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Show Farm Fonds For Better Agriculture i : ; ' ' . . , . ; ; . . v . xmmmmmxmBxmmi&m is mmmms:'0ymm f .i'i-:--: . . T'-iiiW &iMmim s - - " . :wtmM mismm mmmm 4 . '-;x- Mft:, . xx : " - - " " " ii n mi ti 1 1 r--ntm i r - -infciMi-"-ii--iir miimmrnt- i niiwfcfrriii t fir nil i ilii 11 - Farm ponds are rapidly gaining in popularity throughout the West. They combine valuable val-uable water storage with recreational possibilities and added food supply. Properly managed, they aid greatly in soil and water conservation and provide a place for fish, waterfowl and ether birds and animals. Where they are . practical, ponds are made part of land use plans, which Soil Conservation Service technicians help- farmers and ranchers prepare. Farmers, Ranchers Take Advantage j Of Fish Ponds Many farmers and ranchers who are cooperating with the Uintah Basin Soil Conservation district are stocking their farm ponds with fish, it was announced an-nounced today by Morris W. Lewis, work unit conservation-ist conservation-ist with the SCS at Roosevelt.' Requests are made through the SCS office to the-Fish and Wildlife Service, who furnish the fish for stocking farm ponds without charge. About 20 requests re-quests for fish were filled last year and six have been filled this year. Ponds stocked with fish are located all the way from Fruitland to Jensen. Mr. Lewis states that this is encouraging to the SCS as well as the farmer, and presents new possibilities to each. If properly managed, farm fish ponds will I furnish many hours of recrea- Ition for the farm family and also provide a healthy contribu- I tion to the farmer's meat sup- iPly. In addition to this, ponds play an important role in the conservation conser-vation of . soil and moisture. ,They are used to obtain better ' distribution of grazing on range lands and are often an essential part of the farm irrigation system. sys-tem. Frequently ponds are built in gullies to check erosion. Barrow-pits or other low sites of no value for other agricultural use may be converted into ponds. The species recommended for stocking ponds are rainbow trout, bass, and blue gill. Species Spe-cies stocked in ponds will depend de-pend upon water temperature and source of water. In harvesting harvest-ing the crop, fishing should start eight to twelve months after stocking. Farmers are cautioned that "most farm ponds are not fished enough." This fact cannot can-not be emphasized too strongly. Failure to harvest the crop causes caus-es an over-population of stunted fish. If fertilized and fished heavily, heav-ily, farm ponds will yield 200 pounds or more per acre per year. Trout usually don't spawn successfully in ponds and, therefore, there-fore, must be restocked every two or three years. However, if the maximum surface temperature temper-ature of water is never over 75 degrees, rainbow trout will thrive and grow rapidly in ponds. To obtain information regarding regard-ing farm fish ponds, construction construc-tion or management, contact your Soil Sonservation District supervisor or the local SCS office. |