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<br />Mr. Pinney described the nature and scope of the current study with the <br />Soi I Conservation Service, which is limited to the,Arkansas River <br />Drainage Basin in Kansas. One of the major por'tions of this study is <br />the assessment of the watershed potential across the area. This phase <br />of the study is being done by the Soil Conservation Service. A second <br />phase of the study is being done by the Economic Research Service, <br />under the direction of Mr. Robert Fletcher at Oklahoma State University. <br />Mr. Fletcher is us ing a general ized analytica.1 model developed to . <br />analyze and project agricultural production patterns by land resource <br />area in the Missouri River Basin. The model was reprogrammed for the <br />State of Kansas. <br /> <br />Projected production patterns are based on the capabi i'hy of the soi I. <br />Projections of crop yields and feeding efficiencies were based on <br />careful consideration of the development and appl ication of improved <br />production, technology, continued appl ication and improvement of soil <br />and water conservation practices, and intensification of production <br />practices. The projections were made for Kansas by Dr. Orville W. <br />Bidwell, Kansas State University, and Charles W. Nauheim, U.S. Depart- <br />ment of Agriculture. The work was coordinated by an ad hoc committee <br />of the Great Plains Agricultural Council. The minimum cost linear <br />programming model is a tool for simulating decisions with respect to <br />land use when certain levels of demand for food and fiber are assumed. <br />In the operation of the model, the cropping pattern is selected from <br />possible cropping alternatives that minimize the cost of achieving <br />the level of production with the restraints 1 ikely to confront <br />agriculture. All analysis is done on the basis of land resource areas <br />and the associated resource groups. <br /> <br />The principal purpose of this model is to project patterns of use at <br />given levels of production which might be expected in future time <br />periods. One study will allocate production based' on an allocation <br />of the national food and fiber requirements developed by the Economic <br />Research Service for the national. river basin framework studies. A <br />second will reduce the yields developed by Dr. Bidwell to test the <br />sensitivity of the linear program model. A th.ird one will incorporate <br />the irrigation projections developed by the Water Resources Board in <br />its report. "Irrigation in Kansas.". Th~ fourth study removes most <br />constraints on production to see what capability'the state h'as for <br />production. Mr. Fletcher has been coordinating his efforts with <br />Dr. Emerson. <br /> <br />Mr. Russell Herpich outlines the historical development of irrigation, <br />extension programs, the effect of the :programs, .and finally possibfe <br />changes he saw in management and technology in the future. <br /> <br />He stated that in the mid-1800's irrigation began by diverting water <br />from the Republican, the Arkansas, and the Smoky Hill rivers. In the <br />late 1800's, pumping from wells was initiated. Usu~lly wind power was <br /> <br />4. <br /> <br />" <br />