WSP02323 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Onr, \ .t.... .'! . 2. Disolacement of Families MY topic for presentation is people, and what do you do with 844 of them? This project has been engineered and designed with no thought toward the human element. Here is one way the Bureau of Reclamation deals with people. In their report on the Narrows Unit, Colorado, January, 1967, '25, Agriculture Economy, page 80, it states that there will be an estimated decrease of forty farm units. In reality, the actual COQ~t of active farm units to be displaced is 95 active farmers or widows still living on their farms and renting their land to younger farmers. Of the 95 farmers to be drowned out by this monstrosity, 27 qualify as young farmers, being 35 years or younger. Where else in this ccuntry can you find 29~ of the farmers to be 35 years or younger? . What are you going to do with 95 farm families? Are they to be taken to the city and put to work "die:ging ditches" or put on welfare? These people are farmers and ranchers and are not trained for skilled labor positions. The answer is not to buy another farm, because there are no farms for sale at any price. I was visiting with the leading Morgan County farm and ranch realtor a few days ago and he stated he had never seen so few listings and that he had been approached by people who said they would go as high as $1,500 per acre for flood irrigated Platte Valley farmland. The Platte Valley of Northeastern Colorado is known allover the country as one of the finest farm areas in the whole United States, and here the Bureau and the Lower South Platte Conservancy District want to inundate 17.000 acres of prime irrigated land and displace 95 active farm families. .