Mosca-Hooper Conservation District’s New Website Provides Farmers Secure Online Ordering for Soil Moisture Sensors
November 1, 2018
—Sensors help farmers comply with State-mandated water levels—
DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Mosca-Hooper Conservation District (MHCD) in Alamosa County, Colorado,
is making it easier for water users in the San Luis Valley to comply
with State-of-Colorado water levels. Through its new website, https://www.colorado.gov/mhcd,
farmers can order and pay for soil moisture sensors online. MHCD’s
website features PayPort—the secure online payment processing system
that allows governments to accept credit cards and eChecks.
“The most important part of the sensor’s use in our area is water
conservation,” said District Manager, Kelley Baily. “Knowing when and
how much to water crops is imperative to the State’s mandate and a
farmer’s bottom line. Farmers pay for water, but don’t get paid without
a successful harvest.” Soil moisture sensors provide readings on
moisture, salinity and temperature. These readings eliminate the need to
make educated guesses about when it’s safe to put seed in the ground.
Instead, farmers use their cell phones to get data anytime to make
decisions.
MHCD is responsible for 317,000 acres of private land and 145,000 acres
of public land. Therefore, another website goal parallels education and
leadership in natural resource management. The new website educates
constituents about the district’s San Luis Valley Recharge Optimization
Project. This project will provide data to assist producers in
conserving and restoring groundwater resources, and it will help the
community to become a national leader in water management response.
The website also demonstrates the district’s leadership by promoting its
participation in industry events and board recognition. In November, the
MHCD will sponsor “Soil Health In The West”. This event combines a
workshop and field tour with experts in soil health principles unique to
Colorado. In addition, some of MHCD board members (consisting of
farmers, a soil scientist and medical doctor) have been named Soil
Health Champions. Agronomist, Patrick O’Neill, and Producer, Cody Burns,
were recognized by the National Association of Conservation Districts
for their work to advance the adoption of soil health management
practices.
“Mosca-Hooper Conservation District is utilizing technology to advance
best practices in agriculture not only in our state, but also
nationally,” said Colorado Interactive’s President and General Manager,
Mike Ansley. “We are proud that our website platform is helping raise
awareness about the critical role of innovative practices related to
water health and soil management.”
MHCD utilized Colorado Interactive (CI) and the Statewide Internet
Portal Authority’s (SIPA) proprietary platform to rapidly develop its
new website. CI provides digital government services to state agencies,
local governments and educational entities through a contract with SIPA
— the official internet portal connecting the public with Colorado
government. The partnership’s mission allows government leaders to focus
on delivering on-demand, digital government solutions without requests
for proposals or the use of tax appropriations.
“Mosca-Hooper Conversation District is making the most of their new
payment processor and Colorado.gov website so that their residents can
make the most of their crop seasons. Our easy-to-use payment processor
complements Mosca-Hooper’s new website as both take advantage of
SIPA/CI’s security and compliance standards,” says SIPA Executive
Director Jack Arrowsmith. “By combining two of our no-cost services, the
district is keeping residents informed and giving them the flexibility
to conduct government services online and from anywhere the day takes
them.”
The SIPA/CI partnership has benefited more than 60 special districts and
educational organizations in Colorado. Eligible government entities in
need of free website development and hosting as well as payment
processing through the Colorado.gov Web portal should contact SIPA.
About Colorado Interactive
Colorado Interactive (CI) is the team behind the official website of the
state of Colorado (http://www.colorado.gov)
and is overseen by the Statewide
Internet Portal Authority. The portal operates through a
public-private partnership between the state and CI to help Colorado
government entities web-enable their services. CI builds, operates,
maintains, and markets Colorado.gov and is part of the digital
government firm, NIC
(Nasdaq: EGOV).
About SIPA
Established in 2004 by the Colorado General Assembly, the Statewide
Internet Portal Authority (SIPA) is a self-funded government
organization created to be Colorado’s single most comprehensive delivery
channel for electronic government (eGovernment) services. SIPA strives
to accelerate the adoption of efficient and effective eGovernment
services by placing more online to benefit Colorado residents. In
addition to no-cost websites, payment processing and event registration
setup, SIPA provides SaaS technology solutions, consulting and cyber
security assessments. (www.colorado.gov/sipa)
About NIC
NIC Inc. (Nasdaq: EGOV) is the nation’s premier provider of innovative
digital government solutions and secure payment processing, which help
make government interactions more accessible for everyone through
technology. The family of NIC companies has developed a library of more
than 13,000 digital government services for more than 6,000 federal,
state, and local government agencies. Among these solutions is the
ground-breaking personal assistant for government, Gov2Go, delivering
citizens personalized reminders and a single platform for all government
interactions. More information is available at www.egov.com.
Contacts
Colorado Interactive
Monica Segura-Bunch
Marketing, Comms. &
Customer Care Manager
W-303.534.3468 x115
C-303.526.8491
Monica.Segura-Bunch@www.Colorado.Gov