Using Climatic Data and ET Requirements to Estimate Corn Production Profitability with Optimal Irrigation Levels in the Texas Panhandle

摘要

The performance of the agricultural sector in the Texas Panhandle is dependent on irrigation. The declining availability of irrigation water from the Ogallala aquifer combined with increasing energy costs make irrigation strategies much more critical. Economic viability and resource conservation are not mutually exclusive. Selecting an irrigation level maximizes profits both increases profits and conserves the water resource as compared with a strategies of maximizing yield per acre. Under average precipitation, a management strategy that irrigates to maximize yield reduces profit by between $22 and $158 per acre and increases water consumption by 2.21 and 11.20 acre inches depending on the combination of corn and natural gas prices. Adopting a profit maximizing strategy is a win-win situation both economically and for water resource conversation. Introduction: Irrigation has been the driving force in the development of the agricultural sector in the Texas Panhandle. The development and decline of irrigation in the region has occurred since the end of World War II in 1945. Between 1950 and 1980 irrigated acres increased from 19,315 to 1,754,560. Since 1980 irrigated acres have declined to 1,363,438. The water availability in the Ogalalla aquifer continues to decline and pumping costs continue to increase. This drastically reduces the profitability of agricultural production as irrigation increases yield by 2 to 7 times over non-irrigation and reduces variability in yield by 75% to 90%. Since there is no renewable surface source of irrigation water in the Panhandle