C150159 Amended Approval Letter - Laserfiche WebLink

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May 14, 2011 Crentlemen: Pertaining tu ouc me�ting, this is lettex of reQuost to the Water Conservation $oard. I wouid b�e wiliin� to address the Boerd at the Denver meeting. From 1955 to 1964 my father rented 3 farms south of Wiggins. He realized that rhe waur table was g4in� down in that area. Seeing the faims yieldi�g less, my father wa�nta! a fatm with gc�od wster. He tooked at fazms in a couple of differ�nt ditch systema Hc realiud tha# in dry years the water would run out in August or September. With thia in mind, he decided t� look at purchasing a fanm with wells narii� of Wiggins. He chose a farm with a lang history af pumping – at least from �938 – with na diminishing yiald in watcr production or legal burdens on the water. He thor�aghly investig�ted tl�is himself. I re�member con�versations between my mom and dad – abaut how hard it wouid be to pay for thc farm et that price as these farms weze bringing cnore than those with surface water, hut my dad said you can't raise a crap without water. Ia spite of the price, my father grabbed the American clreana in tha fa11 of 1964 and bou�ht tbe AIE'/� of 344-G0. My farnily's trials aad tribulations only mirrur thosc of many other farm families. In the fatl and winter of 1969, anow fa11 and fr�xing every weck caused many fanmers in th� area not to get their sugar beets out of thc field. Then, the flaod of 1973—thmt w�s s good atd day vrith rnuclt rain! In the next few years we lost yields W frost, wir�d, ar�d th� occasional sumrner hail starm My brother and I joined the farming nperation. Wc refinanced the home place to buy 5 more £acen4 over these years. � on July 1 S, 1985 a ct�ushing hail starnx oa a111200 acros. That year our corn yield averagcd 17 bu per acre – nontnal yields would have been 19ti bu to the �cre. This caused us to lose 4 farms ta financers. Tiiis drove my brothor off the farn�. Hc is now teactsing mattr and is an administratvr for the Wiggins School District. This also drove my younger 2 brothezs off the fanm and into the busiaess world Ma? I didn't kaaow anytlning else and didn't tiave any high�r educati.on. My d�d and I fou�ht back and got back on aur feet. We worked side by side unal 1935 when my ded gat inta e tsatt�e with cancer he couidn't win. Before he died in I 998 he sold the se�und fazm to finalEy pay off the original � 9b4 home place sa my mom cauld tfave a fann frCe and clear far her retirernent. I am stili living an the origina] hamc place. My 3 ehildr�n vrill ntver rcalixe thei�t drea�ns of bcing stewards of this Land. T'his ta my stcyry and I am just one story and faec of tho 42 ather stories and faces of the ori�inal 43 wcll awnars in the Qrphan V✓ells of Wiggins noc to mention other weii owi�rs ia this area that are in the same cirewnstanee. ;4ty mQCn's rctirtment wes going prctty weif. 7irat ss, unti12003.