Energy and Carbon: Considerations for High Plains Cotton

As national attention grows over the concerns of global warming, CO2 emissions, and energy independence, industries throughout the US could be impacted by proposed increased regulation or "Cap and Trade" which aims to reduce CO2 pollution and/or fuel consumption.  The Texas agricultural industry, specifically High Plains cotton, will be no exception to these potential changes.  Thus it is imperative to understand the energy and carbon relationships within High Plains cotton so that the industry and commercial producers within it can be better prepared to understand how to cope with emerging national concerns.  Thus the objective of this paper was to conduct an energy and carbon audit on irrigated cotton produced in the Southern High Plains of Texas. Preliminary results indicate that sub-surface drip irrigated cotton is a high consumer of energy, thus emitting the greatest amount of carbon.  However the MESA irrigated cotton remains the most profitable in terms of irrigation efficiency and overall net returns.