Agronomic Assessment of Water Efficiency of Common Forage Commodities in the State of Arizona

Abstract

Water use in dairy farms is divided into nutritional water, cleaning and sanitizing equipment, milk cooling, and irrigating crops. Dairy farms use at least 60% of their water supply to grow crops as a feed source for dairy cattle. Due to the increased demand for water conservation in the agricultural sector, it is imperative to understand the current patterns of dairy farm water use. High-quality milk comes from a high-quality diet; therefore, producing high-quality forage crops profitably and sustainably is extremely important to dairy operations in the state. To improve understanding of the patterns of on-farm water use, this study intends to determine the total water used to produce common forages such as alfalfa, corn silage, sorghum silage, winter cereals, triticale, and other feedstuff. Dairy farms belonging to the United Dairymen of Arizona will be assessed through farm records and detailed questionnaires. In addition, producers will be asked about their current agronomic practices to quantify the total water used for feed/forage production. This effort will provide much-needed inputs for water conservation laws and regulations that allow for high-quality milk production.