Laserfiche WebLink
Extension <br />Southern Regional Office <br />Colorado State Univ ersity - Pueblo <br />2200 Bonforte Blvd., LW-331 <br />Pueblo, CO 81001-4901 <br />(719) 549-2049 <br />FAX: (719) 549-2046 <br />May 16, 2008 <br />Mr. Rick Brown <br />Intrastate Water Management and Development Section <br />Colorado Water Conservation Board <br />1580 Logan Street, Suite 600 <br />Denver, CO 80203 <br />Dear Mr. Brown: <br />I would like to make the CWCB awar e of a proposal that is forthcoming from collaborators at <br />Colorado State University for the Alternative Agricultural Wate r Transfer Methods Competitive <br />Grant Program . Our intent is to submit a proposal for a study of agricultural land fallowing in <br />the Arkansas River basin before the second deadline for applications on September 30 for <br />consideration at the November 2008 CWCB meeting. We chose to s ubmit a “Letter of Intent” in <br />lieu of a full proposal because the timeline of funding approval would not have matched the <br />schedule for initiation of our project in 2008. We intend to enlist the co operation of several <br />farmers in the basin, but these farmers will have already established their crops before we would <br />become aware of potential funding. Therefore, ou r proposal will be submitted to coincide with <br />initiation of this project in 2009. <br />Several ditch and canal companies in the Lower Ar kansas Valley are now evaluating the benefits <br />of collectively marketing their water as a group, especially during times of drought. <br />This strategy <br />offers a predictable supply of water for the municipality and guaranteed income to the water rights <br />holder. <br />Purpose of the Project . This project will study the practi ce of leasing (as opposed to selling) <br />agricultural water rights to municipal interests in order to cushion the impacts of drought and <br />water shortages. Leasing allows agricultural shar eholders to transfer th e historical consumptive <br />use of an absolute water right fo r application to anothe r type or place of us e on a temporary basis <br />without permanently changing the water right (Colorado House Bill 03-1334). One leasing <br />strategy being advanced in the Lower Arkansas River Valley is based on the concept of <br />“rotational fallowing,” whereby la nd is not permanently retired but is instead fallowed from <br />irrigation for a number of years, depending on the c onditions of the lease. This strategy raises <br />key questions about the impacts of fallowing land th at may be rotated back into production. The <br />purpose of this project is to study these impacts – in particular how yields, nutrient needs and the <br />profitability of corn production can change when the operator decides to farm this ground again. <br />This information is relevant to farmers who are considering whether to enter into lease <br />