In all parts of the United States, agriculture is putting increased demands on limited water resources. Nationwide, there are more than 150,000 center pivot (CP) irrigation systems, watering over 21 million acres of cropland. However, various droughts and lawsuits have prompted a renewed interest in water-conservation methods by the general public, which is becoming increasingly insistent that agriculture do its part in conserving water. In some areas, limits are already being placed on agriculturalirrigation. For instance, in the 2001 and 2002 crop seasons, Georgia paid some producers not to irrigate. Yet, for a large portion of the U.S., the single most important production factor is irrigation management.
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