The Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Conservation has partnered with the Kansas Groundwater Management District 4 (GMD 4) to offer funds to assist landowners in that district with irrigation efficiency technology.

The GMD 4 Irrigation Technology Initiative is designed to promote irrigation efficiency by providing cost-share assistance to landowners who invest in conservation practices by purchasing technology including automated soil moisture probes, mobile drip irrigation systems, autonomous pivot systems, remote monitoring systems, and more. This project is funded through the Kansas Water Plan with additional funding from GMD 4.

Applications for the cost share funds will be accepted beginning October 17, 2022, and will be approved on a first-come, first-served basis through February 2023 or until all funds have been allocated. Only land located within GMD 4 will be eligible for this initiative.

GMD 4 includes all or parts of 10 counties in northwest Kansas and comprises nearly 5,000 square miles. It is governed by a locally elected board representing land owners and water users. GMD 4 has actively worked toward water conservation in the district, including establishing a Local Enhanced Management Area (LEMA) to set goals and control measures to aid in water conservation.

Applications for cost share funds must be made through local conservation districts; please contact your conservation district for details about funding eligibility. A directory of conservation districts can be found at agriculture.ks.gov/ConservationDistricts. For more information about the initiative, call Dave Jones, KDA Division of Conservation resource protection planner, at 785-564-6623.