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<br />(;\1 <br />.:;,...J <br />\:\1 <br />...-l <br /> <br />" <br />'.- <br /> <br />c) <br /> <br />East of Prime Farmland Area <br /> <br />To the east of the prime farmland area, increased attention is <br /> <br />being given toward irrigating saline alkaline rangeland. This practice <br /> <br />has been fairly successful where the soils are sandy and leaching is <br /> <br />pOSSible. To the north and east of the primeland area, there are large <br /> <br />acreages with heavy clay loam textured profiles in the soil which re- <br /> <br />strict leaching. These areas have been identified as not being suitable <br /> <br />for farming, however, speculators are promoting this land anyway. <br /> <br />Prime Farmland Area <br /> <br />Within the primeland area, two decision-making concems appear: <br /> <br />1. Depletion of groundwater supply. <br /> <br />2. Low or negative retums from farming the ,center pivot comer areas. <br /> <br />.First, while groundwater is not generally in short supply, the heavy <br /> <br />groundwater drain from sprinkler systems could deplete the groundwater <br /> <br />supply in the upper aquifer (approximately 100 to 120 feet in depth). <br /> <br />Currently,the State Engineer will not permit drilling into the lower <br /> <br />aquifer. An almost imperative measure for the growers is to use their <br /> <br />river .water rights. This can be done through flooding the comers with <br /> <br />river water and recharge facilities, and utilizing efficient pivot <br /> <br />irrigation with the pump water. <br /> <br />The other major concern involves the use and management of the center <br /> <br />pivot corner areas. This in turn involves a number of problems. Over <br /> <br />the last several years, the shifting pattern of cost and retums has <br /> <br />made production in the comer areas economically infeasible except for <br /> <br />potatoes in some operations. This came about because of a decline in <br /> <br />product prices over the last several years coupled with a rapid <br /> <br />- 9 - <br />