50 Common Questions About Field Crops Matt Yost, Burdette Baker, Cody Zesiger, Jody Gale, Justin Clawson, Mark Nelson, Matt Palmer, Mike Pace, Cheyenne Reid, Steven Price, Earl Creech, Corey Ransom, Grant Cardon, Clara Anderson, and Madelyn Kunzler
Introduction Utah State University (USU) Extension strives to provide research-based informa�on and knowledge to help agricultural producers. Producers o�en have ques�ons about several aspects of field crop produc�on. This ar�cle is not comprehensive of all ques�ons about field crops but represents some of the common ques�ons that USU faculty have received from the public, producers, and crop advisors. Further ques�ons should be directed to your local Extension agent or submited for expansion of this online resource.
Questions Crop Selection and Use 1. 2. 3. 4.
Why is alfalfa grown in Utah, is it subsidized, and what benefits does it offer? Why is land used for alfalfa and hay acres not converted to more vegetable and fruit produc�on? What percent of crops grown in Utah are for direct human consump�on? Could sagebrush be used as a livestock feed to offset water used on irrigated cropland?
Irrigation and Water Use 5. 6. 7. 8.
Do alfalfa roots go deeper with surface (flood) or sprinkler irriga�on? How should management differ for dryland vs. irrigated pastures? Why are farmers using inefficient and archaic surface (flood) irriga�on systems? How much more water would reach the Great Salt Lake if all flood irriga�on was converted to sprinklers? 9. Why is drip irriga�on not required for crop produc�on like in California? 10. How much alfalfa is exported from Utah, and what percent of the water used is “shipped overseas”? 11. When and where are some types of irriga�on beter than others? 12. How do you measure seepage from canals? 13. What crop should I grow if I only have water for a short season? 14. What is the best approach for deficit irriga�on? 15. What is the best approach to fallowing? 1