Irrigation

Irrigation water is essential for profitable crop production in most of the arid West.

Proper irrigation management is key for high yields and to avoid stress from too much or too little water. Improper irrigation management limits yields more often and to a greater degree than any other production factor.

The main purpose for irrigating is to supply needed water for crops.

Plant growth is dependent on photosynthesis. While the plant exchanges gases with the air for photosynthesis, some water evaporates. Water is taken up from the soil by plant roots to replace this water. The water leaving the plant is called transpiration.

Alfalfa has a growing season that extends from the last freeze in the spring to the first freeze in the autumn.

Droughts occur due to large-scale phenomenas that alter the normal weather patterns in a region and result in less precipitation and, often, higher temperatures than normal. When rain or snow is scarce, there is less water to recharge groundwater, feed streams, fill reservoirs and lakes and grow crops, among other things. The impact of drought on people and all living things can be devastating.