PUB00041

• Year: 1998
• Title: Western Irrigation Economic Benfits Review
• CWCB Section: Finance
• Author: Family Farm Alliance
• Description: White paper on the role of irrigated agriculture in the 21st century.
• Publications - Doc Type: Tech Report

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:tnimals :tnd liH'slock production. This amounts to :lhout 70'10. or more, of the tut:ll
production valul' for all :lgricultural pruduction in the West. TI14.' IC:'H1ing .agricultural. and
irrigated agriculture. production \':t1ue st:ltes an' California. Washington. Tn.ls. and
:\chraska (H'C Figun' 1). Till' majur production \'01111(, crops arc fruits ;md ngl'l:lblcs.
amounting to :thout SI(. hillion :mnually (see Figurt.. 2).

4.3.

COl1trihlllion\ to Foreig" L~\p()rtl.

U.S. Agriculture and spl'cificall) irrigated agriculture products l'onlributc
significantly to inlcrn:uinnal tr;H)c and l'xportS. Tahh.' I summarill's export ,-:tlul's hy the
major \\'('Slt'Tn slate cxportus. wilh irrig:lIl'd agriculture l'tlOtrihulions estimafcd
scpanltely. \\'ilhin Tahle I, primary irrigatcd agriculture :lOtl products yaluc is n'~'
cfln"ilTyatinly cSlimalcd, hl'caUSl' the c\port data SOlJrl'CS do not tlisaggrcgatc :lgricultural
products hetwCl'n irrigation and non-irrigation. This 'cry conscn:lti,'c cstimatc suggests
an expol't yalul' for irrigated agriculturl' (hat would eHl'l'd S7 billion ,tnllu;llly. A morc
:.'CCUnItc cslimatc of irrigatt.'d ;lgricultun' e\port ,'alue would sugge...t :, nllul' greater than
510 hillion annually,

4.4.

Agricultural Productiol/ IlIcrt.'use.\- Per Acre.

Thc production pcr acre for irrigated agriculture has inneased drama(ic:llly during
the past fcw dl'c:ules. as a rcsull of seyeral technological and farm production innoyatiolls,
For almost all ngetahlc and fruit crops. forage crops, and other high-yalue specialty crops,
production incrc:lses per :lcn ha"e hCl'n gre;lter than 25(10. For many crops. production
increases per acre han ranged bet\\Cl'n 50-tOO'X.. To iIIustrall' din'ctly, Figure 3 displays
an a\'enlgl' inercase per :l('rl' for ~ortll\\est states' potato production hetween 1970 and
1997. with ;1 projection to the year 2002. The historical increase in potato produclion is
about 50%, and rhe future nIte of increase is expected to he :'lhout 2%, per- year (anrage
annual nlte of growth), Per acre production incre:lsl's for almost all crops are expected, as
continued adnlOces in precision farm management. genetics, chemical application :Iml
biological control. :lnd water :lpplicaliun arc introdul'ed.

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