Project Search
Since its inception in 2004, CIG has funded hundreds of projects, boosting natural resource conservation while helping producers improve the health of their operations for the future. Use this tool to search for CIG projects based on any of the criteria listed below.
CIG projects from 2004-2009 may be missing information in the following categories: Resource Concern (specific), Conservation Practice, Production/Use.
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Showing 1651 - 1660 of 1802 projects
Willcox-San Simon NRCD
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AZ
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2005
The Willcox-San Simon Natural Resource Conservation District encompasses 2.1 million acres in northern Cochise and southern Graham Counties of Arizona. The entire area is semi-arid with 80,000 acres of cropland (65,000 currently in production) that relies on deep underlying aquifers for irrigation. Dramatic deepening of wells in the 1970’s, land subsidence and drying of the aquifer under the Kansas Settlement region of the District led to the abandonment of nearly 20,000 acres of cropland. According to data supplied by the Arizona Department of Water Resources, water users are currently pumping at twice the rate of recharge. In recent years, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has helped producers install more efficient irrigation systems. While over 90% of producers have installed more efficient systems, less than 10% of the producers in the District use monitoring technology and equipment to schedule irrigation and/or coordinate water application to crop needs. Pump operation costs are at $200 per day during the growing season. Many operators are trying various methods to cut costs but don’t have access to adequate information. This results in under watering, over watering, applications that are not timed to meet the crop needs, and reduced yields. With use of monitoring technology, water consumption could be cut by up to 45% without a sacrifice in yield. The purpose of this project is to reduce water consumption by engaging producers to adopt irrigation monitoring and scheduling technology to complement their efficient irrigation systems.
University of Georgia
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GA
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2005
Solar powered irrigation exists primarily in the Western portions of the United States where daily solar radiation exposures are much greater than for the Eastern US, but more importantly there is a low concentration of power service available for irrigation pumps. There is currently very little to no data available concerning solar powered pumps in states east of Arizona. Recent advancements in solar technologies have provided better solar cells for producing solar electricity, better pumps to achieve required pumping pressures and better pumps to achieve sufficient gallons per hour. These technological advancements mean that smaller producers in non-traditional solar regions of the country may now consider using solar power to pump captured runoff water using drip irrigation technology as a supplemental Energy source. The use of this innovative technology on small farms will increase the sustainability of a farming system by reducing the need and dependence on line electricity to pump deep well water while also using captured water for better water management. This project will demonstrate that solar power can be a large supplemental and feasible Energy source for irrigation in rural areas. We will also demonstrate how soil moisture sensors can be used to conserve water through proper and timely irrigation.
Classic Farms, LLC
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SD
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2005
A number of different anaerobic digester technologies are currently in use on farms in the United States. Despite a growing interest in the use of digesters for manure handling, however, there are no on-farm anaerobic digester systems in operation in South Dakota. Further, there are currently no “fixed film” digester systems operating on working farms in the United States. Fixed film digesters are uniquely different from the plug-flow, covered lagoon, and complete mix digester systems that are more commonly installed on farms. The purpose of this project is to demonstrate and evaluate the use of an innovative “fixed film” anaerobic digester that provides economic and environmental benefits, improves manure management, provides a pathogen-free, high quality end product, and reduces odors.
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection
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WI
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2005
In 2003, the State of Wisconsin adopted the Livestock Siting Law, enacted to facilitate the siting of new and expanding livestock facilities in Wisconsin. Wisconsin has developed an initial odor standard as part of the administrative rule developed to implement the siting law. Through public hearings held on the proposed rule, concerns have been raised about the odor standards. In particular, questions have been raised about the relationship between odor and livestock-generated ambient air concentrations, especially for dairy operations. These are significant issues in Wisconsin, particularly where land use is changing and residential development encroaches on agricultural operations. There are currently about 15,250 dairy operations in Wisconsin and over 1.2 million dairy cows. The livestock industry accounts for a majority of Wisconsins $51.5 billion agricultural economy. It is critical to Wisconsin’s dairy and livestock industry that producers implement best management practices to reduce odor, ambient air concentrations, and overall environmental impacts. This project will attempt to make the connection between agricultural ambient air concentrations and odor and evaluate various best management practices installed on dairy and other livestock operations. It will field test the odor standards developed as part of the administrative rule to implement Wisconsins Livestock Siting Law, and evaluate changes between pre- and post-installation levels of ambient air concentrations and odors.
IZON, Inc
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AR
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2005
While restrictions on agricultural irrigation have begun to proliferate nationally, irrigated lands in the Lower Mississippi River Valley (LMRV) are increasing at the rate of 189,000 acres per year. This increased use of groundwater is steadily depleting the aquifers underlying this region. Addressing groundwater depletion in the LMRV and other similarly challenged areas around the country requires both increased use of surface waters (where possible) and increased irrigation efficiency. Remote monitoring and control of irrigation can remove the labor and time constraints often associated with decreasing water use, water runoff, and fuel use. The patent-pending Izon monitoring/control system mimics verification of roaming cell phones to send information to and from water sensors, pumps and producer’s mobile devices. The purpose of this project is to demonstrate and encourage the widespread adoption of the Izon monitoring/control system to document benefits and increase awareness among producers.
World Wildlife Fund
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DC
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2005
Florida’s Lake Okeechobee, at the heart of the Everglades system, suffers from excessive phosphorous (P) loads and unnatural lake levels due in part to rapid runoff from its surrounding watershed. Agriculture is the dominant land use and a significant source of P in the watershed. Ranchers in this region are under regulatory requirements to reduce P loading, although they are not required to aggressively manage water to retain P. New approaches to managing runoff from this large area can help improve water quality and mediate water level changes in Lake Okeechobee. The purpose of this program is to design, establish, and evaluate a market-based program on ranches in the Lake Okeechobee watershed to reduce P loads, improve wildlife Habitat, and sequester carbon. Results of the pilot will be used to design a scalable version of the program that could be used on a broader scale.
Iowa Cattlemen's Association
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IA
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2005
Federal and state agencies continue to be concerned with potential risks to water bodies from cattle feedlot runoff. EPA’s revised CAFO regulations allow the use of alternative performance standards to control discharge from feedlots over 1,000 head. EPA has established criteria stating that any alternative must be capable of providing equivalent performance to that achieved by a properly designed and operated 25-year, 24-hour discharge control system. Research has shown that if properly constructed and managed, these alternative treatment technologies can achieve functional equivalency to total containment systems at less cost to the producer. This project will expand on a pilot effort to design and evaluate the effectiveness of vegetative non-basin alternative feedlot technologies in six Midwestern states.
University of Rhode Island
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RI
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2005
Establishing community-based markets for wildlife Habitat protection and other ecological services is a promising innovation, particularly at the urban-rural fringe where residents in or near rural communities value the quality of life provided by sustaining a farmed landscape that supports wildlife. Non-farm residents are also often willing to pay to sustain the rural character of their communities. This purpose of this project is to develop a market in which community residents pay farmers to adopt farming practices that enhance wildlife Habitat services from fields currently in production. Specifically, this project will create a market around grassland nesting birds, targeting bobolinks and hay production on Conanicut Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. This coastal landscape is threatened by increasing residential and tourism development. Bobolink nesting Habitat is endangered by hayfield cutting. The project will develop a new product that farmers can sell from hayfields to consumers willing to pay to improve nesting success of birds.
The Minnesota Project
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MN
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2005
Despite the extent of nonpoint source pollution reduction efforts on agricultural lands, many challenges remain to achieve the desired outcomes of improved water quality of our nation’s waters. Reducing nonpoint source pollution has traditionally relied on structural practices, but efforts are increasingly focusing on cultural practices and management behaviors. One limitation on the success of nonpoint reductions has been the shortage of trained technical staff to carry out the producer outreach, conservation planning, and practice design and implementation required to invest the available resources. The purpose of this project is to test an innovative, market-based approach of incorporating conservation planning into producers’ cooperative agribusiness activities, including helping staff become certified Technical Service Providers. We believe this new approach will accelerate producer adoption of conservation practices to reduce water pollution.
Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association
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MA
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2005
Successful cultivation of cranberries requires cool temperatures, sandy soils, and an abundant supply of fresh water. The water is used to hydrate the cranberry vines and to protect the buds and berries against frost. Water is moved into bogs through sprinkler systems or flooding practices. Currently, irrigation of cranberry bogs must be done manually, which can result in excessive or insufficient irrigation, reducing yield. The purpose of this project is to implement and evaluate an automated, internet-based system to increase irrigation efficiency and improve yields.