U.S. Representative Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) recently took part in the start of operations for an irrigation unit on a farm in North Alabama. The irrigation equipment was funded in part by a federal program for which Aderholt secured support in Congress.
“Great to celebrate the culmination of many years of hard work by a lot of people. Today we opened one of the first projects enabled by the Alabama Irrigation Initiative,” Aderholt’s official Twitter account posted on Thursday.
The irrigation unit was installed on land near Hillsboro in Lawrence County that is managed by Darnell Farms, a family farming operation in the Tennessee Valley area.
Aderholt’s procurement of $30 million in irrigation incentives dates to his time as chairman of the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee before the Democratic Party took control of the House in January 2019.
That funding became the Alabama Irrigation Initiative, a program administered by the Soil and Water Conservation Committee.
“Investing in Alabama’s irrigation infrastructure will bring significant benefits to crop yields, farm income, and rural communities as a whole,” Aderholt commented.
United States Department of Agriculture figures showed that in 2017, Alabama had 163,338 irrigated acres compared to 1,163,038 in Georgia and 1,331,739 in Florida.
Aderholt further announced that beginning Monday, September 14, farmers can apply for the remaining $2.1 million in grant money that can be accessed by farming operations in the Wheeler/Elk watersheds.
Farmers can receive up to 50% of the costs of a system interested can apply at their local Soil and Water Conservation District office.
“This has been one of my top priorities and something I was proud to help deliver when Ag Appropriations Chairman. Look forward to seeing more projects constructed around the state in the coming years. There is a lot of work ahead, but it will make a big difference for Alabama ag,” Aderholt concluded.
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95
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