Duration: 10/01/1999 to 09/30/2004

Administrative Advisor(s):

NIFA Reps:

Non-Technical Summary

Statement of Issues and Justification

Statement of the Problem

The rapidly changing configuration of water use in the American West in recent years has resulted in a number of economic, environmental, and institutional problems with profound impacts on irrigated agriculture. The purpose of this project is to identify, examine, and evaluate the multiple impacts of these challenges on western irrigated agriculture, help develop viable mechanisms to effectively address them, and thus contribute toward informed water policy formulation.

Justification

As new problems associated with water management emerge, the need to devise dynamic new approaches for solving them takes on added importance and urgency. Examples of such emerging areas of concern include climate change and its impact on irrigated agriculture, increasing demand for water transfer from agriculture to environmental and urban uses, impacts of animal waste management from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO's) on water quality, precision agriculture and the effects of site?specific management on water conservation and quality, contingent water marketing, and new approaches (e.g. game theory) to conflict resolution among competing water uses and users. The proposed revision of this regional project is a concerted effort to address these emerging concerns in innovative ways.

The consequences of water management and policy decisions are frequently difficult or impossible to predict because of the many complex interactions between technological, institutional, and economic factors. Extensive research has been done on the individual factors and their effect on economic and environmental outcomes. In addition, many models have been constructed which attempt to account for the myriad interactions that may occur that effect such outcomes. Past work by this regional project has focused on model development. Little work has been done, however, on the application of such models to evaluate and quantify the interactions, or to direct the development of sound integrated research to verify and corroborate model predictions. In addition, the difficulty in applying existing models is the lack of complete on-farm or regional data appropriate for input to them. The focus of this revision is to treat these unaddressed needs.

Related, Current and Previous Work

In this proposal to revise this regional project, a slightly different angle has been taken on the preparation of this section. Much of the related work in the topic areas covered by the objectives of this proposal, has been, or currently is being, conducted by the members of this highly successful project. The past work, of course, has been carefully discussed in the critical review section in the appendix of this document. A discussion of other related work is accomplished through a careful consideration of the objectives of other regional projects around the nation that compliment and support the work that this project proposes to undertake.

A search was made on the Internet information sites for each of the four Regional Associations of Agricultural Experiment Stations. All regional projects that had objectives that related to the work proposed by this project were reviewed. In this section of the proposal, related regional projects are identified, their objectives listed, and a discussion of how this proposed project will support on-going work around the nation, is provided. It is the intent of this project to hold, where possible, joint technical sessions with these related regional projects to facilitate coordinated research of mutual benefit.

Related Research in the Western Region

There are several western regional projects that are related to the work proposed by this project as follows:

W-082 Pesticides and Other Toxic Organics in Soil and Their Potential for Groundwater and Surface Water Contamination.

The objectives of this project are:

1. Characterize mechanisms and quantify processes by which pesticides and other toxic organics interact with soil and water systems.

2. Evaluate models and data describing transport and transformation of pesticides and other toxic organics under field conditions to improve modeling and experimental methodologies.

3. Develop management strategies and tools to reduce soil and groundwater contamination from pesticides and other toxic substances.

This project is centered around a modeling effort, much the same as the work proposed under this project in objective 2. The differences being that W-082 is specifically focused on pesticide contamination of water resources, which is only one aspect of the overall quality of water that the proposed project must consider in the ""big picture"" analysis of the impacts of water management.

Coordination with this project in formulating and sharing databases in the modeling efforts at the different scales indicated will be investigated. Our proposed project will also support any efforts to assess the economic impacts of pesticide and other organic contaminants that W-082 may be interested in pursuing.


W-128 Micro?Irrigation: Management Practices to Sustain Water Quality and Agricultural Productivity

The objectives of this project are:

1. Development of micro-irrigation system BMP's to sustain crop production and minimize water application and water quality degradation.

2. Carry out field evaluations of BMP's for crop production and water quality degradation control using micro-irrigation systems

3. Develop an expert system and models for chemical management practices using micro-irrigation systems.

4. Assess the economics of BMP's developed for micro-irrigation systems.

This W-128 project is of narrower focus than the proposed project, but includes some common goals, particularly regarding objective four above. It should be noted that many of the individuals working on the existing W-190 project (which this proposal revises), are also members of the W-128 project, and regularly lend their expertise to the evaluation of the general economic and environmental impacts of water management that the proposed project is focused on. It is expected that the relationship between these projects will continue in light of the need to project system/field-level research to basin- and regional-scale questions.

W-133 Benefits and Costs of Resource Policies Affecting Public and Private Land

The objectives of this project are:

1. Valuing changes in recreational access.

2. Calculating benefits and costs of agro-environmental policies.

3. Evaluating benefits transfer for groundwater quality programs.

4. Valuing ecosystem management of forests and watersheds.

Again, this project is much broader in scope than the proposed project. Commonality with the proposed project falls primarily in objective 2 above. The participants in the proposed project would be able to lend support in the area of technical, rather than economic, expertise in evaluating policies. Some coordination, perhaps by way of a joint annual meeting, would be desirable between W-133 and the proposed project.

W-170 Chemistry and Bio-Availability of Waste Constituents in Soils

The objectives of this project are to:

1. Characterize trace element chemistry in soil and waste to predict plant uptake and movement of trace elements in soils.

2. Determine the chemistry of nutrients in organic wastes and the bio-availability and mobility of soil?applied organic chemicals.

3. Characterize trace element chemistry in contaminated soils and evaluate the effects of soil remediation on trace element chemistry, bio-availability and mobility.

The W-170 project should be a tremendous support in obtaining the data for input to the models that the proposed project will be using. There is a need for input at the field-level for soil hydraulic properties and chemical movement parameters (particularly for conservative salts and nitrogen) that impact basin-scale evaluations of return flow quantity and quality. We will look to W-170 to provide much of that support in our proposed efforts.

W-183 Improvement of Rural and Agricultural Sample Survey Methods

The objectives of this project are:

1. To test procedures and develop conceptual models for reducing measurement error in self-administered mail surveys and telephone interviews.

2. To model the effects of response categories and question order on relations (co?variances) among variables.

3. To test procedures and develop conceptual models of the effects of cognitive and motivational factors on non-response errors in mail and telephone surveys.

4. To integrate and disseminate the results of the experiments for survey practitioners.

One of the tools that the economists in our proposed project have, and will continue to use (especially in proposed objectives 1 and 3) is the survey. The guidance that the W-183 project can provide in this area will be invaluable.

W-184 Biogeochemistry & Management of Salts & Potentially Toxic Trace Elements in Arid?Zone Soils, Sediments and Waters

The objectives of this project are to:

1. Quantify the biogeochemistry of salts and potentially toxic trace elements in soils, sediments, and waters of arid and semi?arid environments.

2. Revise and refine existing models that integrate hydrodynamics, solute transport, and salt and trace element biogeochemistry in soil and shallow ground water.

3. Evaluate and extend practical management practices, strategies, and systems that reduce the deleterious effects of salts and potentially toxic trace elements in irrigated agroecosystems.

The W-184 project is the best source of technical data for model parameters on the movement of salts and other chemicals through the soils and groundwater of the Western Region. As with W-170, we will look to this project for assistance in the formulation of up-to-date input databases for our proposed modeling efforts. In addition, the management practices that the W-184 project will study and develop will be among those that the proposed project will evaluate for economic viability (see proposed objective 1.3). Given the prospect for significant cooperation, we will try to set up a joint annual meeting with this project in the coming five-year project period.


W-192 Rural Communities and Public Lands in the West: Impacts and Alternatives

The objectives of this project are to:

1. Evaluate economic models and methodology currently available in Western States to analyze public land issues. Existing methodology will be incorporated into objectives 2, 3, 4, and 5 when appropriate.
2. Develop intra-state agricultural sector enterprise budgets for firm-level analysis and to improve input-output databases.

3. Compile primary and secondary databases for regional, state, sub-state and/or county input-output and SAM models.

4. Develop computable general equilibrium models from input-output and SAM accounts with special attention given to the treatment of environmental and non?market goods in these models.

5. Estimate the economic impacts of alternative public land management policies using the database and methods of objectives 3 and 4.

6. Assess the social impacts of public land policies on selected communities and households in western states.

The W-192 project is very broad in scope. Our proposed project deals with the impacts of water management on economic viability and environmental quality. However, much of the broader aspects of the agricultural economic analyses that the W-192 project will study, will be important to our proposed effort, particularly as embodied in objectives 2 and 3 of the W-192 project. Enterprise budgets are important to our analyses of how changes in water management can affect the input-output of an operation. We will look to the W-192 project for guidance in this area of expertise.


Related research in other regions

S-273 -- The Impact of Ag. Systems on Surface and Ground Water Quality.

The objectives of this project are to:

1. Modify, improve and evaluate under a variety of land uses and geographic areas existing hydrologic/chemical/sediment models incorporating biotic and economic components.

2. Develop new and improved systems to integrate existing data sources to enhance the applications of the comprehensive models.

3. Collect and assemble comprehensive data bases necessary for model development and evaluation.

Though this project is not in our region, it is a potential source for assistance in the development of sound model databases. We will consult with this project for any assistance that can be provided in this area.

The last two projects that are involved in research related to the proposed project are S-283 and NCR-180. Both projects are involved in Precision or Site-Specific Agriculture. Their objectives are as follows:

S-283 -- Develop and Assess Precision Farming Technology and its Economic and Environmental Impacts

1. Adapt and develop sensors and data acquisition technologies for precision farming.

2. Adapt, develop, and assess methodology and equipment for variable?rate control of inputs to precision farming systems.

3. Develop methodologies and analytical tools for optimum utilization of inputs in precision farming systems.

4. Assess the economic and environmental effects of precision farming.

NCR-180 -- Site Specific Management

1. Review recent and current knowledge and application technology with respect to site specific management.

2. Outline research that will enable evaluation of agronomic practices for site specific crop management relative to the economic and environmental consequences of its adoption.

3. Identify development and technology transfer needs, participate in training of extension specialists and industry consultants, and incorporate the use of rapid information transfer technologies.

4. Facilitate coordinated research on site specific management among participating states, in the. North Central Region and throughout North America.

One of the emerging technologies that the proposed project must consider is that of Precision Agriculture and Variable Rate Application Technology. It has the potential for significantly changing the way agriculture is performed and will have direct affects on water management and agricultural enterprise viability. The W-190 project (which this proposal revises) has had interaction with individuals from these regional projects in the past, to explore where our project might assist in the economic evaluation and modeling applications of/to Precision Agriculture. The interaction has been very helpful in the past, particularly in identifying the economic and water management issues associated with site-specific management. Joint annual meetings are certainly desirable with these two projects where possible.

Objectives

1. Evaluate the farm-level economic and environmental implications of alternative resource-conserving irrigation technology and water management systems
   
2. Apply alternative methodologies to evaluate economic, environmental and social impacts of potential technology, policy, and institutional changes affecting water resources for irrigated agriculture
   
3. Evaluate alternative institutions and policies for resoolving competing agricultural and environmental water demands
   
4. 
   

Methods

Procedures 1.1. The USDA-ARS Water Management Research Unit in Ft. Collins, Colorado, will lead a large interdisciplinary effort evaluating the potential for precision farming techniques to contribute to profitability and environmental protection in irrigated settings in the western U.S. This effort will be the continuation of two years of intensive sampling and data collection on two sites in northeastern Colorado. Spatially referenced crop yield, soil properties, water application, and pest occurrence will continue to be collected. Water and nutrient treatments are currently being devised in response to patterns identified through statistical analysis of the baseline data. These variable treatments will be applied along side appropriate controlled treatments to evaluate the potential impacts of site-specific, integrated irrigation-management techniques. 1.1. Colorado State University will be conducting field trials to evaluate the effectiveness of best management practices (BMPs) applied to irrigated agriculture and designed to control water quality. Western states, particularly Colorado, have legislatively mandated that BMPs be voluntarily adopted by farmers. The expediency to educate growers on their irrigation management options required that most published BMPs be based largely on heuristic data and generalized scientific evidence, and have not been evaluated rigorously for their effectiveness in specific settings (for examples of educational materials, see Waskom et al., 1994 and Cardon et al., 1997). This effort is designed to evaluate BMPs for irrigated agriculture in an integrated manner to test their impacts in specific regions and to identify similarities and differences in BMP effectiveness between regions within states. Among the specific issues to be evaluated are conjunctive irrigation & nitrogen management tools (including surge irrigation, LEPA irrigation, chemigation, irrigation scheduling, in-season nutrient status testing, timing of nutrient applications), waste management strategies, and salinity/drainage management methods. 1.2. Texas A&M, and the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station (TAES) will contribute to evaluating the implications of alternative irrigation production systems on economic risk of the farm. This work will focus on estimating outcomes of cropping systems under different irrigation technologies and water management approaches. Frequency distributions of yields and financial measures such as profit and cash flow will be determined for each alternative evaluated. 1.2. The USDA Water Management Research Unit and Colorado State University will extend the analysis of precision application and management techniques to address the element of risk for irrigated agriculture. As techniques are applied to more precisely provide a given amount of water and nutrient inputs to specific areas within the field, the importance of risk becomes much greater. In field-wide applications, farmers often apply inputs to ensure that the large majority of the field area receives at least a given level of the input. As a result of nonuniform requirements, much of the field receives more input than necessary. While this Aover application@ can result in detrimental environmental effects, it does reduce the variability in yield. The approach will be to explicitly model the variability within fields and simulate the response under different scenarios of variable-rate input application. Simulation results will be compared to experimental data from the sites as it becomes available. 1.3. Colorado State University and the University of California at Davis, will be conducting research to evaluate the net impact of onfarm water conservation practices on hydrologic system water balance and their water quality implications. As shifts in water allocations are considered in most river basins, the importance of understanding the ultimate impact of onfarm water conservation becomes paramount. The approach will be to apply mathematical models to estimate onfarm water use and farm production as a function of regional water allocation policies. 1.4. Colorado State University and the USDA-ERS will conduct detailed surveys of irrigation management and technology adoption. In Colorado, data has already been collected through both mail and in-person surveys to determine the extent of technology adoption and the factors affecting producers= decisions in irrigation implementation and management. Statistical analysis will be applied to examine specific questions of how producers determine the timing and quantity of irrigation applications. Producer response will be compared with extension and research program activities to evaluate the effectiveness of various technology transfer mechanisms. (The work from Colorado will serve as a template for region-wide surveys to be sent out under the lead of the USDA-ERS.)

Measurement of Progress and Results

Outputs

Outcomes or Projected Impacts

Milestones

(0):0

Projected Participation

View Appendix E: Participation

Outreach Plan

Organization/Governance

The technical committee for this project will be organized as follows:

Chair

Vice-chair (chair elect)

Secretary (vice-chair elect)


Each year a new secretary will be elected by the project participants. The positions will rotate upward year to year from Secretary to Chair. The Chair is responsible for the organization of the annual meeting the year he/she is serving, and is ultimately responsible for submission of the annual report as assisted by the Vice-chair and Secretary. At times, the technical committee may choose to organize ad-hoc sub committees for various purposes such as proposal writing, special annual meeting events (e.g., field trips), etc

Literature Cited

Attachments

Land Grant Participating States/Institutions

AZ, CA, CO, GA, HI, ID, KS, ND, NE, NM, OR, TX, WA

Non Land Grant Participating States/Institutions