U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Open-File Report 2014–1257

December 2014

Prepared in cooperation with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Agricultural Irrigated Land-Use Inventory for Osceola County, 

Florida, October 2013–April 2014 

By Richard L. Marella and Joann F. Dixon

Abstract 

A detailed inventory of irrigated crop acreage is not 

available at the level of resolution needed to increase the 

accuracy of current water-use estimates or to project future 

water demands in many Florida counties. This report 

provides a detailed digital map and summary of irrigated 

areas within Osceola County for the agricultural growing 

period October 2013–April 2014. The irrigated areas were 

first delineated using land-use data and satellite imagery and 

then field verified between February and April 2014. Selected 

attribute data were collected for the irrigated areas, including 

crop type, primary water source, and type of irrigation system. 

Results indicate that an estimated 27,450 acres were irrigated 

during the study period. This includes 4,370 acres of vegetables, 

10,970 acres of orchard crops, 1,620 acres of field crops, and 

10,490 acres of ornamentals and grasses. Specifically, irrigated 

acreage included citrus (10,860 acres), sod (5,640 acres), 

pasture (4,580 acres), and potatoes (3,320 acres). Overall, 

groundwater was used to irrigate 18,350 acres (67 percent of 

the total acreage), and surface water was used to irrigate the 

remaining 9,100 acres (33 percent). Microirrigation systems 

accounted for 45 percent of the total acreage irrigated, flood 

systems 30 percent, and sprinkler systems the remaining 

25 percent. An accurate, detailed, spatially referenced, and 

field-verified inventory of irrigated crop acreage can be used to 

assist resource managers making current and future county-level 

water-use estimates in Osceola County.

Introduction

Agricultural irrigation water withdrawals generally are 

estimated in counties throughout Florida because most irrigators 

do not meter or report their usage, or the metered information 

obtained does not provide a cumulative total. The most common 

procedure used to estimate water withdrawals for agricultural 

irrigation is to multiply the reported or published acres of each 

crop irrigated by a crop-specific net irrigation requirement, also 

known as an application rate (Marella, 2014). Both the acres 

irrigated and the appropriate application rates are estimated by 

each water management district (WMD) for the counties within 

their boundaries. Many assumptions must be made to estimate 

water withdrawals using irrigated acreage data and application 

rates, and this report will focus on the irrigated acreage 

estimates made for Osceola County. Some of the problems 

associated with obtaining and using reported or published 

irrigated acreage data include:

• variations between agencies that compile such data on 

definitions, data-collection procedures, reporting levels, 

and differences in years published; 

• inadequate documentation of accuracy and detail; 

• missing data due to incomplete compilations, privacy 

restrictions, and a lack of differentiation between irrigated 

and non-irrigated crop tables; 

• lack of information about irrigation method and water source;

• lack of spatial data describing the location of irrigated 

crop lands.

Accurate and detailed estimates of irrigated acreage are 

not available at the level needed to improve current water-use 

estimates or project future demands. An accurate, detailed, 

spatially referenced, and field-verified inventory of irrigated 

crop acreage can be used to assist resource managers making 

current and future county-level water-use estimates. 

Background 

In 1998, the five Florida WMDs each prepared a detailed 

regional water supply plan for areas or counties within their 

jurisdiction to determine whether existing sources of water were 

adequate for current and future water needs (Florida Department 

of Environmental Protection, 2013). Water needs include water 

for public supply, domestic/small public supply, commercial/

industrial/institutional self-supplied, power generation, 

agricultural irrigation, and recreational irrigation. The primary 

objective of these water supply plans was to project future water 

demands and develop alternative water supplies to help meet the 

projected demands. 

In 2013, the Florida Legislature mandated that future water 

demand projections for the agricultural irrigation part of these 

water supply plans be provided by the Florida Department of 

Agriculture and Consumer Services for consideration by the 

WMDs (Corinne Hermle, Florida Department of Agriculture 

and Consumer Services, Office of Agricultural Water Policy, 

written commun., July 2014). These water supply plans 

typically project 20 years into the future and are updated by the 
WMDs on a 5-year cycle. Generally, all water supply plans are 

approved and adopted as policy guides by the governing board 

of each WMD. 

Agricultural irrigation water withdrawals refer to water 

used for crop irrigation and for non-irrigation uses associated 

with agricultural and farming operations (Marella, 2014). Crop 

irrigation includes the application of water on lands to assist 

in cultivation of crops or to prevent crop damage caused by 

harsh weather. Non-irrigation uses include withdrawals for 

livestock watering, washing of dairy and farm equipment, 

augmenting ponds used for fish farming, and other farm uses 

(Marella, 2014). 

Purpose and Scope

The purpose of this report is to present the results of a 

cooperative study between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 

and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer 

Services to provide a detailed digital map and summary 

of irrigated acreage within Osceola County (fig. 1) for the 

agricultural growing period October 2013–April 2014. The 

irrigated acreage was mapped and field verified, and selected 

attribute data were collected for those irrigated areas. Attribute 

data include crop type, irrigation system type, and primary 

water source. The field verification was conducted between 

February and April 2014, because most vegetable crops within 

the county are either being harvested, are currently growing, 

or have just been planted during this 3-month period. All other 

crops, such as orchards (citrus, blueberries, and peaches), 

ornamentals and nurseries, and field crops and grasses (sod, 

hay, seeds, rye, and pasture), were also field verified during 

the same 3-month period, even though most of these crops are 

grown year round. The study focused on locating, compiling, 

and verifying irrigated acreage by crop type and does not 

address any application rates or make any estimates of water 

use. The results of the study, published in this report, can be 

used to assist resource managers making current and future 

water-use estimates in Osceola County. 

ATLANTIC OCEAN

South Florida 

Water Management District

St. Johns River

Water Management District

Southwest Florida 

Water Management 

District

Osceola County INDIAN

RIVER

ORANGE

OSCEOLA

Kissimmee

Lake 

Tohopekaliga

Lake 

Kissimmee

Lake Marian

East Lake 

Tohopekaliga Taylor Creek 

impoundment

St. 

Johns River

Alligator 

Lake

Cypress 

Lake

Lake 

Gentry

St. Cloud

Holopaw

Yeehaw 

Junction

POLK

LAKE

HARDEE HIGHLANDS

BREVARD

OKEECHOBEE

N

Walt 

Disney 

World

Orlando

60

192

441

192

4

17

Florida’s Turnpike

0 25 MILES

0 25 KILOMETERS

Figure 1. Map showing locations of Osceola County, Florida, and selected features and place names.

2
Osceola County Population, Land Use, and Water Withdrawals

Osceola County is located in central Florida (fig. 1) and 

encompasses 1,350 square miles (Purdum, 1994). The northcentral and western parts of the county, near Kissimmee, are 

highly urbanized and adjacent to the Walt Disney World theme 

park complex (fig. 1). The population of Osceola County 

showed very little growth until the late 1970s when the theme 

park opened; the population has grown rapidly since the 1980s 

(fig. 2). The population of Osceola County increased more 

than tenfold from 26,000 in 1970, to 50,000 in 1980 (Dietrich, 

1978), to 174,000 in 2000, and 270,700 in 2010 (U.S. Census 

Bureau, 2012). Most of this population and urban growth has 

occurred in the north-central and western parts of the county. 

The county population is projected to reach 450,000 by the 

year 2030 (Smith and Rayer, 2012). 

The north-central part of the county, including the 

city of St. Cloud, Lake Tohopekaliga, and East Lake 

Tohopekaliga (fig. 1), is a mix of urban, rural, and agricultural land use, whereas the southern and eastern parts 

of the county, including Holopaw and Yeehaw Junction, 

are almost entirely rural with large areas of crop and cattle 

lands. According to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, Osceola 

County accounted for more pasture land than any other 

county in Florida, with more than 216,000 acres (U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, 2014). 

The north-central and western parts of the county were 

once large citrus areas (in and around the city of Kissimmee 

and along Interstate 4), containing many small and mid-size 

groves; however, most of these groves have been sold and 

developed or abandoned over time. Citrus acreage in Osceola 

County totaled about 19,394 acres on 199 farms in 1982, but 

by 2012 the acreage had decreased to about 6,623 acres on 47 

farms (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1984, 2014). Most of 

the remaining citrus acreage is in the southern or eastern part 

of the county, with only small areas of citrus remaining in the 

north-central and western areas. 

The agricultural community in Osceola County depends 

heavily on local water sources. In 2010, water withdrawals for 

agricultural irrigation totaled about 51 million gallons per day 

(Mgal/d) and accounted for 52 percent of the total withdrawals 

in the county (Marella, 2014). Water withdrawn for agricultural 

use in Osceola County is for crop production and cattle operations. Water withdrawn for public supply totaled 35 Mgal/d 

in 2010, or 36 percent of the total withdrawals in the county 

(Marella, 2014). 

In 2000, withdrawals for agricultural irrigation accounted 

for 73 percent of the total withdrawals, followed by public 

supply at 21 percent (Marella, 2004). Between 1975 and 2000, 

water withdrawals for agricultural irrigation in Osceola County 

increased steadily; however, withdrawals for agricultural 

irrigation decreased between 2000 and 2005 (Marella, 2009) 

and between 2005 and 2010 (fig. 3), returning to levels of those 

during the 1990s. Water withdrawals for public supply have 

increased steadily since 1985 (fig. 3). The decrease for agricultural irrigation withdrawals is due to losses of irrigated citrus 

and sod acreage, primarily between 2000 and 2010, whereas the 

increase in public supply withdrawals is due to a large increase 

in population, primarily between 1995 and 2010 (fig. 2). 

Water withdrawals in 2010 in Osceola County totaled 

98 Mgal/d (Marella, 2014). About 93 percent of the total water 

withdrawn in Osceola County in 2010 was obtained from 

the Floridan aquifer system, whereas the remaining water 

withdrawn was obtained from shallow aquifers, local canals, 

or lakes (Marella, 2014). Groundwater is the primary source of 

water in Osceola County because of the high quality and ready 

availability of the resource throughout the county (Schiner, 

1993). The quality and availability of fresh groundwater will 

remain vital to the residents, visitors, and the agricultural 

community in Osceola County in the future. 

2020 2030

Population, in millions

Year

Projected

200,000

300,000

500,000

400,000

100,000

0

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Figure 2. Historical and projected population 

of Osceola County, Florida, 1950–2030. 

Public supply

All other 

categories

Agricultural 

irrigation

80

100

120

0

20

40

60

Freshwater withdrawals, in million gallons per day

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Year

Figure 3. Historical water withdrawals in Osceola County, 

Florida, 1975–2010.

3
Map Development and Data Sources

A preliminary map showing acreage by crop type was 

developed using land-use data collected for 2008–09. The preliminary map was revised using more recent orthoimages from 

2011 to produce an adjusted map that was to be used for field 

verification. Once all of the field verification was completed 

and changes were made on the adjusted map and corresponding 

shape files, a final field-verified map was produced. 

The preliminary map was developed from data obtained 

from the St. Johns River WMD and the South Florida WMD 

(fig. 1). The St. Johns River WMD data were from a land-use 

inventory completed by the WMD in 2009 (St. Johns River 

Water Management District, 2011a). The WMD used the 

Florida Land Use and Cover Classification System (FLUCCS) 

for 2006, and the data were field checked in 2007–08 by the 

district. The South Florida WMD data were from a land-use 

inventory completed by the WMD in 2008–09 (South Florida 

Water Management District, 2011). The FLUCCS was used, 

but the data were only spot checked by the district. These two 

datasets were merged to create the preliminary map.

Orthoimages were used to revise the preliminary map 

produced by the WMDs, and an adjusted map was created. 

Orthoimages were obtained from the USGS Earth Resources 

Observation and Science (EROS) Center and represent the 

images taken primarily during January of 2011 (Osceola_2011_

ortho, produced by Surdex Corporation for the Osceola County 

Property Appraiser’s Office). In areas where the land-use 

type or field shape differed, the preliminary map was adjusted 

to match the orthoimages. In many cases it was difficult to 

differentiate between improved and unimproved pasture in the 

orthoimages because of the time of year the images were taken 

(in most cases pasture grass is dormant in this part of Florida 

during January). It was also difficult to differentiate between 

irrigation or drainage ditches visibly seen in the fields. Many 

of these differences were resolved with input from the County 

Extension Office staff or with the use of images viewed using 

Google Earth. Google Earth images accessed during digitizing 

in 2013 represented images from January and February of 2011 

with some images from periods in early 2013. 

Field Verification and Limitations 

The irrigated areas on the adjusted map were then ready 

to be field verified. The county was divided into two major 

areas for field verification on the basis of the predominant crop 

type: (1) the eastern, central, and southern areas of the county, 

which include nearly all of the vegetable crop and grass lands 

and (2) the north-central and western areas of the county, which 

include a large number of citrus groves (Appendix 1). Several 

trips were made to these two areas of the county between 

February and April 2014 to verify the planted and irrigated 

fields against the adjusted map. 

The County Extension Office staff indicated that the period 

February–April would provide the best opportunity to verify 

vegetable crop production because most vegetable crops grown 

during the 8-month period October through May would be in 

one of three stages—harvesting, growing, or planting—during 

February–April. Vegetables grown in the county generally are 

harvested during January through June from plantings as early 

as October or as late as April. Most of the remaining crops 

throughout eastern, central, and southern Osceola County are 

grown year round and include orchard crops (blueberries, citrus, 

and peaches), ornamentals and nurseries, and field crops and 

grasses (sod, hay, seeds, rye, and pasture). 

Field verification of the eastern, central, and southern 

areas of the county was less difficult than other areas, because 

access to most fields or groves was obtained through the County 

Extension Office. Field or grove layout was compared to the 

digitized areas shown on the adjusted map, and changes were 

made on the working copy. Specific attributes were recorded 

for each field including crop type, irrigation system (micro, 

flood, and sprinkler), and water source (ground or surface). 

Conversations with individual managers, farmers, or growers 

while visiting their fields also helped confirm or revise the field 

layout shown on the adjusted map as well as verify the attribute 

information collected. 

 For the many citrus groves in the north-central and western 

areas of the county, field verification was more challenging. Without direct access to most of the groves, it was difficult to determine from the roadside if the grove was active or abandoned. In 

general, a grove was categorized as abandoned if maintenance of 

the grove was not evident, trees were dead or barren, cows were 

present grazing among the trees, or a “for sale” sign was posted. 

Unless a grove was identified or labeled as abandoned, it was 

assumed active if an irrigation system was present. In many cases 

it was difficult to determine if some of the groves that did not 

appear to be abandoned were still in production. 

With assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(USDA) Office in Osceola County, most of the citrus groves 

in the north-central and western parts of the county (primarily 

around the urban areas of Kissimmee, St. Cloud, and along 

Interstate 4) were observed from the roadside and noted 

between February and April 2014. In addition, Osceola County 

staff went into certain areas in the north-central and western 

parts of the county to verify the condition or status of some 

specific groves. With the help of the County Extension Office 

and the USDA, the status of many, but not all, of the active or 

inactive groves was identified. 

For the purpose of this inventory, it was assumed that if an 

irrigation system was present, the system would be in use for 

the current crop at some time during the growing period. This 

assumption was made because in only a small percentage of the 

many fields or groves that were visited between February and 

April 2014 an irrigation system was observed operating during 

the visit. Therefore, the irrigation totals presented in this report 

may be high, especially for citrus crops and pasture land, because 

inactive groves or pasture would be counted as irrigated only 

because the use of irrigation during that specific growing season 

could not be verified. In addition, a large portion of the irrigated 

pasture acreage located in eastern Osceola County is irrigated 

through gravity feed ditches filled from water obtained from free 

flowing wells. In most cases, these wells are opened periodically 

throughout the year or in some cases not opened at all. For the 

purpose of this inventory, most of the pasture land with this 

irrigation potential is included as irrigated within these results. 

Upon completion of all of the field verification, a draft 

verified map was completed. This draft verified map was then 

reviewed by the County Extension Office and the USDA. Some 

issues were resolved and changes were made as a result, and a 

final verified map was produced (Appendix 1).

4
Results

The results of data compilation and field verification 

(Appendix 1) indicate that during the growing season 

October 2013–April 2014, an estimated 27,450 acres were 

irrigated in Osceola County. This includes 4,370 acres of 

vegetable crops, 10,970 acres of orchards, 1,620 acres of field 

crops, and 10,490 acres of ornamentals and grasses (fig. 4). 

Row crop totals include about 30 acres of various irrigated 

vegetable crops that could not visually be verified between 

February and April 2014. Specific irrigated crops include citrus 

(10,860 acres), sod (5,640 acres), pasture (4,580 acres), and 

potatoes (3,320 acres) (table 1). The part of Osceola County 

in the South Florida WMD (fig. 1) accounted for 72 percent 

(19,830 acres) of the total irrigated acres in the county, and the 

part in the St. Johns River WMD (fig. 1) accounted for 28 percent (7,620 acres) (fig. 4). Overall, groundwater was used to 

irrigate 18,350 acres (67 percent of the total acreage), whereas 

surface water was used to irrigate the remaining 9,100 acres 

(33 percent). In addition, microirrigation systems accounted for 

12,370 acres irrigated or 45 percent, flood systems accounted 

for 8,180 acres or 30 percent, and sprinkler systems accounted 

for the remaining 6,900 acres or 25 percent of the total acres 

irrigated during this 2013–14 growing season (table 1).

It is difficult to compare the field-verified results compiled 

in this study to results published by the USDA because methods 

differ substantially as do the reported years. Nevertheless, 

the total estimate of irrigated land compiled from this study 

(conducted in 2013–14) is about 6 percent less than the most 

recent estimates for Osceola County by the USDA (published 

with 2012 data) (fig. 5). The most recent Census of Agriculture 

estimates 29,153 total acres irrigated in Osceola County for 

2012 (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2014) compared to the 

current study results of 27,450 acres for 2013–14 (table 1). 

However, much of the detailed acreage data for specific crops 

within the 2012 Census of Agriculture report for Osceola 

County were either not available because of privacy issues or 

were not differentiated between irrigated and non-irrigated 

acreage (table 1). 

According to the Census of Agriculture (U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014), 

citrus and sod accounted for the majority acreage in Osceola 

County during the past 30 years (table 1). The acreage totals 

presented by the Census of Agriculture (for these seven Census 

of Agriculture publications) for these two crops do not differentiate between irrigated and non-irrigated. Total citrus acreage 

reported by the Census of Agriculture for 2012 was 6,623 acres, 

which is substantially different (39 percent lower) from the 

Osceola County

27,450 total acres

South Florida Water 

Management District 

19,830 acres

 (72 percent)

St. Johns River Water 

Management District 

7,620 acres 

(28 percent)

Ornamentals 

and grasses 

10,490 acres 

(38 percent)

Field crops 

1,620 acres 

(6 percent)

Fruit crops 

10,970 acres 

(40 percent)

Vegetables 

4,370 acres 

(16 percent)

Ornamentals 

and grasses 

5,650 acres 

Field crops (28 percent)

730 acres 

(4 percent)

Fruit crops 

9,850 acres 

(50 percent)

Vegetables 

3,600 acres 

(18 percent)

Ornamentals 

and grasses 

4,840 acres 

(64 percent)

Field crops 

890 acres 

(11 percent)

Fruit crops 

1,120 acres 

(15 percent)

Vegetables 

770 acres 

(10 percent)

Figure 4. Irrigated acreage by crop type 

for Osceola County, Florida, and by Water 

Management District, 

October 2013–April 2014.

5
Table 1. Reported and inventoried crop and irrigated acreage in Osceola County, Florida, 1982–2014.

[Data were compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center, Orlando. D, values were not provided in the U.S. -

ment of Agriculture (USDA) published tables due to privacy issues; N/A, data not available; USDA acreage values (in italics) for citrus and sod represent total 

acreage because the USDA tables do not differ between irrigated and non-irrigated; all other USDA values reflect what was reported as irrigated. Microirrigation 

includes drip, spray, jet, and bubbler systems; Sprinkler irrigation includes portable and traveling guns, solid or permanent overhead fixtures, center pivots, and 

periodic moving systems; Flood irrigation (including seepage systems) includes open-field ditch (furrows), semi-closed conveyance, sub-surface conduit, crown 

flood, and continuous flood (Izuno and Haman, 1987; Marella, 2014)]

Crop type From U.S. Department of Agriculture, Census of Agriculture1 U.S. Geological Survey 

field-verified irrigated acres2

1982 1987 1992 1997 2002 2007 2012 2013–14 Micro Sprinkler Flood

Vegetables (D) (D) 9 (D) 978 (D) (D) 4,370 1,050 780 2,540

Cabbage/Lettuce 0

Cucumbers/Pickles 0

Peppers (all) 180 180

Potatoes 3,320 780 2,540

Tomatoes 0

Sweet corn 0

Watermelons/

Cantaloupes

630 630

Vegetables 

non-specific3

240 240

Fruit Crops

(Land in orchards)

N/A N/A 12,217 14,982 9,533 7,862 6,210 10,970 10,800 170 0

Blueberries 40 40

Citrus 19,394 15,398 14,559 17,195 11,051 8,561 6,623 10,860 10,690 170

Grapes 0

Peaches 70 70

Strawberries 0

Fruit Crops 

non-specific4

0

Field Crops N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 1,620 290 1,330 0

Cotton 0

Field corn 290 290

Peanuts 0

Potatoes 0

Rice 0

Soybeans 0

Sugarcane 0

Tobacco 0

Wheat 0

Field Crops 

non-specific5

1,330 1,330

Ornamentals/Grasses N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 10,490 230 4,620 5,640

Field grown 0

Greenhouse grown 0

Container grown 270 230 40

Pasture (improved) 4,580 30 4,550

Sod 1,669 6,173 3,499 8,584 8,484 14,250 6,933 5,640 4,550 1,090

Irrigated land 26,742 25,868 14,474 58,024 18,651 31,420 29,153 27,450 12,370 6,900 8,180

Number of farms 141 178 174 197 140 98 62 Percent 45 25 30

Harvested cropland6 35,011 32,501 26,074 30,345 27,448 29,901 22,130

Number of farms 281 311 287 269 228 152 126

Total cropland6 65,295 66,965 63,060 50,505 76,148 44,457 29,700

Number of farms 360 390 287 355 296 185 146

1

Data for 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007, and 2012 were obtained from the USDA, Census of Agriculture (USDA, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009, 

2014). 2

The acres reported by the USGS for the 2013–14 growing season include the period October 1, 2013, to April 30, 2014. Values shown in this table may 

differ from those presented in Appendix 1 due to rounding. 3

Acreage includes beans (lima, pole, and snap), broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, collards, eggplant, garlic, herbs, kale, mustard greens, okra, onions, parsley, peas (black-eyed, crowder, green, and southern), pumpkins, spinach, squash, turnip greens, radishes, and watercress. 4

Acreage includes apples, avocados, bananas, guavas, mangoes, papayas, passion fruit, pears, pecans, persimmons, plums, and other non-citrus fruit.

5

Acreage includes sorghum, wheat (for grain), oats (for grain), proso millet, rice, rye (for grain), dry southern peas (cowpeas), grass seeds, hay, forage, and 

silage crops. 6

Excludes pasture.

6
10,860 acres identified through the ground verification conducted between February and April 2014 as part of this study. 

A large part of this difference may be attributed to the inability 

to differentiate between active, inactive, and abandoned citrus 

groves during the field-verification process. Growers may 

have reported a grove as inactive or abandoned to the Census 

for 2012, but during field verification in 2014 the grove may 

have been visually identified as active and, therefore, included 

in the study results. Citrus acreage across central Florida has 

been declining since the late 1990s as a result of tree losses to 

hurricane damage, disease (such as canker and greening), and 

encroaching urbanization (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

2006; White and van Blokland, 2006).

 Pasture irrigation is also substantial throughout Osceola 

County. Although the Census does not report the actual value 

for irrigated pasture, it does report that 13,276 acres of “pastureland and other land” were irrigated in 2012 (U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, 2014, table 10). The Census also reported that 

15,877 acres of “harvested cropland” were irrigated (U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, 2014, table 10), thus totaling the 

29,153 reported acres irrigated in 2012 (U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, 2014) for Osceola County (table 1). Harvested 

cropland includes vegetables, orchards, and ornamentals, and 

pastureland and other land includes pasture for grazing or hay 

production, sod, and seed production. Assuming that all of 

the reported sod acreage by the USDA for 2012 was irrigated 

(6,933 acres); the remaining 6,340 acres would represent the 

irrigated pasture totals as well as irrigated hay, rye and seed 

acreage. Subtracting the field-verified 1,330 acres of rye and 

seed (listed as Field Crops non-specific in table 1) from the 

6,340 remaining acres, irrigated pasture acres from the Census 

would be estimated at 5,010 acres, or only 430 acres (8 percent) 

higher than the results of 4,580 acres for this study.

The results of this study provide a greater detail of the 

irrigated crops within Osceola County than do the published 

values. Information on crop type, irrigation system, and water 

source enable planners to better estimate current and future 

water needs. In addition, the spatial distribution of irrigated 

lands allows scientists to better assign withdrawal values 

geographically for ground and surface-water models and better 

identify water using activities at a local or regional level. 

Further Information

Additional information on current and future water 

demands for agricultural irrigation in Osceola County can be 

obtained from the St. Johns River WMD (St. Johns River Water 

Management District, 2011b) and the South Florida WMD 

(South Florida Water Management District, 2009). The final 

field-verified map (Appendix 1) along with digital layers and 

attribute files described in this report are available for download 

from the USGS Web site http://fl.water.usgs.gov/infodata/

wateruse.html or by contacting the USGS Caribbean-Florida 

Water Science Center offices in Davie, Lutz, or Orlando, 

Florida, or Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. 

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the Florida 

Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Office of 

Agricultural Water Policy, for its participation and cooperation 

in this agricultural irrigation land use project for Osceola 

County including the following staff who provided program 

support or technical assistance from the Office of Water Policy 

in Tallahassee: L. Terry Pride, W. Ray Scott, Holly Edmonds, 

and Corinne Hermle. Appreciation is extended to James H. 

Fletcher, Osceola County Extension Director, Institute of Food 

and Agricultural Science (IFAS), University of Florida, and 

Chuck O’Rourke, District Conservationist, U.S Department of 

Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Service 

(NRCS), for providing assistance, expertise, and staff time 

needed to produce maps, update field information, and contact 

farmers. Special appreciation is extended to Valarie Anderson 

of the local NRCS office and J.J. White of Osceola County for 

the many hours spent driving through the urban and rural areas 

of Osceola County to help delineate or verify fields, groves, and 

pasture areas.

Selected References

Dietrich, T.S., 1978, The urbanization of Florida’s population—

An historical perspective of county growth 1830–1970: 

Gainesville, Fla., University of Florida, College of Business 

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20

40

60

100

0

80

Total cropland 

(excluding pasture)

Harvested 

cropland

Irrigated 

land

Acres, in thousands

1982

1987

1992

1997

2002

2007

2012

2013–14 (USGS)

EXPLANATION

Figure 5. Reported and inventoried total cropland, 

harvested cropland, and irrigated land in Osceola County, 

Florida, 1982 through 2014.

7
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Suggested citation: 

Marella, R.L., and Dixon, J.F., 2014, Agricultural irrigated land-use 

inventory for Osceola County, Florida, October 2013–April 2014: 

U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2014–1257, 8 p., 

http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ofr20141257.

 

 ISSN 2331-1258 (online)

8

For addition information about this report, contact:

Richard L. Marella

U.S. Geological Survey, Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center

12703 Research Parkway

Orlando, FL 32826

rmarella@usgs.gov

Or visit the Caribbean-Florida Water Science Center Web site at 

http://fl.water.usgs.gov