What alternative crops can be grown with very low water use and marketed profitably in the San Luis Valley.
Southern Region
Rio Grande
County
(Alamosa, Conejos, Costilla, Saguache)
- Agriculture
- In the field
Primary Topic:
Agriculture
Other Topics:
Community & Economic Development, Horticulture, Food Systems, Natural Resources
Lead Mentor:
Larry Brown
SLV Area Extension Ag Business Specialist and Area Director
Internship Overview:
This is not a busy work summer project. Any student who accepts this internship will be working on a project that can have a major impact on the financial and natural resource viability of an entire farming and ranching community. The San Luis Valley is a major agriculture production area for potatoes, alfalfa, cattle, sheep, grains, and a variety of other smaller crop and livestock enterprises. The “normal” precipitation is about 7 inches of moisture per year, so virtually all agriculture production is dependent on irrigation. Due to environmental factors like a 20 year drought, and human factors like the collective decision to continue pumping heavily to irrigate, our aquifer has been depleted and there are now extreme environmental and legal pressures to significantly reduce our consumptive use of irrigation water.
In order to reduce irrigation water use, producers are making broad sweeping changes to their production practices, including switching to alternative cash crops that use less water, and to cover crops that use even less water yet, and have some benefit for building the soil and for livestock grazing, but do not generate much income.
In San Luis Valley Area Extension, everything we do is designed to foster healthy youth and families, prosperous farms, ranches, and businesses, and strong, resilient, proud communities. We believe this project and the intern and mentors working on it have the potential to have a true, positive impact on the viability of our community.
This intern and this project will be exploring alternative cash crops that can be grown here successfully with low water use, and exploring potential markets and financial feasibility of these crops.
In order to reduce irrigation water use, producers are making broad sweeping changes to their production practices, including switching to alternative cash crops that use less water, and to cover crops that use even less water yet, and have some benefit for building the soil and for livestock grazing, but do not generate much income.
In San Luis Valley Area Extension, everything we do is designed to foster healthy youth and families, prosperous farms, ranches, and businesses, and strong, resilient, proud communities. We believe this project and the intern and mentors working on it have the potential to have a true, positive impact on the viability of our community.
This intern and this project will be exploring alternative cash crops that can be grown here successfully with low water use, and exploring potential markets and financial feasibility of these crops.
Goals, Scope and Objectives:
This is the third year of this alternative crop project. Results the first year, using small plot trials, identified several crops and varieties that will not produce well with reduced irrigation. Of the crops and varieties that showed promise in year one, year two results identified several that yielded well and show real potential for economic viability.
The broad scope and goal of this multi year project is to identify up to six, economically viable, water saving cash crops which can be grown in the San Luis valley.
The Internship objectives for this year are:
1. Help repeat the small plot trials to verify repeatable production and yield results.
2. Research the potential for marketing two of the most promising crops through commodity market channels.
3. Explore the potential for developing specialty market channels for those same two crops.
4. With this marketing and pricing information, work with the mentor team to help develop crop enterprise budgets, cost-of-production and profitability
analysis.
5. With the mentor team’s help, estimate the number of acres of these two crops that could be grown and successfully marketed.
5. Estimate
The broad scope and goal of this multi year project is to identify up to six, economically viable, water saving cash crops which can be grown in the San Luis valley.
The Internship objectives for this year are:
1. Help repeat the small plot trials to verify repeatable production and yield results.
2. Research the potential for marketing two of the most promising crops through commodity market channels.
3. Explore the potential for developing specialty market channels for those same two crops.
4. With this marketing and pricing information, work with the mentor team to help develop crop enterprise budgets, cost-of-production and profitability
analysis.
5. With the mentor team’s help, estimate the number of acres of these two crops that could be grown and successfully marketed.
5. Estimate
With which stakeholder group(s) will the intern work?
Besides working with local CSU Extension and Research staff, the intern will be introduced to and get to work with:
– Producers
– County Commissioners
– Crop consultants
– Conservation District members
– Regional Extension Economists
– Producers
– County Commissioners
– Crop consultants
– Conservation District members
– Regional Extension Economists
What student learning outcomes do you anticipate and what are the opportunities for professional development?
– The student will gain first hand experience planting, irrigating, cultivating, and harvesting small test plots of several different crops.
– The student will gain first hand experience designing a research trial, collecting and analyzing data.
– The student will gain first hand experience conducting market research.
– The student will gain first hand experience estimating the potential income and estimating costs of production.
– The student will learn to create an enterprise budget and a risk analysis chart.
– The student will gain experience communicating with and building valuable relationships with producers and other stake holders.
– The student will gain first hand understanding of what a career in Extension, Research, or consulting would be like.
– The student will gain first hand experience designing a research trial, collecting and analyzing data.
– The student will gain first hand experience conducting market research.
– The student will gain first hand experience estimating the potential income and estimating costs of production.
– The student will learn to create an enterprise budget and a risk analysis chart.
– The student will gain experience communicating with and building valuable relationships with producers and other stake holders.
– The student will gain first hand understanding of what a career in Extension, Research, or consulting would be like.
