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University of Idaho

Promoting Water Conservation Among West Central Minnesota Farmers

Communication Campaign

March 22, 2013

2 Rational Goals: There have been massive changes in the worlds water landscape in the past century due to changes such as urbanization and climate change (WPP 2011). The world is facing serious water issues including water scarcity, changes in the water cycle, increased frequency in water-related natural hazards, and water pollution. Climate change and poor water resource management continue to exacerbate the overarching water resource problem if steps arent taken to reduce water pollution, increase water use efficiency, and reduce processes contributing to climate change and environmental degradation. No longer can the historical hydrologic pattern be counted on to predict future water patterns (UN 2012). Drought and water scarcity are major problems that will continue to get worse as climate change and poor water management progresses. Water covers about 75 percent of planet earth. Of all water, only about three percent is fresh water, of which 2.5 percent is frozen in the form of glaciers and snow. That leaves only about 0.5 percent of all the water in the world to provide for the worlds total water supply (WBCSD 2006). Increase in demand for water and a decrease in the quality of water have been increasing concerns in the past 50 years. Poor water management practices have contributed to the water crisis. Without better water management, many countries will not be able to meet needs of human development, food security, energy security, and urban development in the near future (WPP 2011). The primary drivers in water demand are food and agriculture, energy, industry, human population and ecosystems (UN 2012). Because water is a natural resource that everyone uses on a daily basis, everyone should be informed about the status of resources. The problem is that many people do not realize that a water resource problem exists. Instead, they see water as an indefinitely renewable resource, which it is not. Many areas in the world are facing water shortages and water crises today. Between 1990 and 1995, water use worldwide increased by six times, which was much

3 greater than the population growth of the world (Macedonio 2012). Approximately one third of the worlds population is living in areas experiencing a water shortage. If this trend continues, well over half of the population will live in areas of water crisis by 2025 (Macedonio 2012). This campaign aims to increase awareness of water resource issues, specifically water conservation. The primary goal is to educate people to better understand water scarcity and to help them understand how they can conserve water with their daily routines. This campaign has both short-term and long-term goals. Short-term goals are to increase understanding and awareness of water scarcity issues. Longterm goals are to increase water conservation. This proposal is primarily concerned with the short-term goals. Agriculture accounts for 70 percent of water use. Forty six million acres of land in the United States are irrigated (Michelsen 1999). The total percentage of water used for agricultural irrigation varies from country to country. In India, for example, 90 percent of the water budget is used for irrigation. China and Egypt both use 85 percent of their total water budget on irrigation (WBCSD 2006). There is an increasing trend to use grey water, also known as recycled water, for irrigating crops, which relieves pressure on potable water for crop irrigation. Macedonio stated in his paper that some controversy exists as to the amount of the water budget consumed by irrigation (Macedonio 2012). Audience There are about two million farms in the U.S. Less than one percent of the U.S. population, or about 960,000 people, claim farming as their primary occupation. Ninety percent of farms are fun by individuals or families. Six percent are run by partnerships and another 3% are large corporate farms. About 40 percent of farmers in the U.S. are age 55 and older (EPA 2012). The average age of the U.S. farmer has increased in the past five years, from 55.3 in 2002 to 57.1 in 2007. There is growing diversity among farmers in the United States, most notably in the

4 increasing numbers of females who own and operate farms (USDA 2007). This communication plan will target irrigated crop farmers in West Central Minnesota. Although the agriculture and food industry is the second-largest employer in Minnesota, only one-third of agriculture and food jobs are actually onfarm jobs. Minnesota ranks seventh in farm exports in the United States. Minnesota is not a water scarce region currently but does have areas that are facing diminishing water resources. West Central Minnesota is in the prairie pothole region, which is made up of most wetlands. Because of this it is a water sensitive region and water conservation is extremely important. In 2002, 454,850 acres in Minnesota were irrigated cropland. In 2007, that number rose to 506,357 acres. In 2002, the average farm irrigated 187 acres of land. The average number of acres of irrigated land per farm dropped slightly in 2007 to 174 acres. In 2007, 2,918 farms in Minnesota were using irrigation. The majority of irrigated land is used for growing corn (250,000 acres). The second most irrigated crop is soybeans (92,000 acres) (USDA 2007). Minnesota has 119,650 farm operators (USDA 2007). Farmers in Minnesota are a diverse group of people. Forty nine percent of farmers in Minnesota consider farming to be their primary occupation. Less than three percent of farmer operators (who consider farming to be their primary occupation) in Minnesota are age 34 and younger. Six percent of farm operators in Minnesota are age 35 to 44, 13 percent are age 45 to 54, 12 percent are 55 to 64, and 14 percent are 65 and older (USDA 2007). Of 80,992 farms in Minnesota, 39,628 are considered the primary source of income for their operators. Of the 80,992 farms in Minnesota, 35,035 are cropland farms; 2,918 of these cropland farms irrigate their land. Eighty six percent of Minnesota farms are run by families or individuals, 49,377 of these farms are run by a single operator working alone, 26,670 farms in Minnesota are run by 2 operators working together. Males make up 73,631 of all Minnesota farm operators; the remaining 7,361 operators are females. Caucasians run 99.3% of farms in Minnesota (USDA 2011).

Minnesota farmers are an important group to target because irrigation of croplands uses a majority of available water resources in the United States. Encouraging more effective crop irrigation leading to a reduction in crop irrigation could help conserve the nations water supplies. Farmers attitudes towards conservation are varied. There are many variables that affect how farmers value conservation. Some of these variables include how water conservation affects the quality of farm life, views of their responsibilities to nature versus their responsibility to produce crops to feed the population, and by extension, their own families, the quality of their land, family security, happiness, and their economic capacities to use conservation techniques. Attitudes favoring conservation are strengthened by economic incentives. (Lynne 1988). Messages The messages in the awareness campaign are aimed at promoting the campaigns short-term goals. Key messages in the campaign include: Water is a valuable resource that needs to be conserved. Due to poor management and changes in the hydrologic cycle, water scarcity is on the rise. Better management of cropland irrigation in Minnesota will help conserve water in Minnesota. Many objections could be made against these basic messages. Future water predictions are hard to make (UN 2012). Water data does not exist for some regions. Inconsistencies in natural hydrologic monitoring networks and data also complicate future water predictions. Scientists are uncertain of estimates of renewable water supplies. Due to insufficient data, it is hard to understand and predict future water quality and quantity (UN 2009). Another potential objection is that a reduction in irrigation could reduce total yields, which is not necessarily true (UN 2012).

6 Potential campaign statements include: Water is a necessity for life. Protect Minnesotas water resources by reducing agricultural water use. Reducing irrigation is an important way to conserve water. How can you reduce the amount of water you are using to irrigate your crops? Are your crops getting more water than they need? Reduce water use to preserve water resources. Images that could be used in this communication campaign include graphs and charts describing water usage and crop production, and pictures of irrigation and fields. Because water is crucial for the prairie pothole region in West Central Minnesota images of dried up wetlands could be powerful. Other images that could be used are images of water-scarce regions (such as areas that have drained water resources with irrigation), future predictions of water levels in Minnesota, and images of how croplands will look as water availability diminishes. Several water researchers in West Central Minnesota could serve as spokes persons for this communication campaign. Roland Sigurdson is an aquatic education specialist at the Water Resources Center for the University of Minnesota. Lawrence Baker and Dennis Becker are both professors in the area of water resources at the University of Minnesota and could also serve as campaign spokespersons. Other spokespersons could come from organizations such as Ducks Unlimited, the CRP program, or Pheasants Forever. Media Given that the Minnesota farm population is a diverse population, mass media should be used to reach many diverse people. Media options to choose from include: local TV stations, local radio stations, local newspapers, research facilities such as Agricultural Research Service and the Soil and Water Conservation District, and community activities such as local fairs.

As discussed earlier, the majority of farmers are older than age 55. It is important to use media that is effective in this cultural context (Leonard 2009). Media most often used and accessed by farmers in the age group 55 and older are local newspapers and local radio stations. Some radio stations are of particular interest to farmers because they broadcast farm news and market reports at certain times of the day (Clare 2013). Social media options such as Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter are not likely to reach significant portions of the farming population. Only 68 percent of farmers use social media, with the majority of these using Facebook (Farm Journal Media 2011). Digital media and social media have been on the rise and will continue to grow (Agri Council 2012), but the primary source of information for most farmers remain agricultural magazines and newspapers. Agri Council predicted that even in the future, agricultural newspapers and magazines will continue to be leading sources of information for farmers. Ninety eight percent of surveyed farmers report reading agricultural newspapers and magazines at least monthly, while 80 percent of farmers surveyed reported reading local newspapers at least monthly (Agri Council 2012). Press releases will therefore be sent to the Echo Press, Morris Sun Tribune, Pope County Tribune, Bemidji Pioneer, Newshopper, Chokio Review, Grant County Herald, Fergus Falls Daily Journal, Herman-Hoffman Tribune, Ag Week, and Minnesota Farm Guide. These newspapers are local newspapers, published and distributed in the West Central Minnesota area. Radio stations that will receive campaign materials include KJJK-FM, KLFN, KULO, and KXRA. These radio stations reach the West Central Minnesota population and air agricultural news and market reports. Farming retailers are also a popular source of information for farmers (Agri Council 2012). Printing pamphlets and displaying them at farm retailers and agricultural

8 research companies is another way to present water conservation information to farmers. If provided with research and some direction 16 hours should be a reasonable amount of time for a copy writer to write a PSA for the newspaper. An additional 16 hours would be reasonable to hire the copy writer for writing the PSA for the radio. 30$ and hour is a fair wage to pay a copy writer (Solt 2013). After the PSA has aired for six months and new releases have been published questionnaires will be mailed out to farmers in West Central Minnesota. Two thousand farmers operate in the West Central area. The goal will be to mail out 2,000 questionnaires. Questionnaires will contain questions about the farmers knowledge of water conservation, knowledge of water use for irrigation, and opinion on how informative the PSA and news release was. Budget/Production Element Copy writer for newspaper PSA Copy writer for radio PSA Spokes person for radio PSA PSA production Airing and publishing PSA Pitching PSA to radio stations Email audio PSA to radio stations Email press release to newspapers Producing 2,000 questionnaires Mailing out 2,000 questionnaires Hiring data analyst to assess questionnaires Cost $30 an hour for 16 hours $30 an hour for 16 hours $30 an hour for 16 hours $150 an hour for 4 hours No charge $20 an hour for 16 hours No charge No charge $7.49 per 100 envelopes $7.29 per 500 pages 10 cents per page printing 46 cents a letter $40 an hour for 16 hours Total Cost $480 $480 $480 $600 $0 $320 $0 $0 $380 $920 $640

9 Travel expenses $200 Total amount of money required $200 $4,500

Timeline Element Funding approval Researching information Hiring writer and writing newspaper and radio PSA Airing and publishing PSA Total amount of time required Assessment Objective Better understanding of importance of water conservation Better understanding of water conservation Effectiveness of PSA and news release Reduction in water use Assessed by questionnaires Assessed 2, 5, and 10 years after campaign Assessed by importance of irrigation to questionnaires Grade (1-10, 10 being the highest) Assessed by questionnaires Total Points 6 months 8 months Amount of time 4 months 2 months 1 month

10 Resources Agri Council. 2012 Media Channel Study. Web 12 March 2013. Clare, Larry. Personal Interview. 16 Feb 2013. Cowell, C.M. et al. The Changing Geography of the U.S. Water Budget: TwentiethCentury Patterns and Twenty-First-Century Projections. Annuals of the Association of American Geographers 2010, 100 (4) 740754 Web 11 Feb 2013. EPA.gov Ag 101 Demographics. 2012. Web 11 Feb 2013. Farm Journal Media. 2011 Social Media Survey. Web 12 March 2013. K.M., James R. Van Scotter and Fatma Pakdil. Culture and Communication : Cultural Variations and Media Effectiveness. Administration & Society 2009 41: 850. Web 12 March 2013. Lynne, G.D., J. S. Shonkwiler and Leandro R. Rola. Attitudes and Farmer Conservation Behavior. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Vol. 70, No. 1 (Feb., 1988), pp. 12-19. Web 12 March 2013. Macedonio, F; et al. Efficient technologies for worldwide clean water supply. Chemical Engineering and Processing: Process Intensification 2012, 51, 2-17. Web 11 Feb 2013. Michelsen, A.M., R.G. Taylor, R. Huffaker, J. McGuckin Emerging Agricultural Water Conservation Price Incentives. Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Vol. 24, No. 1 (July 1999), pp. 222- 238. Web 12 March 2013.

11 Sharma, V.A. Sustainability and Water. Sustainability 2009, 128-137. Web 11 Feb 2013. Solt, Amanda. Personal Interview. 12 March 2013. UN-Water. Coping with water scarcity. 2006. Web 11 Feb 2013. UN-Water. Water Hazard Risks. 2012. Web 11 Feb 2013 USDA: National Agricultural Statistics Service. 2011 State Agriculture Overview: Minnesota. Web March 12, 2013. USDA Census of Agriculture. 2007 Census Volume 1, Chapter 1: State Level Data. Web March 12, 2013. USDA: National Agricultural Statistic Service. 2007 Census of Agriculture: Demographics. Web March 12, 2013. World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Facts and trends in water. 2006. Web 11 Feb 2013. World Health Organization. GLAAS 2012 report. 2012. Web 11 Feb 2013. World Health Organization. Guidelines for the safe use of wastewater, excreta and greywater. Volume 2: Wastewater use in agriculture. 2006. Web 11 Feb 2013. Water Partnership Program (WPP). Driving change in water: 2010 Annual report. The World Bank 2011. Web 11 Feb 2013.

12 WWAP (World Water Assessment Programme). The United Nations World Water Development Report 3: Water in a Changing World. Paris: UNESCO, and London: Earthscan. 2009. Web 11 Feb 2013. WWAP (World Water Assessment Programme). The United Nations World Water Development Report 4: Managing Water under Uncertainty and Risk. Paris, UNESCO. 2012. Web 11 Feb 2013.