Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics...
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Transcript of Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics...
![Page 1: Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics & Zohrab Samani Civil Engineering New Mexico State.](https://reader035.fdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022062421/56649d615503460f94a43053/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency
Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics
&Zohrab Samani
Civil Engineering
New Mexico State UniversityLas Cruces, NM
![Page 2: Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics & Zohrab Samani Civil Engineering New Mexico State.](https://reader035.fdocuments.net/reader035/viewer/2022062421/56649d615503460f94a43053/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Structure of U.S. Agriculture• Majority of production on few farms
– 8% of farms → 75% of total value of output– Farms with >$250,000 annual sales– Definition of a “farm”?
• 75% of U.S. farms sell less than $50,000 / yr
• Off-farm work• Retirement or residential - lifestyle farms
– 54% of all U.S. farms → 8% of output value
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What does this mean?
• Chronic negative net farm incomes for many “farms”
• Agriculture is a “consumption” activity subsidized by off-farm earnings
• Residential – lifestyle farms– Average household income $72,081– Average farm earnings -$4,309
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Irrigation in the West
• Urban fringe agriculture in western river valleys
• 92% of consumptive water use• Increased competition for water supplies
– Municipal & Industrial– Environmental
• Increased irrigation efficiency & water marketing?– Technologies or practices (management intensive)– Incentives
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Elephant Butte Irrigation District• Doña Ana County, 1974 - 1997
– Irrigated farms increased 70%– 336% increase in 1-9 acre irrigated farms
• Residential, lifestyle, urban fringe agriculture• Dual structure production (e.g., pecans)
• On-farm efficiency on commercial farms88% - 98% alfalfa79% - 94% pecans
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This Research
• Relationship between farm size & irrigation practices, efficiency
• Potential responses to technology, conservation incentives & water marketing
• EBID water delivery data (2001)• 340 pecan, 524 alfalfa, 164 cotton accounts
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Pecan Farm Size Distribution (2001)
220
67
24 218
0
50
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150
200
250
2--5 5--10 10--20 20--50 >50Acres
No
. o
f F
arm
s
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2001 Pecan Ac-ft vs Acreage
0
1
2
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0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100Farm Size (Ac)
Ac-
ft
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2001 Pecan Hrs/Ac/Irrigation vs. Farm Size
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0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Acres
Hr/
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ion
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Pecan Average Hrs/Ac/Irrigation (2001)
1.57
0.97
0.76
0.47
0.30
0.00
0.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
1.40
1.60
1.80
2--5 5--10 10--20 20--50 >50
Acreage (ac)
Hr/
Ac/
Irri
gatio
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0.0
0.1
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Av
era
ge
Ac
re-f
ee
t/A
cre
/Mo
nth
0.0
0.10.2
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0.40.50.6
0.70.80.9
1.0
Maxim
um
Evap
otra
nsp
iratio
n (E
Tm
), Feet
2= ac < 55= ac <1010= ac <20= 20 acETm, ft
Ac-Ft/Ac & ET – by Farm Size
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0.0
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1.0
1.2
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2.0
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urs
/Ac
re/M
on
th
0.0
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0.9
1.0
Max
imu
m E
va
po
tran
sp
iratio
n (E
Tm
), Fe
et
2= ac <55= ac <1010= ac <20= 20 acETm, ft
Duration & ET – by Farm Size
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Irrigation Duration…
• Hours / acre / irrigation
• Indicator of irrigation efficiency– Deep percolation losses
• Guideline = 0.5 hrs/ac/irrigation
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Field Verification1. Highly permeable soils2. Low flows at farm turnout3. Small farm turnouts4. Long, unleveled fields, rough surfaces5. Inadequate infrastructure6. Poorly maintained ditches7. Easements, access, common property disputes
8. Irrigation…≈ Recreation ≈ Lifestyle≈ Tradition ≈ Meditation
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Small Farm Irrigator Comments
• Low involvement small farm irrigators…“Nobody else does anything to maintain the ditch, why should I?”
“Nobody wants to spend any money on the ditch.”
• High involvement small farm irrigators…“I’m retired, what else have I got to do?”
“I like to listen to the water.”
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Findings…• Overdelivery to small farms
• Underdelivery to large farms
• Delivery losses or on-farm application?
• Small orchard nut production– 161 lbs / acre-foot ($103.04/acre-foot)
• Large orchard nut production– 300 lbs / acre-foot ($185.60/acre-foot)
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Conclusions…• “Recreational” irrigators are unlikely to
respond enthusiastically to technology or water marketing incentives.
• Many water users are “paying to play.”
• Irrigation technologies are scale biased.– Management intensity of commercial &
lifestyle farms?
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Conclusions…• Irrigator population is very diverse.
– Profit maximizers? – Utility maximizers?– Cost minimizers?
• Marginal efficiency increases on commercial farms are likely to be small & costly.
• Existing irrigation structures were designed for early 20th century agricultural structure.– Reinvestment?
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Acknowledgements
Elephant Butte Irrigation District
Rio Grande Basin InitiativeA joint project of TAMU & NMSU
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Rhonda Skaggs
Tel: 505-646-2401
Email: [email protected]
Zohrab Samani
Tel: 505-646-2904
Email: [email protected]
Contact Information