Irrigation FAQs
How much yield benefit do we get from irrigation in Mississippi?
Any yield response depends on the management and timeliness of the irrigation. The following table displays accepted yield data for the major irrigated crops in Mississippi.
Accepted Yield Responses By Crop
| Cotton | 180 pounds of lint |
| Corn | 50 to 180 (Average MS Yield is 90 bushels.) |
| Soybeans | 15 bushels. |
| Grain Sorghum | No good data. |
How much water does it take for different irrigation systems?
Furrow--A minimum of 10 GPM per acre.
Flood--(Rice), 15-20 GPM per acre.
Border--A minimum of 10 GPM per acre.
Center Pivots--A minumum of 4.5 GPM per acre to put out a gross of 1 inch in 4 days.
(Many producers are upsizing to put out an inch in 3 days or 6.25 GPM per acre).
Towable Privots and Traveling Guns--A minumum of 5 GPM per acre total to by irrigated.
Irrigation, Soil and Water Home
How many acres of Mississippi crops are irrigated?
(This will vary from year to year)
| Cotton | 300,000 acres |
| Soybeans | 350,000 acres |
| Corn | 200,000 acres |
| Rice | 250,000 acres |
| Other Crops | 100,000 acres |
When do you start to irrigate?
When you feel like an inch of rain would do some good and when soil moisture in the root profile reaches 50 percent depletion.
The critical stages for the different crops are:
| Cotton | Beginning bloom |
| Corn | Eight leaf stage and very critical at tassel and silk |
| Soybeans | Beginning bloom |
| Grain Sorghum | Boot stage |
Publications
News
Technology allows Jeremy Jack to implement management practices on Silent Shade Planting Co. in Belzoni that were impossible 15 years ago, and water use efficiency is just one way his operation has improved.
Agriculture is the world’s single largest consumer of fresh water, making the water shortages expected over the next 10 years in at least 40 states -- Mississippi included -- critically important.
STARKVILLE, Miss. – A Mississippi State University Extension Service specialist has joined a national collaborative founded to guide climate change research.
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- Delta-based agricultural producers in a four-state region are invited to participate in a survey designed to gauge opinions and identify current practices related to water use.
The online “Delta Region Irrigation Producers’ Survey,” or DRIPS, also includes questions related to how producers prefer to receive educational information, which will help the Mississippi State University Extension Service design future programs. Survey results are confidential, and participants remain anonymous.
STONEVILLE, Miss. -- An irrigation specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service has gained national recognition for his outreach related to water conservation practices.
Success Stories
Brian Andrus irrigated exactly zero times on his Sunflower County farm in 2021. He didn’t even turn on his well.
Delta soybean producer irrigates his fields, increases yields
Most of the Delta is already irrigated, but not all farmers are taking advantage of the latest irrigation technologies. However, agents with the Mississippi State University Extension Service are increasing Delta producers’ knowledge— and application—of new, more efficient ways to water the rows.
Delta farmer Travis Satterfield reflects on 40+ years in the fields
The price of rice hasn’t increased much since Travis Satterfield of Benoit began growing it in 1974, but nearly everything else in the world of production agriculture has changed.
2020 Pearl River Clean Sweep removes thousands of pounds of trash
Since it began 4 years ago, the Pearl River Clean Sweep has removed more than 135,000 pounds of trash from the Pearl River Basin, including the Pearl, Strong, and Bogue Chitto Rivers across 15 Mississippi counties and two Louisiana parishes.
The Clean Sweep offers an opportunity for volunteers to participate in a coordinated effort organized by like-minded leaders. Many people affiliated with the Mississippi State University Extension Service participated in the 2020 cleanup, and lead organizer Abby Braman is an Extension-certified Master Naturalist volunteer.
In this "What's New in Extension," Extension agents implement better safety standards, train to deliver Mental Health First Aid, and receive national recognition. Also, new irrigation and specialists join the Extension family.
