Evaluating Water Marketing Options Under Declining Water Availability for Cotton Production In the Texas Southern High Plains

Increasing pressure on limited and exhaustible natural resources for expanding crop production by way of irrigated agriculture has led to the depletion of the most dependable water supply source in the Southern High Plains, the Ogallala Aquifer. This study focuses on suggestions advocated by policy makers and researchers for increasing the water use efficiency and for promoting judicious use of available water supply for irrigation. Advocating the concept of water savings by economic evaluation of the value of available water is a vital step in the process, considering the rapid depletion and limited recharge into the aquifer. The primary objective of this research is to conduct an analysis to evaluate the water marketing options in cotton production in the Southern High Plains of Texas. This study utilizes data from field experiments conducted from 2004 to 2008 at the Texas AgriLife Research facility at Halfway, Texas, for economic evaluation of potential water marketing. Continuous cotton and cotton sorghum rotation cropping systems were utilized as treatments to explore different scenarios for evaluating water use. The study also evaluates water use and associated water value by using subsurface drip irrigation in relatively smaller areas and evenly spreading irrigation across the field, respectively. The primary focus of the field experiments was on crop management and designing effective cropping systems with the ultimate objective of water conservation. Water conserved from effective production systems will be assigned a value and subsequent marketing options will be explored. The expected results of this study will provide necessary data and knowledge for cotton producers to decide on management practices favorable for water conservation and utilize available water in the most economic manner, to maximize net returns from production.