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Definition of Prime Farmland; Levels of Soil Survey; Similar Soils <br />Herod ssatm oeparan.at of AWcuslh" <br />4NKS <br />M*" PAM= . coy mean Sor** <br />102 Pr PWn <br />MW *=% 81401 <br />91OZ -OM -OFRM <br />Feb. 11, 2008 <br />At the request of Jim Boyd, District Conservationist out ofNorwood Colorado, I would like to <br />address the following topics; 1) Definition of Prime Fa+mlm& 2) Levels of Sod Survey 3) <br />Siraw Soils. These topics are related to a project that would involve reclornadw 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 />repost "Order Ono Soil Survey" for New Honwu Mme, Much 1998 by Ictamamtsin Resource <br />Inventory Ine, James hvm author, there is a statearem on page 14 that was quoted from the <br />doamrent "Colorado Important Farmland Inventory" that 1 would lilm to address. In the <br />Colorado Important Farmland Inventory document, it states that psimo famdand designation in <br />Colorado wou ld not be given to any soil with a pH of over 7.4(sm page 3 item of this <br />document). This stataneat, in the same docunxut, does not agree with the statement on page 2 <br />item 3 for the national requirements for prime farmland. Ifthe criteria of pH 7.4 were applied, <br />than it would eliminate over 90 percent of the soils currently designated prime farmland on the <br />west dope of Colorado. According to the statement from the National Soil Survey Handbook <br />developed for Soil Survey and the Natural Resource Conservation Service, the designation of <br />Prune Farmland is a tool developed by MRCS (NSSH 657.1) for the purpose of"the nation needs <br />to know the esiaat and location of the best land for producing food, feed, fiber..." If one <br />examines the son survey that contains the soils information for the area in question, nap unit <br />Bari fine sandy loam, 1 to 3 patent slopes is designated as prime farmland in the accompanying <br />table (so attached). <br />In order to discover in depth the apparent disaepancy in the document "Colasado 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 infortncd in my conversation with the staff located <br />them of two things concerning this statement and docurneut. Firsts the statement on page 3, item <br />4 was in error and should read 8.4. Secondly, the dock in question (Colorado Irnlhortaut <br />Farmland Inventory was put together sometime around 1980 and a now rendered obsolete, That <br />any and all determinations for Prune Farmland would tic directly back solely to the national <br />criteria <br />2) Laveb of Soil Sorvey were developed to best vied the needs for soils information -of the <br />present and Boteseeable fit= needs for resource management. Soil surveys in Colorado have, <br />to my knowledge, been conducted using two levels of soil survey (Wvel 2 and level 3). Levels of <br />soil survey are determined by use and can be fiord in the Soh? Survey Manual (Agricultural <br />Handbook 18 (USDA)) on pages 47 -56. In this book it lists the 2 order of Soil Survey for <br />apkultural" and the 3 order for 'range. it " sterns on pages 55-56 that there may be two <br />orders of soil survey snapping within a survey area On page 48 it states that 1` order survey is <br />for "very intensive (Le. esperinicutal plots, individual building sitter. Keep this statement in <br />mind as we discuss similar soils. Based upon Soil Survey Manuel directives and information <br />that the area tinder consideration was in agriculture at the time, it is probably safe to conclude <br />that the Bari soil in the area was mapped at an order 2 intensity of examination. <br />M a4r OAOOgrAwMwwM FAri� <br />Attachment 2.04.9 -6 -5 <br />