Oakes Irrigation Research Site

Carrington Research Extension Center * North Dakota State University

P.O. Box 531, Oakes, ND 58474-0531, Phone: (701) 742-2744, FAX: (701) 742-2700, E-mail: Kelly.c.Cooper@ndsu.edu

Oakes Irrigation Research Site - Updates

Kelly Cooper

I must first thank all of the people involved in making the Oakes Irrigation Research Site, Robert Titus Research Farm

a success and focal point for advancing agriculture efficiency and productivity in our region. Robert and Elsie Titus have secured

a future where students, industry, researchers and the general public can be assured of access to land where crops are grown under

irrigation in southeast North Dakota. This was our first year with the expanded site of nearly 40 acres. To cover the new land, a

new irrigation system was installed with a new water supply. The lateral irrigation system, sometimes called “linear move” is state of

the art. The irrigation system, known as “Variable Rate Irrigation” or VRI, can control each nozzle individually and has the capability

of delivering separate amounts of water to individual plots. This gives the site the unique ability to more readily manage various

types of crops, and look at the effects of different watering regimes. This can be done to study disease management, water application

efficiency and yield outcomes. The new water supply, a horizontal well, performed without issues and delivered ample, sand free water

throughout the irrigation season. The North Dakota State Water Commission is planning on installing monitoring wells so we can

learn more about how these relatively new wells function throughout the year. This type of well was a good choice for our area due to

the shallow aquifer and lack of silt or clay in the zone of installation.

This was also my first year here, and as the Research Agronomist I must say it was a privilege to work with the well trained

and organized staff both here at Oakes and Carrington. I also very much enjoyed meeting and working with the researchers, educators,

farmers, students, and industry professionals who were involved with our site. I look forward to a new year and stretching our

capabilities into new areas of irrigation research and soil health.

Oakes Irrigation Research Site