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<br />"" <br />C"? <br />Ln <br />.-; <br /> <br />CHAPl'ER IV <br /> <br />COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT <br /> <br />Farm units <br /> <br />Preliminary analyses indicate that family-size farms on supplemen- <br />tal service lands with accom~anying range permits would require 325 to <br />400 acres, A farm of 500 to 600 acres would be required on full service <br />lands since no public range permits would be available to operators of <br />such farms, On the full service lands included in the comprehensive de- <br />velopment about 15 to 20 self-contained farm units would be developed, <br /> <br />Farms of approximately the sizes indicated are expected to be nec- <br />essary if the farmers are to pay farm expenses, including project oper- <br />ation and maintenance costs, establish a reasonable standard of living, <br />and pay a reasonable amount toward the cost of constructing the project, <br />Some question exists, however, as to whether an average farm family could <br />successfully bear the high labor and financial requirements that would be <br />required for a new farm of 500 to 600 acres, The practicability of such <br />large farms for family operation will be an important consideration in fu- <br />ture project investigations, <br /> <br />Special legislation would be required for project service of the <br />farms contemplated on both full and supplemental service lands, Exist- <br />ing law limits delivery of water from a reclamation project to 160 acres <br />in single ownership, <br /> <br />Farm development <br /> <br />Project farmers would be allowed development periods after the first <br />delivery of project water during which they would be required to make pay- <br />ments on project operation, maintenance, and replacement costs but not on <br />construction costs, A development period of about 3 years would be al- <br />lowed on supplemental service lands and of about 10 years on full service <br />lands, <br /> <br />Development work on supplemental service lands would be limited to <br />minor changes in distribution systems, Preparation of full service lands <br />for irrigation would require clearing of sage brush, some rock removal, <br />limited land leveling, and establishment of farm distribution systems, <br />Establishment of new farms would require construction of homes, farm <br />buildings, fences, laterals, and other farm improvements, Costs for <br />these developments would be borne directly by the farmers, <br /> <br />Irrigation payment capacity <br /> <br />The payment capacity of the project irrigators has been estimated <br />at $139,600 annually or an average of about $1,30 for each acre-foot of <br />project water, The payment capacity'would vary from about $1 to $1,50 <br />per acre-foot, <br /> <br />23 <br />