The Cross Section, Volume 19, Number 9, September 1973 Page: 4
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Page 4 THE CROSS SECTION September, 1973
Innovative Farmer Adapts
Canyon To Productive FarmJack O'Briant, who farms north of
Lubbock on Blackwater Draw, has a
unique modification setup on 607
acres of hill-side farm land, 566 acres
of which are under cultivation.
Having added constantly to the
underground pipeline system in exist-
ence on his farm since he leased it in
1955, O'Briant devoted much time to
a long-term study of the 11,920-foot
pipe layout.
From this study he devised a way
to avoid letting water fill his playa
lake and overflow into the canyon fol-
lowing a heavy rain.
In 1963, O'Briant leased an earth
scraper to modify the small lake that
washed away his crops into the draw
when it overflowed. He constructed
an S-shaped dam or diversion terrace
on a contour around the west side of
the lake area.
"This diversion alleviates the ero-
sion problem by holding the water on
a 12-acre area presently allotted for
the lake," said O'Briant.
Retains Rainwater
By installing a valve alongside the
lake and tying it into the existing un-
derground line, the innovative farmer
is able to retain rainwater on this
smaller area until such time as he
desires to use it for irrigation.
When using the lake water for irri-
gation, O'Briant shuts off his five
C I/lA]-1
.: lt
I
pAirrigation wells and opens the valve to
allow the water to gravity flow over
160 acres of farm land along the bot-
tom of the draw. He says he can
flow 1,500 gallons per minute with
this setup.
"A unique feature of this type set-
up," says the farmer, "is that I con-
serve on fuel, along with preserving
my crops, by making use of available
rainwater." The modification uses no
power-it flows by the pull of gravity.
The project took two weeks to com-
plete, at a cost of $2,500 for fuel,
labor and the lease of the machinery.
Waters Grain Sorghum
To emphasize the effectiveness of
his setup, O'Briant said, "I can catch
enough rain to water 60 acres of grain
sorghum. "Besides grain sorghum,
O'Briant also farms cotton and wheat.
Considering his knowledge of water
conservation as evidenced by his farm-
ing operation, O'Briant was asked to
give his ideas on how to conserve
water or prevent waste of water. "I
recommend running more four-hour
sets than eight-hour sets, and I never
water a 12-hour set." He also sug-
gested watering alternate rows rather
than "flooding every row".
O'Briant concluded by saying his
future plans included tying a side-roll
sprinkler system into the underground
setup.I
.A?
-- - - --
C ia"'aSM,
-. #4~~ t'"ts
Jack Q'Briant, Lubbock County farmer, opens the valve at his playa modification
and allows the water to fill the playa bed. When he irrigates, the opened valve
allows the water to gravity flow over 160 acres of farm land along the bottom of
a draw.\ma r
A. A. (Bus) Wimmer of Slaton, recent winner of two "Outstanding Farmer" awards,
and his son, Chris, proudly display their playa la ke modification which holds rain-
water for future irrigation needs.
"Outstanding Conservation Farmer"
Makes Use of ALAvailable WaterA. A. (Bus) Wimmer of Slaton,
recently named the Outstanding Con-
servation Farmer of the Year by the
Lubbock County Soil and Water Con-
servation District and Outstanding
Farmer of the Slaton Area for 1973
at the 16th Annual Farmer-Merchant
Barbeque, is basically a dry-land
farmer, but his 680-acre farm boasts
parallel terraces, two modified playa
lakes, a grassed waterway and only
two small irrigation wells.
Wimmer's one- and three-inch irri-
gation wells can irrigate 160 acres, but
it is primarily for holding rainwater
that he has modified two playa lakes.
Dug in 1965, the largest lake modi-
fication, says Wimmer, has already
paid for itself. At a cost of around
$3,200, the pit holds approximately
10 acre-feet of water-both rainwater
runoff and any irrigation water that
may escape his fields during heavy
pumping.
Did Modification Himself
Wimmer did the playa modification
work himself, using a four-yard ele-
vating dirt scraper. Since 1964, the
farmer has also installed 5,000 feet of
underground pipeline, both plastic and
concrete, in order to prevent seepage
and evaporation losses in open carrier
ditches.
Before the largest playa was modi-
fied, Wimmer said the lake area cov-
ered seven acres and water often
stood more than a foot deep over al-
most the entire lake bed after a heavyrain.
"By draining the lake rapidly into
the pit, I can reduce flooding and
damage to my crops," says Wimmer.
The Lubbock County farmer also
testifies to have 448 acres devoted to
a conservation cropping system, prac-
tices crop residue utilization on 379
acre. contour farms on 327 acres and
maintciins a two-acre grassed water-
way.
Rain Spread Evenly
A r ative of Archer County and a
Slaton resident since 1946, Wimmer
says tihe 56,000 feet of parallel ter-
races spread rain water evenly over an
entire field, whereas "water would run
off the ends of the field following
heavy rains or puddle in low places",
before he terraced a half section.
The cost of constructing the terraces
was nearly $7,000, half of which was
provided by cost-share funds under
the now defunct Rural Environmental
Assistance Program.
Uses ALL Water
But Wimmer is a fine example of a
conservation-conscious farmer. How-
ever. me is not concerned so much
with merely saving irrigation ground-
water as much as making use of all
the wAter made available to him.
For this display of concern and for
taking the necessary steps to promote
good conservation practices on his
own farm, Bus Wimmer is a credit to
his community and to the Water Dis-
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Page 4
September, 1973
T HE C R OSS S EC TIO N
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High Plains Underground Water Conservation District No. 1 (Tex.). The Cross Section, Volume 19, Number 9, September 1973, periodical, September 1973; Lubbock, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1532982/m1/4/?q=mineral+wells: accessed June 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.