Amarillo, TX - New technology may be the key the agriculture industry needs to survive.
Many things are being unveiled to help our local economy.
producers we spoke with say they need to make big changes.
Conserving water is becoming their top priority since what they've done in the past has not been sustainable.
Most of the water used in the Texas Panhandle goes to farming and irrigation.
The drought this past year made producers realize they need to conserve as much water as they can for those situations.
They're hoping new technology for conservation can help extend the life of our aquifer.
"One new tool is called variable rate irrigation which allows the machine to either speed up or slow down the pivot. I think it could be very valuable here in the Panhandle where we are faced with reduced water. It could put water on the crop that needs it and pass over faster where it doesn't need it," says Jacob Becker, research assistant, Texas AgriLife Extension.
The agriculture industry is now focusing more on drought-tolerant seeds, which can grow with or without water and have shown promising results.
Producers say implementing these new tools will provide a larger yield with less water, meaning more profit for our local economy.
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