Crop production is often severely limited by a lack of moisture during critical periods of the growing season. In the semi‐arid regions of the Great Plains, in particular, the time distribution of rainfall is usually thought to be as important as the total amount. Precipitation management promises one means of alleviating the problem of moisture deficiencies during critical growth periods of crops. The objective of this study was to assess the potential effects of precipitation augmentation on agricultural production in the Great Plains area of Wyoming. The influence of added rainfall on winter wheat production in eastern Wyoming has been estimated. The results are limited to winter wheat, the major crop of the region. The influence of precipitation augmentation on winter wheat production was shown to be largely dependent upon the time at which added rainfall occurs. The benefits of added rainfall to increased winter wheat production were shown to be greatest during the middle portion of the growing season, relatively negligible early in the season, and negative late in the season.

No abstract