Pressures to implement sustainable agricultural practices are ongoing due to water scarcity concerns, land availability and environmental impact.
Recognizing the unique challenges faced in agriculture throughout the region, Texas Tech University’s Davis College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources is leading the charge in advancing sustainable agricultural practices in West Texas.
Glen Ritchie, department chair for the Department of Plant and Soil Science, said the department is looking at sustainable agriculture from the perspectives of soil health, water conservation and regenerative practices.
Ritchie said there are two main features of sustainable agriculture: environmental and economic sustainability. These two factors lead to the overarching goal of sustainability, which is maximizing production efficiency.
“We want our land and resources to be available and functioning at a high level that we can carry over from generation to generation,” Ritchie said. “However, if we are doing things that are environmentally sustainable but not economically sustainable then in a few years we’ll be out of business.”
Ritchie said there are a few areas that aid in advancing sustainability, including soil health, water conservation and regenerative management practices. He said all of these have become the difference-makers with the help of technological advancements.
A Suite of Technology
Ritchie said it is hard to pinpoint one technology that has been the difference-maker. The most productive farms, he said, are using a suite of technologies in tandem with each other.
“Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are helping see which parts of the field need more or less water,” Ritchie said. “Irrigation systems have really helped with efficiencies, too, and because of this, the most successful farms are using more than one technology.”
Ritchie said technologies are helping to minimize water loss throughout the system while still boosting yield.
Krishna Jagadish, Ph.D., a professor in plant and soil science and director of the Davis College Water Center, utilizes technological advancements to aid in water conservation practices.
“At the end of the season, the producer is really not sure when he should cut his water,” Jagadish said. “He doesn’t want to take a risk and lose his crop; this technology will help in that he won’t lose his crop and he won’t over irrigate either.”
Jagadish is researching various moisture and temperature sensors that can read irrigation and pesticide needs to provide producers with real-time updates. He has a variety of sensors on 45 different producer plots in 15 different counties throughout West Texas. These updates, which are available via cell phone notifications, are beneficial in knowing when and where to irrigate.
Autonomous Pivot is a newer technology and serves as an above-ground radar that attaches to irrigation pivots. Jagadish said the tool serves as a high-resolution camera and takes images throughout the entire field to assist in pinpointing heat stress, notify if water or pesticide application is needed, and ultimately, allow producers to conserve resources.
Jagadish hopes producers will adopt this sensor technology to save water. He said while the tools are important, education on how to use them is of equal importance, especially in the West Texas region.
“Where we are is one of the world’s most productive agricultural belts,” Jagadish said. “If we can get even 30% of producers to do what we are advocating, I think that will have a huge impact on sustaining agriculture for a long time.”
Jagadish is excited about what is to come for water conservation. He said new technologies will be functional in the next five to 10 years from NASA, called “Open ET.” NASA’s project is studying the loss of water to make more educated decisions on their irrigation practices.
“This technology will make us even more sustainable because it is not producer-specific but gives data on the entire region,” Jagadish said. “The regional impact will really help us advance sustainable agriculture.”
Lindsey Slaughter, an assistant professor of soil microbial ecology and biochemistry in the Department of Plant and Soil Science, is investigating how soil microbial community structures function and interact with environmental disturbances such as nutrient scarcity and urban development. Slaughter also examines soil structures within agricultural management practices.
“Technological advancements help you identify your environmental context and allows you to have a more targeted approach,” Slaughter said. “It allows you to manage your soil and see that one area of land might be more vulnerable to soil erosion or point out where you need to build more organic matter.”
Slaughter said advanced technology in irrigation systems have been beneficial when irrigating semi-arid climates like the southern plains.
Katie Lewis, an assistant professor of soil fertility in Texas Tech’s Department of Plant and Soil Science, has a joint appointment with Texas A&M AgriLife Research in Lubbock. Lewis’s research is aimed at determining more practical soil fertilization and management strategies to enhance the value and quality of soils and optimizing nutrients to ensure the longevity of farming operations.
“Technological advancements are going to be very useful from a research and production efficiency perspective,” Lewis said. “They also allow us to be more efficient in our fertilizer and irrigation applications, as well as tractor passes, which increases our regenerative and sustainable practices.”
Regenerating our Roots
“When you think about sustainability, you think about being more efficient with resources so you can continue to utilize those resources,” Slaughter said. “Regenerative agriculture is a mechanism of that in that you are putting in just as much as you are taking out.”
“When you think about sustainability, you think about being more efficient with resources so you can continue to utilize those resources,” Slaughter said. “Regenerative agriculture is a mechanism of that in that you are putting in just as much as you are taking out.”
Through her research in West Texas, Lewis said she has seen nearly two times increase in organic carbon, greater microbial activity, greater aggregate stability and more water-holding capacity by implementing crop rotation practices.
“While our main goal with cover cropping on the southern plains is to keep soil in place, there are some added benefits to crop rotations as well,” Lewis said. “Whether it’s a cotton-sorghum, or cotton-wheat rotation, these rotations are just as impactful in a productivity and health perspective by adding more nutrients into the soil.”
If farmers and producers want to ensure they have nutrients available for effective production, Lewis said the easiest way is to understand the soil type. This will allow for optimizing termination timing is another factor in successful cover crop processes.
Lewis said the U. S. Department of Agriculture recommends cover crops should be terminated somewhere around six weeks prior to cleansing your cash crop and that you don’t want to terminate earlier to prevent soil from eroding.
Lewis said understanding the unique qualities of the West Texas climate, especially related to rainfall, are important when putting regenerative agriculture practices into place.
“A lot of times, the cover crop is being used in [Midwestern] regions to dry out soil or to keep nutrients from leaching because they receive so much rainfall,” Lewis said. “Some sort of rotation proves to be less risky for farmers in our region, and there would be more benefits with a reduced tillage system.”
Lewis said infrastructure is a limitation when considering cover cropping management strategies. Grain elevators are essential to farmers when implementing cover crops, and grain storage is limited on the southern plains.
Overall, Lewis said regenerative practices should ensure productivity and aid in the enhancement of soil health and water resource management. Regardless, water availability continues to be the main concern, especially in dry-land operations.
Drip by Drip
Jagadish said water is a constraint in the Texas Panhandle and usage in irrigation is an important decision producers will have to make.
Jagadish’s research focuses on optimizing forage-based cropping systems, developing new tools to enhance water conservation, and improving soil health. He hopes to enhance economic benefits and environmental sustainability on the southern plains.
Jagadish said there could be a significant increase in water conservation if producers avoid over-irrigating their land.
“While irrigating, the water evaporates just as quickly as it’s applied so you always feel your plants are stressed because there’s no water,” Jagadish said. “So, you keep the pump on and keep irrigating although there is water below the ground that the roots can access.”
Conservation measures such as rainwater harvesting and efficient irrigation techniques can aid in mitigating the impacts such as drought and floods that could be harmful to production agriculture, Jagadish said.
“Sometimes it happens that it is not mostly the land, it’s more the water,” Jagadish said. “Identifying how much land can you irrigate with water available to you becomes the question.”
Heat stress is another challenge for farmers in the southern plains, often leading farmers to over-irrigate their land, Jagadish said.
Rotating crops can be a beneficial sustainable agriculture practice, Jagadish said. By utilizing various crops, especially water-sipping crops like sorghum in West Texas, farmers can conserve water.
“Having that sort of rotation system with sorghum requires less water, less nitrogenous fertilizers, and, as a whole system, you are reducing your input cost and greenhouse gas emissions,” Jagadish said. “By doing this rotation you’re saving a lot more water and are more sustainable going forward.”
Jagadish said that by implementing crop rotation systems not only are we being more sustainable in our water conservation practices, but we are also increasing soil health and reducing input costs.
Beneath the Surface
Implementing regenerative practices such as cover cropping and rotational crop management practices, Slaughter said, help maximize the efficiency of land and soil over a longer period.
In terms of sustainable agricultural practices, Slaughter said soil health is of primary importance.
“Soil health is really the most critical component,” Slaughter said. “The resources that we are using, all the input and the management practices that we’re using in agricultural systems flow through the soil to our plant.”
For the physical, chemical and biological components of soil, Slaughter said improving the physical structural and organic matter is critical to improving the quality of your soil.
“The physical, chemical, and biological interplay of soil health has multiple aspects and elements that determine its overall quality, health and fertility.” Slaughter said. “Those soil characteristics are going to be what ultimately makes the difference in our cropping and plant production systems.”
One of the best ways to increase soil health is by maximizing the plant cover on the soil. Slaughter said producers should try to get a full year of plants in the soil wherever possible whether it be big or little plants.
Slaughter said these practices will result in keeping soil in place, which is another contributor to maintaining soil health, but also noted the importance of letting your land rest as well.
With more improved soil systems and microbial activity, you will have more organic matter.
“When we focus on building up soil health, we are trying to improve the physical structure of your soil so that you can maximize what little rainfall we get in the panhandle of Texas,” Slaughter said. “A lot of that is achieved structurally through having large very stable soil aggregates that are able to hold together.”
Slaughter said management practices should target the number of days soil has plants on it. She said producers should focus on maximizing outputs and inputs to contribute to long-term productivity and soil resiliency from drought, climate disasters, pests and pathogens.
“Less erosion is huge in maintaining your soil health,” Slaughter said. “The more you keep your soil covered, the more you can protect it from physically blowing away. That cover is going to assist in building soil structure and systems. Disturbing the soil can be drastic because it takes centuries to build soil structure, so try to be aggressive with plant inputs and carbon inputs to overcome structural weaknesses.”
Slaughter said soil health is the foundation for agricultural production systems and that the loss of soils is not a problem that can be outran. If we want to maximize our production efficiencies, she said we should maximize our soil health practices.
As our population continues to increase and urbanization threatens land availability, sustainable agriculture practices offer pathways for agriculturists, producers and farmers to do more with less.
By implementing practices that optimize resources, increase soil health, and escalate efficiency we can ensure a stable food supply and preserve the plant’s finite resources for future generations, Ritchie said.
“We’re working to be more productive,” Ritchie said. “If you look at even 20 to 30 years ago, we’ve improved many of our production practices.”
Ritchie said the push toward sustainable practices will require a large group of individuals to come together to strengthen sustainable agricultural practices.
Agriculture has to come together.
Katie Lewis, Ph.D.
Similarly, Lewis said communication and education within the agricultural industry could be the driving force in sustainable practices being more widely accepted. Lewis emphasized working together is going to be the true difference-maker.
“Agriculture has to come together,” Lewis said. “It’s not going to be the sole scientist or the ag engineers, but it’s going to be the breeders and pathologists and entomologists, and everyone doing their part and working together to provide for generations to come.”
While the Davis College remains committed to furthering sustainable agriculture practices in West Texas, Ritchie attributed producers as being some of the most sustainable people and great stewards of the land.
“Producers today are the best at being sustainable.” Ritchie said. “They want to protect the land for generations to come, and in turn are some of the best and most qualified people to care for it.”
Macie Miller, Lead Writer; Kloe Corn, Photo Director; Tatum Christie, Design Coordinator; Aspen Fenter, Digital and Advertising Manager; Kaylee Hendricks, Digital and Advertising Manager
For more on this topic, click the button below.