OCR Text |
Show -12- ment. During the period 1945-1951, inclusive, loans outstanding totaled $692,676.83, and on January 31, 1951, there remained 42 active loans totaling $113,774.01. Of all farm loans, 49 were in default with an outstanding balance of $100,219.77, and of the 149 Navajo and Hopi colonists who took assignments at Colorado River during the period 1945-1955, 58 paid their loans in full. Of 46 Navajo colonist farmers, 19 can be described as successful on the basis of farm management, income, property improvement and similar criteria; 15 might be classified as moderately successful; 8 are in a borderline position, and 4 are unsuccessful. Despite the greater agricultural experience of the Hopi as a traditional (dry land) farmer, there is little if any difference between the Navajo and Hopi colonist at Colorado River in terms of managerial ability and income level. Both groups had to make serious adjustments to new agricultural conditions, and irrespective of tribe, successful farming reflects the extent of such adjustment and the individual factors of ability and ambition. Under ordinary management practices Colorado River farm land will yield a net profit of about $40-$50 per acre per year from hay or $100-$ 150 per acre from cotton. For maximum production the farmer must take advantage of the long growing season-nearly year around -and cannot successfully operate as a farmer on a 3-5 month farm operation program. On a full year farm operation basis, with double cropping, the 80-acre assignments at Colorado River should produce a maximum net average profit of $8,000 per year at present price levels. It has been partly on the basis of the experience of Navajo colonists at Colorado River that the Navajo Tribe |
Source |
Original book: [State of Arizona, complainant v. State of California, Palo Verde Irrigation District, Coachella Valley County Water District, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, City of Los Angeles, California, City of San Diego, California, and County of San Diego, California, defendants, United States of America, State of Nevada, State of New Mexico, State of Utah, interveners] : California exhibits. |