This Story was Produced and Supported by:
For twenty years farmers, the Owyhee Irrigation District, and the National Resource Conservation Service worked together to move the Fletcher Gulch watershed from flood and furrow irrigation to sprinkling. Fletcher Gulch sits at the edge of the Oregon border with Idaho, and water is a valuable resource. The traditional irrigation of flood and furrow used up quite a bit of water and washed soil, and debris back into the irrigation system. Switching to sprinklers allowed farmers to be more conservative and thoughtful with their water use, and has the added benefit of allowing for no-till farm methods, which will save them money in the long run. This film follows the story of the Barlow brothers as they led the charge for Fletcher Gulch to be a leader in this monumental conservation effort.
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Frontline
conservation
"I think farmers and those on the ground are very pivotal in conservation practices, it's where the rubber hits the road. We don't go out and do things for fun, we need to have a motivation to change and to do things. Where the environmental and conservation movement becomes real is where the actions are being taken."
-Charles Barlow
Farmer, Nyssa, Ore.
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Natural
Livelihood
"Something that we can't forget is that soil and that water, to the grower, that's his livelihood. He's got to protect that and take care of that."
-Jay Chamberlin
District Manager, Owyhee Irrigation District
Story Origin
The Natural Resource Conservation Service - Oregon approached us to create this film. Their hope was to celebrate this impressive collaboration and to inspire other districts and producers to follow suit, in Oregon and across the country. The reception of the story has been overwhelmingly positive and we can't wait to hear what action it inspires.