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• Production sampling methods for the irrigated hayland vegetation type at the New Horizon 2 study area <br />were developed specifically for the conditions expected (i.e., variable management applications including <br />stand reconditioning, aftermath grazing, the number of cuttings, and fertilizer applications), minimal <br />operational impacts to land owners during sampling, and the lack of appropriate county average yield <br />data. Concurrence with the methodology was obtained from the OMLR by letter correspondence from <br />Mr. Peter O'Connor to J. Lunan (Peabody) dated August 7, 1987. The production sampling method for <br />irrigated haylands is described below. <br />Upon completion of any hay cutting and baling operation in any irrigated hayland field, a count of the total <br />number of bales per field was made. Next, an adequate sample of the bales in each field was weighed in <br />the field using a Fairbanks Model 41-3132 portable scale. This scale has a maximum capacity of 1,000 <br />pounds and is accurate to the nearest pound. A minimum of 15 bales were weighed In each field. Care <br />was taken to select bales from throughout a field, or in cases where the bales had already been stacked, <br />from many locations in the stack. At the time of weighing, sub-samples of hay were collected from a <br />portion of the bales, weighed using Pesola field scales, bagged and labeled, and returned to the <br />laboratory for analysis. In the laboratory, sub-samples were dried at 30'C for 72 hours, or until a <br />constant weight was obtained, and reweighed using an Ohaus top-loading electronic balance which is <br />accurate to 0.01 gm. This provided an adjustment factor needed to determine dry weight production for <br />• the fields. The hay production in the fields, expressed on a dry weight basis as pounds/acre, was <br />calculated by multiplying the total number of bales counted in a field by the average adjusted bale weight <br />and dividing by the size of the field in acres. <br />Peabody intended to measure production in the irrigated cropland type by weighing loaded trucks (which <br />had been tared) during the harvest season. However, yield data could not be collected during the 1987 <br />sampling season because the majority of fields were left fallow or allowed to volunteer through the <br />cropping season. A single field in the western portion of the study area was planted to wheat, but the <br />landowner decided not to attempt a harvest because the yield was too poor to make harvesting <br />worthwhile. Prior to maturing of the remaining grain, he grazed the crop with sheep. <br />Woodv Plant Densities - 1987. Woody plant densities were measured in the sagebrush type and willow <br />component of the swale/drainage type using belt transects. All trees, shrubs, sub-shrubs, succulents, <br />and agavoids were included in the counts. A species was counted for density when at least 50 percent of <br />the crown emerged within the belt. A 2m x 25m belt, originating at the randomly-located sample point <br />and extending in a random direction, was used in the sagebrush type. Arandomly-located 0.5m x 2.Om <br />belt was used in the willow component of the swale/drainage. This small belt size was selected on the <br />basis of the extremely dense character of the willow thickets. <br />• (REVISED 9/15/00) 2.04.1 ~ - 17 <br />