| A previous study had found that "rangeland" in the western part of the country was being converted to cropland to serve as "replacement land" for cropland lost to urbanization farther east. This paper examined whether the trend of rangeland to cropland conversion had continued across the upper Great Plains in the 21st century, whether any such conversion was concentrated in a specific area, and what impact if any this conversion had on changes in irrigation across this area. Comparison of land cover images from 2001 and 2007 found significant clusters of conversion in North Dakota, South Dakota, Kansas and Nebraska. Additionally, analysis of Census of Agriculture irrigation data revealed a strong linear relationship between rangeland to cropland conversion and increases in irrigation. |
