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Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics & Zohrab Samani Civil Engineering New Mexico State University Las Cruces, NM

Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics & Zohrab Samani Civil Engineering New Mexico State

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Page 1: Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics & Zohrab Samani Civil Engineering New Mexico State

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

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

Page 3: Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics & Zohrab Samani Civil Engineering New Mexico State

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

Page 4: Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics & Zohrab Samani Civil Engineering New Mexico State

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

Page 5: Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics & Zohrab Samani Civil Engineering New Mexico State

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

Page 6: Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics & Zohrab Samani Civil Engineering New Mexico State

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

Page 7: Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics & Zohrab Samani Civil Engineering New Mexico State

Pecan Farm Size Distribution (2001)

220

67

24 218

0

50

100

150

200

250

2--5 5--10 10--20 20--50 >50Acres

No

. o

f F

arm

s

Page 8: Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics & Zohrab Samani Civil Engineering New Mexico State

2001 Pecan Ac-ft vs Acreage

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100Farm Size (Ac)

Ac-

ft

Page 9: Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics & Zohrab Samani Civil Engineering New Mexico State

2001 Pecan Hrs/Ac/Irrigation vs. Farm Size

0

2

4

6

8

10

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Acres

Hr/

Ac/

Irri

gat

ion

Page 10: Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics & Zohrab Samani Civil Engineering New Mexico State

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

n

Page 11: Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics & Zohrab Samani Civil Engineering New Mexico State

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

Av

era

ge

Ac

re-f

ee

t/A

cre

/Mo

nth

0.0

0.10.2

0.3

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

Page 12: Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics & Zohrab Samani Civil Engineering New Mexico State

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

2.0

Av

era

ge

Ho

urs

/Ac

re/M

on

th

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

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

Page 13: Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics & Zohrab Samani Civil Engineering New Mexico State

Irrigation Duration…

• Hours / acre / irrigation

• Indicator of irrigation efficiency– Deep percolation losses

• Guideline = 0.5 hrs/ac/irrigation

Page 14: Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics & Zohrab Samani Civil Engineering New Mexico State

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

Page 15: Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics & Zohrab Samani Civil Engineering New Mexico State

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.”

Page 16: Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics & Zohrab Samani Civil Engineering New Mexico State

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)

Page 17: Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics & Zohrab Samani Civil Engineering New Mexico State

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?

Page 18: Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics & Zohrab Samani Civil Engineering New Mexico State

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?

Page 19: Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics & Zohrab Samani Civil Engineering New Mexico State

Acknowledgements

Elephant Butte Irrigation District

Rio Grande Basin InitiativeA joint project of TAMU & NMSU

Page 20: Farm Size, Irrigation Practices & On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Rhonda Skaggs Agricultural Economics & Zohrab Samani Civil Engineering New Mexico State

Rhonda Skaggs

Tel: 505-646-2401

Email: [email protected]

Zohrab Samani

Tel: 505-646-2904

Email: [email protected]

Contact Information