Irrigation study shows added economic impact possible for agriculture

BISMARCK - Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring joined lawmakers and study partners at the Capitol today to highlight the results of an irrigation and drainage study commissioned by the 69^th Legislative Assembly through House Bill 1531. The study was completed by Decision Innovation Solutions based in Iowa.

“The study showed that we could develop another 1.3 million acres of irrigation in the state based on soil suitability and water availability,” Goehring said. “Much of that acreage includes the Missouri River Basin, including Lake Sakakawea and the Garrison Diversion canal; the Souris River Basin; and the Red River Basin. The rest of the acreage could be developed using the extensive aquifer resources that exist across our state.”

According to the study, the counties with the highest potential for irrigation include McLean, Williams, Sargent, Burleigh, Mountrail, McKenzie, McHenry, McIntosh, Dunn and Bottineau.

“The potential for irrigation development was part of the original Pick-Sloan Plan of the 1940s but has not yet occurred, resulting in an aggregate economic impact loss of $9.7 billion between 1970 and 2024,” Goehring said. “If irrigation infrastructure had been fully developed in North Dakota by 1970, the crop mix and yield of crops would have been different.”

“In recent years, the lost economic opportunities have been more than $400 million annually,” Goehring continued. “With effective irrigation developments, we could likely expand value-added processing, resulting in $500 million in positive economic impacts to agriculture.”

The study also looked at the impact of legal drains in 12 North Dakota counties, which contribute $87.9 million annually to the state economy.

View the full study.