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Definition fo Prime Farmland - Soils Survey Levels <br />tlnitad btnta DepartmeM of ftdaultwa <br />o NRCS <br />102 Pa Plan <br />MwftmCO a1401 <br />0701NO -U -o"ICE <br />daNO. tyw8Qo0.U11da0ov <br />Feb. 11, 2008 <br />At the request of Jim Boyd, District Conservationist out of Norwood Colorado, I would like to <br />address the following topics; 1) Definition of Prime Farmland. 2) Levels of Soil Survey 3) <br />Similar Soils. These topics are related to a project that would involve reclamation of possible <br />Prime Farmland after a mining operation. <br />1) The attached document defines Prime Farmland and gives the criteria for designation. In the <br />report "Order One Soil Survey" for New Horizon Mine, March 1998 by Intermountain Resource <br />Inventory Inc, James Irvine author, there is a statement on page 14 that was quoted from the <br />document "Colorado Important Farmland Inventory" that I would trice to address. In the <br />Colorado Important Farmland Inventory document, it states that prime farmland designation in <br />Colorado would not be given to any soil with a pH of over 7.4(sw page 3 item 4 of this <br />document). This statement, in the same document, does not agree with the statement on page 2 <br />item 3 for the national requirements for prime farmland. If the criteria of pH 7.4 were applied, <br />them it would eliminate over 90 percent of the sorts currently designated prime farmland on the <br />west slope of Colorado. According to the statement from the National Soil Survey Handbook <br />developed for Sort Survey and the Natural Resource Conservation Servim the designation of <br />Prone Farmland is a tool developed by NRCS (NSSH 657.1) for the purpose of"the nation needs <br />to know the extant and location of the best land for producing food, fend, fiber..." If one <br />examines the soil survey that contains the soils information for the area in question, map unit <br />Barx fine sandy loam, 1 to 3 percent slopes is designated as prime farmland in the accompanying <br />table (see attached). <br />In order to discover in depth the aplereat discrepancy in the document "Colorado Important <br />Farmland Inventory", I contacted the M06 regional Soil Survey Office in Lakewood Colorado <br />who has oversight of this soil survey. I was informed in my conversation with the staff located <br />there of two things concerning this statement and document. First, the statement on page 3, hem <br />4 was in error and should reed 8.4. Secondly, the document in question (Colorado InVartant <br />Farmland Inventory was put together sometime around 1980 and is now rendered obsolete. That <br />any and all dons for Prime Farmland would tie directly back solely to the national <br />criteis. <br />2) Levels of Sort Survey were developed to best meet the needs for soils infonnnatbil of the <br />present and 6oreseeaw future needs for resource management. Soil surveys in Colorado have, <br />to my knowledge, been conducted using two levels of soil survey (lelvel2 and level 3). Levels of <br />soil survey are determined by use and can be found in the Soil Survey Manual (AgrimdvxW <br />Handbook 18 (USDA)) on pages 47 -56. In this book it lists the ta order of Soil Survey for <br />"agricultural" and the St order for "range. It also states on pagan 55-56 duet there maybe two <br />order of soil survey mapping within a survey area On page 48 it states that l" order anmvcy is <br />for "very intensive (i.e. experimental plots, individual building sitar. Keep this statement in <br />mind as we discuss similar soils. Based upon Soil Survey Manuel directives and information <br />that the area under consideration was in agriculture at the time, it is probably safe to conclude <br />that the Barx soil in the area was mapped at an order 2 intensity of examination. <br />An e*W owon.+a Pis Wo cud Eeybyw <br />Attachment 2.04.9 -6 -6 <br />