Table 1.
Crop water use, price, yield, and cost per acre, Lower Rio Grande, NM, 2006
| Crop | Water applied* |
ET* |
Deep percolation* |
Price |
Yield, quantity/acre† |
Production cost (0% capital drip irrigation subsidy), $/acre/year |
Production cost (100% capital drip irrigation subsidy), $/acre/year‡ |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood | Drip | Flood | Drip | Flood | Drip | $/Unit | Yield units | Flood | Drip | Flood | Drip | Flood | Drip | |
| Alfalfa | 5.0 | 2.7 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 0.0 | 130.00 | Tons | 8.0 | 10.0 | 884 | 1,357 | 884 | 993 |
| Pima cotton | 2.8 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 1.05 | Lbs | 750.0 | 937.5 | 979 | 1,324 | 979 | 960 |
| Upland cotton | 2.8 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 0.75 | Lbs | 1,000.0 | 1250.0 | 1027 | 1,261 | 1027 | 897 |
| Spring lettuce | 2.5 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 5.84 | Cartons | 475.0 | 593.8 | 3001 | 4,398 | 3,001 | 4,034 |
| Fall lettuce | 3.3 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 1.9 | 0.0 | 6.23 | Cartons | 500.0 | 625.0 | 2,638 | 3,971 | 2,638 | 3,606 |
| Fall onions | 4.7 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 0.0 | 6.63 | Sacks | 1,200.0 | 1500.0 | 5,762 | 8,848 | 5,762 | 8,484 |
| Midseason onions | 4.0 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 1.7 | 0.0 | 6.38 | Sacks | 675.0 | 843.8 | 3,722 | 5,708 | 3,722 | 5,344 |
| Spring onions | 4.8 | 3.4 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 6.43 | Sacks | 825.0 | 1031.3 | 4,455 | 6,871 | 4,455 | 6,506 |
| Grain sorghum | 2.0 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 3.70 | Cwt | 40.0 | 50.0 | 615 | 728 | 615 | 364 |
| Wheat | 2.5 | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 3.75 | Cwt | 92.0 | 115.0 | 718 | 929 | 718 | 565 |
| Green chile | 4.6 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 0.0 | 285.00 | Tons | 11.0 | 13.8 | 2,275 | 3,356 | 2,275 | 2,992 |
| Red chile | 5.0 | 2.7 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 0.0 | 0.72 | Lbs | 3,500.0 | 4,375.0 | 2,004 | 2,851 | 2,004 | 2,486 |
| Pecans | 6.0 | 3.2 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 0.0 | 2.28 | Lbs | 1,158.1 | 1,447.7 | 1,731 | 3,114 | 1,731 | 2,750 |
*Acre-feet per acre per year.
†Each crop is specified to have a linear relationship between water use (ET) and crop yield across irrigation technologies.
‡Includes annualized cost per acre of drip irrigation, operation, and maintenance.