State launches mobile irrigation laboratory pilot project.

South Carolina farmers can have their irrigation systems audited for water and energy use with a three-year pilot Mobile Irrigation Laboratory project through the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, Department of Agriculture, and the Aiken Soil and Water Conservation District.

The pilot program will help state officials determine if the program can be implemented for farmers statewide at no cost, according to a news release from SCDNR. The pilot program was announced Wednesday at the 2020 SC Agribiz & Farm Expo in Florence.

The pilot program will provide free water and energy audits on 24 agricultural center pivot irrigation systems throughout the state. The Aiken Soil and Water Conservation District is leading the initiative after it was approached by an area farmer with the idea.

"We felt that as a soil and water conservation district, we had to make the effort to establish this MIL pilot project," said Yvonne Kling, Aiken Soil and Water Conservation District chair, in the news release. "We also wanted to ensure that this came at no cost to agricultural producers who were willing to participate. As a soil and water conservation district and agricultural community, we believe this is a proactive conservation opportunity that we...