Sustainable Cropping Systems for Transition from Full Irrigation to Limited Irrigation and Dry Land

Colorado State University will demonstrate ways to maintain economic and environmental sustainability when transitioning cropping systems from full irrigation to limited irrigation or dry land. This project will be the basis for a detailed economic analysis to illustrate profitability of irrigation systems for varying precipitation and farm price environments. The economic analysis will provide information for producers to make informed decisions about adoption of innovative irrigation systems and potential water transfers environmental concerns that will be addressed in the demonstrations include water quality, soil quality, and soil erosion control. A comprehensive outreach and education objective will transfer the findings to audiences including fanners, agribusiness, and government agencies through field demonstrations, extension field days, a spreadsheet based decision support tool, and a fact sheet series. Further, results from the project will be extended to regional and national audiences faced with declining agricultural water resources via a web site, national meetings, and journal articles.