The Irrigation Research Foundation is located on a section of land 2 1/4 miles of Yuma, Colorado beside Highway 59 by the western edge of Yuma County. Yuma County is central to the Golden Plains area of northeastern Colorado. The Golden Plains covers 40% of the state, of which a majority sits atop the Ogallala Aquifer.

The Golden Plains has always been a leader, not only in Colorado but nationwide in agricultural productivity. The Ogallala Aquifer allows this area to be one of the most intensely irrigated areas in the entire nation, each year producing large yields of corn, alfalfa, beans, potatoes, sorghum, sugar beets, sunflowers and wheat.

The Irrigation Research Foundation provides research cooperators an opportunity to develop extensive studies on a variety of soil types, water and fertilizer applications, different hybrid varieties of various crops, and low energy costs to produce the maximum amount of net income per acre.

At the IRF site, there are five (5) sprinkler systems and two (2) drip irrigation system that all draw from the same deep well and each sprinkler can be operated independently. The Irrigation Research Foundation is unique in that the soil ranges from light sandy soil to a heavy sandy loam.

The Irrigation Research Foundation has also been selected by Monsanto as a Center of Excellence with our Limited Water / Strip-Till studies and for our commitment to the conservation of the Ogallala Aquifer.

The IRF Board

L-R: Mike Newbanks, Randy Wenger, Marc Shay, Dave Witte, Rodney Terrell, (inset, Byron Weathers)

The IRF Staff

Charles Corey, IRF Farm Director
Dale Ebersole, Farm Operations Manager
Taryn Liming, Office Manager

The Ogallala Aquifer