Agricultural land-use inventory in counties of Suwannee River Water Management District Completed
A detailed, high resolution inventory of irrigated crop acreage is needed to accurately estimate agricultural water use and to project future water demands in many agricultural Florida counties . The USGS, in cooperation with Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD), developed a detailed digital map and summary of irrigated acreage during the 2015 growing season for 13 of the 15 counties within the SRWMD.
The irrigated areas were delineated using land-use data, orthoimagery, and information obtained from State of Florida Water Management Districts consumptive water-use permits that were then field verified between May and November of 2015. Selected attribute data were collected for the irrigated areas, including crop type, primary water source, and type of irrigation system. Results indicate that an estimated 113,134 acres were either irrigated or had potential for irrigation in all or part of the 13 counties within the SRWMD during 2015. This estimate includes 108,870 acres of field-verified, irrigated crops and 4,264 acres of irrigated land observed as (1) idle (with an irrigation system visible but no crop present at the time of the field-verification visit), (2) acres that could not be verified during field visits, or (3) acres that were located on publicly owned research lands.
Of the total field-verified crops, 83,721 acres were field crops; 20,962 acres were vegetable (row) crops; 3,089 acres were in tree nurseries, ornamentals, and sod production; and 1,098 acres were fruit crops. Specific irrigated crops included 32,468 acres of corn; 28,170 acres of peanuts; and 10,331 acres of hay. About 40 percent of the vegetable acreage (8,340 acres) was double cropped (planted with both a spring and a fall crop on the same field). Beans, carrots, and watermelons were the most commonly grown vegetable crops in these 13 counties in 2015.
Sprinkler irrigation systems including center pivots, portable or traveling guns, and permanent or solid overhead fixtures accounted for nearly 91 percent (102,874 acres) of the total irrigated acreage in the SRWMD, whereas microirrigation systems including drip irrigation accounted for 9 percent (10,260 acres) of the irrigated acreage. A total of 1,466 center pivots were observed during field verification in 2015 and accounted for 93,093 irrigated acres (82 percent of the total irrigated acreage). Most center pivots were in use at the time of the field verification, although about 3 percent appeared idle. No flood irrigation systems were observed during field verification in 2015. Overall, groundwater was used to irrigate nearly all of the field-verified acreage (99.8 percent). Irrigated cropland totaled 26,927 acres in Suwannee County; 16,511 acres in Madison County; 14,862 acres in Hamilton County; and 14,155 acres in Gilchrist County; these four counties accounted for nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of the acres irrigated within the SRWMD during 2015. Corn (primarily for silage) and peanuts were the primary irrigated crops, accounting for 48, 70, and 71 percent, respectively, of the total irrigated acreage in Suwannee, Madison, and Gilchrist Counties; vegetables accounted for 52 percent of the total irrigated acres in Hamilton County. Other counties with substantial irrigated acreage included Levy (10,122 acres), Alachua (9,547 acres), and Lafayette (8,110 acres); these three counties, combined with Suwannee, Madison, Hamilton, and Gilchrist Counties, accounted for 88 percent of the irrigated acreage in the SRWMD.
The irrigated acreage that was field verified in 2015 for the 13 counties in the SRWMD (113,134 acres) is about 6 percent higher than the estimated acreage published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) (107,217 acres) for 2012; however, this 2012 value represents acreage for the entirety of all 13 counties, not just the SRWMD portion. Differences between the 2015 field-verified acreage totals and those published by the USDA for 2012 may occur because (1) irrigated acreage for some specific crops increased or decreased substantially during the 3-year interval due to commodity prices or economic changes, (2) calculated field-verified irrigated acreage may be an overestimate because irrigation was assumed if an irrigation system was present, when in fact that may not have been the case as some farmers may not have used their irrigation systems during this growing period even if they had a crop in the field, or (3) the amount of irrigated acreages published by the USDA for selected crops may be underestimated in some cases.
A detailed, high resolution inventory of irrigated crop acreage is needed to accurately estimate agricultural water use and to project future water demands in many agricultural Florida counties . The USGS, in cooperation with Suwannee River Water Management District (SRWMD), developed a detailed digital map and summary of irrigated acreage during the 2015 growing season for 13 of the 15 counties within the SRWMD.
The irrigated areas were delineated using land-use data, orthoimagery, and information obtained from State of Florida Water Management Districts consumptive water-use permits that were then field verified between May and November of 2015. Selected attribute data were collected for the irrigated areas, including crop type, primary water source, and type of irrigation system. Results indicate that an estimated 113,134 acres were either irrigated or had potential for irrigation in all or part of the 13 counties within the SRWMD during 2015. This estimate includes 108,870 acres of field-verified, irrigated crops and 4,264 acres of irrigated land observed as (1) idle (with an irrigation system visible but no crop present at the time of the field-verification visit), (2) acres that could not be verified during field visits, or (3) acres that were located on publicly owned research lands.
Of the total field-verified crops, 83,721 acres were field crops; 20,962 acres were vegetable (row) crops; 3,089 acres were in tree nurseries, ornamentals, and sod production; and 1,098 acres were fruit crops. Specific irrigated crops included 32,468 acres of corn; 28,170 acres of peanuts; and 10,331 acres of hay. About 40 percent of the vegetable acreage (8,340 acres) was double cropped (planted with both a spring and a fall crop on the same field). Beans, carrots, and watermelons were the most commonly grown vegetable crops in these 13 counties in 2015.
Sprinkler irrigation systems including center pivots, portable or traveling guns, and permanent or solid overhead fixtures accounted for nearly 91 percent (102,874 acres) of the total irrigated acreage in the SRWMD, whereas microirrigation systems including drip irrigation accounted for 9 percent (10,260 acres) of the irrigated acreage. A total of 1,466 center pivots were observed during field verification in 2015 and accounted for 93,093 irrigated acres (82 percent of the total irrigated acreage). Most center pivots were in use at the time of the field verification, although about 3 percent appeared idle. No flood irrigation systems were observed during field verification in 2015. Overall, groundwater was used to irrigate nearly all of the field-verified acreage (99.8 percent). Irrigated cropland totaled 26,927 acres in Suwannee County; 16,511 acres in Madison County; 14,862 acres in Hamilton County; and 14,155 acres in Gilchrist County; these four counties accounted for nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of the acres irrigated within the SRWMD during 2015. Corn (primarily for silage) and peanuts were the primary irrigated crops, accounting for 48, 70, and 71 percent, respectively, of the total irrigated acreage in Suwannee, Madison, and Gilchrist Counties; vegetables accounted for 52 percent of the total irrigated acres in Hamilton County. Other counties with substantial irrigated acreage included Levy (10,122 acres), Alachua (9,547 acres), and Lafayette (8,110 acres); these three counties, combined with Suwannee, Madison, Hamilton, and Gilchrist Counties, accounted for 88 percent of the irrigated acreage in the SRWMD.
The irrigated acreage that was field verified in 2015 for the 13 counties in the SRWMD (113,134 acres) is about 6 percent higher than the estimated acreage published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) (107,217 acres) for 2012; however, this 2012 value represents acreage for the entirety of all 13 counties, not just the SRWMD portion. Differences between the 2015 field-verified acreage totals and those published by the USDA for 2012 may occur because (1) irrigated acreage for some specific crops increased or decreased substantially during the 3-year interval due to commodity prices or economic changes, (2) calculated field-verified irrigated acreage may be an overestimate because irrigation was assumed if an irrigation system was present, when in fact that may not have been the case as some farmers may not have used their irrigation systems during this growing period even if they had a crop in the field, or (3) the amount of irrigated acreages published by the USDA for selected crops may be underestimated in some cases.