The U.S. Department of Agriculture published its 2023 Irrigation and Water Management Survey which shows that 212,714 U.S. farms irrigated 53.1 million acres across 81 million acre-feet of water, a decrease from 2018 survey results. Overall irrigation acreage and subsequent water usage has seen a downturn with a 2.8% reduction between the two.

 
The survey showed that cropland with grain, oilseeds and vegetables comprised the most irrigated land, 49.6 million acres of cropland was water, sprinkler systems covered 12.6 million more acres, and the top five states by irrigation acreage were Arkansas, California, Idaho, Nebraska, and Texas.

"The 2023 Irrigation and Water Management Survey, conducted every five years, expands on the data collected in the 2022 Census of Agriculture," says NASS Administrator Joseph Parsons. "This report offers detailed, comprehensive, up-to-date information specific to the agriculture industry's use, management and investment of water supplies and irrigation systems."

The survey, according to the United States Department Agriculture, is a total count of U.S. farms and ranches that raise or sell $1,000 or more of such products during the census year.