MSU Extension survey seeks farmer feedback

STARKVILLE, MISSISSIPPI

    Delta-based agricultural producers in a four-state region are invited to participate in a survey designed to gauge opinions and identify current practices related to water use.

   The online “Delta Region Irrigation Producers’ Survey,” or DRIPS, also includes questions related to how producers prefer to receive educational information, which will help the Mississippi State University Extension Service design future programs. Survey results are confidential, and participants remain anonymous.

   Producers in Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and the bootheel of Missouri can access the survey at https://tinyurl.com/43n8zsf9.

   Extension state irrigation specialist Drew Gholson said the team that developed the survey wants to get a more detailed picture of the irrigation and agronomic practices producers currently employ, as well as how that relates to their location, the size of the farming operations and the potential for adopting new technologies.

   “As scientists, we use data to drive our work,” Gholson said. “By understanding the producers’ range of practices, views on policy and preferences for information access, we can better serve the producers and more accurately study ways to improve water quality and quantity.”

   The ultimate goals of the project are to help producers manage their businesses efficiently while protecting the region’s natural resources, including the alluvial aquifer. ∆