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., The bill would direct the Secretary of Interior to condemn certain private lands in the State of Arizona, with ftrst pirority on Well ton- Mohawk, for the purpose of giving the water rights to the Inuian tribes of Central Arizona, The estimated costs for the lands of Well ton- Mohawk including District investments, utilities, relocation of its citi- zens is $266,000,000. The bill is a legislative attempt to solve a legal problem of Indian water rights by giving them water of the Colorado river to which they never had a right, It was also argued that it would eliminate the necessity for the authorized desalination plant. Well ton-Mohawk representatives attended hearings before the In- I dian Affairs Committee of the Senate in Washington in May 1977. Attorney Tom Choules testified on behalf of the District. A Bureau of Reclamation official testified that a desalination plant, although smaller than planned, would still be needed, The Secretary of Interior recommended that his department be allowed to redraft the bill, and the hearings ended with that admonition, The Department has not yet indicated what the features of its redraft will be, The District has every confidence that the objectives of the present bill will not material- Ize, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS Following are details on the principal crops grown here. This is followed by a crop report for the years 1974-77, ALFALFA HAY For many years the alfalfa hay produced in Southwestern Arizona has been recognized as being of premium grade, Both dairymen and cattle feeders have recognized its high feeding values, From 1952 to 1974, alfalfa had the greatest acreage in this District. It went as high as 23,600 acres, In 1975 and 1976, wheat had the higher acreage but alfalfa was back in ftrst place for 1977. Such flucuations, of course, are determined by the market price of the products, Alfalfa has an annual yield of from 8 to 10 tons per acre, The large abundance of sunshine, good weather and rich soils, when combined with progressive crop management, produces premium hay, Hay is shipped to dairies in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Phoenix and to feed lots in Central Arizona, During the earlier years, African and Moapa were the best varieties, These have been replaced with Hayden, Mesa Sercia, and others, It is marketed in several different forms, The winter months bring pasturing of sheep and cattle, Some feed lot operations use the green- chop method of feeding, Large quantities are baled or cubed for ship- 22 Il \1 I ~ d I. 1,1