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Show components in the Federal wholesale power mar- keting system. Among other things this may afford local units of government, cooperatives, and private systems an alternative source of power if they believe it will better serve the public interest. In general, unless there are strong public interest considerations to the contrary, including the relative efficiency of opposing plans, use of potential power sites rendered practicable by Federal reregulating or storage reservoir projects should be considered as integral parts of multiple-purpose projects for purposes of planning, construction, and operation. Where private agencies have constructed essential storage or reregulating reservoir projects for down- stream power development, the construction at undeveloped power sites should be undertaken as integral parts of private projects, unless there are strong public interest considerations to the contrary. The latter may include the relative efficiency of opposing plans. 3. Desirability or Handicap of Acreage Limitation Laws in Irrigation Developments. The Problem The application of acreage limitation to farm units served by irrigation developments within the Central Valley. The Situation A basic policy of reclamation law has been the promotion of family-size farms. In that spirit, policy expressed in the 1902 Reclamation Act limits irri- gable land holdings on projects to 160 acres for any one land owner. This has been construed to permit 320 irrigable acres to be held jointly by man and wife. The law also does not preclude combined farming endeavor by any number of owners, mem- bers of a family or otherwise, so long as each owns no more than the acreage limit for any one owner. In effect, therefore, farms considerably larger than 160 irrigated acres may be operated as units under reclamation law. However, a family-size farm in reality does not always necessarily have to be as large as 160 acres. Soil, climate, market conditions, and other factors vary from place to place; certain crops or types of agriculture are better adapted to one locality than another. Most farms in the Central Valley have less than 160 irrigated acres, and the owners' fam- ilies dependent on them maintain a reasonable standard of living. Therefore, the discussion below relates to family-size farms, whatever acreage that should be in a given area, rather than to a pre- determined size or a given number of irrigated acres. National policy has long recognized that family- size, owner-operated farms contribute greatly to the economic, social, and political stability of the country. They are, therefore, in the public interest. This has been stated or implied in various legislative acts, and is an important concept in current agri- cultural programs. Unlike other business enter- prises where land is required merely as a site, in agriculture land is site, production plant, and home. As the total area of farm or potential farm land is limited, opportunities to engage in agriculture are likewise limited. This limitation is intensified to the extent that individual holdings are low in num- ber and large in size. Fortunately, except in local areas, this has not created any real problem in this country. But it will become a problem unless addi- tional increments to our population can find a live- lihood in nonagricultural pursuits. A high efficiency of production has been a policy in agricultural programs in the United States. In the past the family-size farm was not entirely com- patible with the most efficient production per worker. Most of the early power machinery for agriculture favored the large operator. Currently, however, farm machinery is being designed more and more for the family-size farm, thus contributing to more equal production efficiency. The family- size farm today is an efficient unit for agricultural production. Within the Central Valley, where new lands are brought into cultivation and developed as farm units through Federal irrigation works, no particular problems will arise if the acreage limitation pro- visions of reclamation law are applied. The pattern of land holdings in the newly developed areas will be one of family-size farm units. However, the principal irrigation development will provide supplemental water to existing irrigated farms rather than bring in new lands. This presents a problem of the application of acreage limitation provisions. The pattern of land holdings is already established in areas to be provided with supple- mental water. Approximately 1 million acres of irrigable land in the San Joaquin Valley which can be served from the Central Valley Project and some future projects are in holdings exceeding 160 acres. 113 |