Irrigation Leader January 2022

VOLUME 13 ISSUE 1

Tom Wilmoth of Zipline Brewing: Turning Irrigated Crops Into Beer

january 2022

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CONTENTS JANUARY 2022 Volume 13 Issue 1

Irrigation Leader is published 10 times a year with combined issues for July/August and November/December by

an American company established in 2009.

8

Tom Wilmoth of Zipline Brewing: Turning Irrigated Crops Into Beer

5 A Focus on Nebraska

By Kris Polly 8 T om Wilmoth of Zipline Brewing: Turning Irrigated Crops Into Beer

14 G eneral Manager Jasper Fanning of the Upper Republican Natural Resources District 20 J esse Mintken: Reducing Flood Risk in Central Nebraska 26 L ee Orton: Supporting Irrigated Agriculture in Nebraska

30 F ield Test: Farmers and Water Managers Turn to Midwest Laboratories for Results 34 D ennis Teske’s Vision for a New Irrigation Project Along the Yellowstone River 37 H ow the Eastern Plains Economic Development Corporation Is Supporting the Fallon Flats Irrigation Project 38 R oosevelt Water Conservation District Embraces Assura Technology to Meet the Increasing Demands of Urbanization 42 JOB LISTINGS

Copyright © 2020 Water Strategies LLC. Irrigation Leader relies on the excellent contributions of a variety of natural resources professionals who provide content for the magazine. However, the views and opinions expressed by these contributors are solely those of the original contributor and do not necessarily represent or reflect the policies or positions of Irrigation Leader magazine, its editors, or Water Strategies LLC. The acceptance and use of advertisements in Irrigation Leader do not constitute a representation or warranty by Water Strategies LLC or Irrigation Leader magazine regarding the products, services, claims, or companies advertised.

4 | IRRIGATION LEADER | January 2022

SUBMISSIONS: Irrigation Leader welcomes manuscript, photography, and art submissions.

However, the right to edit or deny publishing submissions is reserved. Submissions are returned only upon request.

For more information, please contact our office at (202) 698-0690 or irrigation.leader@waterstrategies.com.

ADVERTISING: Irrigation Leader accepts half-page and full-page ads. For more information on rates and placement, please contact Kris Polly at (703) 517-3962 or kris.polly@waterstrategies.com or Tom Wacker at tom.wacker@waterstrategies.com.

CIRCULATION:

Irrigation Leader is distributed to irrigation district managers and boards of directors in the 17 western states, Bureau of Reclamation officials, members of Congress and committee staff, and advertising sponsors. For address corrections or additions, please contact us at admin@waterstrategies.com.

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COVER PHOTO: Tom Wilmoth, Cofounder, Zipline Brewing.

Photo courtesy of Zipline Brewing.

irrigationleadermagazine.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF ZIPLINE BREWING.

Do you have a story idea for an upcoming issue? Contact our editor-in-chief, Kris Polly, at kris.polly@waterstrategies.com.

STAFF: Kris Polly, Editor-in-Chief Joshua Dill, Managing Editor Elaine Robbins, Copyeditor Tyler Young, Writer Stephanie Biddle, Graphic Designer Eliza Moreno, Web Designer Caroline Polly, Production Assistant and Social Media Coordinator Tom Wacker, Advertising Coordinator Cassandra Leonard, Staff Assistant Milo Schmitt, Media Intern Amanda Schultz, Media Intern

A Focus on Nebraska

O

n our cover this month is Tom Wilmoth, a Nebraska-based water lawyer who is also a cofounder of Zipline Brewing, which has created 36 jobs with its brewery in Lincoln and retail locations in Lincoln and Omaha. Not only is making beer a way of putting water to its “highest and best use,” Zipline is also dependent on irrigated crops, such as hops and barley.

In this issue, we also talk to several other Nebraska water professionals. Jasper Fanning of the Imperial-based Upper Republican Natural Resources District tells us about his organization’s participation in conjunctive management water projects, groundwater decline reduction activities, and the fight against nitrate contamination and bluegreen algae outbreaks. Jesse Mintken of the Central Platte Natural Resources District, meanwhile, is working on flood prevention plans and the construction of flood-control levees and detention cells. We also speak with Lee Orton of the Nebraska State Irrigation Association about the organization’s advocacy for irrigation needs and irrigation activities and its involvement in an interim study into infrastructure needs being carried out by the Nebraska Legislature’s Natural Resources Committee. Finally, we talk to Ashley Babl, who is a field representative for Omahabased Midwest Laboratories in addition to being an active farmer. Midwest Laboratories analyzes soil, water, and plant tissue samples for customers across the nation.

By Kris Polly If the visions of farmers and community advocates in Eastern Montana’s Prairie County come to fruition, the region may soon have a new irrigation district.

Dennis Teske, the president of Teske Farms, and Beth Epley, the executive director of Eastern Plains Economic Development Corporation, tell us more about the proposed Fallon Flats Irrigation District.

Faced with soaring demand linked to rapid urban growth, Arizona’s Roosevelt Water Conservation District needed a more streamlined way to handle its field reports. To find it, the district turned to tech company Assura, which worked with it from initial consultations to full deployment.

Many disciplines come together to support successful irrigated agriculture: water law, flood control, groundwater management, chemical analysis, economic development, software, and more. Irrigated agriculture, in turn, provides our nation with food, fiber, and even beer. Cooperation like that is something we can all raise a glass to. IL Kris Polly is the editor-in-chief of Irrigation Leader magazine and the president of Water Strategies LLC, a government relations firm he began in February 2009 for the purpose of representing and guiding water, power, and agricultural entities in their dealings with Congress, the Bureau of Reclamation, and other federal government agencies. He may be contacted at kris.polly@waterstrategies.com.

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Tom Wilmoth of Zipline Brewing: Turning Irrigated Crops Into Beer

Zipline Brewing’s German-inspired Beer Hall in South Lincoln, Nebraska.

T

om Wilmoth is a Nebraska-based water lawyer who is also involved in putting water to its "highest and best use": turning it into beer. He is a cofounder of Zipline Brewing, which has a brewery in Lincoln, Nebraska, and four retail locations in Lincoln and Omaha. In this interview, Mr. Wilmoth tells us about Zipline and the intersections of irrigation, water law, and brewing.

Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about your background.

Irrigation Leader: Where are you from originally?

Tom Wilmoth: I was born and raised in Phoenix. I went to college on the East Coast and went back to the West Coast to

8 | IRRIGATION LEADER | January 2022

Irrigation Leader: How did you end up in Nebraska?

Tom Wilmoth: Fennemore Craig opened an office here. It was kind of a one-person shop, with Don Blankenau at the helm. I moved out to assist Don on some big river litigation involving the Missouri River system and the operation of federal facilities relative to endangered species needs. I think the first time I flew here to work on the project was around 2001. I ended up moving here not much later. I was taken by the place, the people, and the opportunity to work on that large project. I brought my wife, who ended up pursuing a irrigationleadermagazine.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ZIPLINE BREWING.

Tom Wilmoth: I started practicing law in 1997 in the environmental and natural resources field with an emphasis on water law. I’m still practicing now, but I have been transitioning into a new life, putting water to what is in my opinion its highest and best use, which is beer.

get an environmental law degree at Lewis and Clark College.

I then took that down to Phoenix, where I started my first position with the Arizona Department of Water Resources.

After 3 years there, I went to the U.S. Department of the Interior’s solicitor’s office in Phoenix, where I represented the Bureau of Reclamation for a couple of years. Then, I entered private practice with a firm in Phoenix by the name of Fennemore Craig.

Inside Zipline’s Lincoln, Nebraska, brewery.

PhD program, then brought my 3‑year-old son out. Later, Don and I started our own firm. We’ve been in Nebraska for 20 years.

Tom Wilmoth: We make about 10,000 barrels a year now, which makes us the largest brewery in Nebraska. A barrel is 31 gallons, so we’re just short of an acre-foot of beer a year.

Irrigation Leader: Tell us about the history of Zipline Brewing.

Irrigation Leader: Do you have just one brewing location?

Tom Wilmoth: We started it 10 years ago. We really started discussing the project in summer 2011. It took us about 4–5 months to really understand what we were biting off. We were all just home brewers with no professional experience. One of my partners at that time had just gotten back from an extended stay in New Zealand and decided that he would build a zipline in his backyard for his children to play on. About halfway through the construction, despite his warnings not to get on the halfconstructed zip line, the kids got on it, and one of them fell and busted himself into a million pieces. As we were thinking about what we were all about to do—start a craft brewery without any experience—we thought, “Well, that’s a really good example of what we're going to do. We’re getting on this thing and seeing where it goes. It’s possible that we will fall off and bust ourselves into a million pieces, but darn it, we’re going to have a good time.”

Tom Wilmoth: Yes. All the beer is made at one brewery in Lincoln. We sell it at our four retail locations, two in Lincoln and two in Omaha, and it is distributed throughout the adjacent states. We have distribution in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and South Dakota, and we recently entered Nashville, Tennessee. We have sent two shipments of beer to Mexico, and we also ship beer to Canada.

Irrigation Leader: Would you give us an idea of the quantity of beer that you’re brewing now? irrigationleadermagazine.com

Irrigation Leader: Your beer hall in Lincoln resembles something one would find in Germany, with long tables meant to be shared and an emphasis on family and family activities. Would you tell us about that?

Tom Wilmoth: Each of our spaces is designed for a different purpose. We have four retail locations, two in Lincoln and two in Omaha. The first one was adjacent to our brewery and is old school. It’s like a small coffee shop and is meant to be intimate. It’s designed to be a gateway to the brewery.

It’s where you come to meet all the brewers and the people who run the business. The second place we built, and the January 2022 | IRRIGATION LEADER

|9

one you’re referring to, was our location in South Lincoln, which we call the Beer Hall. As you say, it was inspired by a German beer hall. We wanted to create a space that was loud, open, fun, and welcoming. When you walk into that space, you notice that there’s nothing between you and the bar. You can walk directly between two large communal tables to the bar front and meet with the bartender. That’s by design; we wanted that space to make you feel like you were getting a giant bear hug when you walked in. That was my experience as a younger guy with the beer hall scene in Munich. The warmth and hospitality you find in those places is unparalleled. We wanted to create the same environment.

Irrigation Leader: Have you considered opening branches or franchises in other locations?

Tom Wilmoth: We’ve been going in that direction, trying to expand as much as we can. There are some legal issues with that, but we actually did get the rights to establish five locations a few years ago. We can still start one more. We’ve been looking all over the state. I think it’d be fun to open one at a smaller location farther west.

Irrigation Leader: How many jobs have you created through Zipline?

Tom Wilmoth: We started originally with just the three partners and our wives. We did a lot of work at that time.

My son helped quite a bit in those early days. Now, 36 folks work with us, including our part-time folks. We’re proud of that. We couldn’t keep all our retail staff during the COVID‑19 shutdowns, but we were fortunate enough to keep our core brewing team together, which is something we’re proud of. Now, things are starting to look up, and we are returning to pre-COVID‑19 sales levels. We’re excited to get back to business as usual.

Irrigation Leader: How have you come up with names for your beer?

10 | IRRIGATION LEADER | January 2022

Tom Wilmoth: Two of our primary ingredients are hops and malted barley, both of which are grown primarily under irrigation. Most of the stuff we get is from either Wyoming or Washington. I know that irrigation is incredibly important for the success of those crops, all the more so with climate change and hotter and drier temperatures. Irrigation access is critical to making sure that those crops keep coming in and that the harvest is good. I know that this year, the U.S. barley harvest is projected to be down about 35 percent; we’re nervous about that.

My 20 years in water law have given me a serious appreciation for the value of water and how it can be used to create and produce. Zipline Brewing is not farming, but we rely on the availability of good-quality water supplies to produce something that everybody can enjoy. From the standpoint of my two lives, trying to gain access to and protect water supplies for production is always something that I’ll be involved in.

Irrigation Leader: What is your message to your state legislature and to Congress? What should they know about irrigated agriculture in Nebraska and about Zipline?

Tom Wilmoth: The simplest thing, coming out of the COVID‑19 pandemic, is “Thank you.” We got great support through the Paycheck Protection Program, as did every brewery in this state that I know of. We thank the taxpayers for helping us with that. The state legislature and Congress helped us get access to the programs we needed.

Good access to water is key. We can’t produce beer without water. About 5 gallons of water go into every gallon of beer, so we’re an intensive user. We will always need access to water, so the more that folks can do to make sure that we have access to reliable water supplies, the better off we are.

Irrigation Leader: Is there anything you’d like to add?

Tom Wilmoth: I want to thank everybody for supporting us throughout the last 15–16 months. It’s been a really, really challenging time. We have had an almost embarrassing amount of support from friends, family, patrons, and our legislators at the local and national levels. We are very, very grateful. IL

Tom Wilmoth is a partner at Blankenau Wilmoth Jarecke LLP and a cofounder of Zipline Brewing. For more about Zipline Brewing, visit ziplinebrewing.com.

irrigationleadermagazine.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF ZIPLINE BREWING.

Tom Wilmoth: When we started the brewery, we felt that the craft brewing scene was a small circle of folks that was a bit inaccessible, so we started naming our beers simply and straightforwardly based on what we thought they represented.

For example, our best-selling beer is an altbier that is copper in color, so we called it Copper Alt. One of our original beers was a New Zealand IPA, so we called it NZ IPA. We have a porter that has some rolled oats in it, so we called it Oatmeal Porter. As we progressed, we made so many beers that we ran out of names and couldn’t just keep calling them exactly what they were. We started to have a little more fun with them.

Now, we have things like Cloud Lifter, which is designed to take the blues away. We have a beer that we’re selling quite a lot of right now called DAAANG! The name comes from the fact that it’s so dank and tangy.

Irrigation Leader: Zipline Brewing depends on irrigated crops and lots of water. Do you see your two professions as complementary or separate?

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General Manager Jasper Fanning of the Upper Republican Natural Resources District

A pivot irrigator in Dundy County, Nebraska.

T

he Upper Republican Natural Resources District (URNRD), located in far southwestern Nebraska, is one of the 23 natural resources districts (NRDs) that handle water quantity and quality services, among many other environmental functions, across the state. In this interview, URNRD General Manager Jasper Fanning tells us about how the district is addressing nitrate contamination, aquifer depletion, toxic blue-green algae, and other local issues.

Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position.

Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about the URNRD. Jasper Fanning: All NRDs were formed statutorily in Nebraska in 1972. Essentially, Nebraska legislatively combined a large number of special purpose districts, such

14 | IRRIGATION LEADER | January 2022

Irrigation Leader: Which services make up a majority of the URNRD’s work?

Jasper Fanning: Generally, NRDs are involved in water quantity and quality management, flood control, and parks and recreation. Most of our work, due to the resources issues that we face, is in the water quantity area and to some degree in the water quality area. About one-third of our district is irrigated.

The district covers about 1.2 million acres total, so about 450,000 acres is irrigated. We have some groundwater decline issues that started with irrigation development in the late 1960s and early 1970s. We allocate groundwater to all the irrigators and commercial water users. More recently, we have put a framework in place to deal with nitrate issues in our district.

Irrigation Leader: What are the main crops grown in your district? irrigationleadermagazine.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE URNRD.

Jasper Fanning: I came to be the general manager of the URNRD around 2003, when it had a vacancy. My background is in agricultural economics, which is resource allocation and natural resource economics. I have a PhD in economics. Unlike the case with most other NRD managers, being manager was my first role in an NRD. I had never worked for an NRD prior to that.

as groundwater conservation districts, soil conservation districts, and solid waste districts. It originally formed 24 NRDs, two of which later merged, giving Nebraska a total of 23 today. As its name implies, the URNRD is at the upper end of the Republican basin in Nebraska. It comprises Dundy, Chase, and Perkins Counties, which border Kansas and Colorado.

Jasper Fanning: Irrigated corn for cattle feeding and ethanol production is by and large the predominant crop in our district. We grow a lot of dry beans. With crops like that, you can be a pretty big producer with a small number of acres relative to corn. There are also potatoes; wheat; and some irrigated feed crops, such as sorghum, Sudan grass, and alfalfa.

Irrigation Leader: What kind of infrastructure does the district own and operate to carry out water quantity and quality and flood control services?

Jasper Fanning: Most of what we own is in the form of conjunctive management water projects. We have an augmentation wellfield that we can use to supplement stream flow to help the State of Nebraska comply with its obligations under the Republican River Compact, which includes Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska. That wellfield comprises 10 large wells that can pump water into Rock Creek, which is a tributary of the Republican River near the western edge of our district, just shy of the Colorado border. We’re also a partner in a similar, larger project in Lincoln County, Nebraska, within the Middle Republican and Twin Platte NRDs. That project involves 30 wells that pump water either into the Platte River basin for the Twin Platte NRD or into the Republican basin for the Upper, Middle, and Lower Republican NRDs.

Irrigation Leader: Does the URNRD do any groundwater recharge?

Jasper Fanning: A number of recharge projects have been looked at, but there has never been a source of funding. Our district, along with partners like the Central Valley Irrigation District and the Bureau of Reclamation, did a study in the early 1980s of the feasibility of bringing water from the South Platte basin in Colorado or Nebraska down into eastern Colorado, our district, and Enders Reservoir. Oddly, it was the only project in the basin that Reclamation deemed feasible, but it was the only one that it never built. Most of its other projects were basically public works projects that were built for flood control and irrigation in the mid- to late 1950s.

Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about your groundwater decline issues and how you’ve addressed them.

Jasper Fanning: Irrigation development was hitting its peak in the late 1960s and early 1970s. From the mid‑1960s until the mid‑1970s, before the state gave the NRDs the authority to regulate groundwater use and development, the number of wells in our district increased by about 500 percent. In the early 1970s, when the NRDs were being formed, there were already declines in the water table in our part of the High Plains aquifer. In light of those declines, the legislature authorized the NRDs to establish rules and regulations to limit withdrawals.

As far as we know, we were the first regulatory agency in the country to require the metering of withdrawals from an aquifer. In 1978, the district began requiring the metering of all irrigation withdrawals. By 1980, roughly 3,400 irrigation wells in the district had meters. The district is believed to be the first in the country to implement an allocation system for regulating the amount of groundwater that could be withdrawn for irrigation. We’ve continued that since 1978, with modifications to the amount that can be pumped. Originally, it was approximately 22 inches per acre per year. Currently, our allocation is down to 13 inches per acre per year. We’ve also imposed minimum distances between wells since the late 1970s, which has acted to restrict development, and in 1997, we imposed a moratorium on new wells. Mitigating declines continues to be a primary issue for the district; declines have been 50–70 percent less than what was predicted to occur without regulation. irrigationleadermagazine.com

A sunset in Enders, Nebraska.

Irrigation Leader: What is the current situation with nitrate issues in your area, and what role does the URNRD have in addressing them?

Jasper Fanning: Other areas in Nebraska have had much higher nitrate levels than what we’ve experienced. In two or three subareas in our district, there are wells with nitrate levels that exceed the 10-parts-per-million drinking water standard. We’re implementing a framework in which producers in those areas have to report the amount of nitrate they apply and go through a process to calculate the amount of nitrogen required for the crops that they’re growing.

We’re mirroring a framework that was implemented in other NRDs, such as the Central Platte Natural Resources District (CPNRD). A large part of the effort is an educational one, making sure that the farmers and producers have the best information on nitrates and are aware of the optimal amount for them to use. We are taking an educational approach to help them solve that issue. The groundwater is shallower in the CPNRD’s service area than it is here, making the CPNRD’s nitrate issues easier to deal with, but its nitrate January 2022 | IRRIGATION LEADER

| 15

levels were roughly four times those we have seen across our history. The CPNRD has had good success, so we’re starting to implement a model that is similar to the one that it has used successfully. We’re hoping that we can curtail higher nitrate issues in these smaller subareas and prevent them from becoming a more widespread problem in our district.

Irrigation Leader: What problems have been caused in your district by toxic blue-green algae, and what is the NRD’s role in responding to it?

recharge in the High Plains aquifer. I know that some groundwater management districts in Kansas and Texas have been looking at those old Army Corps studies to see if there’s any chance of updating or funding those projects. I think a lot of environmental issues would have to be overcome to see one of those projects actually constructed. Some folks in other states think that it’s time to take another look at them due to the water shortages that they’re facing. In northern Texas and southwestern Kansas, entities with some of the same authorities as the NRDs are showing some interest. We don’t have any plans drawn up right now for construction. The primary thing we’re doing is continuing to work with Kansas and our fellow NRDs in Nebraska to maintain and use the projects that we have on the ground, which keep us working well with Colorado and Kansas on the Republican River.

Irrigation Leader: What are the URNRD’s other top issues today?

Jasper Fanning: Our office has received several grants, so we’re modernizing our water quantity management with regulating projects and updating technology to set up the framework for automated meter reading. This allows farmers to get their water usage and allocation reports in near-real time. We are putting some technology out in the field that we can integrate with our weather stations, making the information we collect more useful to the farmers we serve.

The URNRD headquarters in Imperial, Nebraska.

Jasper Fanning: Our primary role is to assist with local water sampling, which we do in cooperation with the Nebraska Department of Energy and Environment. The primary body of water in our district is the Enders Reservoir Reclamation Project. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission manages recreation there, but we assist with water sampling for the blue-green algae blooms that can occur in the area. Toxic blue-green algae is pretty common throughout Nebraska, and the NRDs assist with public safety measures so that folks are aware when the waters are not safe to recreate in.

Irrigation Leader: Are you considering any big infrastructure projects, and will the infrastructure package that was recently passed by Congress affect the district?

16 | IRRIGATION LEADER | January 2022

Jasper Fanning: I think it’s important that they understand how vital water is, not just to agriculture but to society in general. Funding water projects is a crucial piece of maintaining this part of our state and of the country.

Irrigation Leader: What is your vision for the future of the URNRD? Jasper Fanning: I think we’ll continue to see more and more pressure on our water resources. I think we’ll see technology adoption continue to progress to meet those challenges. It’s just a matter of adaptive management over time and the implementation of a bunch of small changes that will allow us to manage our water resources in a way that allows us to maximize the agricultural production of the area. IL

Jasper Fanning is the general manager of the Upper Republican Natural Resources District. He can be contacted at jasperfanning@urnrd.org.

irrigationleadermagazine.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE URNRD.

Jasper Fanning: There is a long-shot chance that the infrastructure package could be used for groundwater recharge projects like the one Reclamation previously studied. Likewise, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study was done on the idea of taking water out of eastern Nebraska or eastern South Dakota along the Missouri River and using it for groundwater

Irrigation Leader: Do you have a message for the Nebraska Legislature or for Congress?

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Jesse Mintken: Reducing Flood Risk in Central Nebraska

P

rotecting people and property, including ag lands, from flooding is a priority for the Central Platte Natural Resources District (CPNRD), one of Nebraska’s 23 natural resources districts (NRDs). In the alluvium along the Platte River, the district has 40 dams as well as levees and detention cells. In this interview, Assistant Manager Jesse Mintken tells Irrigation Leader about the district’s completed and current projects, including flood prevention plans funded by grants from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations (WFPO) program.

Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position.

A levee forming part of the CPNRD’s Upper Prairie Silver Moores Creek project holds back floodwater during the March 2019 event.

Jesse Mintken: I have a bachelor’s degree in environmental biology with a minor in geology. I started at the Upper Niobrara White NRD as a resource technician 16 years ago.

I came to the CPNRD in 2007. A few years later, I had the opportunity to become the GIS coordinator, and I became the assistant manager 8 years ago.

Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about the CPNRD and the services it provides.

Thousands of geese flock onto a CPNRD detention cell retaining floodwater during the March 2019 event.

Jesse Mintken: The CPNRD is headquartered in the city of Grand Island in central Nebraska. We are at the heart of the Platte River, above the confluence of the Loup and Platte Rivers. The district has a little over 1 million irrigated acres and 1 million dryland acres. Our NRD does a lot of work on groundwater quality and quantity. Our quality program mainly deals with nitrates in the groundwater. We are unusual in having limited groundwater declines: Due to the fact that between rainfall and the Platte River system, we get enough recharge to offset our groundwater pumping on an annual basis. We have flood-risk-reduction projects that benefit not only local communities but ag land as well.

We have approximately 40 dams across our district for flood protection and also have levees and detention cells spanning our district. We are currently working on a couple of grants that may lead to more similar projects.

Irrigation Leader: Would you tell me a little bit about the district’s vulnerability to floods?

20 | IRRIGATION LEADER | January 2022

irrigationleadermagazine.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CPNRD.

The CPNRD’s Wood River project during the March 2019 flood event.

Jesse Mintken: In 1967, a major flood affected Hall County and Grand Island. The damage in the northwestern part of the city was extensive, and a tremendous amount of ag land was inundated. Since the founding of the NRDs in 1972, flooding has been one of the biggest issues this district has

focused on. That flood was the inspiration to sit down with the counties and municipalities to figure out the best way to help them with flooding problems. For 40 years, we did a lot of clearing in tributaries and streams—cutting trees off at the ground and spraying them and removing deadfall and snags in the creek bottoms. This practice doesn’t prevent flooding, but it does allow water to move through the system more quickly. Over those 40 years, we also built several dams for flood-risk reduction. All the district-owned flood-riskreduction dams are in the upland areas of our district, but the majority of the population is along the Platte River, which is relatively flat. That is where diversions and levees are more appropriate.

Irrigation Leader: Would you tell us about the WFPO program?

Jesse Mintken: We are currently in phase 1 of the WFPO program, which determines whether there is an economically feasible project that can be done and is 100 percent funded by NRCS. This phase determines whether the project has flood-risk-reduction potential that would benefit agriculture in addition to municipalities. If the preliminary design is approved, then we will be eligible to apply for the second round of funding. In phase 2, the preferred alternatives from the first round move forward to a 90 percent design—basically, a project that is shovel ready.

By the time phase 2 is completed, you’re 4 years into the process. If your proposal is approved, you move to phase 3, the construction stage. NRCS assistance varies depending on the type and size of the project and its economic benefit but can fund up to 100 percent of construction costs, not including land rights. For construction costs over $25 million, NRCS needs to get congressional approval.

Irrigation Leader: What grants are you considering under phase 1 of that process?

Jesse Mintken: Right now, we have three WFPO grants: the Lower Wood River, Spring and Buffalo Creeks, and Elm and Turkey Creeks watershed plans. These NRCS grants have a watershed limitation of 250,000 acres, but our Buffalo Creek watershed plan is distinctive because we get to include a study area to look at the entire watershed.

The Elm and Turkey Creeks plan came about in response to the floods of March and June 2019 in Nebraska. During June 2019, 9 inches of rain fell in the Elm and Turkey Creeks watershed, and everything in the southern half of Kearney was inundated with floodwater. This significant flood event happened overnight.

With the Lower Wood River and Spring and Buffalo Creeks projects, we are now at the stage of evaluating some of the alternatives that our consultants came up with. Those alternatives include constructing levees and diversions. There wasn’t a lot of public participation at the beginning due to the COVID‑19 lockdown, but we now have an opportunity irrigationleadermagazine.com

to sit down with the public and discuss the alternatives that we’re looking at. We need to see if the alternatives make sense and if we’re capturing everything that we’re seeing in the modeling. The next step is completing wetland delineations and cultural resource surveys.

Irrigation Leader: If building a structure like a levee is unfeasible or unpopular, what would some of the alternatives be? Are there noninfrastructure alternatives?

Jesse Mintken: If what we’re currently looking at doesn’t have public backing, we can make modifications. Right now, what we’re proposing is 100‑year flood protection. If that isn’t economically feasible or doesn’t have public support, we could look at something that provides a 25‑year benefit.

Nonstructural alternatives will also be considered. It’s possible that the best alternative we can come up with is an old-school snagging-and-clearing project.

Irrigation Leader: Is the CPNRD doing any other related work?

Jesse Mintken: Along with the dams, the district has built several levees and detention cells over the years.

Two of those projects involved flood plain remapping and resulted in the avoidance of major flooding damages. In 2019, we finished the Upper Prairie Silver Moores flood risk reduction project. It consists of 4 dams, 600 acres of detention cells, and a mile and a half of levee. Shortly after the project was completed, the March storms hit Nebraska. This project prevented $47 million in damages during that event. In 2004, we finished our Wood River diversion project, which runs through the southern half of Grand Island. As soon as that project was completed, we had a 7‑inch overnight rain, and that project prevented $23 million in damages. We have similar but smaller projects in nearby Kearney and Central City.

Irrigation Leader: What is your vision for the future of the district?

Jesse Mintken: My vision for the district is to continue establishing partnerships that help further the NRD’s goals of protecting lives, protecting property, and protecting the future. I want to open the doors to the public and to try to make people aware of what NRDs are capable of, especially in terms of education, flood protection, and water quality. IL Jesse Mintken is the assistant manager of the Central Platte Natural Resources District. He can be contacted at mintken@cpnrd.org.

January 2022 | IRRIGATION LEADER

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Lee Orton: Supporting Irrigated Agriculture in Nebraska

A Water Leaders Academy tour stops at a diversion dam in western Nebraska.

S

ince 1893, the Nebraska State Irrigation Association (NSIA) has represented the interests of the state’s farmers and water districts. In this interview, Executive Director Lee Orton talks with us about the association’s current agenda, which includes trying to channel federal dollars to rehabilitate the state’s aging water and irrigation infrastructure.

Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position.

Lee Orton: I have spent more than 40 years in the practice of environmental law, administrative law, association management, and legislative matters. For the last several decades, I have concentrated on water issues. I have been with the NSIA for more than 20 years in one capacity or another, and I also represent other water-related organizations in the state of Nebraska.

Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about the NSIA.

26 | IRRIGATION LEADER | January 2022

Irrigation Leader: Is the NSIA a member-based organization?

Lee Orton: Yes. Our programs and projects are largely supported by various irrigation activities in the state, mainly irrigation project operations. Several other organizations that work with irrigation and individual irrigators contribute as well. The NSIA is the principal sponsor of the Water Leaders Academy, which gets significant funding from the Nebraska Environmental Trust’s grant program. The academy is a yearlong program that trains new leaders for water management in Nebraska. We’ve graduated about 150 water leaders so far.

Irrigation Leader: Beside running that academy, is your main activity advocacy for your members?

Lee Orton: Yes. We are actively involved in the legislative representation of irrigation needs and irrigation activities in Nebraska. Our principal role is to make sure the legislators know and understand the importance of irrigation, including irrigationleadermagazine.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JASON ORTON.

Lee Orton: The NSIA is the oldest water organization in Nebraska, established in 1893. When the association was first created, the state only had several thousand acres in irrigated production. Most irrigation consisted of the simple diversion of surface water into the fields and farms, mostly in the western part of the state. Now, Nebraska has more than 9 million acres of irrigated land, and the majority of that is irrigated with groundwater from the High Plains aquifer. A little over a million of those acres are irrigated with surface water. The majority of irrigation projects are in the Panhandle, west of Lake McConaughey, which is near Ogallala.

Many of the state’s irrigation projects—from dams and reservoirs to canals and laterals—are more than 100 years old, and they need upgrading and redevelopment. For the last decade or so, that’s something that we have been trying to concentrate on, looking at federal project funding, which is significantly limited compared to what it used to be.

The Bureau of Reclamation frequently isn’t even able to help us with the maintenance of its own projects because funding at the federal level has been difficult, so much of this infrastructure renovation activity has had to occur at the state and local levels.

the importance of the contribution of surface water irrigation, even though it’s a relatively small percentage of the total. We also hold educational conferences, workshops, and meetings for our members. We have also cosponsored insurance programs and provided other services.

Irrigation Leader: Is the majority of your advocacy oriented toward the state legislature?

Lee Orton: I wouldn’t say it’s the majority, but it’s certainly a significant part of our activity.

Nebraska has more than 9 million acres of irrigated land, and agriculture would not be successful without irrigation.

Water supplies in this part of the world, even when they’re good, are still limited. We have extremes in weather, like everybody on the Great Plains, so we need to supplement that irrigation capability. There is a recognition in Nebraska of the importance of water and water supply. There are a lot of things that need to be done to keep water as a priority. We continue to develop future leaders and to move Nebraska forward as a leader in water management. IL

PHOTOS COURTESY OF SUZANNE WITH NEBRASKA HEADSHOTS AND JOHN HOLM, LICENSED UNDER CC BY 2.0..

Irrigation Leader: What are the other top issues of your members today?

Lee Orton: The need for upgrades to facilities is probably the number 1 issue. Over the last 2 years, we have been involved in an interim study being carried out by the Nebraska Legislature’s Natural Resources Committee. Three-quarters of the irrigation district organizations that responded needed rehabilitation projects that will cost hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars. That critical need was demonstrated a couple of years ago, when there was a tunnel collapse in a Reclamation project out in the Nebraska Panhandle. The tunnel had been installed prior to the turn of the century. The district is still working on what I’ll call an interim solution.

There are other districts that have projects that are more than 100 years old and need some attention. That’s where we’ve concentrated our efforts. We have been working closely with the state appropriations committee and with the governor’s office to try to direct some of the federal funds that may be coming down the system toward infrastructure rehabilitation.

That will be an extended effort on our part—to try to educate the decisionmakers, but to work with other organizations to make sure they get what they need as well.

Irrigation Leader: What are the next steps for the interim survey?

Lee Orton: The districts that responded to the survey need to continue moving forward to identify project needs and develop budgets. When funds become available, we need shovel-ready projects that can move forward and be completed within the required timeline. I’m sure that when that process is finished, critical needs will remain. We’re going to need to continue to work with the legislature and others to find funding for those projects. We are going to always be looking for other ways and means to generate revenue to support what needs to be done.

Irrigation Leader: What is your vision for the NSIA and for irrigated agriculture in Nebraska in general?

Irrigated soybeans in Keya Paha County, Nebraska.

Lee Orton is the executive director of the Nebraska State Irrigation Association. He can be contacted at lee@h2oboy.net.

Lee Orton: Agricultural production and irrigation are the economic backbone of this state. As I said earlier, irrigationleadermagazine.com

January 2022 | IRRIGATION LEADER

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Phoenix

January 26 —27, 2022

JOIN US FOR THE 2022 IRRIGATION LEADER OPERATIONS AND MANAGEMENT TRAINING WORKSHOP About the Workshop

Workshop Details

Irrigation Leader magazine, after a COVID gap year, is sponsoring the 2022 Irrigation Leader Operations and Management Training Workshop. This year’s theme, “Prospering in Uncertain Times,” will focus on managing labor issues, insurance, and finance and finding new ways to reduce costs and add revenue. The purpose of the workshop is to provide an opportunity for general managers and directors of irrigation districts to discuss ideas and exchange information on a variety of district operations-and-managementrelated issues and to build out-of-state working relationships. The issues and topics to be covered have been suggested by general managers and board directors.

Date: January 26–27, 2022 Registration: $550.00 Vendor: $1,000.00 Location: Crowne Plaza Phoenix Airport Hotel 4300 East Washington Street Phoenix, Arizona 85034

Workshop Topics: -Effective public communications/managing a crisis -Building public good will -Bureau of Reclamation grant program changes -Private financing options -Federal COVID mandates -Creating an irrigation insurance pool -Unique sources of revenue -Things to know for the new manager/board member -Zero-based budgeting -Firing an employee the right way -Renewable energy/revenue sources -Buying rebuilt construction equipment -ATLIS electric truck factory tour

For personalized hotel registration assistance, please phone Kristen Thomas at (202) 656-1684.

Hotel Information: Book your room NOW at a rate of only $169.00 per night. Call (855) 729-6011 to make your reservation no later than Thursday, December 30, 2021, to take advantage of the special 2022 Irrigation Leader Workshop rate.

How to Sign Up Space is limited, so register on our website today!

Learn more and purchase your registration at irrigationleadermagazine.com/ If you have any questions, please contact Kris Polly at (703) 517-3962 or kris.polly@waterstrategies.com.

Field Test: Farmers and Water Managers Turn to Midwest Laboratories for Results

Midwest Laboratories staff carry out soil tests.

M

idwest Laboratories helps its customers make smart decisions based on analysis of soil, water, and plant tissue samples. In this interview, field representative and thirdgeneration farmer Ashley Babl talks with Irrigation Leader about the company, its offerings, and the importance of customer services.

Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position.

30 | IRRIGATION LEADER | January 2022

Irrigation Leader: So you’re still an active farmer today in addition to your position with Midwest Laboratories?

Ashley Babl: Yes. I have a row crop operation as well as cattle.

Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about Midwest Laboratories.

Ashley Babl: Midwest Laboratories started in 1975 primarily as an agricultural soil laboratory. Since then, through client requests and industry demand, it has expanded into many different areas. The lab currently provides reliable and defensible third-party testing services to the agriculture, nutrient management, pet food, animal feed, environmental, food and beverage, and fuel industries.

Irrigation Leader: Who are your clients, and what are the most common soil, plant tissue, and water tests you do?

Ashley Babl: A variety of clients, from individuals to municipalities, seek us out. On the soil side, our most popular package in recent years has been our basic package, irrigationleadermagazine.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MIDWEST LABORATORIES.

Ashley Babl: I’ve been involved in farming my entire life. My parents farm nearby, and after high school, I had this vision of getting as far away from the farm as possible. But during college, I realized that my heart was at the farm. I went to school for agricultural business and agronomy. I was president of the diversified ag club and a member of the Nebraska Leadership Education/Action Development program, which develops young agricultural leaders. Throughout all those activities, my love for agriculture intensified. I was just finishing up a temporary teaching position at my alma mater when Brent Pohlman, the CEO of Midwest Laboratories, offered me a work-from-home position as a field rep. Our family had been a client of Midwest Laboratories, so I had a lot of respect for the company. It cared about every single account, whether you submitted one sample a year or thousands. I began working for Midwest Laboratories as the organic and specialty crop field

rep; I take care of the lawn and garden customers as well. I’m able to help clients every day and help grow our farm operation at the same time. It doesn’t ever feel like work.

Ashley Babl: Yes. Individuals and soil sampling companies send us samples. The soil sampling companies will pull a batch of samples for their clients and send it to us for testing.

We will then run the analysis and send back the results.

Irrigation Leader: Have you seen any changes recently in what people want to be tested? Are there increasing concerns about any specific constituents?

A Midwest Laboratory employee carries out an analysis.

the S1A, which includes buffer index, cation exchange capacity, percent base saturation of cation elements, soil pH, organic matter, available phosphorus, calcium, exchangeable potassium, hydrogen, and magnesium. Another popular soil test is the S3C. This package has become increasingly popular due to demand for a more in-depth analysis at an affordable price. It includes everything I just mentioned as well as nitrate nitrogen, soluble salts, sodium, excess lime, and all the micronutrients.

On the water side, one option is a W3 water quality test for drinking water. It includes total coliform, total hardness, manganese, E. coli, conductivity, sulfate, sodium, iron, chloride, calcium, and total dissolved solids. For irrigation, we typically run a W3A package, which includes total hardness, conductivity, total dissolved solids by calculation, pH, calcium, chloride, fluoride, iron, magnesium, manganese, nitrate nitrogen, sodium, and sulfate.

At Midwest Laboratories, we have seen increasing numbers when it comes to plant tissue testing. We view the plant tissue test as a check engine light. We’ll run it if we’re starting to see some stress in the plants. It tests for boron, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, sulfur, and zinc. We also run the shared insights tissue testing program during the growing season for corn. It takes 12 weeks. It’s always a good idea to do that in conjunction with a soil test to make sure the proper nutrients are available in the soil and are getting to the plant.

Irrigation Leader: In most cases, are farmers running these tests simply to improve their operations, or are they doing them to comply with various federal, state, and local requirements?

Ashley Babl: I think there’s concern from all sides. Farmers are really feeling the pressure from rising input costs and mediocre grain prices. They’re trying to maximize their dollars. By running these tests, they can make sure they’re using what is currently in the soil. Different programs offer incentives as well.

Ashley Babl: On the soil side, we have been running our S3C more often. That test gives customers a good picture of what’s going on in their soil. As people learn about the importance of micronutrients and how they play a role in production, they are willing to spend money up front to get a more complete analysis in hopes of eliminating costs down the road.

Our pet food and food labs have seen significant growth year over year. Given the buzz over genetically modified organisms and concern over what goes into our food and our pets’ food, these two areas are where I don’t see things slowing down any time soon.

Irrigation Leader: How large is your service area?

Ashley Babl: We serve the entire United States and parts of Canada and some other countries. With our central location in the United States, samples can get to us rather quickly.

We’re not focused on being bigger than anybody else—we strive to provide quality analysis that is repeatable. We also pride ourselves on our quick turnaround time. The longest most people wait for a soil analysis is 3 business days. We’re working to upgrade our internal systems to shave more time off. We want each customer to feel like they’re the most important person to us, even if they just send one sample, because they and the relationships we build with them are essentially what drives our company.

Irrigation Leader: Is there anything you would like to add?

Ashley Babl: We’re one of the few laboratories that provide the pricing of their tests up front. We try to be as transparent as possible, because we don’t want to create any mistrust.

As growers and industry people ourselves, we try to build and support those relationships, because that is what this company was built on. We want the agriculture industry and everything it touches to continue to be strong so that it can support our growing population. IL

Ashley Babl is a field representative for Midwest Laboratories. She can be contacted at ababl@midwestlabs.com or (402) 334‑7770.

Irrigation Leader: In most cases, do people send you samples that you test at a central location? irrigationleadermagazine.com

January 2022 | IRRIGATION LEADER

| 31

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Dennis Teske’s Vision for a New Irrigation Project Along the Yellowstone River

The Fallon Flats area in Prairie County, Montana.

I

n the arid lands of Prairie County in eastern Montana, an expansion of irrigation could increase the value of land from $600–$900 an acre to about $3,600–$5,000 an acre while also making local farming livelihoods more dependable. In this interview, Dennis Teske, the president of Teske Farms, talks to Irrigation Leader about the project’s potential, its challenges, and the rich local history of bootstrapping irrigation ventures.

Irrigation Leader: Please tell our readers about your background.

34 | IRRIGATION LEADER | January 2022

irrigationleadermagazine.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE EPEDC.

Dennis Teske: I was born in Havre, Montana. My father was in the oil business, and so we moved often. In my first few years of school, we lived in 13 states. When I graduated from high school, I went on to work in the oil fields. My dream was always to own my own business, and after working my way up in the oil fields, I was able to put away some money

to buy a couple of service stations around Casper, Wyoming.

We were in Casper for about 5 years, and then we moved to Seattle, where there were more opportunities. We were there for 10 years and owned five convenience stores and service facilities. We had a lot of freeway locations, so we had robberies, which always left a bad taste in our mouths, especially when we were working with young adults.

I became disillusioned with city life and decided that I wanted to move to a farm. I had worked on Wyoming ranches in middle school, and I was lured by the romance of agriculture. We looked at 140 farms and ranches in seven states, and we found three that would provide a living for our family. We had to meet the requirements of a 1031 exchange. I had never farmed before; I was just doing the math from everybody else’s U.S. Department of Agriculture scoresheets and finding information wherever I could about raising cattle and crops.

We ended up buying an irrigated farm in Terry, Montana. The place had seen five owners in 10 years. From a business perspective, I recognized that whatever was going on at this farm was wrong. Ownership turnover is an indicator in any business that you have a problem. The former owners were irrigating with pumps that sat down in the Yellowstone River. The pumps were oversized for the ground being irrigated. They would pump water into a pit and the excess water would run back into the river.

There was not any efficiency in the irrigation. That’s not appropriate, and it’s against all the rules of business.

The first thing we did was start to bury pipelines for an enclosed system. We moved pivots around and changed the sizes of all the farm’s fields. We were able to expand from about 600 acres to 1,600 acres of irrigated ground just with the new placement of pivots. The previous pipelines were undersized and oversized in different places, so we hired an engineer to help us to match the size of the pipeline to the needs of the pivots. That made our system highly efficient.

We were raising cattle, sugar beets, alfalfa, pinto beans, and wheat in rotations, and sometimes barley.

This has been quite a learning experience. It took us several years to put in the system we desired. Like I said, we had no experience in this business at all, and now we are in our 26th year of farming.

Irrigation Leader: Once you got your farm in shape and irrigated, you began thinking about a larger-scale irrigation project. Would you tell us about that?

Dennis Teske: In 2001, I was elected as a supervisor for the Prairie County Conservation District. It was through that work that I started noticing reserved water rights in our county not being put to beneficial use. The rights were being adjudicated in the Yellowstone River. Our county has a reserved water right of 68,000 acre-feet, and we’ve been told by the Montana Department of Natural Resources that that water needs to be put to beneficial use. Of those 68,000 acrefeet, we currently use just over 8,000 acre-feet per year.

I started talking with people about irrigating. I tried to help my neighbors understand that they could put in their own pumps and pipelines. That idea has gained some traction, but questions remain: What is the cost per acre? Is it feasible to irrigate?

Seven years ago, when I became a county commissioner, Beth Epley, the executive director of the Eastern Plains Economic Development Corporation, began to work to find grant money for a feasibility study for a new irrigation project called the Fallon Flats Irrigation Project. Beth found $100,000, which was used to hire Scott Aspenlieder of Performance Engineering to do our feasibility study.

Through this project, we are looking at irrigating 18,000 acres in an area above the Yellowstone River. We estimate that the project could increase the value of dry land from $600–$900 an acre to about $3,600–$5,000 an irrigationleadermagazine.com

acre, depending on the soils and whether flood or pivot irrigation is used.

There is existing irrigated land on Fallon Flats, which was developed by a farm family in 1967. It stretched them to the limits to do it, but it was good for them, their children, and now their grandchildren. They are potato and sugar beet growers who are still here today. They have their own pump system that pumps water up 400 feet from the Yellowstone River. That’s the site we are interested in for our feasibility study.

We’re trying to create stability in agriculture with this project, especially for the area’s dryland farmers. In Montana, we are currently experiencing a severe drought, probably the worst we have had since the 1980s, and this drought highlights dryland farmers’ need for this irrigation project. We need strong agriculture because we are an ag-based economy, and our tax base isn’t very strong because Prairie County has 500,000 acres of state and federal land. This project would expand our agricultural base and keep the water in the state of Montana, in our county, and flowing through the fields that we farm.

Irrigation Leader: What challenges do you foresee with a project of this nature?

Dennis Teske: We have a lot of questions to answer: Can we lift water 400 feet, and then can we spread it over 18,000 acres? Will people want to participate? Can they see the vision? Could it be their dream? Will it be a source of profitability into the future? Is it affordable in today’s economy? We hope the feasibility study that we are currently finishing will shed light on those questions.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte came out and looked at the project. He was interested and knowledgeable. He asked all the right questions. He thought the project was aggressive, and he wanted to know if we had ever looked at scaling it back just to get things started and then continue in phases. We sat down and explored some different options, and we’re going to put together a plan that might include 3–5 different phases.

The cost is also a challenge. Inflation is through the roof, so when you take a project that is challenging anyway and factor in that kind of inflation, it may be out of reach. The cost of pipe is going up, as is that of all other inputs.

Irrigation Leader: How much rainfall do you get?

Dennis Teske: We live in a semiarid climate—basically a desert.

In an average year, there is 10–12 inches of rainfall. Irrigation is critical for longevity and commodity prices. You have to grow quality crops, and you have to grow a bumper crop to pay for the machinery, the labor, the fuel, and the taxes. How do you do that? This project offers one way, and that’s what I’m trying to show the citizens of our county. No one is going to come in and save us; we’ve got to save ourselves. I am inspired by an irrigation project built by the homesteaders who settled in this area. Over the first couple of years the homesteaders January 2022 | IRRIGATION LEADER

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In the foreground, from left to right, Dennis Teske, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, and Prairie County Commissioner Todd Devlin.

lived here, there were unusually heavy rains, and their crops grew well. Then, suddenly, it became a desert again. So in the 1930s, during the Depression, they started building a 22,700‑acre irrigation system called Buffalo Rapids. They got halfway through it, then they fought in World War II. Before the project was completed, they fought in Korea. But these were hardy people who had a vision. It took them 40 years to finish it, but it is still viable today. It’s a valuable water source for farmers. With this project, I’m trying to build on that dream.

Dennis Teske: The Fallon Flats Irrigation Project has the potential to help not just the county but the region. It would create jobs. We would have a diversity of high-value crops.

When you irrigate that many acres, you can find processors that would bring their business to you and process locally.

Those are the things that I think would provide value in the long term. A project like this is citizens just counting on themselves—but they have to have a pair of gloves and be willing to put in a lot of work. IL

Dennis Teske: If we went in today and did the whole project from start to finish—built the Cadillac model—we would be talking about $100 million.

Dennis Teske is the president of Teske Farms. He can be contacted at dteske@midrivers.com.

Irrigation Leader: What do you want everyone to know about this project?

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irrigationleadermagazine.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE EPEDC AND DENNIS TESKE.

Irrigation Leader: What is the estimated price tag of the project?

How the Eastern Plains Economic Development Corporation Is Supporting the Fallon Flats Irrigation Project

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he Eastern Plains Economic Development Corporation (EPEDC) is currently studying the possibility of establishing a new irrigation district, the Fallon Flats Irrigation Project, in eastern Montana. In this interview, EPEDC Executive Director Beth Epley tells us more about the concept and the growth and value it could bring to the region.

Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about the EPEDC. Beth Epley: The EPEDC serves Carter, Dawson, Fallon, Prairie, and Wibaux Counties in eastern Montana. A lot of what we do deals with infrastructure projects and natural resources, which includes our farmers and how we support them. Our services range from grant writing and administration to small business development, business plan writing, community development, and tourism. We’re trying to be the people with boots on the ground to help get this rural area of eastern Montana access to all the resources that it needs to grow its communities. The EPEDC was founded in 2007 and grew out of the Eastern Plains Resource and Development Council. We have a staff of four.

Irrigation Leader: Tell us about your work on the Fallon Flats Irrigation Project.

Beth Epley: The EPEDC has worked on this project for multiple years, since before I came on as executive director. A survey was done and interest was raised, but the farmers said, “We can’t commit to anything until we have some hard facts and numbers about costs.” It turned out not to be a good time to pursue the project. The project was picked up again when I came on. We decided to get some real numbers by paying for a study so that the farmers could make informed decisions.

For the last 2 years, we’ve been working on a preliminary engineering report that looks at the feasibility of this project.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE EPEDC.

Irrigation Leader: Why is this project important?

Beth Epley: Prairie County is aging. Half the land in the county is owned by either the State of Montana or the federal government, so there is only a small amount of land that can be developed. This project gives local residents the ability to help their community grow. We’re hoping that if we can develop irrigation, we could show that there is a viable future for farmers in Prairie County specifically, and that this is a place where you can come back, raise your family, and be stable. This would also increase the taxable value of the land itself, thus raising money to improve the community.

Irrigation Leader: Would you tell us about the difference in monetary value and yield between dry land and irrigated property in Montana? irrigationleadermagazine.com

Beth Epley: Obviously, there are many factors that go into determining yields and prices, and those will vary significantly from year to year. Statewide, average alfalfa hay yields are about 1.2 tons per acre on dryland and 3.4 tons per acre under irrigation. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Land Values Summary, in 2019, Montana irrigated cropland was valued at $3,010 per acre, and nonirrigated land was valued at $835 per acre.

Irrigation Leader: How will this project help the local economy?

Beth Epley: From an economic standpoint, irrigated crops are a lot more stable and usually a lot more valuable than nonirrigated ones. We can’t currently grow significant amounts of corn, sugar beets, and potatoes without irrigation. Growing these higher-value crops would bring a lot of value and income to our communities, the land itself, and the farms and ranches.

In Prairie County, there is irrigation, and potatoes are grown.

We can see how the Buffalo Rapids Irrigation District and other small irrigation districts have been beneficial to the local economy. Irrigation directly produces economic benefits by increasing the supply and value of some crops and generating jobs and income within the community. This has a ripple effect, with more income to be spent in local stores, more jobs, more families living in the area, and more kids in the school system. In communities the size of Fallon and Terry, a project of this scale would have long-term effects on all areas of the local economy.

Irrigation Leader: How would the Fallon Flats project going forward increase the likelihood of processors coming to the county?

Beth Epley: Montana has been exploring attracting processors for quite a few years. Senator Daines is trying to create some sort of large-scale meat processing facility in eastern Montana, which is great. However, we cannot support the amount of cattle and feedstock that would be necessary for that without increasing our irrigated lands. If the Fallon Flats project were to go through and in turn facilitate the creation of a processing facility or vice versa, it would mean exponential economic growth for the community. A large meat processing facility like the one proposed would bring hundreds of jobs to the region and create value for the long term. IL Beth Epley is the executive director of the Eastern Plains Economic Development Corporation. She can be contacted at eepley@epedc.com.

January 2022 | IRRIGATION LEADER

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Roosevelt Water Conservation District Embraces Assura Technology to Meet the Increasing Demands of Urbanization

The Legacy Park at RWCD headquarters.

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he Roosevelt Water Conservation District (RWCD) in Maricopa County, Arizona, is facing soaring demand for its services after rapid urban growth changed its model from agricultural to small-acreage and subdivision customers.

General Manager Shane Leonard turned to technology company Assura’s solutions to bring much-needed efficiency to RWCD’s operations. In this interview, Mr. Leonard tells us about RWCD’s experience with Assura, from initial consultations to the full deployment of its field-report-management software.

been faced with extremely rapid urbanization. As a result, the district has had to address the need to change the focus of our operations from mostly agricultural to a new base of industrial customers; commercial customers; and, in particular, subdivisions, mini farms, and small-acreage customers.

After 100 years of being a primarily agricultural district, we struggled with how to accommodate these new customers and their distinctive needs.

Irrigation Leader: Would you tell us about the time management issues that have been caused by the rapid urbanization of your district?

Shane Leonard: I have been with RWCD for about 30 years, the last 10 as general manager. My first paying job with the district was as its yard guy, and I worked my way through the various departments until I was on the administrative side of things. My father was the previous general manager, and when he passed, the board interviewed me, and I was fortunate enough to be selected. Since then, the district, which covers approximately 40,000 acres in eastern Maricopa County, has

Shane Leonard: Our operations were tailored for delivery to a small set of users who would order large volumes of water and receive that water over a long period of time. That situation changes dramatically when, for example, a single farmer’s property is sold to 200 or so landowners, all of whom would like to receive water. Instead of delivering one large volume of water, we are delivering a smaller head but to a much larger customer base. Irrigation of properties of that type is like a

38 | IRRIGATION LEADER | January 2022

irrigationleadermagazine.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF RWCD.

Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position.

We then looked to technology to address several short- and long-term goals. We started looking around for agencies and entities that embraced technology with limited dollars and, in many cases, limited staff. During this time, we had an opportunity to work with Water Strategies on an international level to look at areas using technology as a foundation for their operations. We found that in New Zealand, irrigation schemes (districts) operate with a relatively small staff in the field but accomplish much using targeted technology. It was during this time and with a visit to New Zealand that I had an opportunity to collaborate with Hamish Howard and his technology group, Assura.

I liked Assura, because its attitude was not, “Here’s our software, we’ll show you how to use it.” It was, “Here’s our software, tell us how we can make it work for you.”

Using Assura’s technology and customer-service-oriented approach, we began the process of drilling down on how technology could become an asset for our district.

Irrigation Leader: Would you describe the process of working with Assura and how you educated its staff about your issues?

RWCD staff installing and burying pipe.

game of dominoes. As long as each domino falls in the order it’s supposed to, everything’s fine. If one falls out of order—if someone keeps their water for too long or doesn’t take their water, or the water gets redirected somewhere it’s not supposed to—it causes problems that cascade through the rest of the community. We were facing several challenges meeting the demands of this new customer base, including a skilled labor shortage and issues identifying, tracking, and resolving delivery and infrastructure issues within the community’s private system.

Our long-standing farmers who know the land, the water, and the area were inherently more familiar with what it takes to receive irrigation water. New folks moving in from other parts of the country aren’t as familiar, forgiving, or understanding, and they have their own set of expectations for the delivery of their water. We struggled to meet those expectations. We had to sit down, focus, and figure out what we were doing within our existing operations and what needed to change. Through that work, we recognized that the use of technology would be necessary to meet several of these challenges.

Irrigation Leader: What solution did you find for your issues?

Shane Leonard: The first thing we did was examine our current staffing to determine whether it was adequate. We ultimately recognized that just because we were producing less water didn’t mean we weren’t at least as busy or busier than we were before.

Today, we are delivering roughly half as much water as we did 20 years ago, but my staff is now twice as large. irrigationleadermagazine.com

Shane Leonard: It was straightforward from the very beginning. We invited Hamish and his staff to Arizona.

I’d like to highlight that they came halfway around the world to meet with me and my staff and to experience our operations firsthand with no guarantee of a contract or specified working affiliation. That’s how invested they were in our success. They didn’t just talk in front of a whiteboard; they worked with our staff sunup to sundown for the better part of a full week. And as they learned about us and our operations, we learned just as much from them.

Irrigation Leader: What did they work with you to create?

Shane Leonard: We recognized that while there was an entire universe of things we wanted, what we needed most at the time was a way to handle our field reports in a much more streamlined fashion. These reports concern issues that occur in the district on a daily basis. Prior to Assura’s involvement, we were still doing everything with paper and pencil. In many cases, our staff would fill out a paper field report on, say, a Monday; it would filter up through the various department heads; and it might be Thursday or Friday before that piece of paper reached the person who could come up with a solution and another couple of days before it went back down to the staffer who would resolve the issue. Brad Strader, the department manager who handles, among many other areas, our technology program, spent several weeks with Hamish’s staff, adapting Assura’s software to fit the district’s needs. This started with the logistics chain—allowing us to identify and resolve issues in a much quicker fashion. Once that was set, it was important to test the software in the field, to adjust for ease of use, and to train staff. Training was critical, as you might January 2022 | IRRIGATION LEADER

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expect with an organization that had been using paper and pencil for more than 100 years. It took a little bit of effort and the better part of a year, but Assura worked with us on it the entire time, which isn’t easy when it’s Tuesday in Arizona and next year in New Zealand! Assura’s staff worked diligently with our staff to meet and ultimately exceed our requirements.

Irrigation Leader: So now you have an electronic process for entering and tracking your field reports?

Shane Leonard: It saves me and my staff time, which in my opinion is the most important commodity that an irrigation district can have in this context. Time gives you the opportunity to resolve problems; to think about the future; and to improve your process, your people, and your system.

By saving time, we reduce payroll costs, potential damages, repairs, and the like.

Irrigation Leader: Do you have a ballpark figure on your return on investment?

Shane Leonard: I estimate we will have a 100 percent return on investment in less than 18 months with a full integration of Assura’s software package.

Irrigation Leader: What other parts of RWCD’s operations might Assura still be able to help you with?

Shane Leonard: One thing we hope to get back to working on soon is tracking flows and volumes in our system electronically, integrating Assura’s software into the use of semiautomated or automated delivery systems with Rubicon equipment and materials.

Irrigation Leader: What devices do you need to use the Assura software? Did you have to purchase laptops, tablets, or anything else?

A canal on the RWCD system.

Shane Leonard: Hamish, his group, and my staff were able to shorten the time frame between identifying an issue and getting it in front of the folks who need to solve it. That process went from taking several days to taking, in some cases, less than an hour. In short, the work we did together on that process became the backbone of how we handle field reports today.

Irrigation Leader: Are you also using this software to keep track of oil changes and maintenance on your motorized equipment?

Irrigation Leader: How would you quantify the money that has been saved with Assura’s involvement?

40 | IRRIGATION LEADER | January 2022

Irrigation Leader: Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Shane Leonard: In my opinion, what we’ve done would not have been nearly as successful or timely without Assura. If you’re looking for technology, if you’re looking for partners, and if you’re looking for a way to make that next step into a 21st‑century world, the first call you should make is to Assura. IL

Shane Leonard is the general manager of Roosevelt Water Conservation District.

He can be contacted at s.leonard@rwcd.net or (480) 988‑9586.

irrigationleadermagazine.com

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HAMISH HOWARD AND RWCD.

Shane Leonard: Not at the moment. As is often the case, money and focus can change based on the district’s needs.

We fully intend to initiate that process as soon as is possible.

In the meantime, our mechanic, who has been with the district for about 30 years, can breathe a sigh of relief. He really likes his paper files.

Shane Leonard: We did not have to buy any new equipment to roll out the software during the testing phase. After we had done that work, we did choose to purchase tablets and smartphones to put in the field for ease of use and portability. Those devices weren’t necessary to operate the new reporting system, but we wanted to ensure that our folks did not have to worry about carrying a laptop everywhere. Really, the most technologically new thing was the introduction of online and cloud-based server support.

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JOB LISTINGS

Does your organization have a job listing you would like to advertise in our pages? Irrigation Leader provides this service to irrigation districts, water agencies, and hydropower facilities free of charge. For more information, please email Kris Polly at kris.polly@waterstrategies.com.

DISTRICT ENGINEER Location: Ellensburg, Washington Deadline: Open until filled Salary: TBD based on qualifications RESPONSIBILITIES: +K ittitas County Conservation District (KCCD) is seeking a licensed professional engineer or engineer in training (EIT) to fill the existing full-time position of district engineer. This shared position provides technical services to five north-central Washington conservation districts with a home base in Ellensburg. +W ork includes implementing natural resource conservation practices, primarily on private agricultural lands.

REQUIREMENTS: +B achelor’s degree in civil engineering +A minimum of 2 years’ progressive engineering design and/or construction management experience. +P refer experience with irrigation infrastructure and stream/river restoration practices.

For more information: Full announcement details and application instructions are available at www.kccd.net/ announcements.

SENIOR ENGINEER OR SENIOR SCIENTIST Location: West Palm Beach, FL Deadline: Open until filled Salary: $62,836–$84,822, based on qualifications RESPONSIBILITIES: Professional Engineer/Scientist position that provides technical services and makes decisions for a work unit that supports the success of several of the district’s strategic programs and major projects of moderate scope with complex features.

REQUIREMENTS: +C omprehensive knowledge and consistent application of theories, precepts, concepts, and practices related to a specific discipline. + I ncumbent will perform work that requires application of conventional hydraulics and hydrologic practices, but

42 | IRRIGATION LEADER | January 2022

may also include a variety of complex features requiring proper us of design standards; selecting suitable materials; and difficult coordination +A ssignments require broad knowledge of hydraulic and/ or hydrologic subjects within the discipline to effectively resolve technical issues and complete assignments. +F or Senior and Staff Engineering positions, State of Florida professional Engineer (PE) License is required.

To apply: please visit www.sfwmd.gov/careers and click on the link for External Candidates and refer to Job Reference: 2990BR. CAMERON COUNTY IRRIGATION DISTRICT #2 CAMERON COUNTY DRAINAGE DISTRICT #3 ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER Location: San Benito, TX Type: Full Time Deadline: Open until filled Salary: $80,000/yr. starting pay; paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave; paid employee health insurance; retirement plan DESCRIPTION: Cameron County Irrigation District #2, an irrigation district providing raw water to approximately 55,000 acres of farmland and to 3 municipalities, and Cameron County Drainage District #3, a drainage district providing drainage to the same area and similar boundaries, are accepting resumes for the position of assistant general manager to assume the role of general manager after official retirement of the current general manager. The districts, located in San Benito, TX, operate out of the same facilities and are managed simultaneously by one manager. Each district is governed by its own respective elected board of directors, and each has its own budgets, staff and equipment.

RESPONSIBILITIES: +D irects construction, maintenance, and operation of irrigation and drainage systems within district boundaries. +E nforces existing, and periodically establishes, company policies relating to matters of regulation and distribution of water use, operation/maintenance of irrigation and drainage facilities, and personnel policies. +R ecommends changes in policies, basing recommendations on infrastructure needs, future water needs, finances and/or personnel policies. +V isits all departments, inspects field operations, and reviews periodic reports from subordinates to define progress of construction maintenance projects, distribution of water, collection of charges to users, and status of other phases of operation. + Prepares maintenance and operation, and capital improvement budgets for both districts for board approval. irrigationleadermagazine.com

JOB LISTINGS +A pproves employment, discharge of employees, signs payroll, and performs similar personnel duties. +R esponsible for managing all day-to-day administrative and operational functions of the districts.

QUALIFICATIONS: +M inimum 2 years’ experience in managing, leading, supervising operations of an Irrigation District, or equivalent combination of education, training, and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job. +E xperience in financial and business management +E xperience in human resources +G ood communication skills +G ood writing skills +C omputer literate (Word, Excel) +G ood driving record +B ilingual preferred (English/Spanish) Resumes may be submitted to Sonia Lambert at slambert@ccid2.org.

MARKETING COORDINATOR Location: Mansfield Center, CT Deadline: Open until filled Salary: TBD based on qualifications RESPONSIBILITIES: +C ommunicate campaign objectives, timelines, and deliverables to sales team, and provide instructions for use or promotion. +P lan and manage meetings, events, conferences, and trade shows by identifying, assembling, and coordinating requirements, establishing contacts, developing schedules and assignments, and coordinating mailing lists. +M aintain a directory and inventory of sales support materials ensuring all resources are current and accurate, and coordinate the creation of new materials as needed.

REQUIREMENTS: +F amiliarity with content management systems (CMS) and customer relationship management (CRM) tools. +W orking knowledge of HTML and design and e-mail software. +E xperience working with budgets and forecasting. +B achelor’s degree in marketing.

For more information: Go to https://NuSTREEM.com or send your resume and cover letter to HR@NuSTREEM.com.

LEAN COORDINATOR Location: Adelanto, CA & Orem, UT Deadline: Open until filled Salary: TBD based on qualifications RESPONSIBILITIES: +L ead evaluation of production processes needing improvement and recommend solutions to management.

+W ork with management/supervision, operations, QA, and maintenance to develop best practices. +D rive process improvement through statistical analysis and Lean toolbox. +O ptimize manufacturing processes to attain maximum safety, product quality, efficiency, and repeatability. +T rain and mentor department subject-matter experts in the application of the continuous improvement system.

REQUIREMENTS: +B achelor’s degree in engineering or a technical discipline desired. +M inimum 3 years’ business operations, plant engineering or manufacturing experience, to include 1–2 years of process improvement program proven success. +U nderstanding of welding concepts and liquid industrial coating applications. +C ertification in Lean Manufacturing processes strongly preferred.

For more information: contact Nick Hidalgo, Talent Acquisition at nhidalgo@nwpipe.com, or go to www. nwpipe.com/careers.

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RENEWABLE ENERGY ANALYST Location: Remote Deadline: Until Filled Salary: TBD based on qualifications RESPONSIBILITIES: +E xecute analytical, strategic, and financial assessments for business case development +G ather customer/market information and offer recommendations to answer key business questions +Q uantify risk and rewards to prioritize commercial activity and drive sales +T ranslate business problems into advanced analytics and research projects +O wn detailed financial modeling and market research for economic determinations such as cost of energy, breakeven, and project IR +A nalyze and evaluate data, creating innovative advanced analytics and data visualizations REQUIREMENTS: +B BA/BA/BS in business, finance, accounting, or engineering + I nvolvement in developing creative research and analysis program + I ntermediate proficiency with Excel and PowerPoint for financial modeling and presentations +E xcellent written, analytical, and organizational skills, including the proven ability to manage multiple projects +E xperience in energy, particularly renewable energy, is preferred +A bility to travel up 25% For more information: go to https://emrgy.com/careers/ or send cover letter and resume to HR@emergy.com

For more job listings, please visit: irrigationleadermagazine.com/job-board/. irrigationleadermagazine.com

January 2022 | IRRIGATION LEADER

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Upcoming Events January 4–5 National Water Resources Association, Leadership Forum, Phoenix, AZ January 4–6 Idaho Irrigation Equipment Association, Show & Conference, Idaho Falls, ID January 12 Nebraska Water Resources Association, Water Roundtable, Lincoln, NE January 12–13 Four States Irrigation Council, Annual Meeting, Fort Collins, CO January 17–20 Idaho Water Users Association, Annual Conference, Boise, ID January 18–20 Ground Water Management Districts Association, Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX January 21–22 Texas Rural Water Association, Rural Water Conference, Round Rock, TX January 26 Nebraska Water Resources Association, Legislative Reception, Lincoln, NE January 26–27 Irrigation Leader Operations & Management Training Workshop, Phoenix, AZ January 26–28 Colorado Water Congress, Annual Convention, Aurora, CO January 28–29 Nebraska Natural Resources Districts, Legislative Conference, Lincoln, NE January 31–February 3 National Association of Clean Water Agencies, Winter Conference, Scottsdale, AZ January 31–February 3 Nevada Water Resources Association, Annual Conference, Las Vegas, NV February 9 Nebraska Water Resources Association, Water Roundtable, Lincoln, NE February 17–18 Ditch and Reservoir Company Alliance, Annual Conference, Colorado Springs, CO March 9 Nebraska Water Resources Association, Water Roundtable, Lincoln, NE March 11 Oregon Water Resources Congress, District Managers Workshop, Newport, OR April 7–8 The P3 Water Summit, San Diego, CA April 13 Nebraska Water Resources Association, Water Roundtable, Lincoln, NE

Past issues of Irrigation Leader are archived at IRRIGATIONLEADERMAGAZINE.COM /IrrigationLeader

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