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Show clearing, and the sound farm practices which are an essential part of watershed management. 36. The first objective of this program should be adequate provision of farm products from soil so managed that its productivity is enhanced. Irrigation and drainage projects should be authorized only after review by the Department of Agriculture indicating that they are in har- mony with sound use of land. 37. The weight to be given reclamation of land (including irrigation, drainage, clearing, and other measures) in determining the relative pri- ority of programs and order of construction of specific multiple-purpose projects should be based on regional as well as national considerations. National considerations should include Federal responsibility for continuing adequacy of depend- able farm production, taking cognizance of the time required to bring new lands into the Nation's agricultural economy. The expansion of local production to meet the requirements of growing regional economies should also be considered. 38. In determining the desirable schedule for adding to the Nation's agricultural acreage through reclamation, full consideration should be given to the probable rate of increase in the pro- ductivity of existing agricultural lands through improved agricultural practices, including supple- mental irrigation in humid areas. To the extent that such increased productivity is associated with sound land management, it should be recognized as of primary importance. But, beyond this, improved agricultural practices should be left to private business endeavors with the cooperation of the United States Department of Agriculture and the land-grant colleges until such time as the economically sound possibilities of expanding farm acreage through irrigation or drainage have been fully realized. The justification for public investment in irrigation is that there are public ends to be attained which the commercial price system cannot reflect. 39. Decisions as to the relative priority of proj- ects involving various types of reclamation as a means of expanding the country's agricultural acreage shculd be made in terms of both national and regional economic considerations. They should recognize the extent to which individual projects are integral parts of comprehensive river basin programs serving other important purposes. Important weight should be given to the com- parative costs of meeting agricultural production objectives by alternative undertakings, but con- sideration should also be given to the special usefulness of certain irrigation opportunities in stabilizing agriculture, meeting expanding re- gional requirements, or contributing to regional expansion. The weight to be given these sep- arate considerations should be determined by the Board of Review upon recommendation of the basin commissions. 40. To protect its interest in securing the max- imum reasonable reimbursement from direct beneficiaries of reclamation projects, the Federal Government should make more effective provi- sion for the adequate planning, sound financing, and scientific farming of agricultural develop- ment and land settlement on reclamation proj- ects. This should include extension of Federal credit at reasonable interest rates for the farmer's investment in structures, equipment, fertilizer, stock and seed, and the technical training and guidance of settlers. 41. Special consideration should be given to rehabilitation of existing irrigation projects, both Federal and private, as well as to small new irri- gation projects offering the possibility of stabiliz- ing the agriculture of an area. 42. The principle embodied in the reclama- tion law that the benefits of Federal financial assistance through irrigation projects should go only to family-sized farms, together with other antispeculation and antimonopoly provisions, should be maintained and enforced. It should be extended to apply without discrimination to all new projects involving Federal investment in the reclaiming of land, whether by irrigation, drainage, or other methods. 43. The present 160-acre limitation provision should be considered as a maximum, with flexi- bility for adjustment downward after hearings, to adapt it to types of farming characteristic of different areas. It should apply only to the re- claimed portion of a farm. 44. In regions where it is proposed to deliver supplemental water to areas already under irri- 14 |
