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<br />u . oj ci-RYINGPAN-A.RKA.'<SAS PROJECT, COLORADO
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<br />are expected t.o increase. These cxpect.fttion~ ure based on experience
<br />in ot,her tHeas where the economy Las been st.abilized and uugment.ed
<br />by an assured water supply. One sueb example is (,he Color.ido-Big
<br />Thompson project area in Colorado.
<br />Five crops const.itute tb.e bulk of farm commodities under IOlln or
<br />in the invcnt,ories of the Commodit.y Credit Corporat.ion. They are
<br />wheatl corn, upland cotton, grain sorghUlnR, and tobacco. Of these,
<br />only corn and sorghullls arc produced to any extent on irrignted lllI1d
<br />in tbe Arkallslls Vltlle.y. 'Vheat is Dot all irrigo.t.ed crop in t.he valley
<br />find only nbout 25 percent of Hie sorghums are irrigltted. There arc
<br />ahout 3:),O{)(} acre5 of irrigu.ted corn ill t.be Arhnnsils V 1ll1ey. How-
<br />evcl'. t.he records show t.twt t,here hus been no CCC loan on corn in
<br />the Arkansas Valley in the last 2 wnrs thaL has not been redeemed
<br />by the farmer. This is also truc~ of nil estimated 45,000 acres of
<br />irrigateu sorghums in the ArkiLllS!lS Vnlley. In other words, the
<br />Arknnsns Valley uses its corn and sorghums for fceding opcrll.tions
<br />where it is grown. The ot.her crops produced llnd used in the valley
<br />for fceding fire alfalfa and hay, silagej budey) oat,s, rye, and tb.c
<br />byproullcts from sngfLrbeet.s.
<br />Tlie (:olllmittee WliS fw'nished the results of a survey of f(,f'n drft!('rs
<br />!lnd (:oJl1ll1rrcinl feeders, C01J1pleLCd in .T;1IlU,II'Y of thi::! year, whit.;h
<br />indif":f\tl's thnt: \.h(..:Ark:lris~s YnHt~}' )S a I\/'rl(.:lt. feL'(} graill :If(':t. Thr
<br />survI~.r indicllt.eU tI1l1t. denle.rs import., on itll :.l\'emgn, :1.1') perrcnt of t.he
<br />feeJ gruillS they sell, nnd the CO!lllllcl'cial feedr-rs plIr('htlsc till Hvernge
<br />of 70 p('rr.~nt, of t.heir feed grains from outsid(~ tht-' VllJl..y. .-
<br />~hl"l. agl'1cult.urnl uUluoritics belie\;.e that out' present crop im-
<br />balnnces nre only tel1lpomry nnd t.hat continucd cHarts arc needed jn
<br />the con~ervat,ioll an? devf'.Iopn.H~Ilt, o,f our soil ~lnd \~ra.t.er reso.urcc.;;.
<br />Populn,LlOn gr.owth m the. Unttttd Stl\t,es to 330 \\nlhon, whIch 18
<br />expect.cd to occur prior to the yenr 2000, plus fin expect.ed increase in
<br />per capita consuniption, will hoo~t the t.ot!ll requirement for food
<br />products to n level double that of the present time. This lremcndolls
<br />popuhtion growth, comhlned wit.h the fact t.hat t.he Hcreagc of good
<br />cropland is diminishing at n. rate of about 3,000 ocres per doy due to
<br />t.he construction of new ronds, airports, cities, ete., will VCI'Y likr.1y
<br />change our present agricultural abundance t,o agricultural shortagcs
<br />in the not-too-distant future. It appears (,hat (,he continued develop-
<br />mcnt of supplemental watel' supplies for exist.ing irrig'uted areas as
<br />well fi8 wutcr supplies for nE'\V lands is entirely consistent witb sound,
<br />long-t.erm agricultund obiect.i \"(~S, .
<br />In summitry, the: committee believes tfwt. the slIpplcmentid w!t.ter
<br />supply lor 280,000 neres in (,he ArlmnS!l5 Valley will s(,ahilize (,he
<br />livestock industry in the ntlley, will permit. HcxibiJit,y in fllrming
<br />operations so that cropping pmetices CUll shift to meet. mtlJ'ket de~
<br />mands, Itnd will do much to :tllcvillte the present ullstuble economic
<br />conditions tl1at exist due to tbe effects of drough t HIld It restricted Wtt t.el'
<br />supply.
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<br />PHOPQ.-;AL OF POWER COMP....NIE.s
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<br />The Public Service Co. of Colorado and the Southern Colorndo
<br />Power Co., which ttre pri\'llte Ilt.ilities operating ill the Fryingpn..n-
<br />Arknl1sns project service area. haye prcsen ted testimony before tbe
<br />cOlllmittee in previous Congresses indicnting (,heir desire to coopernte
<br />with the Fedeml Governmell t in thc transmission of the elcctric
<br />H. R~Jlt. 6'64. B'-l--~
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