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Show ment. Wliile the life of the reservoirs may be long enough to permit experimentation on the problem, the seriousness of the situation must not be under- estimated. Investigation along several different lines, both those now being examined and others which ma~y develop, should be pushed for the early solution o£ these difficulties. 3. Rate of Addition to Irrigated Land The Problem The proper rate for future construction of facil- ities to provide water for new land development and supplemental irrigation. The Situation New land development.-In much of the western and northern parts of the basin precipitation is nor- mally low, sometimes disastrously so. In drought years unixrigated crops fail, the range yields little grass for livestock, and curtailment of herds and flocks is imperative. Many entire breeding herds are liquidated because of lack of feed. Farmers, merchants, and even banks fail, relief rolls mount, taxes become delinquent, local governmental serv- ices are crippled, and people move away. Irrigation offers one solution of this problem for hundreds of tradesmen and thousands of farmers. To the extent that it can be applied, irriga- tion provides hay and other feed for fattening livestock in good years and prevents sacrificing breeding stock in dry years. Although irrigated areas would receive primary benefits, adjoining areas would obtain substantial secondary benefits. In irrigated areas where severe drought occurs periodically, extensive economic and social oases have arisen-Scotts Bluff, Nebr., Fort Collins and Greeley, Colo., Billings and Sidney, Mont., Powell and Torrington, Wyo., to name only a few. These are vital service centers for large surrounding areas. Good grade and high schools, hospitals and clinics, large retail and wholesale establishments and asso- ciated activities-all have been made possible by irrigation. Irrigators are not the only beneficiaries; many livestock and grain ranchers and farmers come many miles to avail themselves of the facilities of these service centers which undoubtedly would have remained lonely spots had it not been for irrigation. In addition to the local advantages from irriga- tion, there are also factors to consider in irrigating new land. These include: (1) Rate at which soil conservation and land- management programs will retard erosion and soil deterioration. (2) Rate of converting submarginal and mar- ginal cropland to grass, a less intensive use. (3) Advancing technology, especially soil ferti- lization and improved varieties of crops. (4) National fiscal policy. (5) Growing food needs of the Nation, espe- cially for animal products. Studies by the Department of Agriculture and this Commission show that increases in crop and pasture production will soon be needed to meet increasing food demands as population increases. The greatest food needs will be in animal prod- ucts-meats, milk, butter, cheese-fresh fruit, and vegetables. Irrigated land in the Missouri River Basin can help to supply these demands, particularly of animal products. However, there is danger that the new irrigated land in the Missouri Basin will produce "surplus crops" in large quantities. The Department of Agriculture indicates that 60 percent of the esti- mated increased value of crop production from these lands is to come from sugar beets and po- tatoes. Bureau of Reclamation plans provide for a 200 percent increase in production of sugar beets and 100 percent increase in potatoes in the basin. In sugar beets, this would amount to an increase of about 70 percent in the national production. The rate at which additional lands are irrigated will depend in part on considerations not directly related to irrigation. Only a few small projects in the Missouri Basin program are solely for irriga- tion. All large projects and most others are mul- tiple-purpose. Consequently, irrigation is often only one of the major reasons for a project. In some cases flood control and navigation are the first objectives as in Oahe, Garrison, and other projects. If multiple-purpose dams are to be built, it is logical to include irrigation as one of the purposes. How- ever, the extent to which great blocks of land poten- tially irrigable from these reservoirs should actually be irrigated cannot now be determined. Until more is known about the soil characteristics of each of these units, and the possibilities of integrating irri- gation with the existing farm economy are more fully explored, the acreage which is feasible and desirable for irrigation will remain undetermined. Nevertheless, in all parts of the basin, lands should be given water wherever necessary to stabilize the grazing industry. 221 |