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<br />. <br /> <br />0163 <br /> <br />Agricultural Econo~ <br /> <br />basic to the livestock enterprises on the farm or are sold off the farm to <br />supplement nearby dryland farms and ranches and specialized commercial <br />feed lot operations. <br /> <br />Data obtained in 1964 through interviews with farmers of the North <br />Sterling Irrigation District show that general farms are the predominant <br />type in. the service area. Cash-grain and livestock farms are also impor- <br />tant, as shown by U. S. Census data. A small percentage of the total <br />number of farms obtain a major part of their farm income from the sale <br />of cash crops other than grain, such as sugar beets, dry beans, and <br />alfalfa hay. Dairy, poultry, and miscellaneous farms are not signifi- <br />cant as a type in the overall agricultural econo~ of the area. <br /> <br />A trend toward larger farm size has prevailed in the project area. <br />During the decade 1950-1959, the average size of irrigated farms of the <br />composite four-colmty area, which includes the Narrows Unit, increased <br />from 492 to 598 acres, or nearly 22 percent. Although the rate of farm- <br />size expansion way be somewhat less in the future, the trend is expected <br />to continue with an accompanying decline in rural population. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />Irrigation development and the associated agricultural econo~ of <br />the project area has been restricted because of inadequate water <br />supplies. Farmers generally provide a full water supply to high- <br />value crops such as sugar beets and dry beans by withholding water <br />from some other crop. Corn and alfalfa most frequently receive less <br />than a full supply of irrigation water. <br /> <br />FUTURE AGRICULTURAL ECONOMY <br /> <br />The existing type of agriculture and current organization of <br />individual farms are expected to continue into the future basically <br />uncllanged under "with" or "without" conditions of project development. <br />Therefore, the analyses of the future agricultural economy are based <br />on the organization of enterprises and types of farming currently <br />practiced in the North Sterling area. Under "with" project conditions <br />general farms are expected to continue to be the predominant type. <br />However, there would be significant changes as follows: (1) irrigated <br />oroI yields would increase with the use of supplemental water; (2) dry- <br />land crop production on irrigable lands or production from those lands <br />intermittently irrigated would be replaced with full irrigated crop <br />production; (3) farm enterprises would be intensified and enlarged; <br />and (4) farmers would have greater latitude in growing high-value <br />crops. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />'72 <br />