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production only so our yield can be easily compared with the local farmers. WFC personally <br />contacted three of the larger farms (Mel Staats, Frank Morgan and Zene Weimer) that surround <br />NH2 for their first cutting production figures in irrigated cropland fields (See Attachment <br />2.05.4(2)(e) -3). They gave us their estimates of first cutting crop yield for irrigated cropland in the <br />Nucla area. Since these farmers had no oractic_al way <br />to weigh the bales the reported yields were based on non -dried bale weights The approved <br />standard forilrrigated e (previously called h lydgated H ayland) was the average 1 st cutting <br />yield from these three farmers. Based on this, a 1st cutting production of 1.84 tons per acre was <br />the target yield at New Horizon Mine. No drying is done for attaining this standard since none was <br />done by the 3 farmers used to determine their yields which is the basis of their letters and <br />consequently the basis of the standard. Drying was employed to determine the 1987 data <br />collected. shown in Table 2 05 4(2)(el -2 but this data was not used to determine the standard of <br />1.64 tons per acre. The farmer letters in Attachment 2.05.4(2)(e)-3 were the basis for the <br />standard. During the 1999 baseline vegetation survey (Sec. 2.04.10) the average yield for all <br />pastures was 2.00 tons /acre. The yield ranged from a high of 4.26 tons /acre for highly managed <br />alfalfa to a low of .57 tonstacre for unirrigated grassland. 1999 was a very wet year in western <br />Colorado (177% of normal for 1999 to date, NRCS San Miguel Basin Precipitation Data) and could <br />explain the slight increase in overall production (2.00 tons /acre vs 1.84 tons /acre). Therefore, the <br />1.84 tons /acre wasis the standard applied to , <br />the yields fol 'f" . rr <br />Cropland. Only the 1" cut of the filed will be measured against this standard <br />PR -06 May 2010 2.05.4(2)(e) - 37 <br />