Date: Nov 01, 2013 Source: (
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AGS has been selected to receive a USDA Conservation Innovation Grant. CIG grants are used to improve conservation on agricultural lands by implementing new practices and technologies. AGS is part of the White River Irrigation District team, whose goal for this project is to increase adaptation of emerging conservation practices for rice production in the Mississippi river basin rice growing region which represents ~75% of the Nation's rice production. The 2.5 million acres of rice utilize various irrigation methods, which use a lot of water and produce more methane than alternative practices. These alternative practices are common in the Far East, but have yet to be adopted into the lower Mississippi Valley rice growing region. The goal of this project is to begin implementing new rice production practices and to develop tools which assess the benefits and risks of these practices. We will also be developing an automated mapping capability using satellite imagery to map soil moisture, water use, and track rice practice adoption across the region
