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<br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />II <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I, <br />t <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />t <br /> <br />1843 <br /> <br />l.3 SUMMARY AND FINDINGS <br /> <br />As previously stated, the objective of the Agronomic Study was to <br />determine cropping pattern alternatives, estimated crop yields, and <br />agronomic production requirements for lands located on the Southern <br />Ute and Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservations based on the natural <br />resource and climatic characteristics of those lands. The <br /> <br />Agronomic Study is based on the evaluation of project area climate, <br /> <br />water quality, soil physical/chemical, and crop suitability <br />factors. These elements of the study are discussed in the following <br />sections of this report with major considerations briefly summarized <br />as follows. <br /> <br />1.3.1 Climate <br />Climatic data from weather stations located on Ute reservation lands <br />needed to specifically delineate the climatic characteristics of <br /> <br />potential agricultural lands are limited. There are, however, a <br /> <br />number of weather stations located on and in the vicinity of the Ute <br /> <br />Indian reservations. Data from these weather stations were <br /> <br />gathered and used as the basis for performing regression analyses <br /> <br />which were then used to project average project area climatic <br />conditions based on the correlation of observed weather data with <br />elevation. A significant correlation was found between precipi- <br /> <br />tation, temperature, and length of frost free season with elevation. <br /> <br />Because of the need to develop crop yield estimates consistent with <br /> <br />project area natural resource and climatic conditions, it was judged <br /> <br />l- 5 <br />