WSP04429

• File Number: 8112.600
• Description: Arkansas White Red Basins Interagency Committee - AWRBIAC -- Reports
• Basin: Arkansas
• Water Division: 2
• Date: 10/1/1951
• Title: Report of Present Irrigation Development and Potentially Irrigable Areas in the Red and Arkansas River Basins - Texas 1950
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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With farms larger than thoir wator supplies, farmers seldom strive
for ml~ximum per-acre yield. They ohoose instead to spread water
over the grea~est possible acreaGe . .. 11

Irrir,ated faminG in this portion of the High Plo.ins irrigated
area is largely rm eJctonsivo cash crop oporation contoring on tho produotion
of grain sorgh,un, wheat, cotton, and 0.11'0.11'0.. Cotton, the crop of major
dependence in the southorn part of tho Southorn High Phins irrigated area,
is grown largely in thc southern part of tho 0.1'00. drained by the Red River.
Generally, livestocJr entorprises 0.1'0 not important on irrigc.ted farms.

l!1iguted Crops

Crop distrib11tion patterns Oll irrigated farms diffor from yoar to
yoar, dopending on moisture conditions c.t plOIlting time, the price situation,.
and the outlook for a pa,-'ticular crop. Generally, hmlCver, grnin sorghum
and wheat are the principal crops occupying upwccrds of 90 percent of the
irrigated acreo.ce in the northern po.rt of the area. In the extrene southorn
part of the area, cot tOll becomes a crop of 1r.lportanco occupying upwards of
40 percent of the irrigated acreage on individual farms. Somo alfalfa is
grown on most farIns; hO\1ever, it is seldom a crop of :major dependence.

A comparatively smull acreago of Irish potatoes, sugo.r beets, and
carrots aro usually produced in the vicin:i. ty of Hereford.

Hi thin reeont years the production of irr!.go.ted field corn has
gained in importance in tho Hereferd areo..

Crop Yield

Yiold dato. compiled during the CC1lrSe of' a study of pump irrigated
fanning practices in 1947, 1948, and 1949 indicate that irrigated yields
on heavy soils average abeut 2.5 times those obtained without irrigation.
The 3-yoar average yields obtained in this study 0.1'0 s1l1ll8arized in Tablo 3.

Table 3. - Tllrce-year average yiolds of irrigated
clay 10llH soils, Texas High Plains, 1947-4B-49 (unpublishec1)

: Irrigated
Crop Unit Yiold
Cotton Ibs. lint 466
Milo lbs. grain 2, 585
Kafir : IbG. grain 2,507
Hegan Ibs. gro.~n 2,274
Wheat bu. grain 19.6
Earley . bu. grain 27.3
.
Oats bu. gro.in 28.6
Alfalfa (hay) lbs.' 6,860
Alfalfa. sod lbs. 223
Sugar boet.s tons : 10.8
Potatoes 100 Ibs. 122
Corn ..:...._~u. [(ro.in -..-..- 37.8
7.1 Hughes, H. F., and Hotheral, Joe R. "Irrigated Ar,riculture in Tcmsll.
Tex. Ag~. Expt. Sta. i'lP 59. 1950
10