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May 14, 2011 <br />��� <br />Pertaining ta our meeting, this is Ietter of request to thc Water Conservation 8oerci. I <br />wouid be willing to acidress the Baard at the Denver meeting. <br />Fmm 1955 ta 1964 my father rented 3 fanns south of Wiggins. He realized that the water <br />tablc was gain� down in that area. Seeing the farms yieIdsng less, my fathcr wantat a <br />farm with good water. He looked at farms in a couple of different ditch systcros. He <br />realiud tlta# in dry years che water would run out in Avgust or September. With thia in <br />mind, he dacickd to iook at purchasing a iarm with wetls na�th of Wiggins. He choae a <br />farm with a long histaty of pumping – at Icast from 1938 – with no diminishing yicld in <br />weter praducrion or legal burdens on the wacer. He thoroughly investigated tf�is hicnsclf. <br />I remember couversatians between my mom aad dad – abaut how hard it would be to pay <br />for the farm ax that price as thesc farms were bringing more ti2an those with surface <br />water, but my da+d said you can't raise a crag without water. <br />In spite of the price, my father grabbcd the Americaxa dream in t1u fall af 1964 and <br />bought thc NE %a of 34-4-6U. <br />My family's trials and cribulations oniy mirror those of many other farm families. in the <br />fall and winter of 1969, snow fall and freezing every week caused many farmers in the <br />area not to get their sugar beets out of the fieid. Then, ttte flood of 1913—thatt was s <br />goad old day with much rain! In tt►e next few years we tost yields to frnst, wind, and ihe <br />occasional stzmmer hail stortn <br />My brother and I jained the farming aperation. Wc refinanced the home piace to bay 5 <br />more farms aver thesc years. Thcn on ]uly 15,19$5 a cnisi�itig hail storm on a111204 <br />acres. That ycar our cnrts yietd averagcd l 7 bu per acre – normal yields would have been <br />140 bu tQ the acre. This caused us to lose Q farms to firiancers.l`I�is drove my brother off <br />thc fsrm. Hc is now teactting math and is an adminiscrator for the Wiggins Schaol <br />District. This also drove my younger 2 brothers offthe farm and into the business world. <br />Me? I didn't know anything else anci didn't tiave any high�r educstion. My dad snd t <br />fought bucic and got back on aur feet, We worked side by side until t9}5 when my dacf <br />got into a battle witka cancer he cnuldn't win. Before he died in ] 998 he sold the second <br />far�n to finaIlY pay a�'the original 19b4 home place so my nnom could have a farm firc� <br />and cicar for her retircment. I am still living on the original hornc place. My 3 children <br />wiIl ncver realize theix drea�ns of being stewards of ttzis land. <br />Tbis is my s#aty and I am ,}ust anc stary and facc of tho 42 olher sts�nies and faces of the <br />ori�insi 43 well ovmors in the Qrphan Waiis of Wiggins not W nnernion other weii <br />awners €n tt�is area that are in the same cir�umstancc. <br />My mom's rctarcmcnt wes going pretty weit. "!'hat is, �nti! 2003. <br />.....____...-,----...___.._.-----......_.____.___....___._....._...__�.__......... _ . .__.....___--------__ <br />- �.. _.._ - - -- __._. __.. <br />