GARDEN CITY, Kan. (AP) Kansas farmers and producers can now apply for federal funding for conserving water.
The Garden City Telegram reports that the deadline for applying for the funding from the Ogallala Aquifer Initiative for fiscal year 2012 is Feb. 24. The funding is from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The vast Ogallala aquifer supplies water to several states, but it’s being depleted, largely from widespread irrigation.
The NRCS in Garden City says the funding is available for farmers and producers who engage in water-conservation practices such as switching from irrigated crops to dryland crops and converting flood irrigation system to center-pivot irrigation systems.
The land has to be used for agriculture or livestock production that produces at least $1,000 of products within the year.