McALLEN  –  Texas Irrigation Expo 2011 will be Dec. 9-10 at the McAllen Convention Center, 700 Convention Center Blvd.

“Some water districts in the Rio Grande Valley will likely be short of water in 2012, and some growers will feel the pinch, so it’s important that we conserve as much water as possible now so growers don’t suffer in 2013 because 2012 is expected to be a La Nina year with drought conditions,” said Dr. Juan Enciso, a Texas AgriLife Research irrigation engineer at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Weslaco.

Sponsored by the Texas Water Development Board, the Harlingen Irrigation District and the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Weslaco, the Expo will include exhibits and presentations on the latest in agricultural irrigation technologies, Enciso said.

Admission is free. Five Texas Department of Agriculture continuing education units will be available in pesticide record keeping, pesticide laws and regulations, crop insect management, herbicide brush control, and general brush and weed control.

“Thanks to a grant from the Texas Water Development Board to the Harlingen Irrigation District, we’ve been working for several years on developing and demonstrating new irrigation technologies that not only conserve water but can increase profits for growers,” Enciso said. “These will all be on display.”

As part of the grant, water management result demonstration plots have been established on farms throughout the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and workshops have been held to teach new irrigation technologies, according to Wayne Halbert, manager of the Harlingen Irrigation District.

“Water shortage conditions are inevitable on the Rio Grande from time to time,” Halbert said. “Our chief goal for this project is to show the array of tools currently available to the farmer so that he can make the best use of water resources.”

News of these technologies must get to growers and the public, Halbert said.

“It is important that these tools we give our farmers not only save water, but are economically feasible. It is equally important for us to demonstrate to the public that agriculture is making serious efforts to be water conservation-conscious,” he said.

Speakers will make presentations beginning from 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 9, then from 8 a.m. – noon on Dec. 10.

Friday’s speakers and their topics include Dr. Robert Mace, Texas Water Development Board, conservation initiatives in agricultural irrigation; Sonia Lambert, Cameron County Irrigation District manager, installation of Rubicon gates; Tom McLemore, Harlingen Irrigation District, ADI and Bor project updates; and the lunch and keynote speaker, Drew DeBerry, Texas Department of Agriculture, water initiatives.

Afternoon speakers and topics include Dr. Shad Nelson, Texas A&M University, saving water in citrus irrigation management; Mac Young, Texas AgriLife Extension Service, economics of water technologies in the Lower Rio Grande Valley; Phil Tacker, Delta Plastics, irrigation with Poly Pipe; and Enciso, drip flood sprinkler in annual crops and grass.

Saturday’s presentations include three speakers with AgriLife Extension, including Brent Clayton, rainwater harvesting research; Billy Kniffen, rainwater harvesting; and Barbara Storz, water-thrifty landscapes.

Cash prizes will be awarded to high school and college students in a water conservation science poster contest.

For more information about the Expo, go to www.texasirrigationexpo.org, or call the Harlingen Irrigation District at 956-423-7015.