CSI Seminar Daran Rudnick, Dec 8 at 11 AM CT
The Center for Sorghum Improvement (CSI) will host a virtual seminar by Dr. Daran Rudnick, Professor and Director of Sustainable Irrigation in the Carl and Melinda Helwig Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at Kansas State University Research and Extension, on Tuesday, December 8 at 11:00 AM CT. His talk, titled “Connecting Sorghum Production to Groundwater Outcomes: Perspectives from TAPS,” will focus on how sorghum production and producer management decisions can support more efficient groundwater use by examining current water conditions, drivers of depletion, and insights from the 2025 TAPS forage sorghum competition.
The abstract of Dr. Louis’ presentation is provided below:
Sustaining groundwater resources in the U.S. High Plains, including Kansas remains one of the most pressing challenges for agricultural production and rural communities. This seminar will provide an overview of current groundwater conditions, the drivers of depletion, and the critical role that crop selection and irrigation management plays in long-term water stewardship. Sorghum offers a unique opportunity for reducing consumptive water use while maintaining productive and profitable systems. I will highlight findings from the 2025 Testing Ag Performance Solutions (TAPS) forage sorghum competition, including management decisions made by participants, production responses under variable irrigation strategies, consumptive use and sensor-based observations, and forage quality outcomes. These early insights help build a broader understanding of how sorghum production and producer decision-making may support more efficient groundwater use in the region. Learn more about TAPS at www.k-state.edu/TAPS.
