Irrigation Farmer Of The Year
Steve Stevens, Tillar, Arkansas, has been named the 2020 Irrigation Farmer of the Year at the 23rd Annual National Conservation Systems Cotton & Rice Conference, Southern Corn & Soybean Conference, Southern Precision Ag Conference and the Delta States Irrigation Conference.
Named Cotton Farmer of the Year 2009, Stevens continues to preserve the 4,800 farm for his grandchildren. “He is a very strong proponent of the use of computer hole selection (Pipe Planner) program for irrigation. He is a regular speaker at this conference and is quick to share his savings. While part of his motivation to be more efficient with irrigation is to reduce cost, his main motivation is to ensure his grandkids have irrigation water for their crops should they decide to take up farming.”
Stevens irrigation practices in cotton carry over to his corn and soybeans on his furrow irrigated farm. After one round of using the PHAUCET program on four fields, he immediately implemented the program on his remaining 50 fields of cotton. This was no small task. The projected saving of 20% got his attention to try it. With his odd shaped fields he calculated his savings approached 40% which drove his desire to use on all his fields. After several years using this program his landlords even noticed a comparable reduction in well repair and maintenance for Stevens compared to their other renters.
“Stevens now uses Pipe Planner from Delta Plastics along with surge valves, soil moisture sensors, and cover crops in efforts toward continuous improvement to better schedule and apply irrigation water. Through efforts with the Arkansas Discovery Farms irrigation efficiencies in excess of 90% have been calculated on fields where we have the ability to measure runoff in addition to water that was applied.”
“Stevens is an excellent speaker and generously participates in state, regional and national meetings. He enjoys sharing his water saving experiences with other producers to not only help conserve our precious natural resources but to ensure these resources are available for future generations farming this land. He truly strives to leave his farm in better shape than it was in when he started.”
Stevens serves on his county’s Extension Council Agricultural Subcommittee; Cotton Incorporated Board, National Cotton Council, Arkansas Agricultural Council and Arkansas Cotton Support Research Projects Committee.
Stevens was named a County Conservation Cooperator of the Year and The New York Board of Trade Cotton Marketer of the Year. ∆