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Wisconsin ag leader calls for balanced water use, defends irrigation

A Wisconsin agriculture leader is defending the use of irrigation for crops. Environmental groups have blamed the large number of farm wells for lowering lake and stream levels, especially during drought years in Wisconsin’s central sands region.

Tamas Houlihan, President of the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association, tells Brownfield they’ve assembled a high capacity well fact book because opponents of irrigation are not looking at all of the science.  “The entire fact book kind of got thrown under the bus by some folks who have always targeted high capacity wells as the problem in lowering lake levels and river flow, and again, we are not saying high-cap wells don’t have an impact, they do, but we feel like that impact is temporary.”

University of Wisconsin Researchers at Stevens Point told a Milwaukee newspaper irrigation lowers lakes, streams, and aquifers.  But, fellow researcher Paul Fowler questions if trees use more groundwater than irrigation.  Fowler tells Brownfield, “What was intriguing to us is the fact that the acreage of soft wood trees, those are the evergreen trees that keep their leaves throughout the year, has essentially doubled over the past twenty years, an increase of about 112-thousand acres in a six-county area.”

Agriculture and environmental interests are lobbying state lawmakers ahead of a high-capacity well bill expected to be reintroduced this legislative session.   Assembly Speaker Robin Vos promised dairy leaders last month that Republicans will get the bill passed.

Houlihan says they need to find a balance between the needs of agriculture and the needs of lake front property owners, municipalities, and all stakeholders.  With the world population expected to grow by two billion over the next 30 years, Houlihan says producers will have to make more food on less land and use resources like water wisely.

Tamas Houlihan discusses water and other issues with Brownfield’s Larry Lee