Share

The Rain We Keep
The Range Amarillo
Host Karen Welch is joined by Matt Garner, executive director of The Range Amarillo, and Ken Rainwater, PhD, a retired Texas Tech University professor and water/environmental consultant. The conversation focuses on The Range’s plans for building Amarillo, Texas, into a food hub by
attracting beef, dairy, crop and energy production industries. They say water scarcity and water conservation will change production across the High Plains.
The Rain We Keep Podcast is produced by Panhandle PBS with support provided by the Tecovas Foundation and the Carol K. Engler Foundation. It is an extension of the water conservation discussion begun by a Panhandle PBS documentary series under the same title.
Further Listening:
- Converting lawns and gardens through xeriscaping with native plants
- A hydroponic farm supplying vegetables to Affiliated Foods
- What the city of Amarillo does to encourage water conservation
Further learning: The Rain We Keep documentary series, PanhandlePBS.org/Rain
More episodes
View all episodes

4. Municipal Conservation
24:48||Ep. 4Donny Hooper, Amarillo assistant city manager and public infrastructure director, and Public Works Director Alan Harder join host Karen Welch to discuss how the city encourages water conservation. (A municipal staff reorganization in November 2024 elevated Hooper and Harder to these positions from those they held at the time of this conversation.)The Rain We Keep Podcast is produced by Panhandle PBS with support provided by the Tecovas Foundation and the Carol K. Engler Foundation. It is an extension of the water conservation discussion begun by a Panhandle PBS documentary series under the same title.Further Listening:- Converting lawns and gardens through xeriscaping with native plants- A hydroponic farm supplying vegetables to Affiliated Foods- The Range Amarillo and its quest to make our area a food hubFurther learning: The Rain We Keep documentary series, PanhandlePBS.org/Rain
1. Converting Thirsty Lawns
39:22||Ep. 1Horticulturist Kajsa Mason and grower Neal Hinders, owner of Canyon’s Edge Plants, join host Karen Welch to talk about converting thirsty lawns through xeriscaping and conserving water in the garden by using plants native to the Texas Panhandle region, which are more drought tolerant.The Rain We Keep Podcast is produced by Panhandle PBS with support provided by the Tecovas Foundation and the Carol K. Engler Foundation. It is an extension of the water conservation discussion begun by a Panhandle PBS documentary series under the same title.Further Listening:- The Range Amarillo and its quest to make our area a food hub- A hydroponic farm supplying vegetables to Affiliated Foods- What the city of Amarillo does to encourage water conservationFurther learning: The Rain We Keep documentary series, PanhandlePBS.org/Rain
2. Hydroponic Farming
35:13||Ep. 2Steve Henderson and Jamie Allen of Brushwood Acre Farms discuss hydroponic farming with host Karen Welch of Panhandle PBS. Hydroponic systems, growing plants in a water-based nutrient solution instead of soil, use less water, according to research. Brushwood Acre Farms supplies fresh vegetables to Affiliated Foods.The Rain We Keep Podcast is produced by Panhandle PBS with support provided by the Tecovas Foundation and the Carol K. Engler Foundation. It is an extension of the water conservation discussion begun by a Panhandle PBS documentary series under the same title.Further Listening:- Converting lawns and gardens through xeriscaping with native plants- The Range Amarillo and its quest to make our area a food hub- What the city of Amarillo does to encourage water conservationFurther learning: The Rain We Keep documentary series, PanhandlePBS.org/Rain