EMBARGOED UNTIL: November 13, 1995 (Monday) Public Information Office CB95-203 (301)457-3030 (301)457-5668 (TDD) Agriculture and Financial Statistics Division (800)523-3215 VOLUME OF WATER USED FOR IRRIGATION DOWN IN 1994, CENSUS BUREAU FARM AND RANCH IRRIGATION SURVEY SHOWS Farmers who irrigate crops are coping with increased competition for available water supplies and increased energy costs by using more efficient irrigation methods. The "1994 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey," conducted by the Commerce Department's Census Bureau, reveals that U.S. farmers and ranchers used 5 percent less water per acre irrigated in 1994, an average of 1.7 acre-feet compared to 1.8 acre-feet in 1988. Irrigators are aggressively implementing plans to conserve water and reduce energy consumption. Over one-third of the Nation's irrigators implemented improvements to their irrigation systems to reduce energy cost and/or conserve water in the past 5 years. Sixty percent indicated the improvements resulted in reduced water requirements, over half reported improved crop yields, and nearly 40 percent reported decreasing energy cost as a result of the improvements. Fewer than 6 percent reported that conserving water has no economic benefit. Irrigators are moving from gravity flow irrigation systems to more precise water distribution methods using sprinkler irrigation systems. The use of sprinkler irrigation systems increased 16 percent from 1988 to 1994. The more common gravity flow system used 2.0 acre-feet of water per acre compared to 1.2 acre-feet for sprinkler systems. This shows improvement in the use of water supplies. Of the 18,800 farms that discontinued using irrigation in the last two years, over one-third reported it was because there was sufficient natural soil moisture in 1994. Fewer than 1,000 farm operators discontinued irrigation because of shortage in surface or ground water in 1994. Irrigation is big business. The Nation's irrigators spent $63 per irrigated acre, or over $2.9 billion for water, energy, irrigation systems, and maintenance costs associated with irrigation in 1994. The amount of water used varied greatly by geographic area and by type of crop. By state, Arizona irrigators reported a high of 4.4 feet per acre, compared to a low of less than one foot per acre in eight other states. Water for major crops ranged from a high of 2.5 feet per acre for rice and sugar beets for sugar, to a low of 0.5 feet per acre for tobacco. Wells are the main source of irrigation water. Half of all the irrigation water comes from wells and is used on over 60 percent of all irrigated land. The number of wells used for irrigation by U.S. farmers decreased by 4.7 percent from 1988 to 1994, to just under 330,000. Nearly two-thirds of all wells used for irrigation are equipped with back-flow prevention devices to reduce possible ground water contamination. Irrigators used multiple sources of information to make decisions for reducing irrigation costs and implementing water conservation plans. The most frequently reported resource was specialists from the Nation's agricultural universities and extension services. Forty-four percent of irrigators reported using their services. Thirty-seven percent of the irrigators reported using irrigation equipment dealers as a resource. To obtain more information about the 1994 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey, please call 1-800-523-3215 or send e-mail to agfs@census.gov.-X-Editor's Note: To order copies of the 1994 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey call 1-800-523-3215. Data in electronic format are available from the Census Bureau by calling (301) 763-INFO(4636) or via Internet (http://www.census.gov/econ/www/). Sampling is used to collect data for this survey. Thus, the results are subject to sampling variability as well as reporting and coverage errors. Dollar values have not been adjusted for inflation.
