The Cross Section, Volume 22, Number 5, May 1976 Page: 1
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______ AGRICULTURAL
INDUS TRIAL /
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Ti NA Monthly Publication of the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District No. 1
Volume 22-No. 5 "THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR WATER"
9
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0 r1a a*61 ' rJ w~~t+ $ ~fP~ ..District Field Representative Butch Bates measures the depth
to water in an observation well by inserting a steel tape into
the well. Each January, the District conducts such measure-
ments in more than 800 wells lying within the boundaries ofthe District as a part of the observation well program. The
measurements are taken in order to determine the water-level
declines or rises within the District during the past year.Continued Agricultural Production Essential to U.S. Econo
my
Annual Water
Statement, 1975-1976
by DON McREYNOLDS
The annual depth-to-water measure-
ments in "observation" wells located
within the boundaries of the High
Plains Underground Water Conserva-
tion District No. 1 were completed by
District personnel in January. Of the
815 observation wells included in the
District program, 93.7 percent were
successfully measured during the 1976
measuring season.
An observation well is a privately
owned well (none are owned by the
District) which has been selected for
inclusion in the annual water-level
measuring program. These wells are
selected at spaced intervals and of
adequate density to present data on
water-level changes for areas within
the District.
Most Wells Operational
Most of the wells are operational
irrigation wells; however, a few aban-
doned wells and domestic supply wells
are also included in the program.
It is important to note that the
wells selected for inclusion in the Dis-
trict's water-level program are located
within the boundaries of the High
Plains Underground Water Conserva-
tion District No. 1 and do not neces-
sarily reflect water levels for an entire
county. For example, only a small
portion of Armstrong County lies with-
in the boundaries of the District; there-
fore, the measurements of the few wells
selected in that county reflect changes
in water levels for those wells only-
not for the entire county.
-continued on page 3 ... STATEMENTMay, 1976
Exports of agricultural products con-
tinue to be important to the U.S. econ-
omy because of a need to balance a
massive fuel and mineral resource im-
port bill. As a counter-weight to these
fuel imports, the only U.S. commodity
for which a comparable expanded
foreign market exists is food.
According to economists, agricul-
tural exports are not only beneficial to
the U.S. balance of payments, but also
the sale of U.S. agricultural products
in foreign countries means income for
American farmers and additional jobs
for farm workers in agri-business, stor-
age, transportation and handling of
crops as they are moved from farms
to seaports.
Economist Discusses Export Values
Dr. Herbert Grubb, Economist with
the Texas Water Development Board,
Austin, says the U.S. balance of pay-
ments represents the amount by which
the value of exports of all goods and
services exceeds the value of our im-
ports of all goods and services.
As most economists will readily
point out, the deficit in the U.S. bal-
ance of payments has been caused by
an increase in prices for crude oil and
an increased demand for importation
of crude oil to the United States.
In 1970, the value of petroleum and
petroleum products imported by the
U.S. was $2.77 billion; by 1975, such
imports had increased to approxi-
mately $25 billion.
Agricultural Exports Increasing
Likewise, the value of agricultural
exports has increased from $6.2 bil-lion in 1965 to $22 billion in 1975,
with most of the growth since 1970.
In 1975, agricultural products ac-
counted for approximately 22 percent
of the total exports, with exports in-
creasing from $27.5 billion in 1965 to
$106.6 billion in 1975.
Net exports of agricultural products
(agriculture's positive contribution to
the balance of payments) increased
from $2 billion in 1965 to $12 billion
in 1975 - an increase of 471 percent.
Feed Grains Pass Cotton Exports
In 1975, Texas ranked fourth
among the states in value of agricul-
tural exports, behind Iowa, Illinois and
Kansas. For years, Texas' major ex-
port crop (in dollar value) was cotton,
but in 1975 cotton, with an export
value of $240.1 million, was passed by
feed grains, with an export value of
$370.7 million.
Other major crops exported from
Texas in 1975 were rice, with an ex-
port value of $238.5 million; wheat,
with an export value of $152.7 million,
and soybeans, with an export value of
$26.2 million. Exports of fruit and
vegetables a n d their by - products
amounted to $29.1 million in 1975.
Texas farmers' share of the $22 bil-
lion of U.S. exports of agricultural
products was $1.3 billion, or six per-
cent of the total in 1975. This figure
represents 28 to 30 percent of the
State's value of crops and livestock
products.
Irrigation Necessary To Production
According to Grubb, irrigation is
necessary to continue production ofTexas' crops at present levels. The
percentage of cash receipts from crop
production on irrigated land has varied
from year to year, depending on
weather conditions and the develop-
ment of irrigation systems technology,
but it has averaged about sixty-two
percent since 1970."
In 1974 about 40 percent of the
Texas wheat crop, 60 percent of the
cotton crop, 53 percent of the feed
grains, 45 percent of the soybeans and
all of the rice was produced with the
aid of irrigation.
Said Grubb, "The food and fiber
produced on Texas' current irrigated
acreage and the increased production
that could be realized from the 35
million potentially irrigable acres, can
be a powerful force in increasing the
State's exports."
The second important contribution
of agricultural exports to the U.S.
economy is the impact it has on farm
income and farm jobs. In 1974, ap-
proximately 23 percent of U.S. farm-
ers' cash receipts were from export
sales.
Percentages Of Crops Exported
In terms of acreage, 96 million acres
-or three of every ten acres harvested
in 1974 - produced crops for the
export market. Fifty-eight percent of
the 1974 wheat crop was exported, as
well as 56 percent of the rice crop and
48 percent of the soybean crop.
Said the economist, "The increased
foreign demand for our agricultural
products has played an important role
-continued on page 2 . . . ECONOMYTWDB Approves Weather
Modification Permits
The Texas Water Development
Board (TWDB) has approved two con-
troversial permits to conduct weather
modification activities on the High
Plains of Texas. Granted permits dur-
ing a special TWDB meeting May 7
were Plains Weather Improvement As-
sociation, Inc. (PWIA), of Plainview,
and Atmospherics, Inc., of Fresno,
California, and based in Littlefield
(sponsored by Better Weather, Inc.)
The approval of the permits fol-
lowed months of hearings in Littlefield,
Plainview and Lubbock, at which time
proponents and opponents expressed
their views about the merits of weather
modification. (For additional infor-
mation, see the February, 1976, and
-continued on page 2... TWDB-.
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High Plains Underground Water Conservation District No. 1 (Tex.). The Cross Section, Volume 22, Number 5, May 1976, periodical, May 1976; Lubbock, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1533014/m1/1/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.