Show The Irrigated Farm Continues To Be More Utah's Biggest J Asset U o National Survey Shows Value Per Irrigated Farm FarmIs Is Over And A Healthy Increase During The Ten Yea Year r Period I I The department of commerce at Washington issued a very interesting interesting interesting inter inter- esting summary April 21 regarding regarding regarding regard regard- ing the irrigation of farm lands in this country as of 1930 It is very interesting reading because of the facts given and because this Irrigation business is the hope of this Uintah Basin The number of farms Increased from to All figures figures figures fig fig- ures are given here as approximate approximate approximate mate or in round numbers And value of this total agriculture in including including including in- in buildings and equipment was was nearly five billion dollars for 1930 About 77 per cent of the farms were operated by the owners owners owners own own- ers and the remainder by ten ten- ants Total area is acres an increase for the period of almost almost almost al al- al- al most 2 per cent and this acreage is about 3 per cent of the farmlands farmlands farm farmlands lands of the country Private enterprises enterprises enterprises en en- and cooperative companies companies companies com com- each take about third one-third of the acreage irrigation districts 18 per cen cent and Carey Act state and city enterprises account for for forthe forthe the remainder About two thirds of this business business business busi busi- I. I ness is gravity flow water and 20 pe per cent pumped from wells and streams about equally di divided divided divided di- di vided and various minor phases of water supply make up the I Iper per cent I Dividing this acreage into geographical geographical geo geo- I 1 graphical ra areas areas we have haye west coastal area are including the Colorado Colorado Colorado Colo Colo- rado and Columbia river basins about half Missouri river 21 per percent percent percent cent Great Basin 11 per cent Rio Grande 8 Mississippi ippi without the missouri 5 and lands down on n the G Gulf lf of Mexico about 3 per cent Slightly h more than on one one billion dollars is invested in the irrigation tion Lion enterprises which is just about a 33 increase in 10 years 3 the increase being largely from the pumping of water It It has cost an average of 2821 per acre t to prepare land for irrigation irrigation im- im gation in ad addition tion to the cost of 1 the water Water delivered at atthe atthe atthe the was 28 acre acre feet per acre while at the this was over 4 acre feet this showing the loss The report shows over acres reporting drainage which has evidently increased rapidly in the ten years This report is of vital interest to us for the following reasons I About viz About 1 About half of the area is represented by the coastal region regio having a long growing period demanding demanding demanding de de- de- de manding more water and nd increasing increasing increasing ing the average amount per acre needed Such states as Arizona New Mexico and Texas add to this 2 About Z-About About one-half one of it had drainage conditions handled in some form 3 The 3 The cost for the water is less than the cost of preparing preparing preparing pre pre- paring the land Such data is very relevant to this Uintah Basin The Great Basin Basin Basin Ba Ba- sin being most of Utah west of the Wasatch range nearly all of Nevada and an important area in Idaho makes up only 11 per cent of the total Preparation of the he theland theland heland land clearing and levelling and drainage two big factors are minor costs in this basin And we can use far less than the average average average av av- av- av of nearly three acre feet per acre on the land Two acre feet at the farm is ample for the basin Out here the Indian cost for acres was about 1250 per acre for the irrigation enterprise The Dry Gulch company about acres was perhaps less les While ma many y sn smaller r lle-r companies and private privat filings cost as low as per acre of the water The government report does nd mention maintenance cost per year but is is certain that such expense in the basin is considerably consider consider- I a ably ly under unde under the the average acre acre- cost Drainage here while important is never expensive as indicated by the fact that up to date no drainage enterprises s have been demanded Our Uintah Basin may get some satisfaction from these facts Here we we now have 20 per cent of all irrigated crops and this Is only half of the land for which we have water Here is about all the land Utah may yet reclaim wit without out expensive storage and that involving Uintah Basin Water water water wa wa- ter taking our Duchesne riverhead riverhead river riverhead head streams as was done with the Str Strawberry reservoir Utah's only y important federal project thus far In closing this commentary on the federal report we should remember remember re re- re member that the federal reclamation reclamation bureau accounts for only 7 per percent cent seven acres out of each depending on irrigation The survey includes states and of course only about ten of these really enter into the picture as as' important |