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Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey (2003) Volume 3, Special Studies Part 1 AC-02-SS-1 Issued November 2004 U.S. Department of Agriculture Ann M. Veneman, Secretary Dr. Joseph J. Jen, Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE R. Ronald Bosecker, Administrator

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  • Farm and RanchIrrigation Survey (2003)

    Volume 3, Special StudiesPart 1

    AC-02-SS-1

    Issued November 2004

    U.S. Department of AgricultureAnn M. Veneman, Secretary

    Dr. Joseph J. Jen, Under Secretary forResearch, Education, and Economics

    NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICER. Ronald Bosecker, Administrator

  • Acknowledgments

    This report was prepared under the direction of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Many people participated in the variousactivities of the 2003 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey and deserve recognition for theircontributions to the program.

    NASS pays special tribute to the farm and ranch operators who furnished the informationrequested. Their cooperation and support made it possible to collect and publish the data inthis report. Economic Research Service (ERS), other USDA agencies, and representativesfrom State departments of agriculture offered significant advice during the planning, datacollection, and processing phases of this survey. They provided invaluable assistance at thelocal level to farmers and ranchers completing census report forms. Also, NASSacknowledges our partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce, National ProcessingCenter in Jeffersonville, IN and the services they provided to collect and capture data.

    Members of the Advisory Committee on Agriculture Statistics and representatives of bothpublic and private organizations made significant recommendations that helped establish datacontent. NASS appreciates their strong and consistent support for census programs.

    NASS expresses gratitude to the press, farm magazines, radio and television stations, farmorganizations, State departments of agriculture, and enumerators from the NationalAssociation of State Departments of Agriculture for their help in publicizing the census andencouraging cooperation of farmers and ranchers.

    If you would like to learn more about the statistics available from NASS or have questionsconcerning this report, visit our Web site at www.usda.gov/nass/, send e-mail [email protected], or call the Agricultural Statistics Hotline at 800.727.9540.

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs on the basis of race, color, nationalorigin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited basesapply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information(Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

    To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equalopportunity provider and employer.

  • 2002 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE CONTENTS IIIUSDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

    Contents

    PageIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VGeneral Explanation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .VIII

    MAPS

    Water Resources Areas of the United States 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Percent of Normal Precipitation, January - December 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

    TABLES

    1. Irrigated Farms in the Censuses of Agriculture: 2002 and Earlier Censuses . . . . . . . . . . . 32. Irrigated Farms by Acres Irrigated: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43. Land Use on Farms with Irrigation: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64. Land Irrigated by Method of Water Distribution: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85. Land Irrigated by Sprinkler Systems: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96. Land Irrigated by Drip, Trickle, or Low-flow Micro Sprinklers: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . 127. Land Irrigated with Gravity Flow by Field Water Delivery System: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . 138. Estimated Quantity of Water Applied Using Only One Method of

    Distribution: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179. Estimated Quantity of Water Applied Using Only Sprinkler Systems to Distribute

    Water: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1910. Estimated Quantity of Water Applied Using Only Gravity Flow Systems to Distribute

    Water: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2311. Estimated Quantity of Water Applied By Source or Supplier: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . 2512. Irrigation by Estimated Quantity of Water Applied: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2913. Water Transfers by Use and Source: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3114. Irrigation Wells on Farms: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3215. Irrigation Wells Used on Farms: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3416. Characteristics for Irrigation Wells Used on Farms: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3617. Irrigation Pumps on Farms: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3818. Irrigation Pumps on Farms for Wells: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3919. Irrigation Pumps on Farms Other Than for Wells: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4120. Energy Expenses for On-Farm Pumping of Irrigation Water by Water Source and

    Type of Energy: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4521. Pumps Powered by Solar and Other Renewable Energy Sources: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . 5122. Expenses for Irrigation Water from Off-Farm Suppliers: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5223. Investment in Irrigation Equipment, Facilities, Land Improvement, and Computer

    Technology: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5324. Expenses for Maintenance and Repairs of Irrigation Equipment and

    Facilities: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

  • IV CONTENTS 2002 CENSUS OF AGRICULTUREUSDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

    25. Expenses for Hired and Contract Irrigation Labor: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6626. Farms with Diminished Crop Yields Resulting from Irrigation Interruption

    by Cause: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6727. Crops Harvested From Irrigated Farms: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6928. Estimated Quantity of Water Applied and Method of Distribution by Selected

    Crops Harvested: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9029. Selected Crops Harvested by Chemigation and Water Source: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . 11530. Selected Crops Irrigated and Harvested by Primary Method of Water Distribution

    by Crop, United States: 2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13931. Other Uses of Irrigation Water: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14432. Irrigated Farms by Size of Farm: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14633. Irrigated Farms by North American Industry Classification System: 2003 and 1998 . . . . 14934. Irrigated Farms by Market Value of Agricultural Products Sold: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . 15135. Irrigated Farms by Percent of Total Sales from Irrigated Crops and

    Livestock: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15936. Methods Used in Deciding When to Irrigate: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16037. Water Management Practices used by Operators with Gravity Flow

    Systems: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16138. Irrigators Participating in Government Programs: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16439. Energy and Water Conservation Improvements: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16540. Barriers to Making Improvements to Reduce Energy Use or Conserve

    Water: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16841. Source of Irrigation Information Relied on to Reduce Irrigation Costs or to

    Conserve Water: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17242. Discontinuance of All Irrigation by Reason: 2003 and 1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174

    APPENDIX

    Report Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2Instruction Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-14

    Publication Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside back cover

  • 2002 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE INTRODUCTION VUSDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

    Introduction

    PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF THE SURVEY

    The 2003 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey providesdata that supplement the basic irrigation data collectedfrom all farm and ranch operators in the 2002 Censusof Agriculture. Irrigation data from this surveycombined with 2002 census data provide one of themost complete and detailed profiles of irrigation in theUnited States.

    The 2003 Farm and Ranch Irrigation survey collecteddetailed data for on-farm irrigation practices in 2003.These data include acres irrigated by category of landuse, acres and yields of irrigated and nonirrigatedcrops, quantity of water applied and method ofapplication to selected crops, acres irrigated by type ofwater distribution system, and number of irrigationwells and pumps. Also, included are data for irrigationexpenditures in 2003 for maintenance and repair ofirrigation equipment and facilities; purchase of energyfor on-farm pumping of irrigation water; investment inirrigation equipment, facilities, and land improvement;and cost of water received from off-farm watersuppliers.

    The 25,014 operations sampled for the 2003 surveywere selected from farms and ranches reportingirrigated acres in the 2002 census, including AmericanIndian reservations. Farms that reported horticulturalcrop sales of at least $10,000 and all institutional,research, and experimental farms were excluded fromthe survey. Therefore, 23,767 irrigation operationswere excluded from the sample. Most of the irrigatedfarms (23,116) excluded were horticultural specialtyfarms which accounted for 1,011,012 acres irrigated, or2 percent of the land irrigated in 2002. In the 2002census, 806 institutional, research, and experimentalfarms accounted for 125,535 acres irrigated, or lessthan 1 percent of all acres irrigated in the nation.

    Some changes occurred between the 2002 Census ofAgriculture and the 2003 Farm and Ranch IrrigationSurvey. Between 2002 to 2003, 16,088 farms irrigating2.9 million acres in 2002 ceased operation under thename identifying them in the 2002 census. In addition,results of the 2003 survey show 32,489 irrigationoperations reporting irrigation on 1.85 million acres in2002 did not irrigate in 2003. No attempt was made toidentify and select new irrigation operations for 2003.

    HISTORY

    Selected irrigation data for on-farm irrigationoperations have been collected in the census ofagriculture since 1890. A census of farms whichreported irrigation in the 1900 Census of Agriculturewas authorized by Congress. Surveys of irrigation inhumid areas were taken in connection with the 1954and 1959 censuses.

    The 2003 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey is thesixth survey devoted entirely to collecting on-farmirrigation data for the United States. The 1979, 1984,1988, and 1994 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Surveyswere conducted by the U.S. Department of Commerce,Bureau of Census. Responsibility for the survey wastransferred from the Bureau of Census to the U.S.Department of Agriculture (USDA), NationalAgricultural Statistics Service (NASS) in 1997. The1998 survey utilized the resources of the 45 NASSState Statistical Offices (SSO) which expandedopportunities for telephone follow-up or personalenumeration of nonresponse cases. The 1998 Farmand Ranch Irrigation Survey was the first survey tocollect and publish data for each of the 50 States.Previous farm and ranch irrigation surveys publisheddata only for leading irrigation States, with a U.S. total,excluding Alaska and Hawaii.

  • VI INTRODUCTION 2002 CENSUS OF AGRICULTUREUSDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

    AUTHORITY

    The census of agriculture is required by law under the“Census of Agriculture Act of 1997", Public Law 105-113 (Title 7, United States Code, Section 2204g). Thelaw authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to conductsurveys deemed necessary to furnish annual or otherdata on the subjects covered by the census. The 2003Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey was conductedunder the provisions of this section.

    FARM DEFINITION

    The census definition of a farm is any place fromwhich $1,000 or more of agricultural products wereproduced and sold, or normally would have been sold,during the census year. The definition has changednine times since it was established in 1850. Thecurrent definition was first used for the 1974 Census ofAgriculture and has been used in each subsequentagriculture census and related surveys. This definitionis consistent with the definition used for current USDAsurveys.

    WATER RESOURCES AREAS MAP

    The map on page 1 shows Water Resources Areasdelineated on the basis of county boundaries thatapproximate actual basin boundaries based ontopographic drainage characteristics. Data aretabulated separately for each of the 20 water resourcesareas shown on the map.

    PERCENT OF NORMAL PRECIPITATION MAP

    The map on page 2 shows the areas of the UnitedStates with deviations from normal precipitationduring 2003. The map is included for referencepurposes only.

    TABLES AND APPENDIX

    Table 1 shows farms and acres irrigated for the 1982through 2002 censuses for each State. Tables 2through 41 present detailed irrigation operation datacollected in the survey from irrigation operations thatreported irrigated land in the 2002 census and alsoirrigated in 2003. Table 42 presents data for farmoperations that irrigated in 2002, but discontinued

    irrigation either temporarily or permanently in 2003while continuing to operate a farm or ranch. Data fromthe 2003 survey are reported for each State and for the20 Water Resources Areas. Additional text tables areshown in the General Explanation. The appendixprovides facsimiles of the report form used to collectthe data.

    RESPONDENT CONFIDENTIALITY

    In keeping with the provisions of Title 7 of the UnitedStates Code, no data are published that would discloseinformation about the operations of an individual farmor ranch. All tabulated data are subjected to anextensive disclosure review prior to publication. Anytabulated item that identifies data reported by arespondent or allows a respondent’s data to beaccurately estimated or derived, was suppressed andcoded with a ‘D’. However, the number of farmsreporting an item is not considered confidentialinformation and is provided even though otherinformation is withheld.

    DATA PRODUCTS

    The 2003 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey data, aswell as the 2002 Census of Agriculture Volume 1Geographic Area Series and related reports, areavailable on the Internet at www.usda.gov/nass and inprinted reports. Printed reports can be ordered bycalling 1-800-727-9540.

    CUSTOM TABULATIONS

    Special studies such as the 2003 Farm and RanchIrrigation Survey and 2005 Census of Aquaculture arepart of the census program and provide supplementalinformation to the 2002 Census of Agriculture in therespective subject area. Results are published in printand on the internet.

    Custom-designed tabulations may be developed whendata are not published elsewhere. These tabulationsare developed to individual user specifications on acost-reimbursable basis and shared with the public.The census Volume 1 on CD-ROM is an alternativedata source that should be investigated beforerequesting a custom tabulation.

  • 2002 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE INTRODUCTION VIIUSDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

    All special studies and custom tabulations are subjectto a thorough disclosure review prior to release toprevent the disclosure of any individual respondentdata. Requests for custom tabulations can besubmitted via the internet from the NASS home page,by mail, or by e-mail to:

    Associate AdministratorNational Agricultural Statistics Service1400 Independence Avenue, S.W.Washington, D.C. 20250

    orHQ [email protected]

    DEFINITIONS AND EXPLANATIONS

    Definitions and explanations of selected terms used inthe tables are defined in the General Explanation.

    ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS

    The following abbreviations and symbols are usedthroughout the tables:

    - Represents zero.

    cwt Hundredweight.

    (D) Withheld to avoid disclosing data forindividual farms.

    gpm Gallons per minute.

    (NA) Not available.

    psi Pounds per square inch.

    WRA Water Resources Areas.

    (X) Not applicable.

    (Z) Less than half of the unit shown.

  • VIII GENERAL EXPLANATION 2002 CENSUS OF AGRICULTUREUSDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

    General Explanation

    PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

    Planning for the survey started in 1999 with a reviewof the previous farm and ranch irrigation survey.Letters were sent to more than 200 individuals inwater-related government organizations, industry, andacademic positions to solicit their comments on reportform content and table format. Presentations weremade to several associations seeking their comments.Sixty responses were received. All responses werereviewed and categorized to evaluate data collectionfeasibility and priority needs.

    METHOD OF ENUMERATION AND DATACOLLECTION

    The 2003 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey wasconducted primarily by mail and was supplemented bytelephone calls and personal enumeration by NASSState Statistical Office (SSO) staff and enumerators.A sample of 25,014 irrigators was selected and maileda report form in January 2004. This was a 6 percentincrease over the 1998 sample size and was designedto enhance data quality for the 2003 survey. The initialmail packet included a report form and letterrequesting a prompt response. The operators wereasked to complete and return the report form. Theinitial mailing was followed by one follow-up mailingto those who had not responded in the first 4 weeks.The follow-up packet included a reminder letter and areport form. Six weeks after the initial mailing, theSSOs were provided nonresponse lists. SSOs madetelephone calls and personal visits to maximize theresponse. For a description of the adjustment fornonresponse, see Statistical Methodology.

    DATA PROCESSING

    All report forms were reviewed by NASS staff prior todata keying to identify inconsistencies and ensure that

    the data could be keyed. Major inconsistencies,respondent remarks, blank forms, and large irrigationcases were reviewed by analysts and adjusted prior todata keying as needed. All forms with data werescanned and keyed from image. Data from each reportform were processed through a computer edit whichflagged inconsistent entries. Each flagged entry wasreviewed manually. During the edit process, animputation program supplied missing data and madeadjustments based on responses of similarly sizedfarms within the same geographic area. Data entries oflarge magnitude and data items that were changedsignificantly in the computer edit process werereviewed and verified by analysts.

    Prior to publication, tabulated totals were reviewed toidentify and resolve remaining inconsistencies andpotential coverage problems. Comparisons were madeto 2002 census data and other available check data.

    DATA COMPARABILITY

    The 2002 Census of Agriculture introduced newmethodology to account for all farms in the UnitedStates. All 2002 published census items werereweighted for incompleteness in the mail list. Thisadjustment for undercoverage was also used for the2003 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey. To providecomparable data, 1998 data published in 2003 werealso reweighted for undercoveraage. An explanation ofthe methodology is included in the 2002 Census ofAgriculture Volume 1, Appendix C.

    Differences exist between the expanded results of the2003 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey and publisheddata from the 2002 Census of Agriculture. Some ofthese are as follows:

    1. The survey excludes horticultural specialty farmsand institutional, research, and experimental

  • 2002 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL EXPLANATION IXUSDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

    farms. The effect of these exclusions is listed inthe following table:

    Irrigated Acres farms irrigated

    2002 U.S. totals . . 299,583 55,311,236

    Excluded from survey . . . . . . 23,767 1,136,547

    Eligible for selection in survey . . . . . . . . . 275,816 54,174,689

    2. The survey includes data only for operators whoirrigated in both 2002 and 2003. Operators insome areas, especially the Eastern States, irrigateintermittently according to moisture needs.Operators having irrigation capabilities may notirrigate depending on the amount of rainfall for aparticular year or geographic area. The number ofoperators who irrigated in 2002 but discontinuedirrigation in 2003 is tabulated in Table 42 byreason of discontinuance.

    3. Some operators reported that they had beenmisclassified as irrigators and did not irrigate ineither 2002 or 2003. An estimated 22,719operators with 948,400 acres irrigated in 2002 weremisclassified as irrigators in the 2002 census. Thisis estimated by expanding reports in the surveywhere the respondents reported that they did notirrigate in 2003 or 2002. In addition to errors inprocessing data, some operators misreported ormisinterpreted the questions. Most of the operatorsmisreporting irrigation in the 2002 census reportedirrigation of small acreages of vegetables, fruitsand nuts, tobacco, potatoes, or berries. Smallamounts of water were applied to these crops at thetime of transplanting.

    4. Some respondents indicated they had quit farming,retired, moved, gone bankrupt, etc., since 2002.After analytical review of the 2003 receipts, anestimated 16,088 operators accounting for2,941,413 acres irrigated in 2002 after expansion,were dropped from processing because they wereno longer farming. Special care was taken withlarge operations to ensure that they were noterroneously dropped due to reorganization or name

    change rather than discontinuing agriculturaloperations. This included the use of field andtelephone enumeration.

    5. New irrigators in 2003 (not included in the 2002census) did not have a chance of being selected inthe sample and, therefore, were excluded from thesurvey. It is believed that the impact of newirrigators is probably minimal. This conclusion issupported by comparisons between the 1997 and2002 censuses which show little change in acres ofirrigated cropland harvested.

    6. For the 2002 census and the 2003 Farm and RanchIrrigation Survey, farms were classified by type ofactivity or activities according to the NorthAmerican Industry Classification System (NAICS).Table 33 provides irrigation data for farmsclassified by NAICS.

    Table A. Farms with Irrigation by Acres Irrigated:2003 Survey Compared with 2002 Census

    Item

    2002 Censusof Agriculture

    2003 Farm and RanchIrrigation Survey

    U. S.totals

    U.S. totals(expanded)

    Percentof 2002censustotals

    Acres irrigated ........farms 299,583 220,163 73.5........ acres 55,311,236 52,583,431 95.0

    1 to 49 acres .......... farms 183,120 116,256 63.5........ acres 2,032,251 1,658,408 81.6

    50 to 99 acres ........farms 27,094 22,288 82.3........ acres 1,878,687 1,551,154 82.6

    100 to 199 acres .....farms 28,011 24,657 88.0........ acres 3,851,651 3,454,895 89.7

    200 to 499 acres ....farms 31,449 28,032 89.1........ acres 9,883,105 8,922,430 90.3

    500 to 999 acres .....farms 17,329 16,771 96.8........ acres 12,001,034 11,827,596 98.6

    1,000 acres or more farms 12,580 12,159 96.7........ acres 25,664,508 25,168,948 98.1

    When comparing the number of farms and irrigatedacres between the 2003 survey and the 2002 censuspublished U.S. totals, most of the differences are foroperators reporting less than 100 acres irrigated. Thisis expected since the excluded horticultural farmsaverage 48 acres irrigated per farm and the othercategories of discontinued or excluded irrigators

  • X GENERAL EXPLANATION 2002 CENSUS OF AGRICULTUREUSDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

    generally are smaller than average irrigators. Table Ashows acres irrigated in the 2003 survey (expanded)compared with U.S. totals from the 2002 census. Theexpanded survey accounts for 95 percent of all landreported as irrigated in the 2002 census and allirrigation characteristics associated with that land.

    DEFINITIONS AND EXPLANATIONS

    This section provides definitions and explanations ofselected items that are used on the report form or in thetables. A facsimile of the 2003 Farm and RanchIrrigation Survey report form is in the appendix.

    Water Resources Areas (WRA)

    Data from the 2003 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Surveywere tabulated by WRA. Boundaries of these areas areshown on the map on page I. These boundaries areessentially the same as the water resources regions(WRR) delineated and defined in the past by the U.S.Water Resources Council. The areas differ somewhatfrom the regions because of the method used forboundary delineation. Region boundaries aredelineated on the basis of topographic drainagecharacteristics, whereas areas are delineated on thebasis of county boundaries which approximate actualdrainage-basin boundaries. Geographic descriptions ofeach water resources region that were used toapproximate the area included in each water resourcesarea are as follows:

    01 New England Region - The drainage within theUnited States that ultimately discharges into the Bay ofFundy and the Atlantic Ocean. These points ofdischarge are located within and between Maine andConnecticut; Long Island Sound and the St. FrancisRiver, a tributary of the St. Lawrence River.

    02 Middle Atlantic Region - The drainage within theUnited States that ultimately discharges into theAtlantic Ocean, whose point of discharge is locatedwithin and between New York and Virginia, and theRichelieu River, a tributary of the St. Lawrence River.

    03 South Atlantic-Gulf Region - The drainage thatultimately discharges into the Atlantic Ocean, whosepoint of discharge is located within and between NorthCarolina and Florida; and the Gulf of Mexico, whose

    point of discharge is located within and betweenFlorida and Mississippi, including the Pearl River.

    04 Great Lakes Region - The drainage within theUnited States that discharges into the Great Lakessystem, including the Lakes’ surfaces; and the St.Lawrence River as far east as, but excluding theRichelieu River.

    05 Ohio Region - The drainage of the Ohio River,excluding that of the Tennessee River.

    06 Tennessee Region - The drainage of the TennesseeRiver.

    07 Upper Mississippi Region - The drainage of theMississippi River above the mouth of the Ohio River,excluding drainage of the Missouri River above a pointimmediately below the mouth of the Gasconade River.

    08 Lower Mississippi River - The drainage of theMississippi River below the mouth of the Ohio River,but excluding the drainage of the Arkansas, White, andRed Rivers and above the points of highest backwateraffects of the Mississippi River in those parts; and thecoastal streams, other than the Mississippi River, thatdischarge into the Gulf of Mexico from the boundariesof, but excluding the Pearl and Sabine Rivers.

    09 Souris-Red-Rainy Region - The drainage within theUnited States of the Souris, Red, and Rainy Rivers.

    10 Missouri Region - The drainage within the UnitedStates of the Missouri River above a point immediatelybelow the mouth of the Gasconade River and theSaskatchewan River.

    11 Arkansas-White-Red Region - The drainage of theArkansas River above the point of highest backwateraffect of the Mississippi River, the Red River abovethe point of highest backwater affect of the MississippiRiver, and the White River above the point of highestbackwater affect of the Mississippi River near PeachOrchard Bluff, AR.

    12 Texas-Gulf Region - The drainage that dischargesinto the Gulf of Mexico from and including SabinePass to, but excluding the Rio Grande and the LowerRio Grande Valley.

  • 2002 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL EXPLANATION XIUSDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

    13 Rio Grande Region - The drainage within theUnited States of the Rio Grande; the San Luis Valley,North Plains, San Augustine Plains, Mimbres, EstanciaJonado del Muerto, Tularosa, Salt, and various smallerclosed basins; and the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

    14 Upper Colorado Region - The drainage of theColorado River above the Lee Ferry Compact Point,which is about 1 mile below the mouth of the PariaRiver; and the Great Divide closed basin.

    15 Lower Colorado Region - The drainage within theUnited States of the Colorado River below the LeeFerry Compact Point, which is about 1 mile below themouth of the Paria River; the Rios Yaqui, Magdelena,Sonoita, and other lesser streams that ultimatlydischarge into the Gulf of California; and the AnimasValley, Wilcox Playa, El Dorado Valley, and othersmaller closed basins.

    16 Great Basin Region - The drainage of the GreatBasin that ultimately discharges into Utah and Nevada.

    17 Pacific-Northwest Region - The drainage within theUnited States that ultimately discharges into the Straitsof Georgia and Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean.The point of discharge is within Washington andOregon, including the Columbia river.

    18 California Region - The drainage within the UnitedStates that ultimately discharges into the PacificOcean, whose point of discharge is within California,which includes the Central Valley; and that portion ofthe Great Basin and other closed basins in California.

    19 Alaska - entire State.

    20 Hawaii - entire State.

    Acre-Feet of Water - An acre-foot of water is thequantity of water required to cover 1 acre to a depth of1 foot. This is equivalent to 43,560 cubic feet or325,851 gallons.

    Acres and quantity harvested - If two or more cropswere harvested from the same land during the year, theacres were counted for each crop. Therefore, the totalacres of all crops harvested generally exceeds the acresof harvested cropland. Exceptions to this procedure

    are hay crops. When more than one cutting of hay wastaken from the same acres, the acres were counted onlyonce, but the quantity harvested included hay from allcuttings.

    For interplanted crops or ‘‘skip-row’’ crops, acres werereported according to the portion of the field occupiedby each crop. If a crop was interplanted in an orchardor vineyard and harvested, then the entire orchard orvineyard acreage was reported under the appropriatefruit crop and the interplanted estimated crop acreagewas reported under the appropriate crop.

    Acres of land in bearing and nonbearing orchards,citrus or other groves, vineyards, and nut trees werereported as harvested cropland regardless of whetherthe crop was harvested or failed. Abandoned orchardswere reported as cropland idle, not harvested cropland.

    Acres irrigated - Acres irrigated are the acres ofagricultural land to which water was artificially appliedby controlled means including preplanted, partial,supplemental, and semi-irrigation. Land floodedduring high water periods was to be included asirrigated only if the water was diverted to agriculturalland by dams, canals, or other works.

    All other land - This category includes land in houselots, barn lots, ponds, roads, ditches, wasteland, etc. Itincludes those acres in the farm operation not classifiedas cropland, pastureland, or woodland.

    Average operating pressure - This is the pressure atthe well head.

    Average pumping capacity - This category includesthe gallons per minute discharged from wells.

    Chemigation - This is the process of applyingpesticides, fertilizers, other chemicals, or animal wastethrough agricultural irrigation water.

    Cropland harvested - This category includes landfrom which crops were harvested and hay was cut, andland used to grow short-rotation woody crops, land inorchards, citrus groves, Christmas trees, vineyards,nurseries, and greenhouses. Land from which two ormore crops were harvested was counted only once.Land in tapped maple trees was included in woodland

  • XII GENERAL EXPLANATION 2002 CENSUS OF AGRICULTUREUSDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

    not pastured. The 1997 census definition for harvestedcropland was the same as the 2002 definition. Short-rotation woody crops were not explicitly referenced inthe 1997 census definition, but were included as“Other nursery and greenhouse crops.”

    Cropland used only for pasture or grazing - This island used only for pasture or grazing that could havebeen used for crops without additional improvement.Also included are acres of crops hogged or grazed butnot harvested prior to grazing. However, cropland thatwas pastured before or after crops were harvested wasto be included as harvested cropland rather thancropland for pasture or grazing.

    Crops unit of measurement - Respondents wereinstructed to report crops in the units published.

    Flowing or artesian wells - Flowing or artesian wellsare wells which flow freely and provide water used forirrigation without pumping. All flowing or artesianwells were excluded from pumping data on Tables 14and 15. This should be taken into consideration whenusing data from these two tables. The 1998 survey wasthe first time the question was a respondent-reporteditem. Past surveys subtracted the reported number ofpumped wells from the reported total wells used toderive the number of artesian wells.

    Institutional, research, experimental, and AmericanIndian reservation farms - Institutional, research,and experimental farms were previously calledabnormal farms. In the 2002 census, these farms werecombined with Indian Reservation farms into onecategory. However, in the 2003 survey AmericanIndian Reservations are included while the others areexcluded. Research farms include farms operated byprivate companies as well as those operated byuniversities, colleges, and government organizationsfor the purpose of expanding agricultural knowledge.

    Irrigated farms - Irrigated farms or ranches are thosewith any agricultural land irrigated by any artificial orcontrolled means in the specific calendar year. Theacreage irrigated may vary from a very small portion ofthe total acreage in the farm or ranch to irrigation of allagricultural land in the farm or ranch. Livestocklagoon waste water distributed by sprinkler or floodsystems was also included.

    Land in farms - The acreage designated as ‘‘land infarms’’ consists primarily of agricultural land used forcrops, pasture, or grazing. It also includes woodlandand wasteland not actually under cultivation or usedfor pasture or grazing, provided it was part of the farmoperator’s total operation. Large acreages of woodlandor wasteland held for nonagricultural purposes weredeleted from individual reports during the edit process.Land in farms includes acres in the ConservationReserve and Wetlands Reserve Programs.

    Land in farms is an operating unit concept and includesland owned and operated as well as land rented fromothers. Land used rent free was reported as land rentedfrom others. All grazing land, except land used undergovernment permits on a per-head basis, was includedas ‘‘land in farms’’ provided it was part of a farm orranch. Land under the exclusive use of a grazingassociation was reported by the grazing association andincluded as land in farms. All land in American Indianreservations used for growing crops or grazinglivestock was included as land in farms. Land inreservations not reported by individual AmericanIndians or non-Native Americans was reported in thename of the cooperative group that used the land. Inmany instances, an entire American Indian reservationwas reported as one farm.

    Market value of agricultural products sold - Themarket value of agricultural products sold representsthe gross market value before taxes and productionexpenses of all agricultural products sold or removedfrom the place in 2003 regardless of who received thepayment. It is equivalent to total sales. It includessales by the operator as well as the value of any sharesreceived by partners, landlords, contractors, or othersassociated with the operation. The market value ofagricultural products sold represents the sum of allcrops, including nursery products, and livestock andpoultry and their products. It does not include incomefrom farm-related sources, such as custom work oragricultural services, or income from nonfarm sources.

    The 2003 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey is the firsttime sales data from the survey year has been collected.In the previous surveys, these data were taken from theprevious census report forms of the irrigation surveyrespondents. Therefore, the market value of sales didnot always match up to the commodities reported in the

  • 2002 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL EXPLANATION XIIIUSDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

    survey due to differing yields and prices and operationchanges from year to year.

    North American Industry Classification System -Beginning with the 1997 Census of Agriculture and the1998 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey, farms wereclassified by type of activity according to the NorthAmerican Industry Classification System, (NAICS).Prior to 1997, the Standard Industrial ClassificationSystem (SIC) was used. An establishment primarilyengaged in crop production (major group 111) orproduction of livestock and animal specialties (majorgroup 112) is classified in the four-digit industry andthree-digit industry group which accounts for 50percent or more of the total value of sales of itsagricultural products. If the total value of sales ofagricultural products of an establishment is less than50 percent from a single four-digit industry, but 50percent or more from the products of two or more four-digit industries within the same three-digit industrygroup, the establishment is classified in themiscellaneous industry of that industry group.Otherwise, it is classified as “All Other Crop Farming”in industry 11199 or a general livestock farm inindustry 11299.

    Classifications of irrigated farms by selected NAICSgroupings are shown in Table 33. The NAICS codesfor the 2003 survey respondents were determined fromtheir 2002 census report.

    Off-farm water supply - Off-farm water supply iswater from off-farm water suppliers, such as the U.S.Bureau of Reclamation; irrigation districts; mutual,private, cooperative, or neighborhood ditches;commercial companies; or community water systems.

    On-farm surface supply - On-farm surface supply iswater from a surface source not controlled by a watersupply organization. It includes sources such asstreams, drainage ditches, lakes, ponds, and reservoirson or adjacent to the operated land.

    Other cropland - Other cropland includes croplandnot harvested and not grazed which was used for covercrops or soil-improvement crops, land on which allcrops failed, land in cultivated summer fallow, idlecropland, and land planted in crops that were to beharvested after the survey year.

    Other pastureland and rangeland - This land usecategory is very inclusive and encompasses all grazableland that does not qualify as cropland pasture. It maybe irrigated or dry land. In some areas, it can be a highquality pasture that could not be cropped withoutimprovements. In other areas, it is barely able to begrazed and is only marginally better than wasteland.

    Sprinkler systems - Sprinkler irrigation is dividedinto four areas to reflect current trends in irrigation.The center pivot and mechanical-move methods have,by definition, high-pressure delivery with waterdelivered at 60 psi or more, medium pressure deliverywith water delivered at 30 to 59 psi, and low pressuredelivery with water delivered at less than 30 psi. Themechanical-move systems are classified as either linearmove, side roll, wheel move, or big gun where thesprinkler device is moved across the field either byself-propelled methods or by tractor. Since all big gunsoperate at high pressure, pressure was not asked.

    Hand move systems include distribution systems laidout in the spring and removed at the end of the season,as well as other sprinkler systems which are movedwithout mechanical assistance. Solid set andpermanent systems are sprinklers placed in the groundpermanently and used mostly for perennial crops.

    Total cropland - This category includes croplandharvested, cropland used only for pasture or grazing,cropland idle or used for cover crops or soilimprovement but not harvested and not pastured orgrazed, cropland on which all crops failed or wereabandoned, and cropland in cultivated summer fallow.

    Woodland - Woodland includes natural or plantedwoodlots or timber tracts, cutover and deforested landwith young growth which has or will have value forwood products and woodland pastured. Land coveredby sagebrush or mesquite was reported as otherpastureland and rangeland or other land. Land plantedfor Christmas tree production and short rotation woodycrops was reported in cropland harvested and land intapped maple trees was reported as woodland notpastured.

  • XIV GENERAL EXPLANATION 2002 CENSUS OF AGRICULTUREUSDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

    STATISTICAL METHODOLOGY

    Target Population

    The target population for the survey was composed ofall farms irrigating in the reference year 2003,excluding horticultural specialty farms andinstitutional, research, or experimental farms. Toobtain measurement for this target population, theframe population was constructed to include all farmsthat reported irrigated acres in the 2002 Census ofAgriculture except for farms that reported horticulturalcrop sales of at least $10,000 and all institutional,research, and experimental farms. The farms in theexcluded categories represented 11 percent of the totalnumber of irrigators and 2 percent of the irrigated landreported in the 2002 census.

    Undercoverage existed in the frame population to theextent that there were farms that either erroneouslyreported not irrigating in the 2002 census, startedirrigating in 2003, or had succeeding irrigators in 2003(i.e., an operator who, since 2002, took over control ofan irrigating farm through sales, rental, or otherarrangements). Overcoverage existed in the framebecause some operations were misclassified asirrigators and did not irrigate in 2002 or had eitherstopped farming or irrigating in 2003. Farms in thesegroups that were selected into the sample wereidentified during the survey and estimates of theirnumber and acres irrigated are provided. Table Bprovides the farm count and acres irrigated by State forboth the survey frame population and the 2002 census.

    Sample Design

    Sampling frames were created at the State level andconsisted of the farm operations reported in that Statein the 2002 census that satisfied the frame definitionstated above. The survey estimates were based on aprobability sample of farms from each State frame.The sample design consisted of a stratified systematicsample selected independently from each of the 50State frames. All farms in a sampling frame werestratified on the basis of total irrigated acres reported inthe 2002 census. The stratification boundaries variedamong the States and were dependent on thedistribution of total acres irrigated variable within theState. A certainty stratum, whose farms were selected

    with probability one, was included in each State so thatthe major irrigators in each State were included.

    The State sample sizes necessary to obtain the desiredlevel of precision were determined by analyzing thevariation of the total acres irrigated variable in eachState’s sampling frame. These sample sizes wereadjusted using historical nonresponse data to thesurvey. The total national sample size was 25,014farms; 1,823 of these farms were selected from thecertainty strata and the remaining 23,191 farms weresystematically selected from the noncertainty strata.Table B provides the State sample sizes.

    Survey Error

    The statistics in this report are estimates derived froma sample survey. There are two types of errors possiblein an estimate-based sample survey: sampling andnonsampling. Sampling error is the error caused byobserving only a sample instead of the entirepopulation. The sampling error is subject to sample-to-sample variation. Nonsampling errors include allother errors and can arise from many different sources.These sources may include respondent or enumeratorerror or incorrect data keying, editing, or imputing formissing data. Nonsampling error due to mail listincompleteness and duplication, as well asmisclassification of records on the mail list, is referredto as coverage error.

    Measures of Precision

    The survey sample was one of a large number ofpossible samples of the same size that could have beenselected using the same sample design. Surveyestimates derived from the different samples will differfrom each other.

    The relative standard error is used as an indicator ofthe precision in the survey estimates and is reported formajor survey items in Table C. The relative standarderror expresses the standard error of an estimate as apercent of the estimated value. The standard error ofa survey estimate is a measure of the variation amongthe estimates from all possible samples. It is a measureof the precision with which an estimate from aparticular sample approximates the average result of allpossible samples.

  • 2002 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL EXPLANATION XVUSDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

    Table B. Irrigated Farms: 2003 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey and the 2002 Census of Agriculture

    Geographic area

    2003 Survey 2002 Census

    Initial mailout countsFinal reports processed and tabulated

    Published totals Sample universe 1Unexpanded 2 Expanded 3

    Farms 2002 acres Farms Acres irrigated Farms Acres irrigated Farms Acres irrigated Farms Acres irrigated

    United States

    AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCalifornia

    ColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgia

    HawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowa

    KansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMaryland

    MassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouri

    MontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew Jersey

    New MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhio

    OklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth Carolina

    South DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermont

    VirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

    25,014

    50945

    505823

    1,202

    591104207672783

    402773569580462

    616647919105305

    125584659791791

    647585404129383

    579404495352314

    568771470

    56285

    409411

    1,054591

    97

    414733

    83513498

    20,963,602

    68,9862,278

    676,3851,282,4552,668,447

    692,9263,257

    83,1941,174,105

    499,744

    56,0221,242,864

    279,261228,105122,167

    876,80719,689

    666,87615,91061,501

    9,611298,638331,676

    1,064,232740,514

    575,696774,332487,946

    68951,162

    501,62245,914

    115,094162,327

    19,086

    351,478793,879

    19,383612

    61,627

    204,24338,198

    1,365,569351,200

    724

    49,728818,305

    1,039310,106697,994

    17,310

    26432

    328584862

    44981

    140411559

    279575484416305

    434457625

    84197

    109405447469591

    495457299

    96253

    417203270257205

    391569283

    35158

    316215698495

    62

    228506

    55409351

    15,358,202

    32,7782,013

    513,907963,372

    1,931,009

    483,1831,428

    46,321972,930307,172

    69,5531,003,451

    254,915160,319

    89,159

    623,08511,860

    453,14313,07834,415

    7,282231,642254,765768,247580,131

    478,008630,357341,918

    42530,041

    359,75016,16626,948

    129,4619,393

    273,820591,991

    7,621497

    31,985

    149,25026,109

    880,953267,931

    326

    14,622617,101

    507285,661378,203

    220,163

    57873

    2,7774,834

    46,841

    11,567234213

    8,3352,847

    1,21414,303

    1,1951,193

    709

    4,878943

    2,280507509

    8422,3661,6391,5671,966

    8,62516,278

    1,722161807

    6,7411,2842,281

    541670

    1,81914,205

    1,58958

    951

    1,444759

    15,44110,070

    204

    90512,862

    1001,4144,822

    52,583,431

    52,7222,252

    836,5873,944,8678,471,936

    2,562,3292,213

    69,0881,497,653

    710,893

    78,5383,126,857

    374,919276,294134,164

    2,543,95020,685

    838,71718,16353,734

    16,151432,665434,500

    1,169,7931,020,728

    2,131,9557,516,171

    639,310818

    46,679

    769,78748,545

    101,055207,772

    14,476

    508,8421,731,660

    19,633648

    52,046

    390,40634,429

    4,947,7451,082,213

    825

    33,6351,806,782

    801391,763

    1,415,037

    299,583

    1,698150

    4,1725,847

    55,596

    13,623801439

    13,4565,369

    2,23115,901

    2,0312,212

    976

    5,9153,6063,4961,0311,265

    1,5804,4132,4332,2353,304

    10,15017,970

    1,981451

    2,124

    8,2823,3076,721

    6592,623

    2,94217,776

    4,108264

    1,918

    1,7552,592

    21,16411,587

    508

    3,33115,534

    4082,4575,191

    55,311,236

    108,7832,742

    931,7354,149,7668,709,353

    2,590,65410,13997,167

    1,815,174870,810

    69,1943,288,522

    390,843313,130142,109

    2,678,27736,751

    938,84119,70380,828

    23,720456,278454,850

    1,175,5301,032,973

    1,976,1117,625,170

    746,6532,292

    96,893

    844,79974,663

    264,057202,817

    40,685

    517,5531,907,627

    42,5163,963

    95,642

    401,08361,217

    5,074,6381,091,011

    2,335

    98,9131,823,155

    1,981385,902

    1,541,688

    203,123

    94084

    2,3774,957

    37,803

    10,346276300

    7,4853,415

    1,40611,976

    1,2211,464

    756

    5,3812,4152,243

    490708

    8162,5881,6471,6622,083

    8,40914,450

    1,539214967

    5,4991,6294,127

    520932

    2,10411,641

    1,92898

    1,122

    1,3011,043

    14,0388,950

    175

    2,0279,780

    1851,4054,201

    49,031,141

    74,2202,353

    849,3543,903,2717,551,425

    2,311,6383,764

    87,1091,485,803

    754,538

    58,3523,145,799

    336,963287,687128,731

    2,623,54430,334

    803,24716,84665,597

    17,021377,628396,265

    1,153,086883,096

    1,807,5486,650,859

    608,589871

    56,130

    745,85162,723

    220,792175,369

    21,128

    434,2171,604,468

    26,046719

    70,523

    312,64739,602

    4,509,969966,653

    887

    74,4021,523,908

    1,248344,976

    1,423,345 1 Excludes institutional, research, and experimental farms and horticultural specialty farms. 2 Includes 2,361 farms that discontinued irrigation since 2002. 3 Includes 32,489 farms that discontinued irrigation since 2002.

  • XVI GENERAL EXPLANATION 2002 CENSUS OF AGRICULTUREUSDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

    Table C. Relative Standard Error (percent) for Selected Irrigation Data: 2003[Excludes abnormal and horticultural specialty farms. For meaning of abbreviations and symbols, see introductory text]

    Geographic area IrrigatedfarmsLand infarms

    Acres irrigatedAcre-feetof waterapplied,

    all sources

    Wellsused

    in 2003

    Pumps,all types

    Expenses for irrigation

    Total Croplandharvested

    Bysprinklersystems

    Bygravity

    flow

    Energyused forpumping

    For wells,pumps,

    equipment,and facilities

    Maintenanceand

    repair

    United States

    AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCalifornia

    ColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgia

    HawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowa

    KansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMaryland

    MassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouri

    MontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew Jersey

    New MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhio

    OklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth Carolina

    South DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermont

    VirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

    Water Resources Areas

    WRA 01 New EnglandWRA 02 Mid-AtlanticWRA 03 South Atlantic-GulfWRA 04 Great LakesWRA 05 Ohio

    WRA 06 TennesseeWRA 07 Upper MississippiWRA 08 Lower MississippiWRA 09 Souris-Red-RainyWRA 10 Missouri

    WRA 11 Arkansas-White-RedWRA 12 Texas-GulfWRA 13 Rio GrandeWRA 14 Upper ColoradoWRA 15 Lower Colorado

    WRA 16 Great BasinWRA 17 Pacific NorthwestWRA 18 CaliforniaWRA 19 AlaskaWRA 20 Hawaii

    1.0

    6.66.59.93.62.8

    3.910.512.4

    5.97.1

    3.43.13.55.83.8

    3.66.55.5

    12.610.5

    7.04.64.0

    21.36.2

    4.02.23.56.58.6

    5.711.712.3

    2.79.1

    8.04.57.7

    15.115.7

    3.810.0

    5.93.28.0

    16.73.8

    16.54.12.2

    4.86.04.55.06.1

    20.02.83.3

    10.72.5

    6.68.1

    10.98.8

    10.1

    6.52.72.96.53.4

    3.1

    9.48.87.12.98.5

    10.217.0

    5.68.75.3

    34.78.94.86.5

    15.3

    5.28.49.9

    18.012.1

    10.24.53.63.54.8

    14.28.48.4

    13.67.8

    25.512.811.6

    8.010.1

    12.59.4

    17.811.917.1

    9.57.8

    13.614.717.9

    19.610.022.8

    4.313.5

    11.67.25.13.86.4

    14.23.92.86.16.2

    8.310.529.423.718.0

    10.15.68.48.8

    34.7

    1.0

    6.13.92.42.33.5

    3.98.24.12.34.3

    14.12.11.72.42.8

    2.55.63.19.65.6

    6.72.22.22.42.3

    4.13.23.69.44.0

    4.710.7

    7.92.89.6

    3.82.8

    11.08.76.8

    2.75.15.43.2

    13.9

    8.93.5

    11.51.83.8

    5.32.72.02.13.7

    10.81.51.74.32.2

    5.43.96.47.92.6

    3.41.73.43.9

    14.1

    3.2

    9.56.92.62.73.9

    12.715.3

    5.76.84.3

    20.34.85.06.6

    16.2

    4.98.78.8

    26.212.1

    11.84.63.62.64.3

    35.67.46.5

    14.28.8

    5.814.014.210.010.1

    8.216.120.316.112.4

    9.18.15.66.7

    22.8

    12.46.5

    33.25.09.1

    17.16.53.93.96.7

    13.74.32.56.39.0

    5.26.36.7

    23.52.7

    6.66.43.86.9

    20.3

    1.7

    6.54.27.99.0

    11.2

    5.010.7

    4.08.95.0

    9.63.01.72.42.9

    2.96.17.1

    11.65.7

    7.82.42.44.14.0

    7.04.57.5

    13.45.0

    5.412.0

    8.53.6

    11.4

    4.45.0

    11.16.07.0

    4.16.07.66.2

    25.3

    10.94.4

    10.11.88.8

    6.42.93.72.23.7

    11.71.54.24.63.2

    6.94.88.5

    11.68.2

    6.12.3

    10.64.29.6

    1.4

    31.253.5

    2.82.63.8

    7.8 - -

    5.619.0

    22.26.0

    29.935.515.2

    9.224.4

    3.441.097.9

    43.598.013.8

    3.13.5

    5.16.84.9

    21.429.7

    8.5 -

    59.910.453.5

    11.44.8

    34.813.074.6

    8.734.4

    8.84.3

    50.9

    -9.2(Z)

    74.94.9

    35.524.0

    5.374.731.4

    97.214.8

    2.015.2

    3.6

    6.710.7

    9.49.82.8

    4.13.93.8

    53.522.2

    1.4

    7.735.4

    2.63.43.4

    5.311.0

    9.83.25.2

    19.73.02.23.33.3

    3.46.43.7

    13.28.0

    10.62.82.63.33.1

    5.44.44.3

    18.08.7

    4.413.715.7

    6.236.2

    5.43.5

    11.512.111.1

    49.97.56.04.4

    17.2

    10.93.97.04.24.7

    9.44.52.72.46.3

    12.72.22.65.44.0

    5.64.86.38.02.6

    3.72.13.3

    35.419.7

    1.8

    10.312.628.9

    3.57.5

    9.224.8

    4.77.56.1

    25.87.92.25.44.5

    3.215.7

    5.021.9

    9.6

    29.46.93.24.82.8

    30.13.97.5

    13.08.8

    7.219.926.8

    5.518.4

    7.417.216.937.821.6

    6.416.1

    4.915.716.7

    28.813.031.1

    3.616.6

    12.76.95.65.66.4

    20.22.52.56.33.3

    5.25.78.0

    53.126.1

    8.58.17.5

    12.625.8

    1.6

    7.411.332.4

    3.35.5

    8.211.9

    5.46.24.6

    11.46.12.24.64.0

    4.97.9

    18.014.512.1

    8.46.83.44.42.7

    9.23.77.09.26.6

    8.113.911.3

    4.711.9

    7.18.2

    11.419.515.1

    5.910.8

    5.015.014.0

    15.77.4

    22.110.211.8

    6.05.74.15.55.1

    17.74.53.76.73.0

    4.95.98.0

    20.328.5

    11.64.45.4

    11.311.4

    3.0

    6.38.26.53.59.9

    5.57.95.74.66.1

    16.93.42.33.33.9

    4.09.43.8

    20.413.0

    14.82.82.73.72.9

    7.75.16.8

    14.05.8

    5.015.110.7

    5.231.7

    4.05.8

    11.78.6

    11.3

    5.617.7

    9.09.2

    24.4

    12.15.3

    17.13.4

    10.8

    11.74.23.42.66.4

    17.32.22.66.33.9

    9.74.47.4

    16.56.3

    6.12.79.88.2

    16.9

    4.3

    18.113.911.015.715.0

    15.426.813.412.019.7

    17.49.29.99.7

    12.7

    11.318.6

    7.517.618.1

    19.911.038.1

    6.97.5

    18.916.113.624.119.4

    9.918.420.612.323.1

    14.314.718.527.316.2

    20.521.812.214.335.8

    30.313.649.7

    9.325.1

    11.89.48.98.99.6

    19.714.211.011.511.2

    12.711.310.626.811.3

    10.87.1

    14.813.917.4

    3.0

    18.112.4

    7.77.08.7

    10.929.916.0

    6.17.1

    12.66.75.6

    12.37.3

    7.418.443.625.013.8

    11.65.25.25.97.4

    9.48.5

    11.426.5

    8.3

    8.017.516.113.614.3

    8.811.924.055.913.9

    10.114.512.710.253.1

    32.38.2

    62.55.18.6

    9.810.0

    4.74.3

    13.1

    48.33.4

    11.09.16.0

    13.78.4

    11.611.9

    7.6

    15.64.48.6

    12.412.6

  • 2002 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL EXPLANATION XVIIUSDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

    The relative standard errors given in Table C can beused to construct confidence intervals for the majorsurvey items. Confidence intervals are another way toexpress the precision of an estimate by calculating theupper and lower bounds for a level of confidence. Thisconfidence interval is designed to contain the truevalue being estimated. If all possible samples wereselected, each of the samples were surveyed underessentially the same conditions, and an estimate and itsstandard error were calculated from each sample, then:

    1. Approximately 67 percent of the intervals fromone standard error below the estimate to onestandard error above the estimate would includethe average value of all possible samples.

    2. Approximately 90 percent of the intervals from1.65 standard errors below the estimate to 1.65standard errors above the estimate would includethe average value of all possible samples.

    The computations necessary to construct theconfidence intervals associated with these statementsare illustrated in the following example: Assume thatthe estimated number of irrigated acres of a certainitem is 669,813 and the relative standard error of theestimate is 1.6 percent (0.016). Multiplying 669,813by 0.016 yields 10,717, the standard error. Therefore,a 67 percent confidence interval is 659,096 to 680,530(i.e., 669,813 + 10,717). Similarly, a 90 percentconfidence interval is 652,130 to 687,496 (i.e., 669,813+ 1.65 x 10,717).

    Estimation

    Estimates were produced for the Nation as a whole, foreach of the 50 States, and for the geographic domainsknown as Water Resources Areas (WRA). Theestimation methodology accounted for both selectionof the survey sample and survey nonresponse. Theestimator for the State totals was a direct expansionreweighted estimator. The expansion factor was theinverse of the selection probability for the samplefarms in a stratum. This expansion factor wasreweighted at the stratum level to account for whole-farm nonresponse. The nonresponse adjustment factorused to reweight the expansion factor was the ratio ofthe number of sample farms in a stratum to the numberof sample farms that responded to the survey in that

    stratum. The assumption underlying this weightingapproach to survey nonresponse was that surveyrespondents and nonrespondents within a stratumconstitute a homogeneous population, thus allowingrespondents to represent nonrespondents. Thereweighted expansion factor is the product of these twofactors and is equal to the ratio of the total number offarms in the stratum to the total number of samplefarms that responded to the survey in that stratum. Anexpanded data value for a sample record was obtainedby multiplying the data value by the reweightedexpansion factor. State totals for a characteristic wereestimated by summing the expanded data values fromall responding sample records across all strata withinthe State. National estimates were obtained bysumming across all States. The WRA estimates wereobtained by summing the expanded data values for theportion of the sample falling into the WRA.

    EDITING

    Reported data that were obviously incorrect due tomisinterpretation of a question were either corrected ordeleted prior to the computer edit. In some cases,respondents may have failed to provide all of theinformation requested, only indicating the presence ofan item but not the amount. Imputations were madefor missing data on acres irrigated, quantity of waterused, method of water distribution, yield of cropsharvested, maintenance and repair costs, cost of waterreceived from off-farm water suppliers, wellcharacteristics, and energy cost of well pumps.

    QUALIFICATIONS OF THE DATA

    Analysts reviewing the returned report forms andresults of the computer edit detected a few inquiriesthat were not uniformly interpreted by all respondents.Data users should be aware that respondentinterpretation of some questions may affect the finalresults in their use of these selected statistics.Clarification of data items with potential extortions anddata impacted by unique problems or definitions areprovided below.

    Irrigated land - Irrigated land is defined as “all landwatered by artificial or controlled means.” No attempthas been made to define the degree or intensity ofirrigation. Therefore, the figures for irrigated land

  • XVIII GENERAL EXPLANATION 2002 CENSUS OF AGRICULTUREUSDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

    include land with as little as one inch of water appliedas well as land having several feet of water applied.

    Nonirrigated crop yields - Data users are remindedthat the nonirrigated crop yield averages in Table 27are for nonirrigated crops harvested from farms havingland irrigated and may not be comparable with cropyield averages for total farms in the State. Yields forsweet corn, tomatoes, and lettuce were asked for thefirst time in 2003. However, many respondents leftyields blank which required a large amount ofimputation and the yields that were reported for thesecrops covered an extremely large range indicatingrespondents did not always use the hundredweight unitrequested on the form. Therefore it was decided thatthese three vegetable yields would not be published.

    Estimated quantity of water applied - Most waterused for irrigation is not metered or measuredaccurately. The quantity of water data are on the basisof best estimates provided by irrigators. Generally, inareas of water scarcity such as southern California andArizona, irrigators are more likely to be able to provideactual quantities of water used than in Mountain Statessuch as Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho where scarcityof water is less of a problem. In the Mountain Stateswhere water from snow-melt is diverted for use inseason, the amount of water used may be a roughestimate, seldom a measured figure.

    Farms using off-farm water - In 2003, respondentswere asked to report the amount (none, some, all, orunknown) of off-farm water supplied by the U.S.Bureau of Reclamation, other federal agencies, and allother suppliers. However, many respondents did notanswer this question. No imputation was used todetermine an amount by source. Instead, the edit setthe entry to unknown. The number using water fromU.S. Bureau of Reclamation, other federal agencies,and all other suppliers may be understated.

    Average hours of operation - The total hours a wellpump operated was collected for each of the first threewells reported. For the remaining number of wellpumps, respondents were asked to report the averagehours the pumps operated. Some data collected in thisentry exceeded 8,760 hours, the maximum number ofhours in a year, meaning that some respondents hadentered their total pump operating hours rather than the

    average hours used. Records exceeding the 8,760 hourthreshold were edited, but other records may have beentabulated with inflated operating hours.

    Application of commercial fertilizers or pesticidesin irrigation water - This inquiry was intended tomeasure the number of farms and acres on whichfertilizer and pesticides were distributed throughirrigation systems. The question was redesigned in2003 to avoid the overstated farm count and acresthought to have occurred in 1998 because respondentsmisinterpreted the inquiry to include conventionalapplication of fertilizer and pesticides to the irrigatedcrop as well. Review of the 2003 data suggests thatfarmers may have missed the question on the reportform and left it blank. Therefore, farms and acres maybe understated in 2003.

    Cost of water received from off-farm watersuppliers - Irrigators receiving water from off-farmwater suppliers are generally required to pay for thewater in charges, fees, or assessment. The computeredit procedures called for imputing an estimate for costof water based on other reports from the samegeographic area. The final tabulated results for thisitem may be overstated because it was not possible todistinguish cases where the respondent received freewater from cases where the cost amount was omittedin error, leading to imputation of a dollar amount.States with small sample sizes, mostly in theNortheast, reported a wide range for the cost of waterwith data skewed to the high end which may be due tothe use of expensive municipal water on small acres.

    Irrigation wells - The question was intended tocapture only those wells used for irrigation purposes.However, some farm operators reported wells used fordomestic purposes or livestock as well. When sucherrors were identified, these entries were deleted.

    Artesian wells - A specific entry space was providedfor artesian wells. The data for well pumps excludeany pumps that may have actually been used to pumpwater from artesian wells.

    Irrigation pumps - The inventory figures for numberof irrigation pumps reported in Table 16 includereserve pumps not actually used in 2003, but excludeany pumps on wells not used in 2003. By definition,

  • 2002 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL EXPLANATION XIXUSDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

    flowing or artesian wells do not have well pumps.

    Expenditures for maintenance and repair andinvestment in irrigation facilities and equipment -The data reported are for expenditures that occurredonly in 2003. Some respondents found it difficult toseparate expenditures for maintenance and repairs frominvestment in irrigation facilities and equipment asdefined on the report form. For example, replacementof worn-out sprinkler nozzles, pumps, and motorscould be considered as either repair cost or investmentin new equipment. Data users are reminded that thedistinction between the two expenditure categories wasleft up to the respondent.

    Government programs - This item shows the effectof government programs on irrigation practices.

    Improvements to irrigation systems that reduceenergy and/or conserve water used in irrigation -This item shows the benefits of new resource-conserving irrigation systems. Respondents wereasked to respond for the period covering 1998 to 2003.The information was tabulated as reported. Noimputation was made for a blank response.

    Sources of irrigation information - This questionidentifies where farmers look for help in makingirrigation decisions. The information for this item wastabulated as reported. No imputation was made for ablank response.

    Reason for discontinuance of irrigation since 2002 -The data shown in Table 42 reflect the expansion ofreported entries. Some respondents reported multiplereasons, while others gave no specific reason.

    Table D. Leading Irrigation States: 2002, 1997, and 1992 Censuses

    Geographic areaAcres irrigated Rank 2002 cumulative

    percent of U.S.total2002 1997 1992 1 2002 1997 1992

    United States 55,311,236 56,289,172 49,404,030 (X) (X) (X) 100.0

    20 Leading States 50,812,487 52,266,055 45,703,882 (X) (X) (X) 91.9

    California 8,709,353 8,886,693 7,571,313 1 1 1 15.7

    Nebraska 7,625,170 7,065,556 6,311,633 2 2 2 29.5

    Texas 5,074,638 5,764,295 4,912,308 3 3 3 38.7

    Arkansas 4,149,766 3,785,338 2,701,651 4 4 7 46.2

    Idaho 3,288,522 3,543,805 3,260,006 5 5 4 52.2

    Kansas 2,678,277 2,695,816 2,680,343 6 7 6 57.0

    Colorado 2,590,604 3,374,233 3,169,839 7 6 5 61.7

    Montana 1,976,111 2,101,548 1,978,167 8 8 8 65.3

    Oregon 1,970,627 1,963,478 1,622,235 9 9 9 68.7

    Washington 1,823,155 1,787,120 1,641,437 10 11 11 72.0

    Florida 1,815,174 1,873,823 1,782,680 11 10 10 75.3

    Wyoming 1,541,688 1,749,908 1,464,585 12 12 12 78.1

    Mississippi 1,175,530 1,110,145 882,976 13 14 19 80.2

    Utah 1,091,011 1,218,474 1,142,514 14 13 13 82.2

    Missouri 1,032,973 921,113 708,864 15 17 20 84.0

    Louisiana 938,841 960,831 897,641 16 16 17 85.7

    Arizona 931,735 1,075,336 956,454 17 15 14 87.4

    Georgia 870,710 773,066 724,792 18 19 18 89.0

    New Mexico 844,799 851,735 738,272 19 18 16 90.5

    Nevada 746,653 763,742 556,172 20 20 15 91.9 1 1992 data have not been adjusted for farms not on the mail list.

  • XX GENERAL EXPLANATION 2002 CENSUS OF AGRICULTUREUSDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

    SUMMARY

    Irrigated Crops

    Compared with 1998, the number of farms and ranchesirrigating fell 2 percent to 220,163 in 2003, and totalland irrigated was down 3 percent to 52.6 millionacres. The leading States in total acreage of irrigatedland in 2003 were California (16 percent of U.S. total),Nebraska (14 percent), and Texas (9 percent). Table Dshows the top twenty states from the 2002 census andtheir previous census acres irrigated and rank.

    Corn for grain or seed continues to be the dominantirrigated crop accounting for nearly 19 percent ofirrigated land. The top irrigated crops in the UnitedStates in 2003 were corn for grain or seed, alfalfa hay,soybeans, land in orchards, and cotton. These cropsaccounted for 56 percent of all irrigated land. Irrigatedpastureland accounted for 3.63 million acres in 2003,down 8 percent from 1998.

    Estimated Quantity of Water Applied

    The total quantity of water applied in 2003 was down11 percent from 1998. Nationally, irrigators estimateda total of 86.9 million acre-feet of water was applied tothe 52.6 million acres irrigated in 2003 for an averageof 1.7 acre-feet per acre irrigated. Table E shows theaverage acre-feet of water applied per irrigated acre inthe U.S. over the last 29 years. The average amount ofwater applied per acre in 2003 ranged from a high of5.6 acre-feet in Massachusetts, to a low of 0.4 acre-feetin several States.

    Table E. Average Acre-Feet of Water Applied: 2003and Earlier Surveys and 1974 Census

    Year and sourceAmountapplied

    (acre-feet)

    2003 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey 1.65

    1998 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey 1.79

    1994 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey 1.72

    1988 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey 1.82

    1984 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey 1.8

    1979 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey 1.86

    1974 Census of Agriculture 2.09

    Method of Irrigation

    In 2003, farmers and ranchers irrigated 52.6 millionacres by different water distribution systems. Of thetotal acres irrigated, 26.9 million acres were irrigatedby sprinkler systems and 23.1 million acres by gravityflow systems. For the first time, the Farm and RanchIrrigation Survey shows more acres irrigated withsprinkler systems than gravity flow systems.

    Sprinkler systems were used on 51 percent of the totalland irrigated in 2003 compared with 46 percent in1998, 46 percent in 1994, and 40 percent in 1988.Gravity flow systems were used on 43 percent of theland in 2003, compared with 50 percent in 1998, 50percent in 1994, and 59 percent in 1988. Table Fshows acres irrigated by method in 2003 and 1998.

    Table F. Acres Irrigated by Method of Irrigation:2003 and 1998 Surveys

    Method1998acres

    irrigated

    2003acres

    irrigated

    Percentchange

    Sprinklers 24,865,142 26,937,835 + 8.3

    Center pivot - low pressure 9,292,022 9,696,930 + 4.4

    Center pivot - medium pressure 7,419,409 9,657,353 +30.2

    Center pivot - high pressure 1,983,869 1,938,808 - 2.3

    Linear move towers 284,756 344,162 +20.9

    Solid set and permanent 1,222,683 1,177,953 - 3.7

    Side roll 2,033,825 1,825,901 -10.3

    Big gun or traveller 765,794 633,188 -17.3

    Hand move 1,862,784 1,663,540 -10.7

    Gravity flow 27,273,419 23,124,131 -15.2

    Down rows or furrows 14,025,125 11,723,084 -16.4

    Controlled flooding 8,472,646 8,847,392 + 4.4

    Uncontrolled flooding 3,273,796 2,297,956 -29.8

    Other gravity 1,501,852 255,699 -83.0

    Drip, trickle, or low-flow 2,259,176 2,988,101 +32.3

    Subirrigation 549,655 279,522 - 49.2

    Data tabulations for farms having only one of the fourkinds of distribution systems - sprinklers, gravity, drip,or subirrigation - show noticeable differences in theamount of water applied per acre by each system. Forexample, farms using only sprinkler systems applied1.3 acre-feet per acre irrigated, compared with 2.0 acre-feet for farms using only gravity flow systems.

  • 2002 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL EXPLANATION XXIUSDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

    Source of Water

    Of the 52.6 million acres irrigated by water from allsources in 2003, about 32.3 million acres (61 percent)were irrigated from farm irrigation wells, 7.28 millionacres (13 percent) from on-farm surface sources, and13.9 million acres (26 percent) from off-farm watersuppliers. Of the 86.9 million acre-feet of waterestimated to be used for irrigation in 2003, 43.5 millionwere pumped from wells, 11.8 million were providedby on-farm surface sources, and 31.6 million camefrom off-farm water suppliers. Table G shows howthese data correspond to previous farm and ranchirrigation surveys.

    Table G. Irrigation Water Used by Source: 2003 andEarlier Surveys

    Source 2003 1998 1994 1988 1984

    Total: Acre-feet (million) 86.9 97.3 79.6 84.1 82.7

    Wells: Acre-feet (million) 43.5 43.8 39.4 40.5 36.2

    Percent 50 45 49 48 44

    On-farm: Acre-feet (million) 11.8 11.9 8.6 8.9 10.2

    Percent 14 12 11 11 12

    Off-farm: Acre-feet (million) 31.6 41.5 31.6 34.9 36.2

    Percent 36 43 40 41 44

    The average amount of water applied per acre variessignificantly by source. Land irrigated from wells onlyaveraged 1.2 acre-feet per acre, while land irrigatedfrom off-farm water suppliers averaged 2.3 acre-feetper acre. Sprinkler irrigation is more closely related tothe distribution of well water, while gravity flowsystems are generally used to distribute water from off-farm water suppliers.

    Irrigation Wells

    There were 401,193 irrigation wells capable of beingused on 104,776 farms. Of these, 375,851 wells wereactually pumped in 2003 and 3,823 were artesian orfree flowing. All irrigation wells supplied 43.5 millionacre-feet of water to 32.3 million acres of land,

    averaging 1.35 acre-feet of water applied and 85.2acres irrigated per well. Farms with wells used in 2003averaged 3.6 wells per farm. Nearly 66 percent of thefarms using wells in 2003 used one or two wells.However, the majority of wells used, 229,626, were onthe18,618 farms using more than five wells, indicatingthe impact of the large irrigators. Pumped wells for theUnited States averaged 238 feet in well depth, 158 feetin pumping depth, 819 gallons per minute in pumpingcapacity, and 1,039 hours in operation.

    Irrigation Expenditures

    Pumping costs - There were 497,443 irrigation pumpsof all kinds used on 153,117 farms in 2003 irrigating42.9 million acres of land. These pumps were poweredby fuels and electricity costing irrigators a total of$1.55 billion or an average of $10,135 per farm. Theprincipal energy source used was electricity, for which$953 million was spent to power 319,102 pumps thatirrigated 24.1 million acres at an average cost of$39.50 per acre. Solar energy was reported as thesource for pumping wells on 360 farms irrigating16,430 acres.

    Cost of water from off-farm water suppliers - The31.6 million acre-feet of water received from off-farmwater suppliers to irrigate 13.9 million acres costirrigators $579 million, for an average cost of $18.29per acre-foot of water or $41.73 per acre irrigated.There were 20,349 farms receiving off-farm water atno cost.

    Maintenance and repair cost - Expenditures formaintenance and repairs totaled $492 million on119,952 farms, for an average of $4,099 per farm.

    Expenses for hired and contract labor - In 2003,62,260 farms paid $658 million for labor, an average of$10,559 per farm or $24.13 per acre. Nearly 90percent of the wages were paid to hired laborers.

    Investment in irrigation equipment, facilities, andland improvement - Investments totaled $1.13 billionfor an average of $13,056 per farm in 2003. The

  • XXII GENERAL EXPLANATION 2002 CENSUS OF AGRICULTUREUSDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

    principal investment was the purchase of irrigationequipment and machinery which totaled $817 millionand represents 73 percent of total investments.

    Discontinuance of Irrigation in 2003

    An estimated 32,489 farmers who irrigated a total of1.85 million acres in 2002, according to the 2002census, did not irrigate in 2003. The majority, 91percent, of these operators reported that theirdiscontinuance was not permanent.

    Improvements to Irrigation Systems

    Approximately 26.4 million acres irrigated werereported to have had improvements made on them toreduce energy use or conserve water since 1998. Theseimprovements resulted in reduced water requirementson 18.5 million acres irrigated, improved crop yield on18.7 million acres irrigated, and decreased energy costson 15.3 million acres irrigated.

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    Water Resources Areas Map of the United States

    2003 FARM AND RANCH IRRIGATION SURVEY 12002 CENSUS OF AGRICULTUREUSDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

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    73 9380

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    Percent of Normal Precipitation, Jan. - Dec. 2003

    2 2003 FARM AND RANCH IRRIGATION SURVEY 2002 CENSUS OF AGRICULTUREUSDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

  • 2002 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE 2003 FARM AND RANCH IRRIGATION SURVEY 3USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

    Table 1. Irrigated Farms in the Censuses of Agriculture: 2002 and Earlier Censuses[For meaning of abbreviations and symbols, see introductory text]

    Geographic area2002 1997

    Not adjusted for coverage

    1997 1992 1987 1982

    Farms Acresirrigated FarmsAcres

    irrigated FarmsAcres

    irrigated FarmsAcres

    irrigated FarmsAcres

    irrigated FarmsAcres

    irrigated

    United States

    AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCalifornia

    ColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgia

    HawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowa

    KansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMaryland

    MassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouri

    MontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew Jersey

    New MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhio

    OklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth Carolina

    South DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermont

    VirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

    299,583

    1,698150

    4,1725,847

    55,596

    13,623801439

    13,4565,369

    2,23115,901

    2,0312,212

    976

    5,9153,6063,4961,0311,265

    1,5804,4132,4332,2353,304

    10,15017,970

    1,981451

    2,124

    8,2823,3076,721

    6592,623

    2,94217,776

    4,108264

    1,918

    1,7552,592

    21,16411,587

    508

    3,33115,534

    4082,4575,191

    55,311,236

    108,7832,742

    931,7354,149,7668,709,353

    2,590,65410,13997,167

    1,815,174870,810

    69,1943,288,522

    390,843313,130142,109

    2,678,27736,751

    938,84119,70380,828

    23,720456,278454,850

    1,175,5301,032,973

    1,976,1117,625,170

    746,6532,292

    96,893

    844,79974,663

    264,057202,817

    40,685

    517,5531,907,627

    42,5163,963

    95,642

    401,08361,217

    5,074,6381,091,011

    2,335

    98,9131,823,155

    1,981385,902

    1,541,688

    308,818

    1,503114

    4,2336,887

    63,226

    15,747809430

    14,5734,752

    2,24116,683

    2,0721,9181,006

    6,1094,2333,784

    8051,198

    2,0214,1232,2651,9123,108

    10,09819,297

    2,296506

    2,222

    8,9532,8355,059

    7301,967

    2,86017,016

    3,554211

    1,435

    1,5551,985

    21,10612,230

    409

    2,50916,261

    3192,2695,384

    56,289,172

    79,6472,667

    1,075,3363,785,3388,886,693

    3,374,2337,689

    75,0241,873,823

    773,066

    76,9713,543,805

    351,676255,917133,149

    2,695,81660,027

    960,83122,22968,663

    26,820407,071403,289

    1,110,145921,113

    2,101,5487,065,556

    763,7422,838

    94,380

    851,73573,791

    156,315183,004

    35,073

    509,1091,963,478

    40,0893,333

    88,898

    367,19547,010

    5,764,2951,218,474

    2,845

    86,3881,787,120

    3,543358,467

    1,749,908

    279,442

    1,301114

    3,4266,593

    55,920

    15,470674415

    12,6734,372

    2,24115,191

    2,0211,753

    957

    6,1354,1043,400

    6711,154

    1,6303,7522,1931,7692,891

    9,05918,804

    2,159429

    2,089

    7,4442,5014,695

    7101,778

    2,71015,348

    2,814180

    1,248

    1,4391,768

    18,75611,291

    333

    2,33713,131

    2682,0255,306

    55,058,128

    76,8712,667

    1,013,9023,717,2178,712,893

    3,430,1297,366

    72,6351,862,404

    748,520

    76,9713,493,542

    349,799250,050124,983

    2,707,48958,490

    942,52821,79168,588

    24,564393,485380,394

    1,076,231881,924

    1,994,4846,939,036

    764,7382,691

    92,965

    804,61669,197

    156,250180,362

    33,997

    506