Regional Economic Impact of Irrigated Versus Dryland Agriculture in the Texas High Plains

The Texas Southern High Plains has a long history of generating significant economic activity through agricultural production that is highly dependent on the water resources of the Ogallala Aquifer.  Ground water supplies in the region are declining to the point where irrigated agriculture may not be present in the future of many communities in the region.  In September of 2004 the project “An Integrated Approach to Water Conservation for Agriculture in the Texas Southern High Plains” was approved by the Texas Water Development Board.  This multidisciplinary and multi-entity demonstration project is run by a producer board, elected by producers in Hale and Floyd Counties.  The Texas AgriLife Extension Service FARM Assistance program has collected income and expense information from the demonstration sites each year from 2005 through 2008.  The predominant crop in the study area is cotton, but there is a wide variety of crops from corn and sorghum for grain and silage to wheat and perennial grasses for grain, hay, seed and grazing. Sites in the project have many levels of irrigation from fully irrigated drip and pivot systems to minimally watered pivots and furrow as well as some which are completely dryland.  This study evaluates the economic impact of irrigated agriculture in the region compared to the impact derived from semi-irrigated and dryland production.