Irrigation Farmer Of The Year
Matthew Morris, Morris Farm, Carlisle, Arkansas has been named the 2019 Irrigation Farmer of the Year at the 22nd Annual National Cotton & Rice Conference, Southern Corn & Soybean Conference, Southern Precision Ag Conference and the Delta States Irrigation Conference.
Morris Farm is known as Arkansas’ first rice farm. Rice was first planted in 1897 on three acres and was deemed a failure at the time. Over time the family grew their families, acreage and yield.
Matthew won the Arkansas Irrigation Yield contest for rice in 2018 while essentially using half the water most people use on rice and getting a very respectfully high yield. The farm is located in the critical groundwater area designated by ANRC.
Morris Farms are using every irrigation best management practice known. Reservoirs, surge valves, soil moisture sensors, poly pipe, computerized hole selection, multiple inlet rice irrigation, rice furrow irrigation, alternate wetting and drying irrigation strategy, tailwater use, water column flood depth gauges and drone flights to assess water levels to adjust blue gates and spill heights. He has purchased weather stations, wireless nodes to track water use on his farm in real time. Matthew has invested in soil moisture sensors on several of his farms, at his own expense, and learned how to use them to make decisions. He opens his farm up to research comparing different types of surge valves.
Matthew has been adapting UAV’s, N-star, and NDVI to his operation. He teaches elementary students about farming and the technology he and his dad (Richard) use on their farm.
Colleagues agree Matthew has an outstanding knowledge of irrigation and how it impacts the bottom line of the farm. “I have worked with him on many research projects and demonstrations and find him always willing to go the extra mile to make sure we get useful on farm research data.”
“Working with Matthew and his family has been a great joy. He is an innovator and conservationist. He is looking to be a great steward of the land, not because he should but because he is doing this for his family. You can see this in his twitter post and his Facebook posts. He is always sharing his experience with others and encouraging others to do what is right. Any time you are out on the farm you may find him with one of his sons or his dad and you don’t find someone who is complaining about the work or the bad weather. Instead you find a positive, God loving individual who is just trying to do the best he can each day for his family. I love working with Matthew Morris and his dad Richard.” ∆