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<br />ii) <br />''Y'.'''~ <br />C\J <br />'<'-4 <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION <br /> <br />17") <br /> <br />,:;1 <br /> <br />Formation of the Study <br /> <br />The Economics, Statistics and Cooperatives Service (ESCS), Forest <br /> <br />Service (FS), and the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) recently completed <br /> <br />a Type IV River Basin Study on the Colorado portion of the Upper Rio <br /> <br />Grande River Basin (San Luis Valley). The study encompassed three plans, <br /> <br />1. e. National Economic Development (NED), Environmental Quality (EQ) , <br /> <br />and an Alternative Plan (ALT). The latter plan encompsssed part of the <br /> <br />features of the first two plans. One feature of the EQ and the ALT <br /> <br />plans was the recommendation that the four corner areas adjacent to center <br /> <br />pivot irrigation installations be placed into pexmanent vegatative cover <br /> <br />for game bird habitat as well as dust and noxious weed control. This <br /> <br />feature prompted ESCS and SCS to make a computerized analysis of the <br /> <br />economic effects of this action. <br /> <br />The analysis was msde in 1976 and 1977 based upon year 1974 cost and <br /> <br />returns. Following this analysis, it was noted that the interest and <br /> <br />use of center pivot irrigation had made a tremendous surge. Also, a <br /> <br />growing concern about how best to manage the corner areas took place. <br /> <br />Because of this growing concern, a decision was made to update and <br /> <br />refine the analysis budget data. <br /> <br />Report Organization <br /> <br />The report first discusses problems associated with center pivot <br /> <br />irrigation and the corner areas of the center pivot plots in the San Luis <br /> <br />Valley. Next, alternatives for center pivot corner management are <br /> <br />- 4 - <br />