WSP10141

• File Number: 8542
• Description: Conejos Division - Platoro
• State: CO
• Basin: Rio Grande
• Water Division: 3
• Date: 4/1/1947
• Title: Supplemental Report - Conejos Division - San Luis Valley Project - Project report No. 5-101-1
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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A' inspection of the records maintained by the local office of the
Production and Marketing Administration for 1944 revealed that of 744
participating farms in the project area for which information was available,
504 or 67.7 percent were owner-operated and 240 or 32.3 percent were rented,
To a considerable extent the rented land represents small holdings which are
operated by other land owners in the community to obtain a more efficient
operating unit.

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Land Ownership

The land within the project area, totaling 111;990 acres exclusive of
4,210 acres in towns and miscellaneous rights-of-way, is privately owned
and utilized in the production of field crops and native hay or as
pastures. c,

Land ownership, as determined in 1947in the project area, is summarized
in the table on the follcrvring page by size of holdings and by class of land
for those holdings of 160 acres or more.

Of the 0~ner3 of project l~ds, 16 with an aggregate ownership of
7,521 acres are companies or institutions, principally banks, other lending
agencies and various non-profit organizations. Of the remaining landowners
397 are of AnglO-American descent and 430 are of Latin-American descent. To
a considerable extent those with holdings of less than 60 acres and practi~
cally all with less than 10 acres are Spanish-Americans who have inherited
their lands through the prevalent practice of perpetually SUb-dividing
estates. The ovmers of these lands cu~tomarily supplement their limite<<
farm income by off-the-farm emploJ11lent in the tovffiO or on farms in thA
commlmi toy.

'The holdings larg8r than 400 a~r,e" are rrinci_rally large scale cattle
and shr,ep ranches cr are mmed as scattered tract,s by bClnks or cthGr lending
agen~ien and operated by tenants.

Development Period

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A development period of five years is helieved desirahle to enable
project water users to perform essontial land leveling and land improvement
and adapt their farm enterprises to the more intenSive cropping practices
which will r8sult with project deve10pment.

However, a plan is being developed, whereby the water users lYill,
during a period of ten years, contract to pay, in addition to annual opera-
tion and maintenance, a graduated amount annually toward repayment of the
"ost 01' construction. The first five yoars ()f t'he period "f graduated
payments will he during the development period and these collections will
be phced in a sinking fund at interest as a buffer for future emergencies
or ccntingencies. Should conditions not necessitate their use during the
repayment period, they will be available to meet the final pay:nents to the
Government.

The final five years of graduated
year repayment period and payment will
annual payment will be expected during

payments will be a part of
be made to the Government.
the remaining years.

the 40
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