producers. “This website will be a place for producers to go and find out all sorts of information about all the crops we can produce in this region” said Brian Starkebaum, Project Director. When users visit the site, they will be presented with a menu of all the crops grown in the region. After the crop is selected, producers will then select the area of information that they are interested in: economics, water use, production tips, or current research. The Economics tab will contain information such as market information, CSU crop production budgets, and value-added opportunities. The Water Use tab will have information such as evapotranspiration data, weather data, real-world “as applied” irrigation information,
and more. Under Production Tips, producers will find information on growing that specific crop, and tips on how to reduce irrigated water usage. For the Current Research tab, it will highlight the latest information available from such places as the Akron Research Station, USDA-ARS, the IRF farm, and others.
The district will begin work on the database in early 2009. This new project is being funded by a State Conservation Innovation Grant, from the Colorado Natural Resources Conservation Service, and is being created in collaboration with the USDA Agricultural Research Service unit in Fort Collins. For more information, or to suggest information you would like to see posted, contact Brian Starkebaum, Project Director at the Yuma Conservation District office 508 E. 8th Ave, 848-5605.
