For the last 15 years, the Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District has been actively engaged in a diverse suite of conservation initiatives. Over time, the Flint District’s impact has expanded significantly from the lower Flint River Basin. Current District projects now encompass over 100 counties in Georgia as well as regions of Florida and Alabama.

The projects detailed below total over $22,000,000 in conservation impact!

project focus areas:

Pilot projects to assess viability of conservation-driven innovation through technology transfer;
Targeted funding for widespread implementation and adoption of conservation practices;
Demonstration projects to showcase proven technologies and increase adoption; and
Conservation and education-focused initiatives that transition into long-term programs.

Current and Past Projects

Featured

Water Conservation through Smart Irrigation Technologies for Agricultural Producers in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin (2018 - 2020)

The Flint River District, through a partnership with the Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership, was awarded funds from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to conduct a large-scale irrigation scheduling project in the ACF River Basin. The District will work with crop consultants and partners in Extension in Florida and Georgia to implement advanced irrigation scheduling with soil moisture sensors on farms throughout the region. The project will expand the University of Georgia’s AgWET project and advance the District’s launch of the new version of Irrigator Pro.

Photograph courtesy of the National Peanut Board

Enhancing Irrigation Water Management in Pecan Production (2018 - 2019)

Georgia is the top producer of pecans in the United States, with some counties in the Flint River District leading as top-producing counties in the state. Water is an important component of pecan production. Most orchards are irrigated with drip irrigation. This project is funded by USDA NRCS and is a partnership with the University of Georgia to provide technical assistance, outreach, and education to pecan producers in southwest Georgia on best management practices related to pecan irrigation scheduling and water use efficiency. Project partners will also conduct a demonstration project with advanced irrigation scheduling methods.

Photograph courtesy of Casey Cox

INNOVATIVE CONSERVATION AT THE ENERGY-WATER NEXUS (2018 - 2020)

In 2018, the Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District was selected to lead a state-level Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) project through USDA NRCS. The focus of the project will be on the implementation of conservation practices that increase water and energy efficiency on farms in south Georgia. There will be three focus areas of the project across south Georgia with additional funds available through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The project will also educate farmers and landowners about opportunities related to solar power.

Photograph courtesy of Casey Cox

MODULAR VRI DEMONSTRATION PROJECT (2017 - PRESENT)

With funding from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, the District has partnered with local farmers in ecologically sensitive watersheds (Spring Creek and Ichawaynochaway Creek) to install modular variable rate irrigation (VRI) systems. A modular VRI system is one that is installed partially on the center pivot irrigation system rather than the full system. This is ideal in fields that have large non-cropped areas underneath contiguous spans of the system. Installing a modular, or partial, VRI system is also less expensive but provides a consistent reduction in water use by eliminating portions of the field from irrigation.

Photograph courtesy of Casey Cox

Peanut Sustainability (2017 - Present)

The peanut industry is an important component of the agricultural economy in the United States. The primary goal of this pilot project is to build a comprehensive dataset showcasing the sustainable nature of peanut production throughout all peanut-producing regions. An additional goal of this program is to develop an educational program for growers to evaluate their farming practices in comparison with the overall dataset in order to improve their environmental and economic sustainability. Learn more here →

Photograph courtesy of Casey Cox

Climate Resiliency for Alabama, Florida, and Georgia (2017 - 2021)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced recently the selection of 88 locally-led conservation projects across the United States through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District, comprised of 9 counties in southwest Georgia, was selected to lead a project focused on strengthening climate resiliency for farmers and landowners in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will invest $3 million into financial and technical assistance for the project. Learn more at http://flintriverswcd.org/news/2017-rcpp.

Photograph courtesy of Casey Cox

Integrating Precision Irrigation Technologies to Create a Farmer-Ready Dynamic Variable Rate Irrigation System (2017 - 2020)

In 2017, the Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District was awarded $800,000 from USDA NRCS to conduct a Conservation Innovation Grant. The primary goal of the project is to integrate cutting-edge, conservation-driven technologies that demonstrate and promote a holistic approach to precision water management that will advance widespread implementation. Our project team includes the USDA ARS National Peanut Research Lab, University of Georgia, Auburn University, farmers, and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. Learn more about the project at http://flintriverswcd.org/news/2017/6/15/flint-cig-2017

Photograph courtesy of Matt Hanner

Urban Agriculture Conservation (2016 - 2017)

The Flint River SWCD submitted a proposal in the summer of 2016 to NACD’s Urban Agriculture Conservation Grant Initiative. The initiative, in partnership with the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, aims to increase and stabilize technical assistance capacity where the land is predominantly urban or urbanizing. The District’s urban project aims to help urban farmers, community gardens, and other local agricultural partnerships implement conservation practices that support local food production, provide opportunities for education and stewardship, and protect natural resources. Learn more at http://flintriverswcd.org/urban-program/

Photograph courtesy of Todd Stone

Optimizing Irrigation through Innovation in the Spring Creek Basin (2016 - 2018)

The Flint River SWCD received a grant through the Georgia Environmental Protection Division's (EPD) Regional Water Plan Seed Grant program. In addition to the District and EPD, project partners include the University of Georgia (UGA), The Nature Conservancy of Georgia, and Bonneville Environmental Foundation. The purpose of the project is to build on the foundation established in the 2011 CIG project linking the UGA Smart Sensor Array (SSA) and Variable Rate Irrigation (VRI) technology. VRI enables the producer to more precisely apply irrigation water and the SSA provides decisions on when and how much to irrigate. Together the two technologies form a dynamic VRI system with remote upload capacity. This project will implement this innovative system and collect data on fields in the Spring Creek Basin.

Photograph courtesy of Matt Hanner

ACFR Conservation Partnership for Alabama, Florida, and Georgia (2015 – 2020)

The Flint River SWCD was selected to lead a national USDA-NRCS Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River (ACFR) Basin in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia. This 5-year project seeks to address the natural resource concerns of water quantity and water quality throughout the watershed, working together with over 30 partners from all three states. RCPP is a new program authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill.

Photograph courtesy of Matt Hanner

Enhancing Conservation in the Lower Flint River Basin (2015 – 2017)

The Flint River SWCD was also selected to lead a state USDA-NRCS RCPP project in the Lower Flint River Basin of Georgia. Focusing on irrigation efficiency and technology, the goal of this project is to implement agricultural water conservation measures throughout the Lower Flint River Basin with 10 regional partners.

Photograph courtesy of Calvin Perry/UGA

Low-cost Irrigation Scheduling Technology Project (2013 – 2017)

In 2013, the Flint River SWCD received a USDA-NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) to design, develop, and deploy an on-farm irrigation water management project. The purpose of the project is to reduce the cost of advanced irrigation scheduling so that all producers can optimize irrigation decisions by using objective field data such as soil moisture, soil temperature, crop growth stage, and localized evapotranspiration. The final result of the project will be a real-time recommendation on irrigation scheduling with a smartphone application (Irrigator Pro). Project partners include USDA-NRCS, the University of Georgia (UGA), and USDA-ARS National Peanut Research Lab.

Photograph courtesy of Casey Cox

Precision Weather Forecasting Pilot Project (2013 – 2014)

In 2013, the Flint River SWCD launched a USDA-NRCS Science and Technology Initiative Project. Collaborating with IBM, The District led a pilot project to evaluate the use of a precision weather forecasting model to advance irrigation scheduling in the Lower Flint River Basin.

Read the press release for this project →

Irrigation Automation Pilot Project (2011 – 2014)

In 2011, the Flint River SWCD was awarded a CIG from USDA-NRCS designed to advance irrigation water management tools by linking variable rate irrigation and soil moisture monitoring on 10 field sites (approximately 2,000 acres) in the Flint River Basin. The objective was to maximize irrigation efficiency and offset the impacts of low-flow conditions on aquatic-based ecosystems. A major objective of this project was to develop a set of cost-effective tools to help agricultural producers more accurately and efficiently schedule irrigation. Collaborating partners include USDA-NRCS, UGA, USDA-ARS, The Nature Conservancy, and the Jones Ecological Research Center.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Godfrey/TNC

Coca-Cola Replenishment Project (2007 - Present)

In partnership with Coca-Cola, the Flint River SWCD sponsors a soil moisture monitoring demonstration project for the Sunbelt Ag Expo each year as well as on farms with local producers in the Lower Flint River Basin. This project has also implemented variable rate irrigation systems for water conservation in the region over the last several years. Through this partnership, Coca-Cola has supported conservation efforts in the Lower Flint River Basin since 2007 as part of their Global Water Sustainability Replenishment commitment.

Enhancing Conservation Program Delivery in the Lower Flint River Basin (2012 – 2015)

Partnering with USDA-NRCS, the Flint River SWCD conducted outreach events throughout southwest Georgia to educate and inform local producers, especially those who may not be familiar with USDA programs, about opportunities for conservation. This project also produced new resources for producers, which can be found on our new Resources page.

Advanced Irrigation Management (AIM) Project (2010 – 2011)

The AIM project was funded by a federal appropriation with the purpose of advancing irrigation water management in the Basin. AIM was designed to bring together VRI and RSMM on working farms during the 2010 and 2011 crop seasons. Building on research conducted by UGA, the AIM project advanced the use and field functionality of new iterations of RSMM and VRI technology, by deploying it jointly on more than 5,000 acres of irrigated cropland.

Photograph courtesy of Matt Hanner

Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (2009 – 2013)

In 2009, the Flint River SWCD was awarded a 5-year, $10 million USDA-NRCS Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP) to fund water conservation practices in the Lower Flint River Basin. The project's key achievement beyond the transfer of innovative irrigation water management practices was in building NRCS standards for each of the AWEP practices. Producers in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, and South Carolina may now access variable rate irrigation and soil moisture sensing technology through the USDA-NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

Photograph courtesy of Mark Godfrey/TNC

Remote Soil Moisture Monitoring Pilot Project (2005 – 2007)

In 2005, the Flint River SWCD was awarded its first USDA-NRCS CIG to deploy soil moisture sensing equipment on 2,500 acres of irrigated cropland. Because of a lack of vertical structures, the project team used grain elevators and water towers to construct a 100 square mile wireless broadband telemetry network to relay soil moisture data in real-time from the field. The project enabled each participating producer to make proactive irrigation decisions about when to irrigate and how much water to apply.

Photograph courtesy of Casey Cox

Variable Rate Irrigation Pilot Project (2004 – 2007)

Funded by USDA-NRCS EQIP's 2004 ground and surface water conservation provision, the VRI pilot project deployed 22 VRI systems on approximately 3,500 acres of irrigated cropland in the Basin between 2005 and 2007. To achieve this, the District worked with researchers, contractors, and agricultural producers to develop the VRI precision agriculture technology and integrate it into commercial production.

Photograph courtesy of Bridget Besaw/TNC