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<br />valuable recreation areas. In this arid region, they provide <br /> <br /> <br />excellent fishing, boating, and swimming vlhich would other- <br /> <br /> <br />wise be mediocre or non-existent. Wildlife refuges have <br /> <br /> <br />been established at two reservoirs. <br /> <br />NEW ~.W..A1TH FRCM WATER <br /> <br />Production is increased-- <br /> <br /> <br />Food production from the North Platte Valley plays <br /> <br /> <br />an important role in keeping America's population one of the <br /> <br /> <br />best fed on earth. Prior to being irrigated, this valley was <br /> <br /> <br />cattle country typified by native ranges of buffalo grass, <br /> <br /> <br />gramma grass, wheat grasses, and sagebrush, A little native <br /> <br /> <br />hay was rot from the meadows and bottomlands for winter <br /> <br /> <br />feed. Severe winter storms caused heavy losses to the live- <br /> <br /> <br />stock. About 40 acres of range were required to sustain a <br /> <br /> <br />cow and her calf'. Some dI"J-land farming was practiced but <br /> <br /> <br />due to erratic rainfall was without marked success. <br /> <br /> <br />Irrigated land in the North Platte Valley produces <br /> <br /> <br />13 times more per acre in terms of farm products sold off the <br /> <br /> <br />farm than adjacent dry-farm and grazing lands. In 1954, the <br /> <br /> <br />gross value of crops grown totaled $27.9 million and the <br /> <br /> <br />cumulative total value since 1908 is approximately $454 <br /> <br /> <br />million. <br /> <br />From the first irrigation, the project produced <br /> <br /> <br />alfalfa, corn, potatoes, and sugar beets steadily and abun- <br /> <br /> <br />dantly. There has never been a total crop failure in the <br /> <br />8 <br />