BOARD01111

• Board Meeting Date: 6/3/1970
• Description: Agenda or Table of Contents, Minutes, Memos
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Meeting

Secretary of Agriculture that guarantees cost
sharing on permanent practices to help complete
the plan within the agreed contract period.
Landowners and operators may sign contracts up
to December 31, 1981. They may be for a period
of not less than 3 nor more than 10 years. Rates 1-'
of cost sharing depend on the urgency of the
measures in the area and vary from county to
county and from state to state but it varies
generally from 5~/o to 7~/o of the cost of in-
stalling the practice with federal funds.

Each state and each county has a local
Great Plains committee. On the state level
these involve the interested state agencies and
organizations at the county level, soil conser-
vation districts, and other county organizations.
These committees assist in determining program
needs and policy changes.

Thirty-five of Colorado counties east of
the Continental Divide are authorized for this
program. About 3,000 Colorado farmers and
ranchers have been involved in the program to
date. Total federal obligations in Colorado up
to now is about ~16 million. F~rmer and rancher
investments in the program amount to about an
equal amount. On the cost sharing part the
farmer/rancher provides which is generally not
over 500/0, there are certain management practices
he must carry out to stay in compliance.

Principal practices include conversion of
cropland to grass, livestock water wells, pipe-
lines and tanks, land leveling, livestock water
and erosion control dams, reorganization of
irrigation systems and range fencing.

Soil and water conservation activities of
SCS for many years have contributed to the 1
development of rural areas and increased
economic opportunities in rural America. ,New
authorities and new tools provided in the Food
and Agriculture Act of 1962 enable the USDA to
accelerate assistance toward the major Objective
of rural areas development.