Results from research on the economics of irrigation conducted in nine 

 of the northeastern states provide the basis for most of this discussion. 

 Data on costs and returns from irrigation have been developed in each of 

 the respective states. The basic method of analysis presented here represents 

 a synthesis of the ideas of the research workers in the respective states of 

 the Northeastern region. 



The Basic Problem 



The irrigation of forage crops makes it possible to harvest more feed 

 per given area of land, and hence makes it possible to feed more cows from 

 this land. Size is important in today's dairy farming. While there is no 

 guarantee that a large dairy farm will make more money than a small one, 

 a larger farm has a better chance of paying for the needed improvements 

 and machinery for modern farming. 



Expanding a farm's volume of business also helps an operator make 

 greater use of his existing resources. Traditionally a farmer's earnings for 

 his labor and management are "what is left" after the cash costs and a 

 charge for his investment are subtracted from income. If an increase in 

 size of business does not add more to income than expenses, then such a 

 use of resources is not justified. 



Keeping more cows is one means of expanding volume. Keeping better 

 producing cows is another means. The trend is toward using both and both 

 require more feed. Forage plays a vital role in dairy feeding. Thus a search 

 for additional forage accompanies expansion on most dairy farms. In much 

 of the Northeast the problem is complicated by the fact that the land needed 

 for expansion is becoming relatively scarce. Hence, the customary method 

 of expanding size of operations by adding more land may become less of 

 a possibility. For this reason questions are being raised about the profit- 

 ability of several alternative methods of obtaining the extra forage needed 

 to expand a dairy business. In this bulletin, emphasis is placed on the al- 

 ternative of irrigation, but others are also considered in comparison. 



Irrigation Requirements and Returns 



As a starting point in considering irrigation, a farmer will want to collect 

 as much information as possible in order to make a wise decision. Every 

 irrigation system should be individually designed by a competent engineer 

 to meet the specific needs of a given farm. He needs to know how much 

 investment and resources it will take and how it will affect forage yields. 



What Does It Take to Irrigate? 



The initial requirement is an adequate source of water. If water is avail- 

 able then the next consideration is the physical condition of the soil and 

 the kind of crop grown. It is assumed in this bulletin that the reader has 

 already obtained the necessary physical and technical information or will 

 turn to other sources for it.^ To proceed then, he next will want to know 

 how much investment will be required. 



1 Technical information on the design of irrigation systems is available in Irrigation 

 Guides, published by the Soil Conservation Service. Departments of Agronomy and 

 Engineering of the College of Agriculture also provide such information. Irrigation 

 equipment companies will provide information on their particular systems. 



