OCR Text |
Show SCS Report Shows Progress - Of Uintah Basin Soil Work Never will the need for using ' proper soil and water conservation conservat-ion practices on every acre in the Uintah Basin Soil Conservation District be more important than in 1948, when America's soil will be called upon for continued high production to provide food for the hungry European countries, Lyle L. Young, chairman of the board of supervisors declared today. to-day. "It is only through the proper use of every acre of our land that we can protect the soil from serious ser-ious erosion damage," Mr. Young said. "This is especially true," he continued, "when we consider that our soil has been under strained production for several , years while meeting the war food Mr. Young pointed out that the 211 coopcrators of the district distr-ict made considerable progress in the application of soil and water wat-er conservation practices on 332. 450 acres of farm and ranch land during 1947, but that a big job! still remains ahead. 'The use of conservation practices pract-ices usually means greater production," pro-duction," :Jr. Young declared, and pointed out that many Utah farmers and ranchers have found , that corp yields have been in-1 in-1 creased by 20 per cent or more through proper conservation methods. The Uintah Basin district now has 3,500 acres that has been needed to irrigated pasture, 25 .teres of windbreak plantings to prerent wind erosion. 36 acres of field and gully plantings, 4 miles of diversion ditches and dikes, and 3 miles of strcambank protection that have not been stabilized. During 1947, district members followed recommended corp rotations rot-ations on 2,216 acres, applied commercial fertilizer on 993 acres. Irrigation improvements have been completed on 15 farms, with resultant savings in water and labor, and higher crop yields. More than 3,846 acres have been leveled, 144 miles of new irrigation irrigat-ion ditches have been relocated to improve the farm irrigation systems, 1,295 checks and -drops were installed, and 24.000 linear feet of soil-saving dikes - have been built. Ranchers controlling 231.760 acres of land in the district, have boosted their production by fetter fett-er range management, including such measures as adjusting stock mumbers to the forage supply, deferred and rotation grazing,, and better distribution of animals. ani-mals. The district has assisted stockmen in making 136 livestock live-stock water developments, and building 14 water-spreading dams for flood irrigation of range from intermittent streams. About 4.4-00 4.4-00 acres of abandoned farmland and denuded range has been rc-seeded rc-seeded to pasture grasses. The Uintah Basin district was organized on October 28. 1940, w'th an area of 5,423,100 acres. This is one of the largest such organizations or-ganizations in the State of Utah, which now has a total area of 38,-971,160 38,-971,160 acres, included in 39 such districts. Under provisions of an agreement with the U. S, Soil Conservation Service, technical assistance and uncommon types of machinery are provided to aid in carrying out the district program,-Mr. Young said. j All affairs of the district are managed by the board of supers J visors which includes Lyle L. Young, Acting chairman; Hugh j W. Col ton, Milton Woolley, Wil-1 liam' N. Brotherson, members, and George R. Hacking) secretary secre-tary District plans for 1948 are now being outlined and the greatest emphasis will be placed on irrigation irri-gation and range management Dractices to meet meet the new food goals, Mr. Young said. |