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<br />C':l <br />\1" <br />,-1 <br />,.~ <br /> <br />C~:" <br /> <br />Farm Characteristics - There are annually about 60,000 acres of irrigated <br />land in the Valley, and about 6,000 acres are not cropped in anyone <br />year. The principal crops qrown in order of acreage are hay and pasture, <br />corn, fruits, and small grain. Sugar beets, once a principal crop, will <br />not be grown because of ttle closing of the local sugar factory. <br /> <br />Farms in the Grand Valley range in size from a few acres to as many as <br />500 acres. Although the average sized farm unit generally is around 28 <br />acres, actual ownerships can be classified as large, medium and small <br />sized units. Large units range from 100 to as much as 500 acres, the <br />medium units range from about 20 to 90 acres, and small units usually <br />are less than 20 acres. Full-time employment elsewhere causes many of <br />the medium size and small size units to be classified as part-time <br />operations. <br /> <br />The general distribution of crops which are currently grown on a typical <br />ISO-acre full time farm unit in the valley, on a typical 25-acre part <br />time farm unit, and on a typical 10-acre orchard unit are shown in the <br />following Table 6. <br /> <br />Table 6. - DISTRIBUTION OF TYPICAL CROPS <br />BY SIZE OF FARM UNIT <br /> <br />Crop <br /> <br />Average Size Unit <br /> <br />Orchard <br />Acres Percent of <br />Unit's Area <br /> <br />Part-time Unit <br />Acres Percent of <br />Unit's Area <br /> <br />Full-time Unit <br />Acres Percent of <br />Un it's A rea <br /> <br />Apples 5 <br />Peaches 5 <br />Al fa lfa <br />Irrigated <br />Pasture <br />Barley <br />Corn-Grain - <br />Sugar <br />Beets <br /> <br />50 <br />50 <br /> <br />10 <br /> <br />40 <br /> <br />42 <br /> <br />28 <br /> <br />15 <br /> <br />60 <br /> <br />21 <br />15 <br />48 <br /> <br />14 <br />10 <br />32 <br /> <br />24 <br /> <br />16 <br /> <br />Tota 1 s <br /> <br />10 <br /> <br />100 <br /> <br />25 <br /> <br />100 <br /> <br />150 <br /> <br />100 <br /> <br />Little change occurs in cropping patterns over the years. <br /> <br />Fruit orchards have decreased from 5,130 acres in 1969 to 4,240 acres in <br />1974. The number of orchards declined from 393 to 343 in the five-year <br />period (1969-1974). Urbanization is the main reason for the decline in <br />orchard acreage. <br /> <br />2, <br />