As the Ogallala Aquifer Declines, Growers Hone Water Use Strategies
August 24, 2026 Stretching across the High Plains, from South Dakota down into the Texas High and Southern Plains, the Ogallala Aquifer is the lifeblood of many of the region’s farmers and ranchers. Cotton producers in the Southwest — those in Kansas, Oklahoma and the Texas Plains — rely on this water source, although the quality and quantity of the water available in this Southern Ogallala Aquifer Region can vary widely.
“There is distinct variability,” says Jourdan Bell, Extension agronomist with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Services. “We naturally have less saturated thickness than the northern portions. Also, we don’t have the recharge rates that the northern regions have.”
Evidence of that inability to recharge the aquifer via adequate rainfall is readily available in 2026. As of mid-August, the U.S. Drought Monitor showed large swaths of the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma, and Kansas in “Extreme” or “Exceptional” drought. Texas, as a Rule of Capture state, also presents unique challenges to its cotton producers. This, combined with years of scant rainfall, has served to compound the water dilemma across key portions of the Cotton Belt in the Southwest.
“We really are probably at a point where these challenges are all coming together,” says Bell, speaking of the most recent years in West Texas. “Water has rapidly declined. Producers are now having to make those very tough decisions.”
Of course, cotton producers in the American Southwest are quite accustomed to dealing with dry seasons. Many in the region remember well the drought-hampered seasons of 2011, 2012 and 2013 — and the lessons they learned at the time.
“Back then they were able to overcome the drought stress with well-managed irrigation,” Bell says. “Today many of them no longer have that irrigation capacity.”
Bell and her fellow Texas A&M AgriLife Extension specialist Dana Porter estimate that the number of irrigated farm acres on the Texas High Plains has declined by around 10% in the 15 years since that drought period.
“So, in many ways, we’re facing some very significant economic challenges for producers,” Bell says. “And they are rapidly adapting. They’re reducing irrigated acreage mid-season, re-nozzling pivots. Making those very hard decisions.”
Porter says she’s seen growers implement the lessons they learned 15 years ago through changing their irrigation design and management strategies.
“We really are probably at a point where these challenges are all coming together. Water has rapidly declined. Producers are now having to make those very tough decisions.”
“Of the guys who used sub-surface drip irrigation, for instance, the ones who had better zoning in their system had more flexibility,” Porter says. “So, if they lost well capacity, they could adjust and still keep irrigating, whereas it would be hard to fill a pivot.
“They also found that if they had subsurface drip tape under every row, although the initial cost was higher, they were able to get that crop germinated. So, we learned some very useful lessons coming out of that.”
Managing Through the Drought
Of all the lessons producers have learned to manage a dry production season, the value of irrigation scheduling is among the most important. For many producers with irrigation capacity of less than 3 gallons per minute per acre, particularly those on the High Plains, pre-irrigation has become a common practice, according to Bell. However, there can be large evaporative losses from a bare soil surface, so it is important that producers who pre-irrigate manage residues and protect their water investment.
“They want to build that soil moisture profile, because they know that is their bank during those dry summer months,” Bell says. “Now, a very important strategy here is to leave enough of the soil available to capture a beneficial rainfall.”
Bell says this is a key reason why irrigation scheduling is such an important management strategy — and why it’s an important focus of education for producers. Porter adds that soil-water holding capacity is an important component of irrigation scheduling.
“I need to know, realistically, how deep is the root zone going to be, and realistically how much water-holding capacity does my soil have,” says Porter. “That’s going to vary depending on your specific soil type.”Clay loam soils, she says, can typically hold about two inches of water per foot of soil depth. Farmers can then calculate how much water they can hold for a plant with a three-foot root zone, Porter says. Soil water-holding capacity is lower for sandy loams and sandy soils.
In a region where many producers rotate their cotton with corn and sorghum, utilizing crop residue can also have a positive impact on soil water retention.
“Most producers haven’t really stepped back and considered the economic value of maintaining existing residues,” Bell says. “That’s an important strategy to use the residue of companion crops in rotation to minimize evaporative losses and improve soil moisture.”
Cotton as a Tool to Combat Water Decline
While farmers and ranchers across the region grapple with the depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer, many are finding that cotton itself has some useful characteristics. While cotton can use a lot of water, it is drought-tolerant, meaning it can be grown over a range of irrigation capacities and is generally grown under limited (deficit) irrigation or even dryland (but generally with lower yield than under irrigated production).
Because cotton offers more flexibility under limited irrigation scenarios, it can serve to extend the lifespan of available water supply on many acres that had previously been home to corn or other higher water use crops.
“Cotton, if managed properly, is a very important tool for our producers to extend the life of this aquifer, and the water for their farms,” says Bell.
Compared to some alternatives, cotton is notably more drought-tolerant. A well-managed corn crop on the Texas High Plains, Bell points out, will need roughly 24 inches of total water. A cotton crop on the same acre can get by on half that amount of water, she says.
Often, the experts say, as water in the aquifer draws down, the water quality will also decline. It can get much saltier as it begins to deplete. But compared to other crops, cotton can be a viable option where water quality is less than optimal.
“Cotton is relatively salt tolerant, especially when compared to corn and some of the others,” Porter says. “Cotton will surprise you. It’s tough.”
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