Dear Farm Operator
The USDA-Agricultural Research Service and the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering of the University of Arizona are conducting an evaluation of the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) Best Management Practices (BMP) Program for Water conservation. The study is being conducted on behalf of ADWR and the BMP Advisory Committee. As part of the study, we are surveying farm operators like you who remained in the Base Program (the allotment-based conservation program that has been in operation since 1980).
The purpose of this letter is to request your participation in this survey (if you are currently enrolled in the BMP program please ignore this request). The expected time to complete the survey is approximately ½ hour. We realize your time is extremely valuable but we cannot assess the impact of policies and programs of interest to the agricultural community without the input of farm operators. Individual responses will not be disclosed to ADWR or any other agency, and only aggregate results will be reported. Your information will be coded and will remain confidential.
Your participation in this study is completely voluntary. There are no foreseeable risks associated with this project. However, if you feel uncomfortable answering any questions, you can withdraw from the survey at any point. It is very important for us to learn your opinions.
If you have questions at any time about the survey or the procedures, you may contact Abigail Roanhorse at [Phone Number] or by email at the email address specified below.
We need to complete our study within the next two months so we ask you to return this survey in the enclosed stamped envelope by May 26th. If you prefer, you can answer this survey through the internet or by phone. The survey is available on-line at ag.arizona.edu/abe/. If you prefer to answer by phone or if you have any questions, please contact me at (520) 316-6381 or Ms. Abigail Roanhorse at (520) 307-4340. We thank you in advance for your participation in this study. Please start with the survey now by clicking on the Continue button below.
Respectfully,
Eduardo Bautista, Ph.D.
Research Hydraulic Engineer Number of farm units operated: City, state, and zip code: Where your (main) farm is located? Are you familiar with ADWR’s Agricultural Best Management Practices (BMP) Program? If yes, who provided you with information about the BMP program? (Select all that apply.) Did any of the above encourage you to participate in the program? Did you ever apply for the program? If you answered yes, why didn’t you enroll? Select the statements best describes your reason(s) for not enrolling. If you were denied enrollment, why didn’t you qualify for the BMP Program? If you were denied for administrative reason, please identify those difficulties. If you did not meet the minimum number under the BMP worksheet point system, are physical improvements required to qualify? If yes, can you identify the required physical improvements? What is the likelihood of making those improvements? How many IGRs (Irrigation Grandfathered Rights) do you farm? What is the total acreage? Do you own, lease, or own and lease the IGRs associated with your farm? Who is the owner of your leased IGRs? (Select all that apply.) Are your leases (Select all that apply.) Does the fact that you have leased IGRs limit your interest in the BMP Program? Is the owner of your leased land a developer? Do landlord objections limit your interest in the BMP Program? What is the primary production activity of your farm (e.g., cotton, dairy production, etc.)? List the crops that you typically grow. Approximately, what percentage of your farm’s conveyance system consists of lined channels and/or pipelines? Do other farms in the district have conveyance systems similar or better than yours (same or larger percentage of lined channels and/or pipelines)? What type of irrigation systems do you have on your farm? Select the appropiate measurement units. Select the appropiate measurement units. Typical irrigation set/block size in acres Select the appropiate measurement units. Special features (select all that apply) To the best of your knowledge, do other farms in your district have irrigation systems similar or better than yours? Which of the following irrigation management practices do you regularly use? (Select all that apply.) In your opinion, do other farmers in the area regularly implement the practices you selected above? Which of the following agronomic management practices do you regularly use? (Select all that apply) In your opinion, do other farmers in the area regularly implement the practices you selected above? In a typical year, does your Base Program allotment constrain your crop and acreage decisions on this farm? Have you ever been out of compliance with the Base Program on this farm? Was the balance of your flexibility account a factor that limited your interest in the BMP program? The BMP Program freezes the balance of an IGR’s flexibility account. Was this a factor that limited your interest in the BMP program? Have you ever purchased flexibility credits for this farm? If yes, were they easy to find? If yes, by how much do those purchased flex credits increase your typical water costs, as a percent? (For farms with more than one IGR) Have you ever had to transfer flexibility credits from one IGR to another IGR? If yes, how difficult was it to transfer credits from one IGR to another? Have you ever sold flexibility credits? Who prepares and files your water use reports required by ADWR’s Base Program? (If operator/spouse) On average, how much time is required to complete the Base Program’s annual reports? (If Consultant) Can you estimate the consultant costs resulting from the Base Program’s reporting requirements? Based on what you know about the BMP program; does the program offer any reporting advantages relative to the Base Program? How many years have you farmed the IGRs included in your farm? Are there younger family members who are actively involved in the farming operation (i.e., children, grandchildren, etc.)? How long do you think you or your family members will continue to operate this farm? Was this a factor that limited level of interest in the BMP Program? Do you expect your farm to be converted to non-agricultural uses in the near future? Does this factor limit your interest in the BMP Program? Are you currently or were you previously involved in any of the following organizations? (Select all that apply.) If yes, as a member of these organizations, have you been involved in the development of policy affecting land improvements and/or agricultural water use? Have you participated in University or USDA research or demonstration projects? If yes, were these projects directly or indirectly associated with water conservation? How do you rate yourself as a water manager relative to other farmers in the district/area? In your opinion, what opportunities exist for farmers in your area to improve their water management? What constraints do you think exist for other farmers in your area to improve their water management? Have you made any significant investments to improve your conveyance or irrigation system within the last . . . If yes, please identify one of those improvement. Do you recall making any significant changes to your irrigation and agronomic management practices to reduce water use within the last . . . If yes, please identify one of those changes. You previously identified several crops that you typically grow. Were these crops typical of the last three years? Have you made any significant changes in your crop mix over the past three years? If yes, please describe those changes. If changes in crop mix/acreage were made, identify which factor(s) contributed to those changes. Does the Base Program provide you with the flexibility needed to adapt your crop mix and acreage in response to market incentives? If no, do you think the BMP program could provide you with greater flexibility? An advisory committee assembled the BMP program rules. Are you familiar with this advisory committee?
Based on what you know about the BMP Program, please select the statement that best represents your opinion about the verification rules (i.e., reporting and auditing process). How do you think the program should be modified? Based on what you know about the BMP Program, what is your opinion about the menu of practices included in the BMP program. How should the program be modified? Based on what you know about the BMP Program, select the statement that best describes your assessment of the Program’s long-term impact. Sixty farms are currently enrolled in the BMP program and experience suggests the administrative costs are high. Based on what you know about the program, do you think it is still worth promoting? Survey results will be used in future discussions on Arizona’s agricultural water conservation policy. As a member of the state’s farming community, and based on what you know about the BMP Program, how would you define program success? For this farm, who makes long-term (strategic) decisions, including decisions on irrigation investments?
For this farm, who irrigates? (Select all that apply.) Who decides when and how much to irrigate? (Select all that apply.) For your main crop, do you have a targeted yearly water application, acre-ft/acre? If yes, what is your target yearly water application, in ft? For your main crop, how much does the annual application increase under extremely dry and hot conditions? For your main crop, estimate your typical irrigation costs as a percentage of your variable production costs. What is your average water cost per acre-ft? Do you keep records that allow comparisons of annual water and irrigation management costs between years? How do you decide when to irrigate? (Select all that apply)
How do you determine the application depth for each irrigation? (Select all that apply.) How do you check if you applied the desired amount? (Select all that apply.) How do you evaluate the uniformity of water infiltrated along the field? (Select all that apply.) Who supplies water to your farm(s). (Select all that apply.) (For operators who receive water from an irrigation district.) Does the water delivery service provided by your irrigation district support effective on-farm irrigation management? Is the flow rate delivered by your irrigation district and/or privately owned wells adequate for effective management of the on-farm irrigation system? Years of experience farming Maximum level of education |
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