Carbon Footprint: A New Farm Management Consideration in the Southern High Plains

As concerns continue to mount regarding man induced impacts to the global climate, the SHPT region could be faced with a unique scenario in which the net carbon balance should be considered in the producer’s enterprise selection and production systems. Currently, the SHPT produces nearly one third of the U.S. cotton crop. Under a potential cap and trade system the challenge for the agricultural industry in the SHPT may be how to sustain the region’s economic base and production capabilities. Thus, the objective of this study was to measure the net carbon relationships between irrigated cotton and irrigated corn production systems on the SHPT using data from the Texas Alliance for Water Conservation (TAWC, 2009). Due to the unique management and production challenges in the SHPT, additional comparisons were made regarding economic viability and irrigation efficiency. Within the parameters of this study, it is apparent that irrigated corn has an advantage over cotton in both its ability to return carbon to the soil, maintain profitability, and use water resources efficiently. If the agricultural industry is included in CO2 regulation, it would appear that irrigated agricultural producers in the SHPT who have the ability to move between irrigated cotton and corn should be aware of the advantages corn possesses. However, even under changing commodity prices and profitability scenarios, corn still presents a significant advantage over cotton in its ability to reduce atmospheric CO2 by depositing larger amounts of biomass carbon into the soil.