| OCR Text |
Show The principal type of farming practiced in the Uinta Basin area is the production of feeds for livestock. Beef cattle operations are first in importance with dairy and beef- sheep operations a close second and third. Crops produced are ranked in the order of importance as follows: alfalfa, rotation pasture, barley, corn silage and other small grains. There has been considerable potato production on a limited acreage along the Duchesne River in the vicinity of Bridgeland. The Bonneville Basin area includes the high mountain valleys in the Heber- Francis areas and the broad valley lands at the base of the Wasatch Mountains. Soils of the high valley lands are typically shallow over gravel- cobble alluvium. They are smooth with gentle slopes. These factors, along with the short growing season, determine the agricultural practices. Here, as in the Duchesne River area, the type of agriculture is principally associated with the livestock industry. Major crops include alfalfa, rotation pasture and small grains, with large areas of meadows utilized as pasture„ Use of agricultural chemicals in these higher valleys would be limited primarily to alfalfa. In the broad valleys along the Wasatch Mountains the soils are deeper and vary widely from the less friable and open soils of the higher valleys to the fine textures typical of the lacustrine deposits. The deeper soil and the longer growing season permit a greater diversity of crops grown and a more intensified farming operation. In this area the use of agricultural chemicals would be greater in amount and variety. A wide variety of crops are grown, including alfalfa, small grains, corn for grain and corn silage, sugar beets, vegetables and fruit. The livestock industry is also of major importance in this area. Insect Control The need for control of insects is directly related to the principal crops grown in the Unit area and the insects that infest them. Because of the importance of the livestock industry in the Bonneville Unit area, alfalfa is the most important crop representing almost 50 percent of the irrigated cropland. Table B- 14 shows the principal crops, the estimated acreage, the target insects, and the insecticides used in the Unit area. Most insecticides are applied as a spray. Application is usually made by ground equipment with aerial application used on a limited basis. Many county health departments carry out vector control programs and some insect control programs are carried out on forest and range lands. 207 |
