2013 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey results

South Dakota

SIOUX FALLS — There were 1,274 farms with 370,000 acres irrigated in South Dakota, according to the 2013 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey results, published by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Average water use per acre was 0.8 acre-feet while average depth to water was 38 feet.

More acres were irrigated with sprinkler systems than gravity systems in 2013. Energy expenditures to irrigate cropland from wells were $26.28 per acre.

North Dakota

FARGO, N.D. — There were 533 farms with 214,000 acres irrigated in North Dakota, according to the 2013 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey results, published by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Average water use per acre was 0.7 acre-feet while average depth to water was 29 feet.

More acres were irrigated with sprinkler systems than gravity systems in 2013. Energy expenditures to irrigate cropland from wells were $28.85 per acre.

Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. — There were 15,747 farms with 8.3 million acres irrigated in Nebraska, according to the 2013 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey results, published by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. Nebraska leads the nation in total irrigated acres. Average water use per acre was 1.0 acre-feet while average depth to water was 68 feet.

More acres were irrigated with sprinkler systems than gravity systems in 2013. Energy expenditures to irrigate cropland from wells were $48.39 per acre.

Survey information

The 2013 Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey provides data that supplement the basic irrigation data collected from all farm and ranch operators in the 2012 Census of Agriculture. Irrigation data from this survey combined with 2012 census data provide one of the most complete and detailed profiles of irrigation in the United States.

These data, along with other state- and national-level data can be found at: www.agcensus.usda.gov.