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Show St. George-Santa Clara Bench Canal Co., Asks Help In Solving Problems Conservation Problems At Ivins Is Cause For Combined Efforts By A. II. BATELX District Conservationist Officials of the St. George-Santa Clara Bench Canal company have requested assistance from the Lower Virgin-Santa Clara SCD to help solve conservation problems occurring in the vicinity of the community of Ivins, reports A. H. Bateman, district conservationist. The district supervisors called a general meeting of the 32 farmers, farm-ers, county agent and service representatives rep-resentatives to discuss the general gen-eral problems and to devise means of their solutions. At the meeting it was decided that each farmer should plan his own farm with the assistance of the district. By planning plan-ning their own farms it was felt that the farmers would bo more interested and more active in carrying car-rying out conservation practices. Second Meeting Called A second meeting was called in which it was decided to divide the farmers in two groups and to hold a series of eight evening meetings with each group together with field trips for the purpose of preparing farm plans. During the course of these group meetings the district employed em-ployed the following steps to assist as-sist the farmers of Ivins to plan their own farms: 1. Each farmer, using aerial (Continued on page four) Assistance Asked (Continued from first page) photographs, made a map of his own farm indicating fences, ditches, ditch-es, buildings, fields, etc. At the same time consideration was given to the re-location of field boundaries, bound-aries, re-alignment of field ditches, location of soil-saving dikeSj and cropping plans. 2. Field trips by each group were taken to visit several farms of Ivins in order to classify the soils according to their use capability capa-bility on which was based the individual in-dividual farm plan. 3. A "capability" map was prepared pre-pared by each farmer and showed areas where erosion control was needed, these areas requiring intensive in-tensive treatment and those areas where crops could best be grown. 4. A program of conservation operations was prepared by each individual farmer involving such conservation measures as crop rotation, ro-tation, green manuring, fertilizers, fertiliz-ers, soil-saving dikes, irrigation system treatment, rodent control and pasture management. 5. Each farmer summarized the conservation practices to be followed fol-lowed on his own farm outlined how these practices were to be carried out. 6. A farm management summary sum-mary was prepared by each farmer farm-er showing past, present, and expected ex-pected management of each farm. This summary was designed to aid the farmer's plan for the best returns re-turns from their farms. 7. Individual farm visits by service representatives to assist the farmer with the more difficult phases of their farm plans such as detailed plans and specifications for irrigation structures, soil-saving dikes, leveling and to otherwise other-wise assist the farmer in developing devel-oping a sound and practical farm plan. Accept Plans With minor changes here and there in the individual farm plans, the district supervisors accepted the plans as prepared by each farmer. In both groups of farmers farm-ers considerable interest and enthusiasm en-thusiasm was shown for the manner man-ner in which the farm plans were developed and a better appreciation appreci-ation of conservation was gained by the farmers involved, states Mr. Bateman. The farmers who are writing their own farm plans are: Claude R. Frei, president of the company; Rueben Ence, vice president; presi-dent; Charles Hafen, secretary-treasurer; secretary-treasurer; and the following members: mem-bers: Charles Hafen, Max Hunt, Walter Hafen, Edwin Stucki, Vern Tobler, E. J. Reber, Clement Gub-ler, Gub-ler, Robert Phillips, Dean Hafen, Leonard Hafen, Weston Hafen, Clair Hafen, Harmon Hafen, Ed. R. Frei Jr., Guy Hafen, John Hafen, Clawson R. Frei, Lorin Stucki, John Arnold Stucki, Cray-ton Cray-ton Leavitt, Henry Graff, George A. Graff, Vivian J. Frei, Matt Gray, Ether Stucki, Lester Witt-wer, Witt-wer, Preston Hafen, June Gubler, Harmon Gubler Jr., and Lazelle Stucki. |