Programs

Upper Beaver River Watershed

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FY 2006 Conservation Security Program

The Upper Beaver Watershed contains 658 farms and is located in the west half of the Oklahoma Panhandle, northeast New Mexico, and the north end of the Texas Panhandle. It is comprised of portions of Cimarron and Texas counties in Oklahoma, Dallam and Sherman counties in Texas, and Union county New Mexico. The watershed begins with the Corrumpa and Seneca Creek drainage areas in New Mexico which join in western Cimarron County to form the Beaver River. The predominate land uses are cropland and rangeland. The majority of the cropland is located on the level to gently rolling uplands. The rangeland is generally located along the Beaver River and its tributaries. Cropland is used for the production of wheat, grain sorghum, corn, sunflowers, alfalfa, livestock forage and in recent years some cotton. Irrigation water is withdrawn from the Ogallala aquifer and applied to the irrigated cropland through center pivot irrigation systems. Primary resource concerns are wind erosion, poor soil quality due to low organic matter and the declining Ogallala aquifer on cropland. The majority of the rangeland is shortgrass prairie and grazed by all classes of cattle. On rangeland, the primary resource concerns are grazing management, livestock water development and controlling invasive plants. Confined animal feeding operations for cattle and swine are distributed throughout the watershed.

Acres by Land Use within the Upper Beaver River Watershed
Cropland (Dryland & Irrigated): 455,924 acres
Confined Feeding Operations: 741 acres
Pastureland: 1,166 acres
Rangeland: 469,824 acres
Urban/Built-up Land: 5,835 acres
Water (lakes/ponds/channels): 6,106 acres
Other Land Uses (Farmsteads, Highways, etc.): 563 acres