**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS IS ONE OF THE HEAVILY FARMED REGIONS IN THE UNITED STATES. THE REGION IS SEMI-ARID AND IS PRONE TO UNCERTAINTY IN RAINFALL AND FREQUENT DROUGHTS WHICH MAKES IRRIGATION IMPERATIVE FOR SUCCESSFUL CROP PRODUCTION. FOR IRRIGATION, THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS DEPENDS ON THE UNDERGROUND OGALLALA AQUIFER. HOWEVER, THE AQUIFER'S WATER LEVEL IN THE HIGH PLAINS HAS ALARMINGLY DECLINED FROM 1950 TO RECENT DECADES. THE PROGRESSIVE INCREASE IN THE SCALE OF ROW CROP OPERATIONS IN THE REGION'S SEMI-ARID ENVIRONMENT HAS BEEN A MAJOR DRIVER IN THE CONTINUED DECLINE OF THE AQUIFER'S WATER LEVELS. RECENT RESEARCH PREDICTS THE AQUIFER MAY FACE DEPLETION AND BE UNABLE TO SUPPORT IRRIGATED LAND BY THE YEAR 2100 WITHOUT PROACTIVE INTERVENTION. LOSS OF THE AQUIFER'S ABILITY TO SUSTAIN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION WILL HAVE A NEGATIVE SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT ON RURAL FARM COMMUNITIES AND THE REGION'S NATURAL ENVIRONMENT. ADOPTION OF LESS WATER-INTENSIVE CROPPING SYSTEMS AND MORE EFFICIENT IRRIGATION STRATEGIES AND TECHNOLOGIES BY AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS COULD REDUCE THE RATE OF GROUNDWATER WITHDRAWAL AND PROLONG THE AQUIFER'S LIFE WITHOUT SACRIFICING FARM INCOME AND RESOURCE SUSTAINABILITY. CROPPING SYSTEMS THAT REQUIRE LESS WATER MAY REDUCE WATER DEMAND, BUT SOME ADJUSTMENTS MAY BE REQUIRED TO OFFSET THE POTENTIAL RISK OF LOWER PRODUCTIVITY. IDENTIFICATION OF AN OPTIMAL PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY FRONTIER THAT BALANCES FARMERS' WELFARE WITH THE REGION'S LONG-TERM RESOURCE SUSTAINABILITY IS REQUIRED TO DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY OF NOVEL CROPPING SYSTEMS AND PRODUCER WILLINGNESS TO MODIFY CURRENT CULTURAL PRACTICES.THIS PROJECT FOCUSES ON THE ECONOMIC AND RESOURCE SUSTAINABILITY PERFORMANCE OF THE COTTON CROPPING SYSTEM, WHICH SPECIFICALLY FOCUSES ON SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION IN THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS. WITH ITS RELATIVELY LOWER INSURANCE RATES, AND HIGH YIELDING POTENTIAL PER UNIT OF WATER APPLICATION COMPARED TO OTHER GRAIN CROPS IN THE REGION, CORN IS A MAJOR CROP CHOICE FOR IRRIGATION IN THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS. HOWEVER, THE CROP WATER DEMAND FOR CORN IS ALSO THE GREATEST AMONG ALL THE GRAIN CROPS IN THE REGION. COTTON HAS EMERGED AS A POTENTIAL ALTERNATIVE TO CORN DUE TO ITS LOW WATER REQUIREMENTS AND ATTRACTIVE NET RETURNS. HOWEVER, THE UNDERSTANDING OF CROP WATER USE AND YIELD ALONG WITH MANAGEMENT UNCERTAINTIES ON COTTON WILL BE REQUIRED TO OPTIMIZE COTTON PRODUCTION IN THE CHP. THEREFORE, PRODUCTION EXPERIMENTS (WHICH IS LIMITED) ARE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE USEFUL DEMONSTRATIONS AND DECISION-MAKING INFORMATION TO GROWERS TO FACILITATE THE ESTABLISHMENT AND ADOPTION OF NOVEL CROPPING SYSTEMS IN THE REGION.THIS PROJECT ESTABLISHES A FIELD EXPERIMENT OF COTTON PRODUCTION IN ROTATION WITH CORN, AS A CONTINUOUS COTTON CROPPING SYSTEM AND A CONTINUOUS CORN CROPPING SYSTEM. THE OBJECTIVES OF THESE EXPERIMENTS RANGE FROM ESTABLISHING COTTON CROPS IN THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS, OPTIMIZING IRRIGATION STRATEGIES FOR LUCRATIVE COTTON PRODUCTION, AND UTILIZING DATA FROM THESE EXPERIMENTS TO INVESTIGATE THE LONG-TERM ENVIRONMENTAL (SOIL AND WATER) AND ECONOMIC VIABILITY OF COTTON PRODUCTION IN THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS. THE FINDINGS OF THIS PROJECT LOCAL CLIENTELE INCLUDING PRODUCERS, CONSULTANTS, EXTENSION EDUCATORS, COMMODITY GROUPS, AND RELEVANT INDUSTRY THROUGH EXTENSION OUTREACH. THESE EFFORTS WILL PRODUCE FIELD DAYS, WORKSHOPS, FACT SHEETS, AND VIDEO-AUDIO PODCASTS, AND STUDENTS. WE EXPECT THAT THE OUTCOMES OF THIS PROJECT WILL HELP IN ESTABLISHING A LOW WATER-DEMANDING CROPPING SYSTEM IN THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS. THE FINDINGS OF THIS PROJECT WILL BE REPORTED TO THE FUNDING AGENCY ON ANNUAL BASIS AND THE FUNDING AGENCY WILL BE ACKNOWLEDGED AT ALL THE EVENTS WHERE DATA FROM THIS PROJECT WILL BE PRESENTED.