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~ C! - c 32. The irrigated crop production of the area supplements the livestock enterprises which are the primary source of farm income. The irrigated land and much of the surrounding range are used to support livestock enterprises. Of the 777 acres of irrigated land, 651 acres were used for the production of crops in 1947, and 32 acres for irrigated pasture while 94 acres of land ordinarily used for irrigated crops stood idle. About 90 percent of the irrigated crop land actually farmed in 1947 was devoted to the production of livestock feed. In addition undetermined acreages of range land are irrigated mostly in the winter when surplus water is available. No priority is established for this use and little attention is given to distributing the water over the land after the canal or ditch is cut to permit irrigation, and the amount of land watered in this manner fluctuates considerably from year to year. While this practice improves the range and is a supple- ment to the irrigation farming, its results are not comparable to those of the other irrigation practiced in the area and the acreage of range land receiving excess water was not determined.- Neither was the acreage of other range land used in conjunction with irrigation farming determined because the use of these lands would not be influenced materially by improvement of the irrigation water supply of the area. During 70 years of farming in the area, farm operators have learned to select crops suited to their natural conditions. The irrigated land is used to produce supplemental feed for the livestock which graze on the surrounding range. The stable water supply is used largely for gardens (about 6 percent) and alfalfa (37 percent). Additional crops to utilize varying supplies include drouth resistant sorghums and sweet clover (16 percent), crops that do not need to mature and therefore can be planted late after the usual spring water shortage such as corn for silage (29 percent), and short season small grains (4 percent). The important crops grown have strong to medium tolerance to salt concen- trations including sodium. A minor acreage of commercial vegetables is usually produced and marketed within the general area. 33. Livestock enterprises, the main source of farm income in the area, consist primarily of beef cattle, dairy cattle and poultry. Beef cattle production is the principal farm enterprise. About 1,200 to 1,500 beef cattle, including both base herds and stock to be marketed, are grazed on the surrounding range. Marketed stock is sold mainly unfinished as stockers and feeders but some is partly finished. One practice followed is to set aside the amount of crops required for winter feeding and use the remainder to partly finish feeders. This practice has the distinct advantage of using efficiently the different amounts of feed which vary from year to year with the fluctuating water supply. .:. 34, Dairy production is based on about 200 to 250 dairy cattle with the milk marketed in nearby towns as whole milk. Roughage is raised mostly on project farms while concentrates and some alfalfa hay is purchased outside of the area. Some irrigated pasture and range are used for grazing dairy cattle. Three small dairies, one a cooper- ative with seven members and two privately owned, are located in the area. 12