Agricultural News
Southern Plains Perspective Blog Post: It's the Little Things
Mon, 12 Sep 2022 09:40:45 CDT
There is a new blog post out at the Southern Plains Perspective talking about how even during difficult times like these for farmers and ranchers, it is the small changes that can end up making a big difference, and boost morale! Read below!
Sometimes things get too overwhelming and problems can seem so large and insurmountable that you just want to throw your hands up and quit. I’ve kind of been feeling that way lately as I’ve pondered all the challenges that agriculture and rural America are facing from extreme weather events – from droughts to floods and from wildfires to record cold snaps. We have a lot that we have to deal with.
It’s at times like this that we need to remember that sometimes it’s the small changes that can make all difference. After all, when you are dealing with something extremely large and complex sometimes its good to remember the advice I was given as a child. More often than once my mother told me “The only way you can eat an elephant is one bite at a time.” Every Journey starts with a first step…followed by another and then another. In the end it’s not the great, sweeping changes that make the difference—its all the little things that over time add up to really tip the scales.
Case in point-this week we posted a video on our YouTube channel about a rainwater harvesting project undertaken by the Parker County (Texas) Soil and Water Conservation district, their local County Fair Board and the Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District. The project consists of a system that captures rainfall off of the 30,000 square foot show barn at the local fairgrounds and stores the water in a 165,000-gallon tank for use at livestock events held at the facility. This water, used at the wash racks and to water the animals at the shows, replaces what before was pumped out of the local groundwater supply, thus both reducing pressure on this shrinking water source while also saving the fairgrounds the cost of pumping the water. Among the other benefits provided by this system is an access nozzle for local fire departments to allow them to use this water as a back-up supply to help deal with the threat of wildfire.
It’s a pretty cool deal.
Now this project by itself is not moving the needle that much when it comes to dealing with extreme weather events. It does however serve as an example of what a person can do to help take at least one bite out of the apple—conserving water and reducing excess use—that over time can at least on a small scale have an impact. It can also help encourage others to try a similar approach on their own place and possibly qualify for help from programs like the USDA NRCS Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) to help with instillation if they do.
We do have a lot of work to do if we are going to feed a growing world population with a declining land base and increasing extreme weather. We are facing some pretty sizable challenges as we move through the months and years ahead. It’s sometimes tempting to think that only major action can help us overcome these obstacles. When we feel that way we shouldn’t lose site that a whole lot of little things put together can make a lot of difference too.
To see this blog post on the Southern Plains Perspective website, click here.
To check out other blog posts and podcasts, click here.
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