U.S. Reliance on Irrigation Declines

WASHINGTON - Nov 15/04 - SNS -- Less farmland and fewer farms are using irrigation in the United States than was the case in 1998, according to the latest USDA survey of the crop management practice.

Compared with 1998, the number of farms and ranches irrigating fell 2% to 220,163 in 2003, and total land irrigated was down 3% to 52.6 million acres. The leading States in total acreage of irrigated land in 2003 were California (16% of U.S. total), Nebraska (14%), and Texas (9%).

Corn for grain or seed continues to be the dominant irrigated crop accounting for nearly 19% of irrigated land. The top irrigated crops in the United States in 2003 were corn for grain or seed, alfalfa hay, soybeans, land in orchards, and cotton. These crops accounted for 56% of all irrigated land. Irrigated pastureland accounted for 3.63 million acres in 2003, down 8% from 1998.

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