A lot can change in 50 years, as John Frantz can testify, especially when it comes to agriculture and water. The Hartley rancher was recently recognized for his 50 years as a District Director of the Hartley Soil and Water Conservation District, a position he was first elected to at the age of 26.
“I was the youngest in the state when I first went on the board in 1974,” Frantz said. “My father also served for about 20 years – I’m actually John R. Frantz II.”
“I’ve seen the whole country evolve from dry land farming to irrigated,” he said. “There have been lot of technological changes, all for the good.” Frantz said that 50 years ago, there were few irrigated wells in existence in Dallam and Hartley counties, and the ones that were here produced between 800 and 1,200 gallons of water per minute.
“Now there are over 9,000 wells, but water production has been cut by 2/3,” he stated. “Those only produce 400 to 500 gallons per minute. Less water has caused greater efficiency. People are more efficient and conserving water.”
Still, Frantz said, it may be too late.
“Twenty years ago, they were saying we’d have enough water for 50 years of irrigation. Now we’ve reseeded to grass, which doesn’t need irrigating,” he said. “Eventually we won’t have water to farm with.”
Frantz also said the he knows what’s to blame.
“Nearly every farmer is aware of conserving natural resources,” he said. “Feed yards are the most efficient use of water. Dairies are not. They are the biggest depleters of natural resources out there!” He said the dairies’ widespread practice of doublecropping (harvesting two crops within one calendar year) is rapidly draining already strained water resources.
“The dairy industry has a history of moving into an area, depleting its usable water, then moving on. They’ve done it over and over. “It’s getting crucial!” Frantz exclaimed.
“On the static water table, it used to be 488’ down to what is known as the ‘red bed.’ Now it’s only 120’ down.”
Dallam and Hartley counties sit on the Ogallala Aquifer, a very large, shallow water table aquifer surrounded by sand, silt, clay and gravel. According to Texas A&M University, Scientists have reported for years that, if recharge and use continue at current rates, research shows that much of the Ogallala in Texas could be depleted as soon as 2100.
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