Spotlight Series

Of the practices which have made the biggest difference in saving water, and ultimately money, Charlie points to intermittent flooding as well as flow meters on his pipelines—practices which have allowed him to cut down his total water use by approximately 50%. “I may actually see a slight decrease in yields,” says Charlie, “But with that amount of water saving, I can make that trade off.”

Farmers participating in the Rice Stewardship Partnership use the Fieldprint Platform to analyze their sustainability performance in eight areas, including water quantity and quality—and Charlie demonstrates to how a better understanding of data analytics has helped empower him to make informed decisions about technology to improve his water management. “Once I was able to see the data and learn how much water I was saving, it all made more sense,” says Charlie. “We’re saving water, we’re using less fertilizer—and we’re still growing the same crop.”

As farmers around the country face challenges when it comes to water availability, Charlie remains optimistic that these changes in management practices can impact farmers’ resiliency and leave a positive legacy for future generations. “I have a ten year old son who’s an aspiring farmer,” says Charlie. “But ten years down the road, who knows where we’ll be, with the climate as volatile as it is. Who knows where we’ll need to be conserving. I hope this will pay off by getting water back into the ground, because this is the water we need to grow our food and use in our every day life.”

Looking to the future, Charlie notes, "sustainability to me means that when the next generation takes over this farm, our goal is to have healthier soil, cleaner water and producing more food with less energy."