Garrison Diversion’s roots are in agriculture and, though we are now a multipurpose project, we have not forgotten our roots. Garrison Diversion continues to invest in agricultural initiatives throughout the state, such as our partnership with NDSU Extension Service and the North Dakota Irrigation Association to develop, expand and enhance irrigation efforts.
Garrison Diversion is committed to protecting family farms, the communities that come together around them and the people who have come to depend on agriculture for the opportunity to live and work in North Dakota. The availability of reliable, high quality and affordable water can help families stay on the farm and not only survive, but prosper. A carefully managed water supply offers opportunities for farm families and rural communities to build better lives for themselves.
The promised irrigation projects in the original Garrison Diversion Unit project did not materialize; however, the potential that irrigation holds for building a healthier North Dakota remains as strong as ever. Through several initiatives, Garrison Diversion works to develop and enhance irrigation in North Dakota. The benefits that North Dakota sees as a result of crop irrigation are numerous.
There are 75,480 acres authorized for federal irrigation development in North Dakota and we continue to work with individual producers and irrigation districts to expand the number of acres under irrigation.
The combination of field trials at the NDSU Research site and actual irrigation operations at the Oakes Test Area provide a wealth of important data to develop best management practices for irrigated agriculture in North Dakota, the United States and the world. The increase in direct farm income, the economic opportunities for communities in rural areas, and the resulting increases in tax revenues all strongly justify the effort to develop new irrigation in North Dakota and to enhance existing irrigation opportunities.
North Dakota Irrigation Association
We also work with the North Dakota Irrigation Association and support their mission to strengthen and expand irrigation to build and diversify North Dakota’s economy. As the interest for irrigation rises in North Dakota, the irrigation association is working to develop irrigation opportunities. If the enormous variety of agricultural activities that happen here in the heartland have anything in common, it’s water.