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Show grass and trees, about 13 million acres of perma- nent grass land pasture suitable for cultivation and part of the 50 million acres now in rota- tion pasture could be diverted to more frequent crop use. Whether these shifts will be made, or how much cropland will be retired from tillage, depends largely upon economic conditions dur- ing the next 25 years. Soil conservation involves, among other things, a shift in farming practices from heavy depend- ence on row crop production to diversification, with emphasis on pasture and a livestock econ- omy. This suggests that increases in produc- tion of livestock resulting from a shift in land use would go to improve the American diet. It seems possible that the increased acreage require- ment resulting from livestock production might be approximately balanced by the increase going into diet improvement. As has already been shown, improved diet means higher consumption of livestock products. This was emphasized by Gladwin Young, chairman of the Department of Agriculture's Field Committee for the Missouri River Basin, in a statement before the House Committee on Agriculture on August 1, 1950. Young was dis- cussing the benefits anticipated from the agri- cultural program for that basin. He assigned primary importance to conserva- tion and good management of land resources. This would reduce loss of fertility and arrest de- clines in yields. It would assure maintenance of the productivity of the land for generations to come. He pointed out that the program would involve shifting about 10 million acres of cropland to permanent hay and pasture, and another 10 million to rotation of hay and pas- ture. In spite of this reduction of about 20 per- cent in all cropland in the Missouri Basin, he stated that total production of cultivated crops was expected to increase as a result of increased yield per acre. But an examination of the figures for increased production indicates clearly the connection be- tween the soil conservation program and the im- provement in the American diet. The Depart- ment of Agriculture anticipates an increase of roughly 25 percent in production as a result of the agricultural conservation program, but the major increases are expected in hay and grazing. Hay production is expected to increase 110 per- cent in the basin. Grazing capacity is expected to increase about 55 percent. In contrast, such crops as wheat, corn, sugar beets, and potatoes are expected to increase about 10 percent, other small grain crops about 16 percent, and other crops less than 10 percent. Mr. Young pointed out that the expected change in crop and hay production and the im- provement of grazing lands would assure a sub- stantial increase in livestock production in the basin. This increase will, of course, also occur in other areas where conservation measures are applied. It will result in the availability of larger quantities of livestock products to meet improved diet requirements. It is probable, therefore, that the soil conserva- tion program, if effectively carried out during the next 25 years, can be depended upon to do no more than take care of the increased demands due to the correlative improvement in diet, in- sofar as that involves increased consumption of livestock products. The correlative increased demand for fruits and vegetables will have to be taken care of by other means, including reclama- tion. In other words, the 1975 requirements for an additional 100 million cropland acres is still to be provided for. Production from New Lands.-The Bureau of Reclamation estimates that there is sufficient water available to irrigate 16,695,000 acres of western land with an adequate supply, and to provide 8,706,000 acres of presently irrigated lands with additional water. These estimates are based on recognized requirements for engi- neering feasibility but do not consider the eco- nomic feasibility or justification of individual projects. Neither do they take into account the development which might be accomplished un- der unrestricted transbasin diversions of water. Yields from irrigated land are, on the average, 50 percent higher than from nonirrigated land. Delivery of additional water to already irrigated lands increases the yield by about one-third of the yield of irrigated lands. Pasture is also reck- oned as about a third as productive as irrigated 160 |
