08 ‎(5)‎

• Board Meeting Date: 11/18/2008
• Description: IWMD Section - Alternative Agricultural Water Transfer Methods Grant Program
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

to occur on rotationally fallowed lands, but little information exists on the technical
aspects of this farming practice. Conducti ng demonstrations “on the ground”, in the
context of working farms is a proven approach for documenting and quantifying
emergent challenges inherent to untested strategies. As upland snowpack volumes and
future water availability affect the wate r shares desired by municipal and industrial
interests, for instance, these variables in turn will infl uence the acreage sought from
agricultural areas for fallowing. Demonstration of leasing amid these variables will help
document the economic and technical impacts of fallowing for different periods. When
deciding whether to enter a leas e arrangement, farmers need this information in order to
accurately calculate the market value of their water shares , relative to the value of
continuing to farm in a time when we see corn prices steadily on the rise.
Discussion:
Staff believes the proposed proj ects meets the evaluation criteri a and the expected benefits.
In the analysis, staff was most concerned that this study was a research study that may or
may not produce transferable information ad vancing alternative methods to permanent
agricultural water transfers. Up on review and after discussing with the applicant, the project
is closely tied to the Lower Arkansas Valley WCD’s Super Ditch Proj ect. In fact, this
project was one of the tasks eliminated from the LAVWCD’s scope of work after receiving
reduced funding from the Board at the May 2008 meeting.
The applicant stated that this st udy will be incorporated into th e final report produced by the
LAVWCD’s for the Super Ditch project which provides the ne cessary ‘completeness’ from
staff’s perspective to ensure that this effort will trul y be used by others within the valley and
hopefully beyond. Most farm ers will have legitimate questions regarding the management
costs and risks associated with fallowing land that would otherwise be in production. This
study promises to help provide them wi th the necessary answers regarding these
management and operatio nal costs.
Issue/Additional Needs:
The budget includes costs for a conference . If approved by th e CWCB, these funds
are not to be used for this expense.
Please provide a commitment from the LAVWCD that the results w ill be incorporated
in the Super Ditch project’s final report.
2