Did You Know... East Otter Tail and Wadena SWCDs Provide an Irrigation Scheduling Service?

August 6, 2024 by Mitchell Janson

Irrigation plays a vital role in the sustainability of many farms in the Central Sands Region of Minnesota. Approximately 18% of the irrigated acres in Minnesota are in Otter Tail and Wadena County. The last three summers of drought showed us how important the resource of available water really is.

The Irrigation Scheduling Program is a service provided by the SWCD to work with producers on precise timing of irrigation amounts in correspondence with soil moisture and the crop’s growth stage. The crop's uptake of water varies on the crop planted, growth stage, and temperature.

SWCD staff go out to the signed-up fields every week to check soil moisture, crop water use, and crop growth stage to assist producers in deciding when it is necessary to turn the irrigator on. Not only does the Irrigation Scheduling Program help reduce leaching and runoff to groundwater, but it also saves the producer time and money by not watering when they don’t need to.

Interested in applying for this service? Call our office to get your field(s) signed up today or find more information on our website: East Otter Tail SWCD

Posted In: Did You Know Series